Month: August 2017

Lost And Found

“But they, supposing Him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found Him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking Him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found Him in the temple” (Luke 2:44-46).

Mary and Joseph searched for Jesus and found Him in the temple. They thought He was lost, but He was right where they left Him. If our companionship with Him is broken, it is not He who has moved, but us. We can’t lose our salvation but we can lose our fellowship with Him. Unconfessed sin, inattention to our Bible, failure to pray, and neglecting to gather with God’s people, all break fellowship. The journey back to where we have left Him begins with confession and continues with a renewed focus on the Scriptures, prayer and Christian fellowship.

In the Old Testament the bride said of her bridegroom, “I sought him, but I found him not” (Song of Solomon 3:1). However, after diligent search she says, “I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go” (3:4). This can be our happy reality too.

Be Strong

Maybe you feel very weak and insufficient for the circumstances of life that you anticipate today. Here are some verses that encourage us to “be strong,” not in our own power, but with the power of God that is provided by God for every believer.

 “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).

“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7).

“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).

“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).

No matter what we face today, our God and His power are far greater. Go forth in that power and you will be victorious.

Love

Love is one of the great characteristics of Christianity. Just before the Lord Jesus left the disciples to go to the cross and then return to heaven, He said these words, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).

A new commandment! The Old Testament also told its adherents to love: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18). But they couldn’t keep it. Inside the Christian, though, is the God-given capability to keep this new commandment. Yes, the new life given when you believed on Jesus can and does love. And it loves without expecting anything in return. The Lord would not ask us to do something that is not possible to do. He has given the power to put His new commandment into practice.

The Lord went on to say, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).So, our love displayed in our interactions with one another is a testimony to the world. If that is true then let’s do it!

Dear Young Christian:

As you begin another week let me share something that perhaps we have shared before, but which is good to keep in mind as we operate from day to day in a world of sin, sorrow, and distraction:

If you want to be distracted … ….LOOK AROUND!

If you want to be miserable … ….LOOK WITHIN!

If you want to be happy … …… … .LOOK UPWARD!

If you want to be satisfied … ……LOOK TO JESUS!

If you want to be encouraged … .LOOK AHEAD!

With these statements I have enjoyed two verses that stand in stark contrast to each other:

“And if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow” (Isaiah 5:30).

“They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed” (Psalm 34:5).

Where, and to whom, will you look this week?

Your Christian Friend,

JimHyland

We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

The Christ

“Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they said, Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:13-16).

The Lord’s question provoked one of the most dramatic and beautiful confessions regarding His identity. He is Messiah, “the Christ”; He is God, “the Son of the living God”; and He is greater than all false human notions of the divine, “the living God”. The modern world’s pseudo-deities (fake gods) cannot compete with Him, any more than could the ancient idols of Bible times. Instead of declaring His credentials Himself, Christ gave the Apostle Peter the privilege of this great confession. Believers are afforded the same honor today, as they give witness to the crucified, risen, and glorified Savior.

Living, glorious, precious Savior,

Son of God, and coming King;

Worthy of all praise and worship,

Hallelujahs, now we bring!

Guilty

Last Saturday we had an account that illustrated the truth of the verse: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Here is another story from history to emphasize the same truth:

Frederick the Great, the Prussian king from 1740 to 1786, was once touring a Berlin prison. The prisoners fell on their knees before him to proclaim their innocence, all having this excuse and that excuse as to why they should not be incarcerated — except for one man, who remained silent. Frederick called to him, “Why are you here?” “Armed robbery, Your Majesty,” was the reply. “And are you guilty?” “Yes indeed, Your Majesty, I deserve my punishment.” Frederick then summoned the jailer and ordered him, “Release this guilty wretch at once. I will not have him kept in this prison where he will corrupt all the fine innocent people who occupy it.”

Yes, the person who admits that they are a helpless, guilty sinner is the person who obtains mercy and salvation through the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross.

Monthly Question Page
(Continued from last month).

Q. How can I be sure that the Bible is the inspired Word of God?

A. The best way is by reading it! You can’t judge a book which you haven’t read. Many critics have done this to their embarrassment. Read it from cover to cover. Many who have done this in earnest have had their doubts removed. This is because the Bible is “quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.” (Hebrews 4:12).

Although reading is the surest way to tell its authorship, its uniqueness also points to God as its author. For one thing, it has stood the test of time! In the last half of the 18th century, Voltaire, the French infidel, made the prediction that within 100 years the Bible would be completely forgotten. He died in 1778 but the Bible lives on. How many 2,000 year old books are still in print? It is still the world’s best seller, translated into almost 300 languages.

Consider also the fact that it was penned by about 40 different men over a period of about 1,600 years. Yet, there are no contradictions, but rather complete harmony. Yes, “The Word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8).

Do you have a question? Email us at jhyland@primus.ca

Choosing

A Bad Choice:

“Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan … and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly” (Genesis 13:11-13).

A Good Choice:

“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:24-25).

A Better Choice:

“Choose you this day whom ye will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

The Best Choice:

“Mary … sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word … Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:39, 42).

Monthly Scripture Reading

1 Corinthians 14

1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.

2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.

6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?

7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?

The Wilted Vine

A missionary tells the following story:

In our garden in North Africa, for years we had a prosperous vine, which produced an abundance of fruit. Then one year it failed; there were no grapes. The next year it wilted and the third year found it dead. We then decided to put in a new vine, but when digging a hole for this purpose we struck a layer of boards. Removing them we found a pit some fifteen feet deep. Then we know why the vine had died. Its roots and feeders had found their way into this pit, and being unable to reach its bottom or throw themselves across to the other side to grip the soil there, were hanging in a tangled mass in the vacuum created in the pit.

Many Christians are wilting and dying spiritually because they have pushed their feeders into the empty pit of this world where there is nothing to feed the divine life, instead of feeding on the living Word of God. Let’s be like the man in the first Psalm, who finds his delight in the “Law of the Lord” (Psalm 1:2).It says of him, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3).