Month: February 2016

Service

“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not” (Matthew 21:28-29).

A verbal willingness to serve and a physical unwillingness don’t go together. Don’t be hypocritical and show obedience when you don’t mean it in your heart. If God asks you to do something for Him say “Yes” and do it. He will give you the strength for it and you will be rewarded. The second son in the story seemed like he was willing by his words, but it soon became evident that his heart was not right.

God our Father wants willing and obedient hearts from His children. He said to His Old Testament people, the children of Israel, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19). In a spiritual way this applies to us now. If we have a willing and obedient spirit we will enjoy all the blessings He has for us.

 

Dear Young Christian:

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15). My wife and I were reading a commentary on the book of Job, and came across a comment on this verse by the author. He remarked, “This is almost the greatest sentence ever uttered by mortal lips! Let us ask for grace to affirm it.”

It was quite a boast made by Job, and I take it not an idle one either. However, Job did not know his own heart, and he had many valuable lessons to learn in the school of God. It was a long process of 42 chapters, having to listen to his wife and his friends criticize and berate him over many issues. However, Job learned the lessons in the school of God in the end, and there was much blessing as a result. The New Testament affirms, “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11). Hopefully, we too are learning the lessons God has for us so that we will experience the happiness and blessing that He desires for us.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Suffering

“Christ also suffered for us” (1 Peter 2:21).

I recently cracked a rib, and it has been very painful. Yet I realize it is nothing like my Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, suffered. We read of Him, “I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint .… I may tell all My bones: they look and stare upon Me” (Psalm 22:14,17). Yes, it is good for us to read and meditate on the physical suffering of Christ and the circumstances surrounding His trial and crucifixion. But remember, all the physical sufferings of the Lord, as awful as they were, never put away one sin. It was the atoning sufferings in those three hours of darkness, at the end of which, “Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me” (Matthew 27:46).

We can in some small way enter into what He suffered from the hands of His enemies, but never will we know what He felt when He, “bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24).

 

Let Go

An eagle was hovering over the lake, and its graceful flight was watched by several people. Suddenly it darted with lightning swiftness towards the water. There was a splash of feathers and fins, and the great bird rose into the air with a fish two feet or more in length and probably weighing 10 pounds, still wriggling in it talons. When at a height of about a 1,000 feet, the bird, still clinging to the fish, began to sink slowly towards the lake again, gaining speed as it descended. It finally fell with a splash into the water. Later the bird and the fish were found together, dead. The eagle had evidently found the fish too heavy to carry, but had been unable or unwilling to withdraw its claws, and as its strength gave way, it sank into the water and was drowned.

This incident reminded me of two of the Lord’s questions when here on earth: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (Mark 8:36-37)? Perhaps you are clinging to something of this world and its pleasures, and it is keeping you from coming to Christ. Don’t be like the foolish eagle! Let go and accept the Lord as your Saviour. “This is life eternal” (John 17:3).

 

The Call

“I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom
shall I send, and who will go for Us?” (Isaiah 6:8).

In the 1700’s there was a man in England, a shoemaker by trade, who kept a map of the world on the wall of his workshop so he could pray for the nations of the world. In time he became burdened for a specific missionary outreach. When he shared this burden at a meeting of prominent believers, he was told by one of the senior men of God: “Young man, sit down. When God wants to convert the heathen, He will do it without your help or mine.”

But William Carey did not let the fire of his enthusiasm be dampened by such a response, and eventually he left the shores of England for India. There he engaged in pioneer missionary work, doing the work of the Lord in a remarkable way and with much eternal fruit and blessing.

God has a work and a sphere of service for each of us. It may not be India or any foreign mission field. For you it may be right where you are — home, neighborhood, school, work, anywhere. Whatever and wherever it is, it will be a blessing to you and to others if you answer the call, “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

 

Promises

Lord Palmerston (October 20, 1784 – October 18, 1865), Queen Victoria’s Prime Minister, was crossing the Thames River in London on Westminister Bridge when a young girl ahead of him suddenly dropped a jug of fresh milk. The jug broke into fragments, and she dissolved into tears. Palmerston, having no money with him, dried her eyes by telling her that if she came to the same spot the next day at that same hour he would pay for both the jug and the milk. The following morning, in the middle of a cabinet meeting, he suddenly remembered his promise, left the bewildered ministers, dashed across the bridge, placed the money into the waiting girl’s hand and hurried back to his meeting.

This is but a feeble illustration of our Lord, of whom we read, “All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). No promise ever made by God the Father or the Lord Jesus Christ will ever fail. “There hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised” (1 Kings 8:56). Claim those promises today, you will never be disappointed in doing so.

 

Fearful

“And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful?
How is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:40).

That night there had been a great storm on the sea of Galilee, and by this storm the disciples’ faith had just been through a major test — and they all failed! Yes, they failed miserably. They hadn’t yet learned that Jesus had everything in full and complete control, no matter how it looked to them.

When we learn that the Lord is still in control, still on His throne in resurrection power, then our faith will pass in times of testing. Our faith will pass the test if we trust in Him — not just when things are smooth sailing, not just some of the time — if we “trust in Him at ALL times” (Psalm 62:8).

We need to learn full, whole-hearted trust like Solomon, who said, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). When we have learned this lesson, then, and only then, can we “trust, and not be afraid” (Isaiah 12:2).

 

Youth

“It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth” (Lamentations 3:27).

“Redeeming the time” (Ephesians 5:16).

Wasted time and wasted talents,

In our days of youthfulness,

Never can they be recycled,

Gone those days of usefulness:

Do not squander, do not lose them,

Serve your Master, serve today:

There is much to do for Jesus,

Do not waste your youth away!

Jesus wants our youthful vigor,

He desires our very best,

All the energy He gives us…

This is not our final rest:

We are going on to heaven,

There our service will be done,

Then rewards and commendations,

When our race is fully run.

 

Dear Young Christian:

There is a great danger of being mere imitators of other people’s faith, copying their example without their spiritual power or personal communion with the Lord. All this must be carefully guarded against, especially as young Christians. King David’s prayer was, “Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee” (Psalm 143:8).

Let’s be simple, humble and real. We may be small, our sphere of service very narrow, our path hidden. It doesn’t matter as long as we are precisely what grace has made us, occupying the sphere in which our Lord has set us, walking the path which He has opened before us. It is not by any means necessary that we should be great or prominent in the world. But it is absolutely necessary that we should be real and humble, obedient and dependent. Thus our God can use us. Nothing is more delightful to the true Christian than to find himself in that quiet, humble path where self is lost sight of. May it be so this week.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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