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Young Christians Calendar

A daily meditation for young Christians

July 2014

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Thursday, July 31, 2014

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M.Y.O.B.
“Let none of you suffer…as a busybody in other men’s matters” (1 Peter 4:15).
Mind Your Own Business! We’ve all said it at some time or other. Maybe we used the initials cited in the title of this page to make our point.
How easy it is to gossip; to stick our nose into someone else’s affairs. We are responsible to the Lord for the things we allow in our own life, not what we try to find out and pass on about others. Rather, let others know you as someone that can be trusted to keep their confidence, to provide a sympathetic listening ear. The only business we should have our nose into is our own business that the Lord has given us to do. David said: “The king’s business required haste” (1 Samuel 21:8). Daniel said: “I rose up, and did the king’s business” (Daniel 8:27).
When I was a young person and went to summer camp, there was a motto on the dining room wall with these words:
“A gossip is a person with a sense of rumour.”
Is that you, or do you M.Y.O.B?

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

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Dismal Deputies
“And He said unto them, Where is your faith?”
(Luke 8:25).
Faith must take no holiday, but there are always times when it seems to be at least temporarily absent.
We know too, that there are always deputies ready and willing to step in. Mr. Doubt, Mr. Fear, Mr. Anxiety, Mr Hopeless, and their many companions. These are fellows of long experience, and will act at any time. If faith takes a vacation, some most undesirable substitute will take over the vacancy. Faith must be on duty every moment of every day.
In times of trial, when the storms of life are high and the going hard, Satan will suggest that faith needs a holiday, or even just a break. But don’t let it happen. This is just the time when faith needs to stand guard, for there is such a thing as “the work of faith” (2 Thessalonians 1:11). It was when fear had usurped the position of faith that Jesus inquired of the disciples while in the boat on sea He had just calmed, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25).
Is He asking us the same question today?

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

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Forever
“I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”
(Psalm 23:6).
We have been speaking this week of “the house of the Lord,” and now we notice that this well known verse from the Shepherd Psalm is something yet future.
Not only did David delight to be with others in the presence of the Lord here on earth and to walk every day, individually, in the presence of the Lord, but he anticipated the time when he would dwell in “the house of the Lord forever.” What a hope he had!
What a hope we have too! For us we know “the house of the Lord” in a far more intimate way. The Lord spoke of it as “My Father’s house” (John 14:2). This is the final and eternal home of every believer in Christ. Let’s not lose sight of this wonderful hope and home.
So, to sum up the past three days, we have collective and individual enjoyment of the Lord’s presence, and the future joy of being with all the redeemed in His house, with Himself, for eternity.

Monday, July 28, 2014

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Dear Young Christian:
Yesterday we mentioned David’s delight in being invited by others to enter the House of the Lord. Here is another instance of David’s use of that same expression: “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple” (Psalm 27:4).
David didn’t just want to enjoy the presence of the Lord on special occasions, and with others, but he wanted to individually enjoy the company of the Lord every day of his life.
Wow! What a desire! Is that your desire as another week begins? The Lord is always with us. He has said, “Lo, I am with you alway” (Matthew 28:20). The question is, do we walk in such a way that we feel and enjoy His presence all the days of our life? Let’s make a real effort to dwell consciously in His presence this week.
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, July 27, 2014

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Let Us…
“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1).
David was glad for an invitation to enter with others into the House of the Lord. Notice the word “us.” This is plural…this is with others…fellow-believers…those who have the same desire, and that is to be together collectively in the Lord’s presence. To be where He is, and where He desires that His own would gather.
Just as David had this invitation and privilege, so do we on another Lord’s Day. Are we also glad? Do we look forward with joyful anticipation to being with those of “like precious faith” where the Lord is in the midst, and to partake of the “Lord’s supper” at the “Lord’s table”? He has promised, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
As we come into His presence, may our hearts be overflowing with gladness, thanksgiving, praise, and most of all worship.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

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Peace Child
“We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
How vital it is to have peace with God!
Some time ago I read a book entitled Peace Child. In the book the author, Don Richardson, gives a moving account of how the Sawi people of Irian Jaya came to understand the way of salvation through Jesus Christ.
For many months he and his family tried to find some way to communicate the gospel to this tribe in a way that they would understand. Then they discovered the key for which they had been praying.
All demonstrations of kindness expressed by the Sawi were regarded with suspicion except one act. If a father gave his own son to his enemy, his sacrificial deed showed that he could be trusted. Furthermore, everyone who touched that child was brought into friendly relationship with the father. The Sawi were then taught that in a similar way God’s beloved Son could bring them eternal peace. “For He is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).

Friday, July 25, 2014

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Question Page
Q. How can we know the Lord’s will, and how do we know it’s not just something we want to claim as His will?
A. God wants us to know His will. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). “If any man will [desires] to do His will, he shall know” (John 7:17).
The key to knowing His will is a desire to do it, coupled with orderly consistent reading and searching of the Word of God. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet” (Psalm 199:105). We also read: “Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearer only” (James 1:22). If we don’t know the will of God it is never failure on His part, but always some hindrance on ours.
The more we walk in His company the more we will know His will, and His desires will become our desires. “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4). We also read, “I will guide thee with Mine eye” (Psalm 32:8). You have to be close to someone and looking at their face to have them speak with their eye.
Do you have a question? Email us at jhyland@primus.ca

Thursday, July 24, 2014

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Addiction
Usually when we hear the words, addict, addiction, addicting, or addicted, we think of something with a bad connotation. But there is an addiction in the Word of God that received a commendation from the Apostle Paul. “I beseech you, brethren, ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:15).
It is a wonderful thing when a whole household has a desire to serve the Lord and His people. Not just the parents, but the children and young people too.
It is good to be addicted to the service of Christ! This will bring joy to the heart of the Lord Jesus, to others and to ourselves.
There was another home that had encouraged and helped Paul, and he says of that household, “The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me” (2 Timothy 1:16).
We also read, “We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

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Monthly Scripture Reading
Isaiah 40
Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth.
Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and
not faint.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

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Dependence
“Rooted and built up in Him” (Colossians 2:7).
There are some people who attain to much greater heights than others. Some feel they have done nothing and consider themselves failures. Others appear to have so many talents and are greatly admired. Let’s not be proud of our achievements, for as the Apostle Paul says, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).
We are all dependent upon God and are called upon to praise Him. If the trees of the forest could talk, might we not hear something like this:
I’m the topmost leaf of the highest twig
On the tree of the loftiest height;
But I owe my life to the trunk below,
And the roots that are out of sight.
Therefore he who is highest in the kingdom of God owes his position to Him who took the lowest station, as do we all, therefore let us never think we are independent.

Monday, July 21, 2014

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Dear Young Christian:
What do you think? As you look back and assess last week, and your spiritual life and walk with the Lord, do you think you really had the Lord’s approval? Remember last Monday we talked about “acceptance” and how important it is to “be accepted of Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9).
Maybe you have been criticized for things you have tried to do for the Lord. While it is good to weigh all criticism before the Lord and in the light of Scripture, the bottom line is, Does the Lord approve?
Remember too, when it comes to the service of Christ, if He has something for you to do and the time is right, He will work in the hearts of others so that they will recognize that it is of the Lord. However, remember also, if we put ourselves on the front line, we can expect the brunt of the battle.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, July 20, 2014

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Thank You
“Thanks be to God” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
“Please,” and “Thank you,” are amongst the most common expressions in use. I wonder whether “Please” is heard more often than “Thank you,” at the Throne of Grace. Of course it is not possible to find out the proportion, but could we make a guess that it is about nine to one?
I would base this on Luke 17:12-13, where we read of the ten lepers who said, “Please,” but verses 15 and 16 tell of only one who gave “Thanks.” “And one of them…turned back…giving Him thanks.”
It is not to be overlooked that Christ asked, “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17).
What will be the proportion of our praise to our prayers today?
There are almost as many references to praise as there are to prayer in the Bible. I feel sometimes that there is a greater proportion of prayer to praise in our lives. But let’s learn to follow the exhortation of the hymn — “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.”

Saturday, July 19, 2014

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Finished
“These words spake Jesus…I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do” (John 17:1,4).
Seeking something to while away his time, Hudson Taylor turned over a basket of tracts in his father’s library and selected one that looked interesting. While reading it he was struck with the phrase, “The finished work of Christ.” Immediately the words attracted his attention. “What was finished?” he asked himself. Reading further, the tract explained the finished work as, “a full and perfect atonement and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world.”
Then Hudson thought, “If the whole work was finished on the cross of Calvary, and the whole debt of sin paid, what is there left for me to do?” Hudson was thus convinced, as the light of God’s truth flashed into his soul by the Holy Spirit. He later stated: “There was nothing to be done but to fall down on my knees and accept the Saviour and His salvation, and praise Him forever.”
Hudson Taylor was seventeen years old at the time. He then went on to faithfully serve his Lord and Saviour for many years in China.

Friday, July 18, 2014

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Mountain Air
“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light” (Matthew 17:1-2).
Mountains are invigorating. It is the place of vision. These disciples were favored to be with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. Such experiences are indeed wonderful. Let us, if and when we are favored to be with Him in the Mount of Communion, beware of using the hilltop experience for an occasion of boasting.
Rather may it serve as a stimulus for serving in the valley or on the plain. If you have been climbing with Jesus it will be evident by your face where you have been.
It was so in Old Testament days, for “Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone” (Exodus 34:29). But we read that “the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone” (Exodus 34:34).
You may be able to shine where you cannot speak.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

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The Twelve Apostles – Part 7
Simon Zelotes
“and Simon called Zelotes” (Luke 6:15).
“Simon the Canaanite” (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:18).
There is very little known about this disciple, except that he was a Zealot. The Zealots were a nationalistic sect with very strong political views. They hated the Romans and the historian Josephus says that they were reckless persons zealous in good practices and extravagant and reckless in the worst actions.
It is wonderful to see how the Lord took a fanatical nationalist and transformed him into a man of faith, even to being associated with Matthew, the Roman tax collector. It shows how lives can be turned completely around and how the Lord can take a person with a certain bent to their nature and use them for His glory. The zeal that Simon once had against Romans was no doubt turned into zeal in following and serving his Master.
He is listed with those that were waiting in the upper room after the ascension in obedience to the word of the Lord. “And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode…Simon Zelotes” (Acts 1:13).

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

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Purpose
“Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8).
“Barnabas…when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord”
(Acts 11:22-23).
Someone once wisely said: “A river becomes crooked by following the line of least resistance, and so does a person.”
Someone else said, “If we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything.”
These are thoughts worth pondering. Nobody is worth much who doesn’t have a purpose in life to which he sticks through thick and thin. The line of resistance is a rotten, twisted line. Daniel and Barnabas were men of “purpose.”
Purpose and conviction are essential to faithful living for Christ. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

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Up
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).
The story has often been told of a man many years ago who wanted to steal some potatoes from his neighbour’s field. One evening he put his little son on a fence to watch. “Is anyone coming from the north?” he asked. “No,” replied his son. “From the south?” “No.” “From the east?” “No.” “From the west?” “No, Daddy.” “Then I can go ahead and take the potatoes,” said the man. “But there is one direction we forgot to look,” said the boy. “Which direction is that?” asked his father. “Up,” answered the boy.
Yes, it is good to realize that we cannot hide from the all-seeing eye of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. We may hide things from others…our parents…our family…our teachers…our employer…other Christians…but not from above. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth” (2 Chronicles 16:9). When you think no one else is looking, always look up. There is Someone who is always watching you.

Monday, July 14, 2014

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Dear Young Christian:
“Peer pressure!” We feel it every day. We want to fit in with the crowd, we don’t want to be different, we want to be looked up to, be part of the group.
As young people it is not wrong to want to be accepted. The question is, whose acceptance do we really want? Paul summed up his desire to be accepted by saying, “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). Above all he wanted the Lord’s approval in everything he did. He was misunderstood and even reproached by the Christians at Corinth, who he loved and tried to serve so faithfully. But he was willing to leave all that with the Lord, if it meant he had the Lord’s approval and acceptance. That counted most!
Whose acceptance will you seek this week, and when you look back on Saturday, whose approval will you have? How good to have the Lord’s “well done” (Matthew 25:21), in everything we say and do.
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, July 13, 2014

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Love
“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned” (Song of Solomon 8:7).
Over and over in the Word of God, He brings before us in one way or another His great love. In the above verse it is impressed upon our hearts in a very real way by the symbolism and analogy that the Spirit of God uses.
The cold, cruel, overwhelming waters of death didn’t even slow the Lord’s love, let alone quench it. His love was, and still is, so immense that nothing could stop the greatest act of love that man has ever shown. He died at Calvary voluntarily, so that we wouldn’t have to spend eternity in the lake of fire. He said to His disciples just before He was taken away to be tried and eventually crucified, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The Lord went under the waters of judgment for us, and gave His life to win our love. How much do you love Him?

Saturday, July 12, 2014

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Example of Love
“I love…I will not go out free” (Exodus 21:5).
On May 2, 1962, an advertisement appeared in the San Francisco Examiner: “I don’t want my husband to die for a crime he did not commit. I will offer my services for 10 years as a cook, maid, or housekeeper to any leading attorney who will defend him and bring about his vindication.”
One of San Francisco’s great attorneys, Vincent Hallinan, read the ad and contacted Gladys Kidd, who had placed it. Her husband, Robert Lee Kidd, was to be tried for the slaying of an antique dealer. Kidd’s fingerprints had been found on a bloodstained ornate sword in the victim’s shop. During the trial, Hallinan proved that the dealer had not been killed by the sword, and that Kidd’s fingerprints and blood on the sword got there because Kidd had once toyed with it while playfully dueling with a friend when they were out shopping. The jury, after 11 hours, found Kidd to be not guilty. Attorney Hallinan refused Gladys Kidd’s offer of 10 years’ servitude.
This is a wonderful example of human love. But there is a love beyond all human love, the love of the Lord Jesus, who gave His life to save sinners. Do you know that love?

Friday, July 11, 2014

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A Disciple
“And His disciples follow Him” (Mark 6:1).
A disciple is a follower…a disciple follows!
How much is this true of you? Are you a true disciple? Will you follow the Lord today? It is a lot easier to follow someone than just have them give us direction. With my lack of sense of direction, I am glad when someone will say, “Just follow me, I’m going that way.” The Lord has given us directions in His Word, the Bible. The Psalmist prayed, “Order my steps in Thy Word” (Psalm 119:133). But not only has He given us unfailing guidelines and directions in the Scriptures, but He also says, “follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). He also said: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
Let’s learn to be good followers…good disciples. He leads in good places. David declared, “He leadeth me beside the still waters…He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:2-3).
The last recorded words of the Lord Jesus in John’s gospel are an exhortation to Peter, “Follow thou Me” (John 21:22).

Thursday, July 10, 2014

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Anti-Aging Power – Part 3
“I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:14).
We spend a great deal of energy and discipline trying to keep in good shape physically, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, but do we spend as much time exercising in the things of God? This is why we often become spiritually weak and sickly Christians. Just as we become weak and hasten the aging process by lack of natural exercise, so it is with the spiritual. May the Lord give us the desire and motivation that is needed to “renewourstrength” day by day.
At 85 years of age, Caleb could state: “As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: As my strength was then, even so is my strength now” (Joshua 14:11). It is wonderful to meet an elderly believer who is still strong in the Word of God and in the path of faith. We also read of Moses at, “an hundred and twenty years old his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated (Deuteronomy 34:7).

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

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Anti-Aging Power – Part 2
As noted yesterday, when we put our hope and trust in the Lord, we are carried along by His strength and not our own. Like Isaiah, David also used the analogy of the eagle when he stated in the Psalms, “Bless the Lord, O my soul…Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1,5).
Are we taking advantage of God’s anti-aging power? It is promised to all who put their confidence in Him for strength of heart, vigour of spirit, and energy of soul. Through the exercise of spiritual energy and purpose of heart we can, with youthful vitality, “run with patience [endurance] the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).
To be renewed with spiritual energy there needs to be spiritual exercise. Notice what the Apostle Paul tells a young man named Timothy; “Exercise thyself…unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8). What are we doing to keep spiritually fit?
Continued…

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

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Anti-Aging Power – Part 1
Statistics indicate that Americans spend more than $20 billion annually on various anti-aging products that claim to cure baldness, remove wrinkles, build muscle, revitalize the human body, and renew the power of youth. Can those products deliver all the marvellous things they promise in the advertisements? Dr. Thomas Perls of the Boston University School of Medicine says that there is “absolutely no proof that any commercially available product will stop or reverse aging.” Not very encouraging is it?
But there is a promise of spiritual vitality that defies the ravages of age and time. It is found in these words of the Holy Bible: “Even the youthsshall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:30-31). Isaiah used the eagle as a symbol of freedom and endurance, held aloft by a source of power completely outside of itself…just like the Christian carried along by the power of Christ.
Continued…

Monday, July 7, 2014

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Dear Young Christian:
I hope you are not neglecting your personal reading of the Word of God, or any other aspect of your spiritual life, during the summer months. Maybe some of you are on holidays, but don’t ever take a vacation from the Lord.
I remember a young couple who went on a trip for rest and relaxation, and on returning home were asked by my father, where they had gone on Lord’s Day to remember the Lord and if they had enjoyed fellowship with other believers. Their response was that they were on vacation. How sad! To take a vacation from the Lord and from fellowship with others of “like precious faith” (2 Peter 1:1), is not a healthy thing.
“Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways” (Isaiah 58:2). Wouldn’t you like this verse to apply to you? It would make every day happy, wherever you are, wherever you are going, and whatever you are doing. David said, “I have set the Lord always before me” (Psalm 16:8). Make sure you do too.
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, July 6, 2014

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Appreciation
“Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment” (John 12:3).
Don’t you get the impression that Jesus meant a great deal to Mary? Appreciation for Him filled her heart just as the sweet odor filled the house. If you know the Lord personally and have been forgiven of your sins, if this is true, then you know that He has given you very much. Worship is adoration and love you can give back to Him. Mary’s gift was expensive — but He was worth it to her.
Even the criticism of Judas and all the other disciples did not discourage or dissuade Mary. Her heart was full and overflowing, and her one object was the person of Christ.
The Lord valued it, and said, “She hath wrought a good work on Me…She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint My body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her” (John 12:6,8-9).

Saturday, July 5, 2014

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Remember No More
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 1:12).
“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17).
God doesn’t forget, that’s human weakness. The things I want to remember, I forget, and the things I would like to forget, I remember. Only a divine person can choose not to remember, and one of the things that God chooses not to remember are my sins when they are washed in the blood of Christ. They are gone, never to be brought up against me again. Never! I have no fear of one charge…God doesn’t even remember them. Twice He confirms, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” He also says, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins” (Isaiah 44:22).
What about you? Do you have this confidence that your sins are gone, and gone forever, never to be remembered again?

Friday, July 4, 2014

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Stop & Consider – Part 2
“Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which He hath made crooked?”
(Ecclesiastes 7:13).
In heaven we will look back and recount all His ways with us, and praise Him forever, as we realize the perfection of them. When the wilderness journey of Israel is summed up in the Psalms, it says, “He led them forth by the right way” (Psalm 107:7). No doubt, we will echo similar language as we fully understand that “He ledUS forth by the right way.”
Things we thought would never be straightened out, and things we didn’t understand in this life will all be made straight and plain then. “The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain” (Isaiah 40:4).
In heaven we will have plenty of time to consider and praise Him for all His ways with us. However, stop and consider His ways today, and even though you may not fully understand everything, you will go forth with a thankful heart and a renewed appreciation of Himself.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

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Stop & Consider – Part 1
As the months slip by and life goes quickly on it is good to stop and consider every once in a while and just look back on the goodness of God our Father up until this point. The children of Israel were instructed, “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no” (Deuteronomy 8:2).
When we look at things in retrospect we not only learn the faithfulness of God with us, but we are also reminded of His love, grace and mercy, in spite of our failure, forgetfulness and sin. We don’t always appreciate our circumstances and experiences as we go through them, nor are we always thankful at the time. But looking back and seeing things from a different perspective helps us to realize that there is one who know best. It also helps us to carry out the instructions of David when he said, “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5).
Continued…

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

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Praying
When we pray the whole Trinity is involved and has a part in taking up our requests and our care.
God the Father:
“God is…a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
“Pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6).
The Lord:
“The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:5).
The Spirit:
“The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:2).
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18).
The whole Godhead is interested in us, and as a result we should “give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always…” (Colossians 1:3).

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

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Go Work
There’s a lot to do for Jesus,
Go work for Him today!
You’ll find a real blessing,
A joy, and rich repay.
Go work today for Jesus,
So loving, good, and kind:
Of things to do for Jesus,
No shortage you will find.
The Master calls, Yes, Jesus;
Go work, and do His will,
There is no labor sweeter,
Your days with which to fill.
Go work, and gladly toil,
Until the day is done,
You’ll find a rest rewarded,
When day at last is done.
“Son, go work to day in my vineyard” (Matthew 21:28).
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