Young Christians Calendar

August 2015

Dear Young Christian:

“Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity”
(1 Timothy 4:14).

Regarding this verse a friend of mine writes:

From the time I was a pre-teen right through high school my mother said to me every morning as I left for school, “Son, be thou an example.” Though I sometimes resented it, her words had a preserving effect on my life, and I am very thankful now for her faithfulness then. The Word of God tells us,“None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself….Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14:7-8). We cannot live our lives in a vacuum and we cannot live our lives selfishly, thinking that what we do has no effect on other Christians. It does have an effect, whether for good or for bad. We are members of the same body and we are told to be an example.

Something to really think about this week isn’t it!

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Sunday, August 30, 2015

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Worship

“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things”
(Acts 17:24-25).

No, God is worshipped in our hearts. Man has built architecturally beautiful monuments, supposedly for the Lord’s glory and to honor Him. But He’s not worshipped with men’s hands. He looks inside people’s hearts to see what’s there. Every seat in every church building may be filled every Sunday with “worshippers” who go there to be entertained, but much of their worship never reaches heaven.

The Lord told the woman at the well at Sychar, “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father … . the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him” (John 4:21-23). More than anything else, He desires the worship of our hearts today.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

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Hearing

“To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15).

As children, many of us remember frustrated parents asking if we really heard their reminder to finish an unwanted chore, complete our homework, get ready for bed, etc. We may have claimed to have heard, but our attitude and actions said otherwise.

What about our response to the gospel? Have you heard it? Have you responded? It’s easy to put off making a decision, and the longer we do the easier it becomes.

The gospel is a simple but heart-penetrating truth, and it is not enough just to know it. No, we must act upon it, realizing that we are lost sinners on our way to hell, but that God has provided a remedy for sin through the sacrificial work of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

God has spoken, we have heard, but we must act. We must receive Him. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

Friday, August 28, 2015

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Monthly Question Page

Q. What will happen to the property and possessions of believers when the Lord comes?

A. There is no difficulty with this question when we realize that we are stewards of the Lord. All we posses should be looked at as being loaned to us by Him and belonging to Him. We are to use it for His glory until He comes. “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). When the Lord comes our stewardship ends, and we are no longer responsible, but must give an account at the Judgment Seat of Christ as to how faithful we were with what was entrusted to us. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). What we leave behind is the Lord’s and we can leave it all in His hands. He will take care of it in His own way and we need not concern ourselves about it. Our responsibility has ended!

What we should be concerned about is our present faithfulness and responsibility. The question is, are we using what has been given us in a way that is pleasing to Him, for His glory, and for the furtherance of the gospel? We will be held accountable!

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

Thursday, August 27, 2015

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Another World

“The world to come” (Luke 18:30).

John Wesley, a classical scholar and gifted with a brilliant mind, gave himself fully to His God and consecrated all his powers to His service. Possessed of a scholar’s love for books, yet he spent most of his life in the saddle and in the active duties of a most strenuous life. With a passionate love for art, especially for music and architecture, he turned away from their charms to blow the gospel trumpet with all his might.

With a more than ordinary longing for the comforts of human love, he rose above disappointments which would have crushed most men. Forgetting his, “Inly-bleeding heart,” (his own expression), he gave himself unreservedly to the work of binding up the broken-hearted. Viewing the beautiful grounds of an English nobleman, he said, “I too, have a liking for these things, but there is another world.”

Yes, there is indeed another world, and the Lord said that those who live in view of it would “Receive an hundredfold now in this time…and in the world to come eternal life” (Mark 10:30).

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

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Monthly Scripture Reading

Mark 1

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

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Doing

What work will you do for the Lord today? Or perhaps better asked: Will you do today’s work for the Lord? Whatever we do, whether it is school work, our job, chores, spreading the gospel, encouraging and helping fellow-believers, or just simply living a quiet testimony, we need to do it all for the Lord and for His glory. Here are three verses that help to qualify everything we do in our day to day life as believers:

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him” (Colossians 3:17).

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 2:23).

Living and doing for the Lord is not necessarily the easiest path, but it is the happiest way, and the Lord said, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John 13:17).

Monday, August 24, 2015

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Dear Young Christian:

The other day I was glancing through the Air Canada in-flight magazine as I was flying between Toronto Canada and Bridgetown Barbados. This segment of an article on modern communication caught my eye:

“We are more connected than ever through social media and online networking, yet we’re also more disconnected than ever…Technology makes communication faster, but is it really better? You can’t make a genuine connection with someone by texting, emailing, or friending.”

Yes, everyone has dozens or even hundreds of friends, most of which they have never met in person.

Reading this article made me thankful for the personal relationship believers have with the Lord. Paul’s desire was, “That I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10). Let’s develop that relationship more this week, and get to know Him better as the “Friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Sunday, August 23, 2015

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In the Midst

“The Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35).
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them”
(Matthew 18:20).

What a precious promise the Lord has given to His own that when they are gathered in His name, He will be there in their midst! This was the call and the joy of the early believers as they met in simplicity to remember the Lord Jesus in His appointed way, such as we have in the incident recorded in Scripture when Paul visited the city of Troas. We read, “upon the first day of the week…the disciples came together to break bread” (Acts 20:7).

What a difference it would make if only we kept reminding ourselves that the Lord is there. Sometimes we lose sight of this glorious fact and we neglect to display that wonder, that respect, and that holy awe that is appropriate to being gathered around the Lord of Glory. There would also be no problem with attendance either if the reality of His presence was impressed upon our hearts. Wouldn’t we want to be there if we really believed that He was there?

Saturday, August 22, 2015

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Peace

The Society of International Law in London gives the following startling statistics:

In the last 4000 years there have been only 286 years of peace on planet Earth.

Within that time there have been 3.64 billion killed as a result of wars.

In the last 300 years there have been 286 wars in Europe alone.

In recorded history there has been peace only 8% of the time, and over 8,000 peace treaties made and broken.

We can certainly conclude from this that there is no lasting peace in this world.

But there is an inner peace that God is offering to every person — every one who will put their trust in Jesus and the work of Calvary. We read of such: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).Do you posses this wonderful peace that is being offered freely? We don’t expect there to be peace in this world this side of the Lord’s coming, but you can experience His peace in your heart and soul now.

Friday, August 21, 2015

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Waiting

Waiting is not my strongest attribute. In fact if it exists at all it is pretty far down the list. When I was growing up my mother always said that I wanted things yesterday, and my wife has confirmed it.

In the Old Testament we find that David talks a lot about waiting. I suspect he was a person like myself who found it very hard to sit still and wait God’s time. In many of the Psalms that he penned he reminds us of the importance of waiting on the Lord. Here are just two examples:

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

“Wait on the Lord, and keep His way” (Psalm 37:34).

I am still trying to learn this great lesson, and trust that I have made at least some little progress. The more we learn to submit to God’s timetable, the less frustrated we will be. David waited many years for the fulfilment of God’s promise that he would one day be king of Israel. Are you and I willing to wait for His time, knowing His time is the very best, and that He will fulfill all His promises to us as well?

Thursday, August 20, 2015

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Minor Prophets — Habakkuk

Prophetically, Habakkuk represents the faithful remnant in Israel, and as such is very burdened over the sin of the people and the judgment that is going to result. “For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs” (Habakkuk 1:6).

In a practical way we learn from this prophet the blessing of waiting on God with faith and hope, even in dark and difficult times. He watches and waits for God’s answer from the watchtower, and declares: “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me…” (Habakkuk 2:1-2).

The book concludes with a prayer of faith full of confidence and joy in the Lord in spite of the circumstances. “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18).

Chapter 2:4, is quoted three times in the New Testament (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

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More Precious — Part 2

“The word of God is not bound” (2 Timothy 2:9).

The Hindu jeweler was absolutely astounded; he spoke to many about his “find” and constantly inquired, “Why did I not know this before? Why did nobody every tell me of this great news?”

The Word of God took root and grew in his heart, by the power of the Holy Spirit. “Surely,” he said, “this means me…whosoever…this salvation is for me and it is mine for the taking.”

By faith in Christ Jesus he accepted it; he told others of it; until when a missionary went to that place some time later, expecting to find only heathens in spiritual darkness, he found a large gathering of Indian Christians.

This true story illustrates the power of the Bible, God’s Word, and the truth of the verse that states: “For the word of God is quick [living], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

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More Precious — Part 1

“The Word of the Lord was precious in those days”
(1 Samuel 3:1).

Holy Scripture is precious because it, and it alone, contains CHRIST, and therefore the faith that saves. A diamond merchant, packing some precious gems which he was sending to a trader in India, wrapped each one separately with great care. Coming to the last and costliest of all, he used as its coverings the first three chapters of John’s gospel, tearing them, as he had done other gospel portions, from a waste volume in his office. This he often did as the soft paper made an ideal wrapping.

The Hindu buyer, to whom this precious stone was sent, received with it what was infinitely more precious to him than the diamond which it covered — a leaf from the precious Word of God, whereon he found these wonderful, life-giving words, so familiar to most of us: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Monday, August 17, 2015

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Dear Young Christian:

Sometimes the question is raised: What is a saint? The answer is that every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is a “saint.” I read recently of a boy who was attracted by the stained glass windows in Westminster Abbey in London, England, and the beautiful colors they reflected. He was told that the figures in the windows were those of the old time saints. Some time after he was asked who saints are, and replied, “People through whom the light shines.” How much is this true of you and me? Here is what is to characterize us as saints of God: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Another young person was asked what they thought the definition of a saint was, and their answer was, “A person who does good when nobody’s looking.” How much is this true of us also? We are told, “Eschew evil, and do good” (1 Peter 3:11).

All believers are saints, but do we act like saints?

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Sunday, August 16, 2015

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Jesus Only

“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…And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only”
(Matthew 17:1-2,8).

Three of the Lord’s disciples had just experienced one of the most spectacular events in their lives, there on the Mount of Transfiguration. But they didn’t realize just how important Jesus was in the eyes and thoughts of God until Peter, James and John saw “Jesus only.” Everything else, and everyone else, no matter how wonderful and how important, was shut out from their view.

When we meet with the Lord to remember Him in His death, is He the only person we see? Quite often we are occupied with the happenings of yesterday or last week, or, like the disciples with Moses and Elijah, we are more occupied with other believers, present or absent. Let’s really try on this special day to shut out everything else and see “Jesus only.”

Saturday, August 15, 2015

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Receive Him

“This Man receiveth sinners” (Luke 15:2).
“And He [Zacchaeus] made haste…and received Him joyfully” (Luke 19:6).
“Christ also received us to the glory of God”
(Romans 15:7).

If we receive Christ, He will receive us: “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). King David received Mephibosheth to his royal table as one of the king’s sons. “As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons…So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet” (2 Samuel 9:11,13).

The sinner is brought into a far superior relationship through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are received into the royal family of heaven by the “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15), and we shall enjoy His royal bounty and pay homage to Him in that wonderful, heavenly city forever. Have you received Him?

Friday, August 14, 2015

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All

“The unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).

If we have Christ, we have ALL — without Christ we have nothing! You can be happy without money, without liberty, without health, without friends and without parents, but only if you have Christ, and if Christ is the object and delight of your heart.

If you do not have Christ, neither money, liberty, health, friends, or parents can make you happy. In fact often these things will make us all the more miserable, because they leave the heart empty and the soul unfulfilled.

Christ with a ball and chain is liberty; liberty without Christ is a ball and chain.

Christ without anything is riches — all things! Without Christ, it is poverty indeed!

The Apostle Paul had very little of this world’s goods, and was a prisoner of Nero and the Romans. Yet he declared, “But I have all, and abound: I am full” (Philippians 4:18). He also stated, when writing to the Christians at Colosse, “Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11).

Thursday, August 13, 2015

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Non-Trusters

Someone has well said, “We are a generation of non-trusters.” We are taught not to accept anything without solid proof or to trust anyone, even if we know them, without questioning their integrity and being on our guard at all times. Certainly this is a day when on the surface this seems to be sound advice. No one seems to be completely above-board anymore, and honesty seems to be in short supply. However in my opinion this way of thinking has made us a very paranoid and jittery generation.

How good that there is one person and one book that we can trust without question.King Solomon reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart” (Proverbs 3:5). The writer of the 119th Psalm said, “I trust in Thy Word” (Psalm 119:42). The writer of Hebrews states: “It was impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). So, we may have to be vigilant and wary when it comes to who we trust and what we read, except when it comes to confidence in the Lord and reading His Word. In that context we don’t want to be a non-truster, we want to be wholehearted trusters.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

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Harps

I heard an orchestra play a few evenings ago and it was absolutely beautiful. What I especially enjoyed was the harp. It got me thinking about the music of heaven and what it will be like, and of course it brought to mind the verse that says, “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints” (Revelation 5:8).

Then I thought about the hymn written by William Cowper over 200 years ago, and the verses that say:

Lord, we believe Thou hast prepared
(Unworthy though we be)
For us a blood-bought, free reward,
And harps of minstrelsy.

Harps strung and tuned for endless years
And formed by power divine,
To sound in God the Father’s ears,
No other name but Thine.

What a wonderful music that will be!

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

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Thanks

I was staying in the home of some good Christian friends of mine. One morning I got up feeling rather sorry for myself and kind of grumpy. No one else was up, and so I went down to the kitchen to get myself a cup of coffee, which I was told the night before would be ready for me. As I stood at the kitchen sink sipping the hot brew, I noticed a card on the bulletin board beside the sink. This is what it said:

GREET EACH DAY WITH THANKS!

Wow! What a rebuke! I immediately thought of the verse that says, “Be ye thankful” (Colossians 3:15). So many times the Bible exhorts us and reminds us to be thankful.

We are to be thankful when we have prayer requests: “With thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).

We are to be thankful at all times and in every situation and circumstance of life: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

How thankful will you be today?

Monday, August 10, 2015

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Dear Young Christian:

“And the Lord called Samuel” (1 Samuel 3:4).

Everyone seems to be carrying them today! Cell phones, smartphones, etc. You are in a dark room and suddenly a screen lights up as someone reads an incoming text and perhaps takes time to reply. Statistics show that the sense that there might be a message out there for us is increasingly difficult to resist. Samuel was a young boy when he heard a voice call his name and thought it was Eli the priest. When Eli finally realized that God was calling, he told him how to respond. When God called the fourth time Samuel answered, “Speak; for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:10). This attentiveness to the voice of God became the pattern of Samuel’s life, and as a result he was used in a mighty way for the blessing of God’s people.

Will you listen to the voice of God as He speaks to you this week, through His Living Word by His Spirit, or are you more drawn to the vibration or beep of a smartphone?

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Sunday, August 9, 2015

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Worship

“Jesus…said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him” (John 9:35-38).

The blind man who was so miraculously healed in this chapter went from knowing about Jesus as a “man” to believing in Him as his “Lord.” And when he found Jesus as Lord he worshipped Him. The same will be true of you. When you know Jesus as Lord of your life you will want to spend time in worship. In fact, it will be the spontaneous reaction of your heart.

He is the only one who is worthy of worship. In the Old Testament David said, “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2). In the New Testament the Lord Himself reminded Peter, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:10). Will He receive that worship He so desires from you today?

Saturday, August 8, 2015

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Fly Away

“We spend our years as a tale that is told…for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:9-10).

Here we are (my wife and I), on a plane from Frankfurt Germany to Ottawa Canada. We know where we are going, we are being taken care of on the way, and the monitor at our seat tells us our altitude, ground speed, and estimated time of arrival. Everyone on this Boeing 777 is going to the same place and will arrive at the same time.

But what about our travel to eternity? Not everyone is going to the same place, and no one knows how long their journey of life will be. For some it is short, for others it is longer, but one thing is for sure, it will end, and there is a destiny.

My wife and I made sure we had a ticket and a boarding pass, and that our seat was secure long before the plane took off. For both of us, our ticket is also secured for that day when we will “fly away” to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus our precious Saviour. Before this flight ends, our heavenly flight may take place. We are prepared, for that flight of all flights through the work of Calvary…ARE YOU?

Friday, August 7, 2015

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Words

I remember staying in a home one time and seeing this motto hanging on the bedroom wall:

O Lord, help me to keep my words tender and sweet today!

Because tomorrow I may have to eat them!

It made me think of two verses of Scripture, one written by David in the Old Testament, and the other by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament:

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord” (Psalm19:14).

“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6).

Yes, often we have to “eat our words” and sometimes it is a big, bitter mouthful to swallow.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

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True Happiness — Part 2

“Believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable”
(1 Peter 1:8).

To always appear sad and forlorn is not commending the gospel to the unsaved around us. It is the gospel, or the glad tidings, of God concerning His Son, that we are called upon to make known, both by word and action. It is good news to the weary sinner. As we are feeding, in our own souls, upon the love of God, the beauties and glories of Christ, and the wonderful blessings we have, our faces will not look sad, but a deep peace, and calm joy will possess us, and our countenance will show that which will be to His glory.

Then too, we will not be self-occupied but think of the good and needs of others — visiting the sick and poor; inquiring into their needs and serving them; seeking out the lonely and depressed, and telling them of the comfort of Christ, and show true sympathy for others, which the Lord so delights in and so deeply proved when He was here upon earth.

Those who are most like Christ in these things do more to commend the gospel than all who speak of it while acting as if there was no happiness connected with knowing Christ.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

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True Happiness — Part 1

“Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he”
(Proverbs 16:20).

True happiness is to be found only in the Lord Jesus Christ, feeding upon Him through the Word. Really, a Christian is the only one who has a right to be happy. Yes, and certainly we should be happy! We should be the happiest people on earth.

What is the reason we find so many Christians who go around with sad faces? It shows us that Christ is not the object of their hearts, and that they are not casting all their care upon Him, relying on the assurance that He cares for them every hour of every day.

There are some people who think that believers need to be very somber and serious — that what they call religion is to be always associated with gloom — so they go about looking so sad, as if they hadn’t a friend in the world, when Jesus is their friend and He has shown such wonderful love in giving His life for them, and is concerned about the smallest trials, and will carry all their cares for them if they will let Him.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

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Known and Read

“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men” (2 Corinthians 3:2).

Known and read of all men,
At school, at work, each day;
Watched by those around me…
I wonder what they say?
Do they know I am a Christian,
Can they tell it for a fact?
Is what I say confirmed,
By the way I look and act?

Known and read of all men,
Like an open book;
By my friends and neighbors,
As on my life they look:
Do they daily see my Saviour,
Owned as Lord in all I do,
Glorified in every action,
As my life and ways they view?

Monday, August 3, 2015

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Dear Young Christian:

“It is time to seek the Lord” (Hosea 10:12).

Well here we are into the first week of August, and summer is half over. As we look back over holidays, summer jobs, and perhaps just relaxing a bit, what can we say as to how wisely we have used our time? And what about the rest of the summer, what will we do with that? Peter says, about the Christian, “that he…should live the rest of his time…to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2). Maybe you feel you have wasted valuable time over the past few weeks, but that is no excuse for wasting time in the weeks to come. None of us know how much more time we have, so let’s use it wisely and for the Lord’s glory. We will be held responsible for how we utilized the time that was entrusted to us in this life, and what excuses will we be able to give the Lord at that time? None!

So, as Hosea reminds us, the time to seek the Lord and live for Him is NOW! All we have left is the present, and whatever little time He gives us, be it minutes, hours, or days.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Sunday, August 2, 2015

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The Lord’s Day

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10).
“Upon the first day of the week…the disciples came together to break bread” (Acts 20:7).

In many countries I have traveled in, Sunday, or “the Lord’s Day,” as John refers to it in the above verse, is not a day off from work or school. Christians have to meet for worship, Bible study, and fellowship, in the evening or even late at night, after their daily obligations are done.

For those of us who live in so-called Christian countries, where the first day of the week is still (at least to some degree) honored, it should make us very thankful, and we should try to use the day for the Lord. It is HIS day, not ours!

After we have had the privilege of meeting with other believers to remember the Lord in the breaking of bread, there is much that can be done for the furtherance of the gospel and the encouragement of other believers. Sunday School, tract distribution, visiting the sick, and so on. We can also use the time for personal study of the Word and prayer, which time we don’t always get during the busy week.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

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Broken Pieces

Does your life seem smashed and broken? Nothing seems to be working out…like a broken window, all seems shattered and hopeless? Here is an interesting suggestion from a bumper sticker I saw on a car in front of me the other day.

“Trade God your broken pieces, for His peace!”

Only God can give true and lasting peace and put back together a broken and shattered life. However, we must first turn to Him for salvation. The Bible says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Then after we are saved we can enjoy “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” Of this peace the Scripture further states that it, “shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Many are struggling to put their life together by their own devices and in their own strength. But there is only one who can “heal the brokenhearted” (Luke 4:18), and that is the Lord Jesus Himself. Is He your Saviour and Healer?