Young Christians Calendar – September 2015

September 2015

Our Prayer Life

Here are five things that should characterize our daily prayer life:

1. Fervency:

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16)

2. Continuance:

“Continue in prayer” Colossians 4:2).

3. Watchfulness:

“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41).

4. Consistency:

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18).

5. Thanksgiving:

“Giving thanks always” (Ephesians 5:20).

Prayer should be more than just saying words, mentioning names, or making requests. It should be with genuine spiritual feeling and exercise. If this were true perhaps there would be more reality to our prayers resulting in more power and blessing.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

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Testing

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The word for temptation here is really trial or difficulty. That could be a variety of things, but remember — “God is faithful.” He will not allow you to be swamped by the trial so that you don’t make it. If you feel overwhelmed it is because you are not following the pattern of King David, who said, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2).

He has allowed the difficulty for a reason. Ask Him why He has let this trial into your life. Even though it may seem that He doesn’t hear your cry for help, He really does. And He’s ready to help you. He’ll provide a “way of escape.” Take it!

Monday, September 28, 2015

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Dear Young Christian:

“O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

No doubt many of you have your week all planned out. If you’re like me, you like organization and order. But how often do we look back at the end of the day or the end of the week and realize it didn’t really turn out the way we had hoped? Sometimes it’s very frustrating isn’t it?

However, if the Lord changes our plans, it is good to recognize it and accept it. He knows what’s best, and often when He changes our direction it is to keep us from getting into some trouble, physically, morally, or spiritually. Let’s learn, this week, to thank him for the roadblocks, the changes, and the thwarting of our plans, realizing that He really does know best. David reminds: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way” (Psalm 37:23).

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Sunday, September 27, 2015

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The Woman’s Seed

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head” (Genesis 3:15).

These words, spoken to Satan, by God, after Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, were the basis for God being able to bless, not only our first parents, but all through the Old Testament, and right up until the cross.

From the coats of skin, to the passover Lamb, to the promise to the repentant thief hanging by the Lord Jesus, God was looking on to the fact that His beloved Son, the seed of the woman, would bear the penalty for sin, give His life, shed His precious blood, and rise again from the dead. Peter speaks of it this way: “A lamb…who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:19-20).

Don’t forget to worship and thank the one who had this wonderful plan of blessing from eternity past, and the one who came in obedience and love, and made it all possible.

Saturday, September 26, 2015

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The Key

“I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).
“Prepare to met thy God” (Amos 4:12).

On Thursday I mentioned a poster hanging in a classroom in Georgetown, Saint Vincent. In that same classroom there was another poster, with the slogan:

“You are the key to your Future!”

While I realize the thought behind this, to encourage young people to work hard and get through school so that they can secure the necessary employment for life, yet there is something ironic about this slogan that applies to our eternal future.

As to the future after we leave this world, we are not the key. No, Christ and the work of the cross are the key, and everything hinges on whether we accept God’s offer of pardon and mercy on the basis of that work. So, as far as eternity it would be better to say,

“Christ is the key to your Future!”

The door of heaven will never open for you unless you are saved. The Father’s house is prepared, are you?

Friday, September 25, 2015

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Monthly Question Page

Q. When I pray it seems that God doesn’t always answer my prayers. Can you shed some light on this subject?

A. Let’s look at it from a different perspective. God always answers our prayers, but it may not be in the way that we had hoped.

There are really three answers to prayer:

1. YES! If our wise Father sees it is for our blessing and according to His will He will grant the request. “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us” (1 John 5:14).

2. NO! If it is not for our good and not according to His will He will deny the request. That’s why we need to always pray in the spirit of the Lord Jesus, “Not My will, but Thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

3. WAIT! This is perhaps the hardest answer of all. Sometime the request is right but the timing is wrong. Several times in the Psalms, David said, “Wait on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

The next time you have a request, listen for the answer of your loving God and Father, and accept the answer whatever it may be.

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

Thursday, September 24, 2015

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Infection

The other day my missionary friend and I were talking to the students in the electrical shop at the high school in Georgetown, Saint Vincent. As my friend, Mr. Seymour addressed the class of some fifty students I noticed a poster on the wall at the back of the room. This is what it said:

“Infections start from a scratch, get first aid.”

It made me think of the little things we allow in our spiritual life as well. If we don’t judge them and take care of them according to the Word of God, they take root and become bigger problems and bigger sins. That’s why believers need to daily follow the instruction recorded by the Apostle John, who wrote, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

When we judge and confess the little sins in our life they never spread and become big sins. Don’t let the infection of sin spread; take care of it through God’s remedy, and He will “cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” In other words, you will be kept from going any further in the wrong direction…the infection won’t spread, it will be cured instead.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

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Monthly Scripture Reading

Romans 8

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

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Faithful Unto Death

In the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, England, there hangs a painting of a Roman soldier faithfully standing guard at his post in the ancient city of Pompeii. The artist, Edward Poynter, painted it in 1865, and entitled it, Faithful Unto Death. The inspiration for this painting was an archaeological discovery in that city, of a soldier encased in ash in full military uniform. The volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 covered the city in lava and ash cutting off the people and halting their activities in a moment of time.

The Christians in the early church at Smyrna were facing martyrdom for their testimony. But they were encouraged to be faithful even in the face of such persecution. “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

Most of us will never be called to lay down our lives for Christ in this way, but we need to be faithful in whatever He asks us to do and whatever test and trials He gives us to bear.

Monday, September 21, 2015

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Dear Young Christian:

Sometimes things look pretty bleak and dismal. I was feeling kind of down recently, but a Christian friend of mine said to me the other day, “If the outlook is dark, try the up-look.”

I took it as good, sound, Biblical advice, and it has helped. In fact, it reminded me of a couple of contrasting verses in the Old Testament.The first one is, “If one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow” (Isaiah 5:30). In contrast David records: “They looked unto Him, and were lightened” (Psalm 34:5). In other words, if we are only looking at things from an earthly standpoint we are going to be discouraged and disheartened. However, looking to the Lord and viewing life from a heavenly perspective brings light and encouragement, even when things aren’t going so well. The days may be dark, but there is light in the midst of it through the Lord Jesus who said, “He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Sunday, September 20, 2015

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Christ’s Death

“Christ died for us…He by the grace of God should taste death for every man…That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil…And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross…Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…For in that He died, He died unto sin once…It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God…We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son…For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him” (Romans 5:8; Hebrews 2:9; Hebrews 2:14; Philippians 2:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Romans 6:10; Romans 8:34; Romans 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:14).

What a wonderful truth the death of Christ is! There was no other way that we could be brought into blessing and relationship with God apart from the death of Christ. As we think about this, and remember the Lord Jesus in His death today, may there be a deepening appreciation of what took place at Calvary, when Jesus died for us.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

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Life

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Unsaved people think that they are having fun if they can drink and party, and as they say, “live it up.” But the next day, life, with its problems and frustrations, is still there. The Lord Jesus came to give the abundant life; life full and overflowing; a happy life; one in which there is Someone who really does care for us and wants to carry our sorrows and our burdens (for Christians do have them sometimes). Nothing that man offers can give the peace that a Christian has. What God offers is not just for a night or a moment, or even just for this life…it is for eternity!

A girl at college told a friend of mine, “I wish I had the peace you have.”

He told her, “That’s only possible by trusting in the Lord Jesus and having Him as your peace and joy.”

What about you, do you have abundant life? It is being offered freely to you at this very moment.

Friday, September 18, 2015

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Hemmed In

Colorfully embroidered on a canvas and hung on the kitchen wall of a home I was visiting, were the following words:

A DAY HEMMED IN PRAYER
SELDOM COMES UNRAVELED!

To hem something is to completely surround it. We use the expression, “hemmed in.” In other words we are encircled by something and cannot move or escape. When my mother hemmed the cuffs of my pants when I was a boy, or the hem of my sister’s skirt, she went all the way around. In fact if she didn’t it would soon come unraveled.

Not only do we need to begin and end the day with prayer, but we need to completely “hem” it. All day long, wherever we are, we should be in the attitude of prayer. This is our power and resource, as we are exhorted, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18). A day hemmed in prayer may not be an easy day, but it will be a blessed day.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

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Minor Prophets — Zephaniah

This book is, for the most part, a book of judgment, as indicated by the following statement: “The great day of the Lord is near…That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Zephaniah 1:14-15). It is judgment of hypocritical Judah and all the nations.

There had been great revival under the godly king Josiah, but the hearts of the people remained unchanged, and they had returned to the worship of Baal and many other wicked practices.

However, in the midst of all this there is comfort for the godly, and a future day of blessing anticipated. “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). So, in the end the Lord will have the joy of having His earthly people gathered around Himself.

So, we learn, that in spite of sin and failure, the Lord delights in His people and will bless them in grace. What a comfort this is for us, His heavenly people, as well.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

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God’s Calendar

The next great event on God’s calendar is the RAPTURE of His saint — every believer in Christ. What a wonderful day that will be when all the children of God will be brought together in that great meeting in the air. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

The word RAPTURE does not appear in the New Testament, but the idea is all through the Bible. The word means, “to snatch away,”“to catch up,”“to be caught up.”

The coming of the Lord for us is an absolute, undeniable, irrevocable truth.Regardless of what the agnostics or the atheists or the modern unbelieving theologians say, Christ is coming again! The Bible — the inspired indestructible, infallible, and inerrant Word of God tells us so!

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

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Sincerity

“That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10).

The word sincere comes from two Latin words, sine cera, which mean “without wax.” This used to be stamped on the bottom of pottery during the Roman Empire when the piece was certified as having no flaws. A dishonest potter would take a piece which was flawed and fill in the cracks with wax. But when it was held up to the sunlight the flaws would appear. This is a great lesson to learn because, in Scripture, we are likened to vessels. For example, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

The Lord wants reality in our Christian life. Joshua exhorted the people in His day, Joshua 24:14, “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth” (Joshua 24:14). We can’t fool God, He sees right through us, but are we being hypocrites in front of others? Are we “faking it”? Or are we sine cera? Sincere!

Monday, September 14, 2015

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Dear Young Christian:

“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” (Isaiah 40:30-31).

This is one of my favorite verses from the Bible. On the one hand it shows that natural energy, even of youth, isn’t enough to meet the situations of life and the attacks of the enemy, Satan. But on the other hand, it shows that there is no lack of power to rise above the difficulties, run with spiritual energy, and walk in the path of faith through this wicked world.

The Apostle Paul records a similar truth when he says, “When I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). And, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Let’s go forth this week with the realization that, in Christ, we have everything we need to get us through no matter what we have to face.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Sunday, September 13, 2015

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His Heart

“He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

The trial and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus fully exposed the heart of man like nothing else before or after. The depth of hatred towards God and His Son was culminated in the cry, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him” (John 19:15).

On the other hand, the heart of God in all its love and grace never shone forth like it did at the cross. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). God has fully shown His love by the giving of His only Son. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).

The word “manifest” means to “clearly show” and God has clearly shown His love in the greatest possible way. As we consider that love today, and remember the work of Calvary, it will draw out our hearts more in love for Him, and the more our hearts are touched by His love, the more praise and thanksgiving there will be.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

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Hide-and-Seek

“And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:15-16).

When we were boys we used to play hide-and-seek. The trick was to be able to hide so well that no one could find us. But in the day of judgment there will be no hide-and-seek. Nobody will be able to escape as much as they would like to. The next verse says, “For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:17).

The question is raised in the book of Hebrews, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation” (Hebrew 2:3). The answer is in the verses we have quoted from Revelation 6. There is no escape! The way of escape is available now through the death of Christ. “Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:9). Don’t play hide-and-seek with God! It just doesn’t work.

Friday, September 11, 2015

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Tribulation

For some of us it is hard to believe, but fourteen years ago today the Twin Towers in New York City came crashing down in a terrorist attack unlike anything the United States had ever experienced before. Some who are reading this won’t even remember the day, but for many of us who are older it is permanently imprinted on our minds. In fact I remember exactly where I was when it happened. I was in a hotel in Montgomery, Alabama.

But 9/11, as it has been dubbed, was nothing compared to what is ahead for this world during the tribulation. The Lord, in warning, said, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).

For those of us who are saved it’s a great comfort to know that we will be gone from this world by that time. The promise to us is, “Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10). We are to be looking for the Lord to come at any moment, and perhaps it will be today.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

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Ransom Money

“Christ Jesus…gave Himself a ransom for all”
(1 Timothy 2:5-6).

In olden times large sums of money were paid to ransom those taken in battle. Richard I, of England, was ransomed for 100,000 pounds; David Bruce of Scotland for 100,000 marks; and King John of France for 500,000 pounds. But these immense sums of money were nothing compared to the price of the ransom paid to redeem the sinner. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

A missionary in Africa once wrote:

I have lived for four years alone in Africa, have been thirty times stricken with fever, have been attacked by rhinos and lions, have been ambushed by natives, have eaten everything from ants to rhinoceros, but I would gladly go through the same experience again for the joy of teaching these people to know the Saviour who gave His life a ransom for them.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

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David Livingstone

His own Testimony:

“People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can it be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of the great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own reward of healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hearafter? Away with such a word, such a view, and such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather, it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering or danger now and then, with the foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause and cause the spirit to wave and sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father’s throne on high to give Himself for us.”

“We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10).

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

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Sacrifice

In the materialistic society in which many of us live and operate from day to day to day we know very little about making real sacrifices. We are taught that true happiness is achieved by living for ourselves and getting what we want in the accumulation of temporal things. We hear phrases like, “I wanted it and I’m going to get it.” Or, “I certainly deserve it.” Or, “It’s my right to have it.”

Here are some Scriptures in connection with making sacrifices in our daily life:

“By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).

“But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:16).

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

What sacrifice will you make for the Lord today?

Monday, September 7, 2015

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Dear Young Christian:

For many of you, school has either started again or will start very shortly. As studies begin once more it is good to keep in mind the verses that tell us, “Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:23), and also, “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Yes, even our studies should be done “heartily” to the best of our ability, and for the Lord’s honor and glory. This renders a good testimony as a believer.

On the other hand, we want to be careful not to let our school work so overwhelm us that we have no time for the Lord. Solomon said, “Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). But there is one study that we never want to let up on or grow weary of. Paul said to Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). It takes constant diligence to live for the Lord and grow in our spiritual understanding.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Sunday, September 6, 2015

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His Presence

How much does being in the presence of the Lord mean to you at the beginning of another week. In the Psalms we often read of the desire of the writer to be in the presence of the Lord, not only individually but collectively as well, and the blessing that results from it. Here are four examples:

“In Thy presence is fulness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).

“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving” (Psalm 95:2).

“Come before His presence with singing”
(Psalm 100:2).

“The upright shall dwell in Thy presence”
(Psalm 140:13).

The Lord Jesus has invited us to His table today in fellowship with fellow-believers. The promise is, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). He will not fail in His promise, the question is will you fail in your response to the invitation. If you do, not only will you be the loser, but the Lord will miss out on the joy of having you in His presence.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

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Recall

In 2010, auto manufacturer recalled a staggering 20 million cars in the United States for various reasons. Just the thought of that many defective cars on the road is startling enough. Yet, what is even more disturbing is the indifference of some owners. In one instance the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety warned, “It’s a free repair! Get it done! It may save your life!” In spite of such warnings, statistics indicated that many never responded.

We shake our heads at such folly, and yet there are many who are refusing to respond to the Lord’s call to repentance. The Lord began his preaching in Mark’s gospel by saying, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

We are all born with the defect of sin. Unlike the automobiles, the moral defect of mankind is not the Maker’s fault. He made everything, “very good” (Genesis 1:31). But there is a remedy, and that remedy is through the work of the cross. Don’t ignore the Lord’s call. The free and permanent remedy offered today for your spiritual defect will save your life eternally. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you” (Ezekiel 39:26).

Friday, September 4, 2015

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The World

I have known some young people who have more or less said to me, “We must get into the world and experience it in order to know what it is like and to grow stronger in the Lord.”

This kind of thinking is wrong and very detrimental to our spiritual growth and personal testimony. It is true that we are in the world, but the Lord Jesus prayed, “I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (John 17:15). We are also told, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this…to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 17:15). There is certainly no instruction in the Bible to go out and indulge in worldliness just so we have the experience. You will never be able to justify such a course.

However, there is a divine pattern set out for us at the beginning of the Book of Psalms. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).

Thursday, September 3, 2015

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Temptation

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

God gave us the gift of our minds, and our bodies, as well as the ability to love. Scripture never promises that avoiding temptation would be easy, only worthwhile. Keeping our hearts and lives pure may be a struggle, but with God’s help it is possible. Few decisions are as important to your future happiness as this one regarding purity.

Paul as an older brother in the Lord, exhorted a younger brother by the name of Timothy, “Keep thyself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22). We need to let these three words echo in our ears and conscience every moment of every day. The minute we let our guard down Satan is right there with another temptation. In a world where evil is so accessible we need to be doubly careful. Paul also had a prayer for the Christians in Thessalonica: “The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

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Prayer

Hannah prayed in the temple:

“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:10).

Nehemiah prayed in the presence of the king:

“So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king” (Nehemiah 2:4).

Hezekiah prayed on his sick bed:

“Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord” (Isaiah 38:2).

Daniel prayed in his room:

“He went into his house…and prayed” (Daniel 6:10).

The Lord prayed on the mountain top:

“He went up into a mountain apart to pray” (Matthew 14:23).

Peter prayed on the roof top:

“Peter went up upon the housetop to pray” (Acts 10:9).

Paul and Silas prayed in prison:

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed” (Acts 16:25).

WHERE WILL YOU PRAY TODAY?

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

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Love the Lord

“I love the Lord” (Psalm 116:1).

Do you love the Lord?
Do you love Him more,
Than you did the day before?
Do you love Him today,
More than yesterday?

Do your love the Lord?
Is the world your love,
Or the Lord above?
Has His love for you,
Touched your heart anew?

Do you love the Lord?
With affection true
The Lord loves me and you!
Enjoy His love and peace,
And your love will increase.