Bible Truth Publishers
EmailRSS
Blogs

Daily blogs from Bible Truth Publishers

Young Christians Calendar

A daily meditation for young Christians

February 2017

All months

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Against Me
Everything seemed against me last week. I felt like Jacob when he said, “All these things are against me” (Genesis 46:36). There were innumerable problems and things to cause, what seemed like, great concern. With a heavy heart and eyes cast down, I walked the main street in my home town doing some shopping and errands, oblivious to passers-by and occupied with my own thoughts. Suddenly something caught my eye which I must have walked on many times before but had never noticed previously. It was the cover on a street drain which bore the name of the manufacturer impressed into the cast iron material. It said, “DREADNOUGHT.” It made me think of the cast iron promises of God that never fail, and I went on my way rejoicing.
When we become overwhelmed and overburdened with life, it is good to rest on the promises of God, of which we read, “All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Remembering, “There hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised” (1 Kings 8:56).

Monday, February 27, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Dear Young Christian:
“Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:11).
How much is this statement true in our daily life?
Have you ever considered the fact that Jesus Christ is sometimes trusted as Savior, but not fully owned and recognized as Lord? He is taken on board more as a Passenger than as the Captain of the ship. The Captain has authority from stem to stern, and her voyage is under his full command and control. When Saul of Tarsus was saved on the road to Damascus one of the first things he said was, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do” (Acts 9:6)? As we follow his life and service for the Lord from that point on, it certainly proves true, that he was sincere in owning Jesus as Lord, and desired to be under His lordship.
Let’s re-evaluate our lives at the beginning of the work and school week, and let’s readjust our priorities and perspective, and fully own the Lord Jesus Christ as our Captain and Helmsman, giving Him full control.
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Response
To a loving heart an appeal is as effective as a command. Thus, our practice in the frequency of breaking bread becomes a test of affection for the One we remember. Young men leaving home for war are asked by wives or mothers, to write often. The test of true love is found in how often they do write home.
I have heard believers remark that they thought every week was too often for Christians to come together to break bread in remembrance of the Lord’s death, as it would tend to become “commonplace.” Some feel that once a quarter, or at the most once a month, is enough. This depends on the state of heart. Once a quarter is too often for some professing Christians; they prefer once or twice a year. It is like letters home. Once a week, or once a month, or once a year, reveals the state of true love or the lack of it. Of the early believers we read, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight” (Acts 20:7).
The Lord has requested, “This do in remembrance of Me”(Luke 22:19). What is the response of your heart?

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Free
Free lunch … free internet … free parking … free hotel nights…
Yes, we all like something for free, and we click on the “accept button” or make the 1-800 call. However, in the end we often find that there are certain restrictions or hidden fees of one sort or another. However, that is not the case with the gospel of Christ. It is free, and no strings attached. “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many” (Romans 5:15).
The Lord said to the woman at Sychar’s well, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water” (John 4:10).
All we have to do to receive this free gift is to accept it by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The prison warden in the jail in Philippi asked the question “What must I do to be saved?” He received an immediate answer from Paul and Silas, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). It is so simple, and so free, and yet how many pass it by. I hope you are not one of them.

Friday, February 24, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Monthly Question Page
Q. When we pray, is it proper to address the Father or the Son? What about prayers that seem to drift back and forth from one to the other?
A. Usually we pray to the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the Lord’s instruction to His disciple just before He left them to go to the cross and return to heaven: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do … That whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you … ” (John 14:13; 15:16).
However, there are times when it is proper to pray directly to the Lord Himself. For example, “He is the head of the body” (Colossians 1:18). As such we look to Him for direction as the members of His body here on earth. Also, when it comes to blessing and provision in gospel work, He is “Lord of the Harvest” As such He says: “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest” (Mathew 9:38).
While we may go back and forth from addressing the Father and the Son, we want to be careful not to confuse the persons of the Godhead. For example: To thank the Father for dying for us is simply not intelligent or accurate.
Do you have a question? Email us at jhyland@primus.ca

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Money Well Spent
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
$10 spent on ice cream cones lasts a few minutes.
$10 spent on lunch lasts for 4 or 5 hours.
$10 spent for gas lasts for a few miles.
$10 spent on a hair cut lasts a few days.
$10 spent on a pair of socks lasts a few weeks.
$10 spent for a hat lasts a season or two.
$10 spent on a vehicle lasts a few years.
$10 spent for a home lasts for generations…
But $10 spent for Christian service will last for eternity.
“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward His name” (Hebrews 6:10).

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Monthly Scripture Reading
Acts 1
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
Until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen:
To whom also He shewed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me.
For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Father & Mother
 “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother” (Proverbs 30:11).
This is a serious statement! Stop, young person, and consider whether this applies to you! There is a special blessing promised to those who honour their parents, and we are told, “Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:2-3).
Parents aren’t perfect, and they certainly make lots of mistakes, but that does not change the fact that they are in a place of God-given authority, and that they are to be honored and respected in spite of their failures and shortcomings.
For those of you who have godly parents the Bible gives further exhortation through the writing of King Solomon: “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother” (Proverbs 1:8). He also wrote, “A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother” (Proverbs 10:1).

Monday, February 20, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Dear Young Christian:
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).
In these calendar pages I often emphasize the need to read the Bible, but I feel I cannot emphasize it enough. Make it the constant habit of your daily routine, and you will experience spiritual growth and become rooted and grounded in the truth of Scripture. You will never grow, you will never make progress, you will never develop as a Christian, if you neglect your Bible. With purpose of heart cleave to the Lord, and let one evidence of your cleaving be that from now on you will never permit a day to go by, that you do not spend some time reading the Word of God; and as you open it, lift your eyes to Him who wrote it, and ask God to reveal His mind and will to you in it. Then seek grace to walk in obedience to His will. There is no other way of blessing. I recently asked someone what they thought Christian young people needed today. They replied: “They need to read their Bible.”
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Copy linkPrint
The Father & The Son
“The Father loveth the Son” (John 3:35).
“The Father sent the Son” (1 John 4:14).
We often think about, and enjoy the love of God the Father for us who are His children. But how often do we consider the love of the Father for His only begotten Son the Lord Jesus Christ? This is the Son of whom we read, “I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him” (Proverbs 8:30). This is the Son of whom the Father declared from heaven, “Thou art My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).
Wonder of wonders, this is also the Son, that the Father sent into this world to go to the cross, bear our sins, lay down His life, and shed His precious blood. And this is the Son, who could say to His Father, “I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do” (John 17:4).
How much do these precious facts grip our hearts today? The Son of God is loved by His Father, and the Son of God is the joy and delight of His Father. May He be our joy and delight as well, and may our love for Him deepen as we consider the Father and the Son today.

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Copy linkPrint
The Gospel
“The gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God … Repent ye, and believe the gospel … For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth … But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them … For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance … But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts … But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you … What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (Mark 1:1, 15; Romans 1:16; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; 1 Peter 1:25; 1 Peter 4:17).
Have you believed and obeyed the gospel? If not, it is our prayer that the above verses, by the power of the Spirt, would convict you, and that you would be saved right now.

Friday, February 17, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Egg Of Sin
We don’t normally have poetry, other than the 1st Tuesday of the month. However, I came across a piece, written some years ago by a poetess by the name of Elisabeth Byland, and thought it was worth passing on:
That little sin you’ve sought to hide,
And thought nobody knew it,
May grow to such a monstrous size,
You’ll wish at first you slew it!
So when you find an egg of sin,
Left temptingly around,
Smash the awful thing at once,
Lest with it you are found!
For if you hold it close to you,
The thing may incubate,
And when you want to turn it loose,
Then it may be too late!
“Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14-15).

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Gates of Nehemiah — The Fish Gate
“The fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build” (Nehemiah 3:3).
This gate reminds us of when the Lord called Peter and Andrew from mending their nets by the sea of Galilee: “And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Every believer can have a part in the work of spreading the gospel. Timothy was told, “Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5). We read of another incident in Peter’s life, when after the Lord rose from the dead some of the disciples followed him back to their old job of fishing. Catching nothing all night they finally, under the Lord’s direction, have a great haul. “Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken” (John 21:11). We often refer to this as the “gospel net” and the number of fish is significant. One hundred is the number of complete salvation (like in the parable in Luke 15:3-7). Fifty denotes Pentecost, and three reminds us of death and resurrection. Are we building the fish gate by spreading the gospel as fishers of men? How much fishing will you do today?

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Copy linkPrint
What Spills Out?
A friend of Hudson Taylor once told of some counsel that the missionary gave from his long experience in China, to some young recruits who were just entering the missionary field:
Taylor poured out a glass of water and filled it to the brim. Then while speaking, he struck the table with a hard blow. As the water spilled out, he said, “Here in China you get many a nasty knock. You will come up against much criticism and doubt. But remember that when you do, whatever you are full of will spill out.”
How true this is of us all, whether we are at home, at school, at work, with the world, or with other believers. What spilled out of you the last time somebody said an unkind thing or performed an uncharitable act against you? Was it self? Or was it Christ? Remember the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, when He said: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Copy linkPrint
You
Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854-1900), was an Irish writer and poet. He became one of London’s most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. There are many memorable quotes from his writings, but the other day one especially caught my attention. Here is what it said:
“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”
We smile at a statement like this that seems so elementary and obvious, but it got me thinking of how every child of God is an individual in His vast family, and how we each have a unique place to fill in our service for Christ. We are told, “But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another” (Galatians 6:4). When we try to be someone or something we are not is when we get into trouble. There is no power or blessing in pretence. God has made you, YOU! Be who you are and don’t try to be somebody else. Paul said to the Corinthians, “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called” (1 Corinthians 7:20). That’s where the blessing and fruit will result in your life.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Dear Young Christian:
“Being then made free from sin” (Romans 6:18).
I was visiting a school in Nassau Bahamas the other day, and noticed these words on a bulletin board in the hallway:
FREEDOM HAS IT’S PRICE,
IT’S NOT FREE!
I didn’t have time to stop and see what it was in connection with, or the subject matter of the board. But it made we think of the freedom and liberty that we have in Christ, and the great cost to God to bring it about. We have so much freely given to us, but at infinite cost. It cost God the giving of His Son; it cost the Lord Jesus His life and the shedding of His blood. Yes, we are free from sin, death, and hell, but let’s never forget that this freedom had its price. Let’s enjoy this liberty we have in Christ, and let’s not forget to thank God the Father and the Lord Jesus every day this week, and for the rest of our lives. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” (Galatians 5:1).
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Behold
The delight of God the Father is to occupy us with His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Over and over again, and in one way or another, the person and work of that blessed One is brought before us throughout the Bible. The following are just a few examples:
David said: “Behold the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4).
Matthew records: “Behold, the Bridegroom” (Matthew 25:6).
John the Baptist said: “Behold the Lamb of God” (John 1:36).
Nathanael declared: “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile” (John 1:47)!
Pilate said: “Behold the Man” (John 19:5).
He also declared: “Behold your King” (John 19:14).
The Lord said: “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I” (Luke 24:39).
One of the elders said: “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda” (Revelation 5:5).
God says: “Behold My Servant” (Isaiah 42:1).
What fresh view of the person of Christ will you have today?

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Sad
Some people seem to think that a Christian is a sad person who goes through life without much joy or pleasure and whose life is filled with many “don’ts.”“Don’t do this” or “Don’t do that” he always seems to be saying. This, however, is not true. It is a lie of Satan. A Christian can and should be full of peace and joy. Real and lasting happiness is the portion of every believer.
Sad! What is there about God’s good news calculated to make a person sad? Does it make a person sad to know that all of their sins are forgiven? Does it make one sad to know that he will spend eternity with the Lord Jesus in heaven?
In the Bible, King David said: “Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15). He also wrote: In Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). Being delivered from the bondage of sin, death, and judgment, is the only way we can have peace of heart now and the hope of eternal joy. “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13).

Friday, February 10, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Who Is First? — Part 3
The widow of Zarephath was gathering a couple of sticks so she and her son could have their last meal and die due to a famine. Elijah, as a picture of the Lord, says to her,  “But make me thereof a little cake first” (1 Kings 17:13). As a result of her faith and obedience she and her son were provided for during the rest of the time of famine. “And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah” (1 Kings 17:16). You can read the whole account for yourself and you will find it is a wonderful example of a person who did not say, “Me first” and was blessed because of it. (1 Kings 17:8-16).
Let’s learn, in our daily lives, to get up every morning and put Christ first. Not only will it delight our hearts, but it will delight the heart of the One who loves us and desires our blessing and happiness. Give Him the first place! Not just in some things, or in most things, but in all thngs.
Remember, the Lord says to us, “Me first,” and He has every right to do so! Are we honestly responding, “JESUS FIRST?”

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Who Is First? — Part 2
“Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).
There is only one way to be a true disciple of the Lord, and that is to have a heart where there is only one object in it, CHRIST! CHRIST first, and only first! Yes, it is a question of the heart … what, or who does the heart put first? Not what or who is its primary object, but its only object.
The great question then is, what, and who are we putting first? Is it the Lord, or is it ourselves? Are we saying “yes” to Him, or are we saying “me first?” The unbeliever draws a circle around himself, put himself in the center of that circle and does everything in relationship to himself. But the believer has a new center in their life … not himself … but Christ. “That in all things HE might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18).
It has been aptly stated that this is not just the “ME FIRST” generation, but the “ME Only” generation. Elijah at a time of discouragement in his life said, “And, I, even I only, am left” (1 Kings 19:10).

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Who Is First? — Part 1
“Me first” (Luke 9:59).
This really sums up the spirit of the age in which we live today. “ME FIRST!” We are taught that we deserve it, that we need to stand up for “NUMBER ONE!” We have our rights … and so on. Yes, this is certainly the “ME FIRST” generation!
But this is not the way it is to be for the Christian. When we know Jesus Christ as our Savior, then He is to be given the first place in our lives. Everything else is secondary. HE is to be Lord of our life. He is to be NUMBER ONE!
In the days of the Lord on earth there were those who said they would follow the Lord, but there was “me first” standing in the way. One said “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father” Another said: “I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house” (Luke 9:59, 61). It wasn’t wrong to have respect for the dead and provide a proper burial for a family member, nor was it wrong to say goodbye to those at home. But the Lord detected that there was something other than Himself that the heart was putting first, and this would never do if one was going to be a true disciple.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Jesus First
“I have set the Lord always before me” (Psalm 16:8).
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
Jesus, first and foremost,
In my life each day;
Jesus, first and ever,
Uppermost alway.
Jesus, first and as Lord,
In my heart, I pray,
Jesus, first and foremost,
May my Savior stay!
The preeminent One,
First and Last is He;
Bright and precious object,
May He wholly be.
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:13).

Monday, February 6, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Dear Young Christian:
“Whither shall I flee from Thy presence?” (Psalm139:7)
There is a lot of talk in the world about “Fair Trade.” Many products from developing countries are labeled in this way to indicate that the workers or farmers, and everyone else involved with getting it to you were compensated properly for their labor. Yet in spite of all this, life is full of tradeoffs. However there is one tradeoff we never want to make, and I saw it summed up in this way on a poster in a young persons apartment:
LIFE IS FULL OF TRADEOFFS;
BUT NEVER EXCHANGE FELLOWSHIP
WITH THE LORD FOR ANYTHING ELSE,
IT IS ALWAYS A POOR TRADEOFF!
It is something to really think about this week. There will be many pressures at school and at work, but don’t neglect those times spent with the Lord, or do anything that will hinder your fellowship with Him.
Your Christian Friend:
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Beauty
“When we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2).
“Behold the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4).
As first glance these two verse seem to contradict one another. However, when we meditate on them and take them in their proper context, we soon realize it is not so. The first one is true of the natural man who sees nothing of worth in the person of Christ. The second is the spiritual man, whose eyes have been opened, by the grace of God, to see beauty in the Lord Jesus. The Apostle John, having seen and walked with the Lord Jesus while He was here on earth, summed it up in this way: “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
There is a future day too, of which we read, “Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty” (Isaiah 33:17). What a day that will be, not only for us, but for Israel and the whole world. No longer the despised Man of lowliness and grace, but the King in His power and glory.
In the meantime, let’s be occupied with, and enjoy something of His beauties today.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Hope
“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19).
On the 16th of August 1977 the renowned pop singer Elvis Presley collapsed in his villa “Graceland” in Memphis Tennessee, USA. He lost consciousness, and at 42 years of age went from this life into the next.
A newspaper report stated: “Medical help came too late. Elvis’ heart had stopped as a result of excessive use of drugs and medicines. In his latter years he testified that millions of dollars and universal fame do not make one happy. The once vivacious lad from Tennessee had no more to hope for: all his hopes had been fulfilled.”
Had all his hopes really been fulfilled? If so they were only earthly hopes, and like soap bubbles, of no lasting joy or substance. What a sad way to live, and what a solemn way to die.
Thankfully there is hope beyond this life. It is the result of faith in Christ, His salvation, and the assurance of heaven in the next life. “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast” (Hebrews 6:19). Make sure this hope is a reality with you.

Friday, February 3, 2017

Copy linkPrint
He Got The Job
A young man walked from the pier on the Mississippi River directly to the captain’s cabin of a river boat traveling between New Orleans and St. Louis. He was young and filled with confidence. The captain asked what he wanted and the youth replied that was looking for a job as a wheelman.
“What experience have you had on the river?” asked the captain.
“Five years sir.”
“Do you know the location of all the shoals and snags?”
“No sir, but I know where there aren’t any, and that’s where I always try to steer.”
He got the job!
In the Christian life the path of safety is not knowing all the nature of sin or the way of wickedness. It is knowing the will of the Lord and the path of faith He has for us, and in being willing to stay in it. This is what it means when it says, “I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil” (Romans 16:19). The way of safety is nearness to Christ. He says, “With Me thou shalt be in safeguard” (1 Samuel 22:23).

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Busy Bees — Part 2
“For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left His house, and gave authority to His servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch” (Mark 13:34).
As we learned yesterday, the honeybee has a very organized infrastructure and systematic regimen for getting things done. When every bee does its job, things run well, and the result is that sweet, nourishing honey is produced.
In a similar way, the Lord has given each member of His church special abilities, gifts, and tasks to do for the good and blessing of each other, and as a testimony to the world. No Christian has been called to merely sit around. Everyone can do something! There was a man in the assembly in Colosse who needed to be stirred up as to this fact. Paul, by inspiration, writes, “And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it” (Colossians 4:17).
Timothy, as a young man, was another one who needed encouragement in this regard. Paul says to him: “Neglect not the gift that is in thee” (1 Timothy 4:14). Let’s each be exercised to do what God has called us to do.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Copy linkPrint
Busy Bees — Part 1
“Behold, there was a swarm of bees” (Judges 14:8).
The honeybee has one of the most highly developed social structures in the animal kingdom. At the heart of the hive, which may house as many as 80,000 bees, is the queen. Each bee has a specialized duty to fulfil.
–The forager bees encounter the perils of the outside
world to collect food.
–The guardbees protect the hive entrance from intruders.
–The undertakers are responsible for removing dead
bodies from the hive.
–The water collectors bring in moisture to regulate humidity.
–The plasterersmake a kind of cement to repair the hive.
–The fanners cool the hive and fan the nectar until it is ready to be stored as honey. They have a gland that releases an odor that helps other bees find their home.
-the scout bees keep the hive alerted to the opportunities and dangers of the outside world.
The variety and specialization of the worker bee seems endless. Tomorrow we will see how we can apply this lesson from nature to ourselves as believers.
← March 2017January 2017 →