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Young Christians Calendar

A daily meditation for young Christians

April 2018

All months

Monday, April 30, 2018

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Dear Young Christian:
“While I was musing the fire burned” (Psalm 143:5).
I love to sit and stare into an open fire while meditating on the goodness of the Lord, and all His wonderful workings in me, for me, and around me. I find something relaxing, and certainly heart warming, during those rare opportunities.
Sadly, in today’s fast-paced world, we seem to have little time for musings and meditation. In the whirl of life we forget or neglect to take those solitary moments that are so needful for our spiritual development. The paradox is that if we would spend more time in quiet contemplation before the Lord, it would result in more effective service for Him.
Perhaps you won’t have opportunity to sit alone by an open fire this week, but don’t waste the opportunities to have some quiet time alone with the Lord wherever and whenever it might be. Take the time and you will be able to say, like the writer of old, “My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord” (Psalm 104:34).
Your Christian Friend,    
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, April 29, 2018

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Worship
“But as for me, I will come into Thy house in the multitude of Thy mercy: and in Thy fear will I worship” (Psalm 5:7).
“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1).
You can praise and worship the Lord anywhere, anytime. You can enjoy the Lord’s presence individually anywhere, anytime. But it is especially wonderful to Him when His people meet together collectively to worship, acknowledging His headship over His Church. We read of the early believers, “Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread” (Acts 20:7).
Again, as in many verses, we have reverence connected with worship. You can’t worship the Lord acceptably if you are flippant, or thinking about other things, or talking to the person next to you. No, the Lord has to have first place. We must honor Him for who He is. “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him” (Psalm 89:7). Remember that as you meet in the presence of the Lord today.

Saturday, April 28, 2018

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Believe and Have
Believing is receiving. The word in some form occurs forty-four times in John’s gospel, which is the great gospel of “believing.” From the first chapter on it is constantly repeated … believed … believeth, believing … believest … etc.
“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). The word “even” indicates that believing is equivalent to receiving. You may, in any one of those forty-four instances in this gospel, put in the word “receive” in place of the word “believe” and still make good sense of the verse.
You have what you take, do you not? It is a simple thing to take what is given to you, and so to have it. That is practically all there is to faith. We may make faith sound complicated by talking too much about it, leading others to think that there is something obscure or mysterious connected with it.
Faith is simple: it is taking God at His word. Just as you can put forth your hand and receive a gift, so you are able to put forth your spiritual hand and receive the gift of God, even Jesus Christ as your Saviour.

Friday, April 27, 2018

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Monthly Question Page
Q. I’ve been wondering about Deuteronomy 11:18-19. “Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Does it mean we talk about the Lord and the Bible all the time, or what is it really saying in today’s language?
A. This is instruction to godly parents. (Particularly the head of the home). They are to not only read and walk in obedience to the Word of God themselves, but to bring it before their families at every opportunity. This is why it is important for families to have a set time each day for reading the Bible together. The head is responsible to establish this pattern just as the man was to gather manna every day for himself and those in his household. “This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents” (Exodus 16:6).
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Thursday, April 26, 2018

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Discipline
“He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes” (Proverbs 13:24).
“For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth … Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:6, 11).
My father was a strict disciplinarian. He was not opposed to a good spanking or other forms of punishment if he deemed it necessary, and it seems to my recollection that he often did. He was not afraid to follow the instructions of the Bible which says, “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying” (Proverbs 19:18). He saw no conflict between love and discipline. Neither does the Bible. Our Lord said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” (Revelation 3:19). The Lord loves us too much to let us go our own way, and if we insist, He must allow disciplinary circumstances in our life. He does this because He loves us, and wants us to be exercised, repent, and walk in the joy of obedience and communion with Himself.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

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Monthly Scripture Reading
1 Corinthians 3
For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

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The Slothful
“The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain”
(Proverbs 15:19).
Difficulties and seemingly insurmountable obstacles abound in the mind of the slothful person. His way seems hedged in by thorns, and he has all manner and number of excuses for not acting at once according to what he knows is right and suited.
On the other hand, the upright, learning his duty and calling, presses on, and in spite of what may stand in the way finds his way made plain before him as he takes one step after another, in the light of the Word of God. What a beautiful example we have in David, who said, “For by Thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall” (Psalm 18:29). And whose prayer was, “Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies” (Psalm 27:11).
If God commands, I have simply to obey His word. He makes Himself responsible to clear the obstacles from my path, or else to give me the ability to overcome them.

Monday, April 23, 2018

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Dear Young Christian:
As you start out this week, remember, you don’t have to pray for new blessings, or the second blessing, or more blessings. The New Testament plainly and indisputably declares, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with ALL spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). We have it all, by His grace, and through the work of Christ on the cross. We are rich, rich in Christ! “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
However, what we do need to pray is that God will give us the spiritual understanding and purpose of heart to grasp these blessings, to make them our own, to rejoice in them, to live in the light of them, and to walk in the power and good of all that is ours in Christ. We often go through life as spiritual paupers when all the time we are wonderfully blessed with “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, April 22, 2018

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The Blood
“But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe”
(John 19:34-35).
Prior to William Harvey’s discovery of the circulation of the blood in 1628, little had been known about its real value. In fact, blood was thought to be the source of sickness and disease rather than life and its defense. The sad truth is that the sick were often bled to get rid of illness. George Washington’s death is said to have been hastened by the practice of what was known as “blood letting.”
How much value do we as believers place on the life-giving blood of Jesus and its cleansing power? Is it precious to our hearts? “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold … but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). May the blood of Jesus Christ become more precious to us today, as we consider and remember that great sacrifice of the Lamb of God at Calvary.

Saturday, April 21, 2018

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Live to 100
“Want to live to 100?”
So asked the question on the front of the health magazine. Yes, there are many cures and preventions that offer to give you a long life, but not one of them says, “Do you want to live forever?” Yet this is the offer that God Himself is making. “The gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23).
It isn’t that God intends that you should live forever in this sad and sinful world. No, He has another world full of love and joy and peace and glory. At the very center of that world is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who died on the cross, bearing the sins of all who will come to Him. He, and He alone, makes us fit for that bright world where He is.
But no one can come there who has not had their sins forgiven. If we repent of our sins, God will forgive every one of them because His Son has paid the price. “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). The Lord Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Friday, April 20, 2018

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Fruit
“If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 2:29).
Someone I know writes the following account:
“I had been anxiously waiting the first sign of fruit from my young apple tree. One day – there it was. A large round green thing in my tree. I called my wife to share in the joy of the first fruit, but I soon became the laughing stock of my family. My apple turned out to be a pumpkin growing on a vine that had climbed the tree and begun bearing fruit. It has proved true so many times: if you meet someone who is a real Christian, he will act like one. If you meet someone who tries to act like a Christian but really is not one, he is like my “pumpkin tree” — the fruit is from below, not from above.”
This most interesting and applicable account reminded me of the Lord’s own words when He said, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). How are you known in your home, your school, at work, in your neighbourhood, and among those who know you best? Are you real? If you are, there will be real fruit for Christ.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

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Practical Applications
of God’s Word
Part 4 — The Word of God
“For the Word of God is … powerful” (Hebrews 4:12).
“The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”
(Ephesians 6:17).
The Bible is a powerful book. When the Lord was “led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Luke 4:1), to be tempted, He answered Satan each time by simply saying, “It is written” (Luke 4:4, 8, 10). When we use the Word of God in communion with the Spirit it becomes a powerful and effective weapon against the enemy, as Ephesians 6:17 indicates.
This is illustrated by David taking “five smooth stones out of the brook” (1 Samuel 17:40). The brook is a type of the Spirit of God (as running water often is), and the stones taken and put in his shepherd’s bag a picture of the Word of God taken in the power of the Spirit and appropriated for oneself. In other words, it is the Word enjoyed personally and made good by the Spirit of God. Having taken these stones and carried them with him, he was then able to use one of them to meet and overcome Goliath, an apt picture of our enemy the Devil. We too can utilize this power in our day-to-day life.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

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Endurance
“Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame … For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds”
(Hebrews 12:2-3).
Think of what the Lord endured at the hands of man, and in those hours of darkness on the cross when He “bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24).
Then consider what He has called us to endure in the path of faith and service.
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation” (James 1:12).
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3).
“For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully” (1 Peter 2:19).
“If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons” (Hebrews 12:7).
“But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions” (2 Timothy 4:5).

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

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Focus
We were driving through Georgetown Guyana when I noticed a bumper sticker on a truck beside us. This was the message:
My main focus in life is to remain focused!
At first this sounds good, but then the question arises, what am I focused on? It is good to have focus, as long as it is in the right direction. Many are focused on worldly pleasure, business, money, sports, and a host of other pursuits. But for the believer, our focus is to be Christ and to follow Him. Paul had focus when he said, “For to me to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). He went on to say, in the same epistle, “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).This was real focus! Everything in his life was Christ-centered, and in view of eternity.
What is your focus in life? Is it simply to have a good time and to be successful in this world? Or is it Christ and what will count for eternal gain and reward?

Monday, April 16, 2018

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Dear Young Christian:
This morning I was sitting with my Christian friend in the principle’s office of a high school on the island of Dominica. As we waited for the young people to assemble so that we could speak to them and give a short gospel message, I noticed a poster on the wall. This is what it said:
3 D’s To Success
1. Desire
2. Discipline
3. Dedication
It made me think of some verses from the Bible that teach us how we can have and enjoy spiritual success.
1. “Desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Do you have this Desire?
2. “Exercise thyself rather unto godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). This takes Discipline.
3. “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).This is Dedication.
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, April 15, 2018

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His Due
“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name: bring an offering, and come before Him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29).
Today is a special day for praise and worship and remembering. We give glory to the Lord when we thank Him for dying for us at Calvary. God wants us to exalt and honor His Son. What better way than by spending a few moments today remembering the Lord’s suffering and partaking of the loaf and the cup in remembrance of Him?
When the ten lepers were cleansed in the days when the Lord Jesus was here on earth, we find that there was only one who returned to give thanks and glory to the Lord for what had transpired in his life. Can’t you hear the question and sadness in the voice of the Lord as He asked “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger” (Luke 17:17-18).
Let’s not be counted amongst the nine who did not return to give Him His due. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name.

Saturday, April 14, 2018

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Nothing Sweeter
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him” (Psalm 34:8).
An Australian young person gives the following account as to how he came to know the Lord as a boy.
“I was a wild boy, but a local Christian man and his wife started a children’s Bible hour group and I heard that they gave out candy and other sweets. So I went, but only for the candy and sweets.”
“However, before the treats were given out the man would read the Bible and preach a simple gospel message concerning the Lord Jesus as the Saviour of sinners. Quite against my will, a seed was being sown in my heart. So much so, that I continued to attend, less and less for the sweets, and more and more to hear about Jesus and His love. Then one day the Lord opened my heart and I trusted Him as my own personal Saviour. I came to realize that there is nothing sweeter than to know the Saviour. He took all my sins away, all the bitterness in my heart, and filled me instead with His peace and joy and love!”
What a testimony! What testimony can you give? Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour?

Friday, April 13, 2018

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He Supplies
“Jesus called his disciples unto Him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with Me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far” (Mark 8:1-3).
What an example these people are to us! They so hungered after the words of eternal life that they followed Jesus into the wilderness without taking enough physical food for the journey. Some were so hungry after three days that they would not have made it home if they didn’t have a meal before they left. But Jesus does not forsake or disappoint those who cast themselves on Him. They had put their lives into the hands of Jesus and it was in those hands that the He took the loaves and the fishes, blessed them, and they were multiplied.
Jesus will not let us down either. It there is a real desire and hunger for Himself, He will provide for our needs, both spiritually and physically as well. “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Thursday, April 12, 2018

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Commitment
“My son, give Me thine heart” (Proverbs 23:26).
When we are in the days of our youth, it is so easy to give our hearts to having fun, or getting better at sports, or improving our education, or getting a good job and establishing a career. But the Lord wants your heart, and he wants it totally. Only He can fill it to the brim. He may allow you to get on the ball team, or become valedictorian. But first and above all else He wants your heart.
Solomon also wrote, “I withheld not my heart from any joy” (Ecclesiastes 2:10). But across it all he also wrote, “Behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit” (Ecclesiastes 2:22). He found that the things of this world did not satisfy! Remember, the world is too small to fill the human heart. Only the One who made us can truly and unequivocally fill that void.
Don’t waste the best years of your life, by not giving the Lord the full devotion of your heart. Be like Daniel, who as a young man “purposed in his heart” (Daniel 1:8), or like Ezra, who, “had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord” (Ezra 7:10).

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

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Wolves And Lambs
I know there are a number of older folks who read this calendar. Today’s page is particularly for you.
“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29).
A gentleman who was visiting a large sheepfold noticed that the owner seemed greatly discouraged. He asked him the reason. The shepherd answered: “The wolves entered the flock last night and caught sixty-five of my loveliest lambs.”
“And how many sheep were killed?” asked the visitor.
The shepherd looked at him with an air of astonishment: “Do you not know that a wolf will never take a sheep if he can seize a lamb?”
This is why we need to have a special prayerful concern and shepherding care for our young people, and why the Lord said to Peter, “Feed My lambs … Feed My sheep” (John 21:15-16). He could have just said “Feed My flock,” and that would have included the lambs and the sheep, but he knew there would be special needs and special attacks on the young. Do we who are older have a genuine desire to shepherd those who are younger?

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

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No Worries
Staying in a home recently, I noticed this motto on the bathroom wall:
I WILL NOT WORRY!
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).
It was a good reminder for me each morning as I got cleaned up and ready to face the day. I tend to be a worrier, and it reminded me of a hymn we used to sing when I was a young person:
Why worry when you can pray?
Trust Jesus. He is there always
Be careful then for nothing
God’s promise fully trusting
Why worry, worry, worry, when you can pray?
Why worry, when you can pray?
Trust Jesus, He’ll be your stay.
Don’t be a doubting Thomas,
Lean fully on His promise,
Why worry, worry, worry, worry when you can pray?

Monday, April 9, 2018

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Dear Young Christian:
Do you know where your Bible is this morning, or would you have to go and search for it? Is your Bible well-worn from being well-read? A few days ago I was looking through an old cookbook (not that I do much cooking). And came upon a piece of paper with the following statement:
A Bible that’s falling apart
probably belongs to someone who isn’t!
I earnestly urge you to make Bible reading your daily habit. Let it be a fixed principle with you that you daily need the Word of God. Be like Job, who said, “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). If you do not keep applying yourself to the daily reading of your Bible, your famished soul will readily eat of the world’s dainties. But if you are filled with the bread of heaven you will have no taste for what the world offers.
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, April 8, 2018

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In Remembrance
“Put Me in remembrance” (Isaiah 43:26).
In the previous verse God is reminding His people that it was He that had blotted out their transgressions. “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isa. 43:25).
Then He asks them to put Him in remembrance. But how easy it is to forget. Don’t we have to confess that we get so busy (I’m sure that’s what Satan wants) and so occupied with things in this world and this life that we often forget what God has done for us? And don’t we often forget what Christ accomplished when He went to the cross, bore the punishment for our sins, laid down His life, and shed His precious blood?
Today, on the first day of the week, as we go to remember the Lord in His death, let’s make a special effort to really and truly remember what it cost Him to redeem us; what He had to do in order to blot out our transgressions.
Then during the week to follow let’s not forget to always thank the Lord for what He did in order for us to be saved, to become the children of God, and to look forward to heaven when we leave this world.

Saturday, April 7, 2018

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Is There a Hell?
Many professed Christians question it. Skeptics scoff at it. Atheists deny it. Decidedly it is an unpopular doctrine today. Few preachers mention it; some openly reject it. In view of all this opposition, what shall we say? Simply, we turn to the unerring Word of God for confirmation.
“I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, l say unto you, Fear Him” (Luke 12:4-5).
“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:13-15).
There is no need of comment upon these statements of God’s Word. God is too great, too holy to deceive any of His creatures. It is the “God who cannot lie” (Titus 1:2), that in love warns us lest we come into that place of torment.

Friday, April 6, 2018

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“Till He Come”
Everything in Christianity is in view of the Lord’s return. Just before the Lord left His disciples to go to the cross and then return to heaven, He gave them this precious promise: “I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). The promise on the last page of the Bible is, “Surely I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20).
“Till He come” is the motto of every true watcher for the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord said to Peter, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me” (John 21:22).
Again, to the rest in Thyatira, He says, “That which ye have hold fast till I come” (Revelation 2:25).
To all His servants He says, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13).
The Holy Spirit may well add, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till He come”(1 Corinthians 11:26).
Thus we are taught to follow, to hold fast, to serve, and to remember Him. For how long? “Till I come.”

Thursday, April 5, 2018

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Christian Fellowship
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3-4).
Christian fellowship is truly one of the great joys of the Christian pathway. Because our relationships are based on our common bonds in the Lord Jesus, each one is special indeed! “Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ … But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another” (1 John 1:3, 7).
It is a blessing when God brings a particular fellow-believer to remembrance. I hope that today you will take the opportunity to uphold some dear believers in prayer! Pray for strength and encouragement for them in their service and times of need. You will be blessed as an intercessor as in fellowship with the Father and the Son, and with one another, we meet in spirit at the “Throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

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Dusty Bibles
Several years ago my family and I were driving towards Grand Rapids Michigan on Interstate 96, when we noticed a large billboard with a picture of a Bible on it and the following caption:
DON’T BRUSH IT OFF,
DUST IT OFF!
It made me wonder how many dusty Bibles there are in the homes of Christian young people … and sad to say, some who are not so young! It also made me think of the godly reign of King Josiah, and how, when cleaning up the temple, they found a copy of the Word of God, which seemed to have been lost and forgotten. And how they dusted it off and read it, and there was great blessing as a result.
“And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan. And Shaphan carried the book to the king … Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king” (2 Chronicles 34:15-16,18). Take time to read the whole context, and don’t let your Bible collect dust!

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

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Shine
Shine for Jesus…
Shine today!
Shine for Him …
In every way!
In your life…
Your words … And deeds!
Showing … Sowing Christ-like seeds!
You’re the Bible this world reads!
Live for Jesus…
Live today!
Live for Him…
In every way!
In your home…
In every place!
Loving … Showing Christ-like grace!
You’re the Bible others trace!
“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).

Monday, April 2, 2018

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Dear Young Christian:
It seems everybody is trying to win something. Lotteries abound and tickets are available at every convenience store. Athletes are out to win sports events, politicians are bent on winning votes. Many are trying to win fame and fortune.
The Apostle Paul was out to win as well. He summed it up by saying, “That I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8). In other words, above all else he wanted Christ’s approval and the Lord’s “well done” (Matthew 25:21). Every other earthly gain or reward paled in comparison to what He had found in Christ. He goes on to say, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
There is something else that a believer should be trying to win. “He that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). To win souls for Christ through the gospel is the privilege of everyone who has been won for Christ.
What will you win this week? What will your spiritual score be, when it is all tallied for the Lord’s glory.
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, April 1, 2018

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Crowned
The last glimpse this world had of the Lord Jesus was hanging on a Roman cross, crowned with a crown of thorns.
“And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:29).
The next glimpse this world will have of the Lord Jesus, is coming in power and glory, crowned with many crowns.
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself” (Revelation 19:11-12).
In the meantime, we as believers, look up by faith and see Him crowned with glory and honor.
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9).
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