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Young Christians Calendar

A daily meditation for young Christians

May 2018

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Thursday, May 31, 2018

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Uncertain Riches
Are you trusting in “uncertain riches” (1 Timothy 6:17)?
Lotteries are commonplace in most nations and many people, young and old, dream of winning the big prize or jackpot. However, recent studies have revealed a phenomenon known as “lottery curse.” This is a term that describes the heartache and disappointment that has come to many who have won. There are accounts of divorce, suicide, murder, depression, and untold problems for those who have played the “get-rich-quick” game. Here are some Scriptures to consider on this subject:
“Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5).
“A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent” (Proverbs 28:20).
“He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him” (Proverbs 28:22).
We may not be buying lottery tickets, but what does the focus of our life reveal about what we think is truly valuable?

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

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Time — Part 2
“The time is short” (1 Corinthians 7:29).
“Redeeming the time” (Ephesians 5:19).
Do you spend some time alone with Jesus every day? I don’t mean just once a week or when you feel you have time, or when it suits you to do so … but every day!
How sad it is when real Christians do not have time to spend in the presence of the One who loved them enough to die for them, and the One who wants to be their friend, support, guide, comfort, help, etc. Think back over the past few days. How much time have you really spent with the Lord Jesus?
When we do not spend time with Him, not only do we rob ourselves of the joy of communion, but we rob Christ of His portion as well. He desires our company and how sad His heart must be when we do not give it to Him. Remember, there is a mutual joy when we spend time with our Lord Jesus Christ. His joy and our joy. David having spent time in the presence of the Lord, said, “In Thy presence is fulness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

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Time — Part 1
Time! It seems to be a precious commodity these days. Do you ever have enough time? We all wonder where time goes and why there isn’t more of it. It is amazing that with all the push-button conveniences we enjoy (?) nowadays, there isn’t more time.
But one thing is for sure and certain, we need, amidst all the hustle and bustle of daily life to schedule time for the Lord. Ask yourself this question, “How much time have I spent with Jesus today?” Time spent with Him will have eternal benefit. Discipline yourself to take time for the One who loved you enough to take time for you on the cross. And the One who always has plenty of time for each of His own, day or night.
When you see the Lord Jesus in the Father’s house, what excuses will you give Him for not having spent more time with Him here on earth? He has time for you, do you have time for Him? “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you” (Hosea 10:12).

Monday, May 28, 2018

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Dear Young Christian:
How often we are faced with a problem which appears overwhelming! Nothing that we can do seems to make any difference. Mary was in such a situation as she anticipated the death of the Lord. She couldn’t do much but the Lord said, “She hath done what she could” (Mark 14:8). Yes, she did what she could: she anointed the Lord with her precious spikenard ointment.
The Lord will not ask you to do the impossible. Just do what you can and leave the results to Him. Remember too, that whatever He asks you to do He will always provide what is needed to do it. As you start another week, consider what things you can do for Him in spite of difficulties and problems. It may not be great things by the world’s standard, and like Mary, there may be criticism even from other believers; but never mind. If you have the Lord’s sanction and approval that is what really counts. And don’t forget, whatever you do, “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, May 27, 2018

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First Love
“Thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4).
When there comes a time that we aren’t as on fire for the Lord as we used to be, when we seem to have left our first love, we need to go back and read Matthew 27, or Luke 22, or Mark 14 and 15, or John 19. Read and meditate on those accounts of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. Read them slowly and prayerfully. Let these accounts touch your heart and soul. “For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3). Think of what He suffered, not only at the hand of man, but at the hand of God. “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
Above all, if there is something that has come between you and the Lord so you don’t feel that warmth and love toward Him, kneel down and ask Him to show you what it is and then ask Him for the grace to remove it. Rest assured that the Lord will show you what it is, because it is His delight to restore you to happy communion with Himself.

Saturday, May 26, 2018

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Found Out
In a museum in Jamaica there is a huge stuffed shark’s head. Beside it lies a strange bundle of old papers. This is the story:
An English ship caught the shark. The papers where found in it stomach. They belonged to a ship named “The Nancy” and proved that it was involved in smuggling and piracy. The captain handed the papers over to the authorities in Jamaica. The case against the crew of “The Nancy” came to trial, but the evidence was lacking. Seeing themselves under suspicion the men had thrown the compromising material into the sea. They thought they were safe, but how dismayed they were when the judge produced the evidence that convicted them.
How many wrongdoings, twisted truths, or moral lapses do we think have been forgotten or disappeared? But the Bible declares, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). “And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?” (Romans 2:3). Thankfully there is full forgiveness and salvation through the blood of Christ.

Friday, May 25, 2018

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Monthly Question Page
Q. What is the purpose of fasting?
A. Fasting is usually connected with prayer. Examples:
Nehemiah:“I sat down … and fasted, and prayed” (Nehemiah 1:4).
Daniel:“I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting” (Daniel 9:3).
Anna:“served God with fastings and prayers” (Luke 2:37).
Cornelius:“I was fasting … I prayed” (Acts 10:30).
To put it very simply, prayer is dependence and fasting is self-denial. These are two essential elements to power in our Christian pathway. Not only do we need the energy and exercise of prayer, but we need to deny ourselves those things that hinder us in following the Lord.
Fasting is not always the denial of food, although it may be, but the denial of anything that distracts from or impedes progress in the believer’s life. It may be the giving up of some activity or comfort, or the denial of any number of things, which may not be wrong in themselves. Concerning a certain problem the Lord told the disciples, “This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21).
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Thursday, May 24, 2018

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All Good
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”
(James 1:17).
God is the Source of all good. Every blessing we enjoy comes down from Him. He is the “Father of lights,” who is unchanging in His love and grace, and in whose dealings with us there is “no shadow of turning.” In other words, His face is always towards us for blessing. When the Lord was here on earth He said, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?” (Matthew 7:11).
We need never be afraid to recognize our own incompetence, and we have no need to minimize or hide from ourselves the magnitude of the difficulties that beset our path. Real faith will go in the strength of the Lord, saying, “If God be for us, who shall be against us”? And real faith says, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

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Monthly Scripture Reading
Exodus 17
Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

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Honor
“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Exodus 20:12).
Of the so-called ten commandments, this is the first that is directed to our human relationships, and it also carries the promise of long life over into the Christian era. “Honour 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 6:2-30). So important is this principle that we have it repeated eight times in Scripture. As well as the above two references, it is in Deuteronomy 5:16, Matthew 15:4, Matthew 19:19, Mark 7:10, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20
When we are young and at home, we are to respect and obey our parents who have given us life. As the years pass, and we get older and on our own, the need to obey changes. However, honor and respect should always be given. God places such a premium on this attitude that He attaches a special promise to all who will fulfil it. Think of some way today that you can express love and respect to your parents.

Monday, May 21, 2018

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Dear Young Christian:
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the English Bible with 176 verses. The entire psalm celebrates God’s Word and speaks of its priority and sufficiency in the daily life of the believer. The psalmist uses different words to describe God’s Word: the law of the Lord (v. 1), testimonies (v. 2), ways (v. 3), precepts (v. 4), statutes (v. 5), commandments (v. 6), righteous judgments (v. 7), and Word (v. 9). Through the Bible, God communicates His standards for our lives, His guidance, and His ways.
We need the Word of God in every aspect of our Christian life. Without it we will never know the will of God, how we can please the Lord, and how we can serve Him acceptably. About the middle of Psalm 119 the writer says, “O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). He ends the Psalm by saying, “I do not forget Thy commandments” (verse 176). Can you say that?
Read through this Psalm this week, and I am sure you will find a great spiritual blessing.
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, May 20, 2018

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Remember
Things concerning Christ we need to remember today:
His name:
“We will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).
His holiness:
“Give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness” (Psalm 30:4).
His works:
“Remember His marvelous works that He hath done” (Psalm 105:5).
His love:
“We will remember Thy love” (Song of Solomon 1:4).
Himself:
“The Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

Saturday, May 19, 2018

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With the Lord
I got a call last night that a very dear friend of mine had died, or in the language of Scripture, was now “absent from the body, and … present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). For those left behind, it is sadness, and rightly so, but for Chris, who knew the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour, it is an arrival home, and to be in the conscious sense of the Lord’s presence, of which we read, “in Thy presence is fulness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).
Suppose I had received a call last night telling me of your death. Would we have to wonder where your soul was, and whether you were going to spend eternity in heaven or hell? It is a very serious matter, and just because you are young does not mean you have a great deal of time to think about it and prepare. I have no doubt that there will be many procrastinators in a lost eternity … many who put it off, and put it off … many who neglected … many who waited until it was too late. The Word of God entreats us, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

Friday, May 18, 2018

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The Shepherd
A Shepherd gives the following personal account in his own words:
“Walking through my field on a winter’s morning, I met with a lamb, as I thought dead, but taking it up I found it just alive; the cruel mother had almost starved it to death. I put it into my bosom, and brought it into my house. There I rubbed its starved limbs, warmed it by the fireside, and fed it with warm milk from the cow. Soon the lamb revived. First it feared me, but afterwards it thoroughly loved me. As I mostly fed it with my own hand, so it followed me wherever I went, bleating after me whenever it saw me, and was always happy when it could frisk around me, but never so pleased as when I would carry it in my arms.”
Jesus is a shepherd, the Good Shepherd of souls, and of Him it is said “He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11).
If you desire to know Jesus, read the Bible. There you hear such things of the love of Christ to poor ruined sinners as I hope will melt your eyes to tears, your heart into love, and turn you toward the One who gave His life for the sheep.

Thursday, May 17, 2018

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Practical Applications
of God’s Word
Part 5 – Light & Guidance
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path … The entrance of Thy words giveth light”
(Psalm 119:105, 130).
We live in a dark world, both morally and spiritually. If we are going to have light for our Christian walk through such a dark world, it must be the light of God’s Word. The above verses show that the Word of God, when acted on in faith, gives light for one step at a time. It is like the flashlight or lantern. It only shines a few feet ahead of the traveler, but as long as the person holds on to it and keeps walking there will be light provided for the whole trek, even though it may be many miles and all night long.
Read the Word of God every day. Act on its light and instruction. And remember what the prophet Jeremiah said: “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). Do we think that we can go through life without light and guidance from the One who made us? David said, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way” (Psalm 37:23).

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

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Good Works
“This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men” (Titus 3:8).
It has been said that the book of Titus is the epistle of “good works.” Not “good works” to obtain salvation, but “good works” because we are saved. Ephesians chapter 2, which stresses salvation through faith, also reminds us that believers are “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:10).
Would it not be beneficial for the health of our souls, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, if when we had a little time, or strength, or money, we looked around to see what good we could do? And how much greater would be the blessing if the entire course of our lives was identified by service to Him. Dorcas was this kind of a person: “This woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did” (Acts 9:36). Her death was such a loss that the Lord allowed that she be brought back from the dead for the further blessing and comfort of those she so faithfully served and helped.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

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Motive for Service
“For the love of Christ constraineth us”
(2 Corinthians 5:14).
When it comes to service for the Lord, or anything in the Christian pathway, it is not he or she who knows the most that walks the best before the Lord, nor even he or she that reads the most, but he or she who loves the most. Intelligence in divine things does not come merely through the intellect: it comes through the heart and conscience.
Sometimes, sad to say, we don’t do anything for the Lord, and that is a real problem. We get so occupied with our own interests and ideas and getting ahead in this world that we don’t have any time left for Him. Other times we go ahead and do something because we feel we ought to. Perhaps it will not be done in the right way or for the right reason, and God may not be able to bless it fully. Nevertheless, we can Christian work without really being in communion with Him. But isn’t it better when our service springs from a heart of love because we are in communion with the Lord? “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward His name” (Hebrews 6:10).

Monday, May 14, 2018

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Dear Young Christian:
I’m traveling with my wife on the train today from Paris to Bordeaux France. We are heading to a Bible conference in Bergerac. The scenery is lovely, the ride comfortable, and we can spend some quiet moments getting caught up on reading, writing, and relaxing without any pressure to hurry up and be somewhere.
Life is full of pressure and hurry these days. There seems to be so little time for meditation and quiet moments with the Lord. When I was a young person we used to sing a hymn that has good exhortation for us at any age. Here are parts of two verses of that hymn:
Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word…
Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
The Bible tells us that our spiritual power comes from those quiet times. “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, May 13, 2018

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The Passover
“It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s PASSOVER” (Exodus 12:27).
“His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the PASSOVER” (Luke 2:41).
“And the Jews’ PASSOVER was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem” (John 2:13).
“And the PASSOVER, a feast of the Jews, was nigh” (John 6:4).
“And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the PASSOVER, to purify themselves” (John 11:55).
“Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the PASSOVER must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the PASSOVER, that we may eat” (Luke 22:7-8).
“And it was the preparation of the PASSOVER, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King” (John 19:14)!
“For even Christ our PASSOVER is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Saturday, May 12, 2018

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Lost
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30-31).
You and I can never be saved until we have first discovered that we are lost. The question is, has this solemn truth been brought home to your soul by the awakening power of the Holy Spirit? The terrified jailer of Philippi felt his lost condition under the mighty power of God: hence his alarm and fervent question, “What must I do to be saved?” Unbelieving reader, do you question that you are a lost sinner? Then let me remind you that Christ came to seek and to save none but the lost. God says you are lost, and His dear Son would never have left the glories of heaven to come and seek you had you not been lost. Without His wondrous grace and immeasurable love, we would all be lost forever.
See to it, then, that you do not fail to seek your true place before God now as a lost, guilty, and ruined sinner. It is God’s will for you to see and know that in His infinite love He has provided a present, perfect, and eternal salvation for you through the work of His own Son at Calvary.

Friday, May 11, 2018

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Follow Close
“And Peter followed afar off” (Luke 22:54).
We can never really do anything properly for the Lord unless we are following close to Him. Here is a simple illustration:
If I have a magnet in my hand, and a pile of nails across the room, will the nails be drawn to the magnet? No, of course not. What’s wrong? They are too far from the magnet! That is so often the problem with me, and maybe with you as well. The magnet is fine, but we need to get closer to it.
When it comes to following and serving the Lord, we will never do it rightly until we are close enough to Him. When we get close to Him we find it is not that difficult to know what His will is for our lives and what He would have us to do. But if we are at a distance from the Source, we may find that the love of Christ doesn’t seem to be compelling or controlling us. Has His love changed? Not at all, but we are too far away. We have allowed things into our life that have put a wall between us and the Lord. When that happens we need to take heed to the exhortation, “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8).

Thursday, May 10, 2018

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Comfort
While going through an extreme trial or sorrow, we often wonder where God is and question whether He could have prevented our suffering. Martha was like that. “Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:21). She must have thought, If only the Lord had come earlier things would have been different. We wouldn’t have had to have a funeral and all this weeping. Where was He when we really needed Him?
Whatever you are experiencing in your life, be assured of God’s love. He is not unaware of your pain. He desires to comfort you, and then to use you to comfort others who are going through similar circumstances. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
To experience God’s love and comfort in a trial is to learn and know His heart in a very real way.

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

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Start Your Day Right — Part 2
“Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk” (Psalm 143:8).
Here is another essential element to starting our day right. Listening to the voice of the Lord, so that we can know His mind and the way He would have us go, what He would have us do, and how we can please Him and live for His glory and as a testimony to the world. How then do we hear His voice? We open our Bibles, the Word of God, and we read a few verses or a chapter or two if we have time. David not only spoke to the Lord in the morning as we learned yesterday, but he listened for the Lord’s voice speaking to Him.
This again, will spare us many a mistake and frustration in our Christian pathway. If we speak to the Lord, asking for His help and guidance, then we need to listen to His voice as He seeks to direct our footsteps in the right way.
If we start our day right by reading and listening to the word of the Lord, then we will be able to say, like Ezekiel, “And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me” (Ezekiel 12:8). Then, we will have a good day, in spite of what difficult circumstance or problems may cross our path.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

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Start Your Day Right — Part 1
People have different opinions as to how to start their day right. Some will tell you it is a good stiff cup of coffee. Others need a hot shower, while still others take a jog around the neighbourhood or head to the gym for an early morning workout.
Prayer was an important part of King David’s life, and an important element to starting his day right. He said, “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:3). What a good lesson and pattern this is for us. Many a problem, frustration, and headache, could perhaps be avoided, or at least lessened if we would start the day right by spending a little time talking to the Lord in prayer, and asking for His help and direction.
David didn’t just limit himself to prayer in the morning. He also stated, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17). He was like Daniel who, “Kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime” (Daniel 6:10).

Monday, May 7, 2018

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Dear Young Christian:
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are expected to “serve the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 100:2). Some are called to preach, as Paul said: “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Others may not be called to preach, but in one way or another, every believer is to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5).
There is a place of service and a work for each Christian. None can look to the Master and say, “I do not have the privilege of doing something for You.” We may not all have five talents — or even two — but we are all responsible for putting to good use what He has given us. God has beautifully arranged spheres of labor, so as to meet all the diversity of capacity and talent among His people. To each believer He has given power and opportunity to do something.
What are you doing for Christ? What are you doing for the salvation of souls? What are you doing for the help of other believers? This week, let’s say, with the Apostle Paul, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6).
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Sunday, May 6, 2018

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Agony
“And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
Only once does God use this word agony in all the Scriptures, and He reserves it to express the terrible suffering of His beloved Son in the garden of Gethsemane, as the Lord Jesus anticipated the horrors of being “made … sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Lord faced the cross alone and as the time drew near when He would pass through those three hours of anguish, when forsaken of God, He would bear the punishment for sin, this terrible agony swept over His holy soul. Yet, wonder of wonders, that out of this agony Peter, James, and John heard Him pray, “Nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).
Today, as we look back and remember the sufferings of Christ and the work of Calvary, we rejoice that all that agony is forever past, and the Lord Jesus will never experience the forsaking of God, or the anguish of being made sin again. At the end of the three hours of darkness He cried, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Hallelujah!

Saturday, May 5, 2018

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Reaching Heaven
“And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4).
God wants us to trust Him for salvation. But society is obsessed with self. It began in the garden with a temptation to be independent of God. It was not long after the flood that men and women attempted to build this tower, “whose top may reach unto heaven.” God stopped their egotistical attempt. Human effort will not bring us to God. We must depend solely on Him for salvation. The Lord Jesus is the only ladder that reaches to Heaven. “And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man” (John 1:51).
Let us die to self today and trust wholly that the work of reaching God is finished in Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do. It is “not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:9).We can never reach heaven apart from God’s salvation through His Son, and the work of Calvary.

Friday, May 4, 2018

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Dedication
“And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3).
Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem under the direction of His God, when his enemies requested that he pause and meet with them. He was so exercised about the great work going on that he refused to stop. He was extremely dedicated. He was in great earnest. Nothing would come between him and his work for the Lord. I wonder if we are that dedicated. There are so many attempts by Satan and his angels to stop the Lord’s work.
There is still a great work going on in this world today. God is still working by His Spirit and using His people as instruments and channels of blessing. This He will continue to do until the Spirit and the believer are called home to heaven at the Lord’s coming.
He has a great work for you. Don’t be distracted, young believer. Continue on in the work that the Lord has given you to do and let nothing stop you until it’s done.

Thursday, May 3, 2018

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Service
“He that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things” (Matthew 25:20-21).
No service done for the Lord will lose its reward. Here, in a story that the Lord told (Matthew 25:14-30), a servant had been given five talents (pieces of money) which he had traded and doubled in value. His reward was to be ruler over many things. We too have been given something from the Lord to use in His service. If we use what He has given in quiet, faithful, service for Him, He will say to us, as in our verse today, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” It will be wonderful to hear His “Well done!” That will mean more than any reward we can get for things we do in this world.
Paul valued the Lord’s approval. “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). Is that what we really desire? Serve — and wait for the Lord’s “Well done!”

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

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Speak for Christ
“I believed, therefore have I spoken” (Psalm 116:10).
Not only do we have in this verse the principle that those who believe ought not to keep silent about their faith but also a delightful bit of instruction about witnessing for the Lord, and that is, speak from your heart! “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34).
Eloquence or scriptural knowledge may be helpful when speaking for the Lord but they are not essential. It is true that we need to present things in a way that makes the truth clear and simple, and in a way that the Spirit of God can effectively take our words and apply them to the hearer for blessing, like those we read of in the early days of Christianity. “And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed” (Acts 14:1).
However, when it is all said and done, the most powerful testimony is that which comes from the heart. Let’s speak for Christ from the heart. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” (Psalm 107:2).

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

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For Jesus
What will youdo for Jesus today,
What actions of kindness and grace to display?
Some service of love, is waiting for you,
Are you willing, for Jesus, that service to do?
“Do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
What will you speak for Jesus today,
What words of encouragement, friend, will you say?
There is much to discourage, dishearten, and fear,
We need to speak words of refreshment and cheer!
“I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things” (Proverbs 8:6).
Where will you go for Jesus today,
As you hurry along, and you rush on your way?
Will it be in the places He wants you to be,
That you might be a blessing to each one you see?
“Go in the way of understanding” (Proverb 9:6).
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