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Young Christians Calendar

A daily meditation for young Christians

March 2019

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Sunday, March 31, 2019

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Remembrance
This morning I sat down with eleven other believers in Dickson Village, Saint Vincent, to remember the Lord in the breaking of bread. With fans blowing, the windows and doors open, and a loaf and a cup on the table, we had a precious time of reflection and remembrance as we sang of the person and work of Christ. Some Scriptures were read, and several brothers gave a word of worship and praise. Best of all we were able to answer to the Lord’s request, “This do in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).
I realize that by the time this calendar page is read, many, many weeks will have passed. But I trust, by the grace of God, that I will still be enjoying the privilege of breaking bread with believers around the world.
Of course, the truth of the matter is, we may be long in the Father’s house by that time, and there we will no longer need a loaf and a cup as a reminder. In that day, we will be occupied with what the Apostle John saw when he stated: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6).

Saturday, March 30, 2019

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Lifted Up
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14).
“When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am He” (John 8:28).
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me” (John 12:32).
These three statements of the Lord all refer to His crucifixion, and are three facts worthy of consideration:
1. Through our Savior’s death, He has brought us life, just as when Moses lifted up the serpent on a pole. “If a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (Numbers 21:9).
2. His death proved that He was the Son of Man. “But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the Son of Man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest Him a little lower than the angels … for the suffering of death” (Hebrews 2:6-7,9).
3. His death has allowed Him to open His arms wide to draw all peoples to Himself. “Our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

Friday, March 29, 2019

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Monthly Question Page
Q. What is the Church, and can the term be used for a physical building?
A. The Church is the body of Christ. “The church, Which is his body” (Ephesians 1:22-23). This was formed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). It includes only those who are saved. The Church as a profession or light bearer on earth is also called “The House of God” (1 Timothy 3:15).
If we take away the word “Church” and substitute the word “assembly” in every place where it is used in Scripture, we will get the right thought.
There is one exception, “For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess” (Acts 19:37). In this verse the original word for “churches” is really “idol temples.” It is never used otherwise of a building on earth.
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Thursday, March 28, 2019

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Compromise
“Hold fast the form of sound words” (2 Timothy 1:13).
“Compromise is letting the barrier down slowly.”
How easy it is to compromise in many aspects of life. But when it comes to the Word of God and the truth it contains, we should never compromise.
We rarely give up the truth of Scripture or turn from following the Lord all at once. Rarely do we make a sudden U-turn in the path of faith. It is usually a little at a time, like removing bricks from a wall. If you remove all the bricks at once everyone immediately notices. But if you take it down slowly, one brick at a time, no one may detect it until the barrier is completely removed. This is the great work of Satan in the lives of believers. It is the “dead flies” (Ecclesiastes 10:1); or the “little foxes” (Song of Solomon 2:15). It is not the great things, but the little things … brick by brick, brick by brick, brick by brick.
How watchful we need to be! Every day, reading God’s Word, heeding it, practising it, and judging ourselves in the presence of the Lord. We need to be like the early Christians in Thessalonica who were told, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

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Monthly Scripture Reading
2 John
And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

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Reading Scripture
Tomorrow, as we have done for every fourth Thursday of the month since this calendar began, we will have what we call our Monthly Scripture Reading. Perhaps you wonder why we do this … why do we print out a short portion of the Word of God every month? Well, the reason is very simple. It is to whet the appetite of our readers so that they will develop the habit of orderly, consistent, reading of their Bible. And not just once a month, but every day of the year.
This necessary and vital routine is a great preserving factor, as well as being essential for spiritual growth and energy. Read the Word of God every day and you will be like the man of whom we read, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:1-2).
This is why we have a Monthly Scripture Reading.

Monday, March 25, 2019

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Dear Young Christian:
The writer of Psalm 119 knew the value of prayer and how vital it was to him if he was going to know the mind of God. He prayed: “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law” (Psalm 119:18).
Apart from a divine opening of our spiritual eyes we must remain in spiritual darkness. In the New Testament, we have the occasion with the two who were travelling from Jerusalem to Emmaus, after the Lord had risen from the dead. Here is a summary of how the Lord worked with them: “And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him … He opened … the Scriptures … . Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:31-32, 45).
Today and this coming week, the Lord is waiting by His Spirit to open up to you the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. However, He can only do this if we have a sincere, reverent, humble attitude of prayerful dependence.
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Sunday, March 24, 2019

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What Depths of Suffering
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:45-46).
We can never take in what the Lord Jesus endured at the cross, and especially in those three hours of darkness when God “made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). That time when He “bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). Our finite minds and our dulled senses can, at best, only dimly grasp the sheer depths of the gulf spanned and the judgment endured when the Holy Savior paid the price and bore the penalty of sin.
What divine love, stupendous grace, and marvellous mercy we have to consider. Though we will never know the depth of His suffering, we can worship Him today as a risen glorified man and as one who will never suffer for sin again. “For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14).

Saturday, March 23, 2019

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Good News
“This is a day of good tidings” (2 Kings 7:9).
There is very little good news in the world today! All you have to do is read the headlines of the newspaper and you will soon get the point — Don’t read it all, as it won’t profit you. Wars, crime, violence, injustice, economic, political, and social breakdown … on and on it goes. We shake our heads and ask, “Where is it going to end?”
It is all going to end — but not until the Lord Jesus comes back to set up His kingdom and reign in righteousness. No matter how hard the armies, governments, and police forces of this world try, things are not going to get better. In fact, they are going to get worse. “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse” (2 Timothy 3:13).
But there is good news! In a world of bad news, the gospel, or “glad tidings,” is still being preached. It is the wonderful story of salvation through the work of Calvary. And yet it amazes me that people will buy newspapers, and listen to newscasts in disbelief and bewilderment, and yet refuse to listen to the only good news that there is … God’s good news concerning His Son, and the eternal blessings that result from accepting it and being saved from sin and hell.

Friday, March 22, 2019

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True Rest
“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way” (Psalm 37:7).
When something in your life or thoughts makes you anxious, go to the Lord about it. “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).
These are opportunities to experience His healing and rest of soul. They are times when we can learn that the blessings far outweigh the difficulties. They are times when we can learn what it is to really “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart” (Proverbs 3:5).
The world teaches that peace and rest come from having enough money, possessions, insurance, and security systems. But the peace and rest that the Lord gives is all-encompassing and independent of all circumstances. Though you lose everything else, if you gain and enjoy His peace, you are rich indeed.

Thursday, March 21, 2019

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Numbers in Scripture: #3
Three has several connotations in Scripture. We will just consider two of them.
1. It is God’s number of complete witness. For example:
“At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death” (Deuteronomy 17:6).
“In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matthew 18:16).
“This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established” (2 Corinthians 13:1).
“Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:19).
2. It denotes death and resurrection.For example:
“The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke 24:7).
“He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:4).

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

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Wait for the Lord
We often speak of waiting patiently for the Lord, but do we know what it is to wait patiently with the Lord?
The Bible encourages us, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord … Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:7-8). So, we learn from this, that we are to wait patiently for the Lord.
However, in the meantime, He wants us to walk with Him in every circumstance, whether hard or easy, good or bad. Not to lag behind, and not to run ahead. When He stops, we are to stop as well. When He goes ahead, we are to move as well. Just like the Children of Israel in the wilderness; when the pillar of cloud moved, they moved, and when it stopped they stopped as well, and waited with the Lord as long as He felt it necessary for them to be in that place.
David gave us some good advice when he said, “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule” (Psalm 32:9). The horse is impulsive and has to be held back with the bit and bridle, and the mule is stubborn and has to be forced ahead, often with the whip or rod. We are not to be like either. Let’s learn to wait with the Lord … His time and ways are perfect!

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

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Under New Ownership
Outside a hotel that had been closed for weeks this notice hung:
This establishment will shortly be opening
under new ownership.
The hotel had a new proprietor, but it was the same building and outside it looked no different than it ever had. The changes were inside. It is just the same with a Christian who has been converted to God. He remains the same person with the same natural characteristics, the same schooling and profession, and he has the same family relationships. But he has become the personal possession of someone else. He now belongs to the Lord Jesus and is therefore “under new ownership.” The Holy Spirit dwells in a Christian’s body and is there to direct him according to the divine principles of the Word of God. We are now to live in a way that pleases the one who bought us. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Monday, March 18, 2019

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Dear Young Christian:
Before you get up in the morning to face another day and another week, remember, it has all been planned out in a past eternity. Not only so, but all the resources that you need to meet the situations you face are already in place. All you need to do is utilize them. Realize, like David, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped” (Psalm 28:7).
Instead of trying to assess your own energy level and anticipating and wondering about what’s on the road ahead, focus on the Lord Jesus, and all that is available through Him. He has promised:
“I am with you alway” (Matthew 28:20).
“My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
“I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). These are just a few of the many promises we are given. Entrust yourself to Him. “The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Sunday, March 17, 2019

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Eat and Drink
After the breaking of bread remembrance meeting, a brother in Christ gave a short word of exhortation and encouragement regarding the privilege we had just had. Part of what he said really impressed me, and I will try to quote it as closely as I can remember.
First of all, he referred to the verse that says: “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).
He then continued:
“If we had come into the Lord’s presence this morning, and sung these wonderful hymns, read the Scriptures concerning the person and work of Christ, and expressed our worship and praise, without a loaf and a cup on the table, and without eating of that loaf and drinking of that cup, we would have missed something very special and precious. In fact, we would have missed the most important element of this meeting. We can, and should, remember the Lord Jesus in our hearts every day, but there is something He has asked us to do each first day of the week … He has asked us to eat and to drink.”
I thought that was a good exhortation!

Saturday, March 16, 2019

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A Contrast
“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments” (Luke 16:23).
“But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55).
What a contrast. A man who lived for sin and self lifts up his eyes in a lost eternity. On the other hand, God’s faithful servant, as he is about to lay down his life as martyr for Christ, lifts up his eyes, and sees the Lord on the very threshold of heaven waiting to receive him safe home. What a glorious sight it was, and what a wonderful welcome he must have gotten.
But you ask, “What makes the difference?” It is knowing Christ as Savior. Nothing else matters and nothing else will do when considering where we will lift up our eyes in eternity. It all hinges on knowing Him, and having availed ourselves of that great salvation offered freely to us. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Friday, March 15, 2019

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No Separation
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Romans 8:35,38-39).
NOTHING can separate us from that constant, unchanging, divine love. Let the assurance of this glorious truth settle into your mind, heart, and soul … NOTHING!
We all want to be loved, and have the assurance that we are loved. Much of the human misery of this world stems from people feeling unloved. In the midst of adverse circumstances people tend to feel that love has been withdrawn and that they have been forsaken. This feeling of abandonment is often worse than the adversity itself. But the promise of the Lord is, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). This is a promise from the One who also says, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).

Thursday, March 14, 2019

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The Easy Yoke
The story is told of a man who was carrying a heavy basket some distance down a country road. His young son, who was with him, offered to help. After some hesitation, and due to the persistence of the lad, the father cut a large stick and placed it through the handle of the basket so that the end toward himself was very short, while the end toward the boy was three or four times longer. Each took hold of his end of the stick, and the basket was lifted and carried easily.
The son was bearing the burden with the father, but he found the work easy and light because the father assumed the heavier end of the load. So it is when we live for Jesus Christ. He says, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).
There are burdens to bear and trials to face in the Christian life. But we can go through it all knowing that there is nothing that we have to bear alone, and we are encouraged, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

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His Grace — Part 2
“And of His fulness have all we received,
and grace for grace” (John 1:16).
James and John are a good example of what we had in yesterday’s meditation. The Lord surnamed them, “Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). From that, and the fact that they united in asking the Lord to command fire to consume the village of the Samaritans, who refused them (Luke 9:54), we gather that they were rough, impatient, noisy men. Their mother was ambitious, too, in asking for her sons the chief places in the kingdom, and such a mother was likely to have ambitious sons (Matthew 20:20). The fact that they accompanied her when the request was made seems to point to this very clearly.
But see how grace worked. From the book of Acts we gather that James had become a man, ready to suffer martyrdom for Christ’s sake, with no trace of the Boanerges left. John, from his writings, is seen to be gentle, tender, and deeply affectionate — he had well graduated from the top place in the Lord’s school — his head upon his Master’s breast. Certainly, the Boanerges had been rooted out of him, the lion of nature had given place to the lamb of grace.
(Adapted from Comforted of God)

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

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His Grace — Part 1
“He giveth more grace” (James 4:6).
A gardener gives the following illustration:
In clearing a flower bed to make room for some fruit trees, I learned a beneficial lesson. The most difficult to pull up were the rose bushes, because they were covered with more thorns than any others. At the same time, the rose was the sweetest flower that bloomed in the bed. There was a combination of the most thorns and the sweetest scent. I thought, “How like many a Christian.” With some, it is quite easy to be pleasant and amiable — which may be mistaken for the graces of Christ. But when a rough person is transformed into a gentle, lowly follower of Jesus, this is indeed grace. Of all the bushes and plants I rooted up, the thorny rose was the one I was most careful to find a new place for.
May this little illustration be an encouragement to some of us who find it difficult to be pleasant and gracious, to think that, if grace works in their hearts, the Lord may find His sweetest roses upon His thorniest bushes. We are apt to judge quickly and superficially, and see much grace where there is little, and little grace where there is much. God reads aright, and values the flowers of His own cultivation.
(Adapted from Comforted of God)

Monday, March 11, 2019

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Dear Young Christian:
As you spend some time quietly in the presence of the Lord today, and I hope every day this week, you will often find your thoughts tending to jump ahead to the plans you are making, and the problems you are anticipating. When this happens, bring your mind back to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rein in those wandering thoughts, and focus on Himself. Or, as the Bible says: “Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will equip you to face whatever the day and the week ahead may bring. Don’t skimp on your time with the Lord and focusing on His person and work. There may be things you have to leave or let go, but you will have the Lord’s approval of your conduct and the same commendation that Mary received when He visited her home in Bethany while here on earth. “One thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42). That “good part” was time in His presence, without distraction.
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Sunday, March 10, 2019

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Him Only!
“Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only” (Luke 4:8).
No other person or being is to be worshiped. No other is worthy of the adoration of man’s heart and soul.
The writer of Psalm 45 said, “So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him” (verse 11).
When John tried to worship the angel, he immediately said to him, “See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God” (Revelation 19:10).
The Lord Himself said to the woman that He met while sitting alone at the well of Sychar, “The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23).
So we learn that God the Father and God the Son are the only ones that we are to worship.
As we come together today, may we truly “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 96:9).

Saturday, March 9, 2019

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Two Men
 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other” (Luke 10:14).
These two men both went to the temple with the same objective…to pray. It all seemed good on the surface, but the motive and the result were very different. The first man “prayed thus with himself.” In other words, his prayer never got above the temple roof. He also used the word “I” five times. He was self-consumed, and thought himself a very good fellow.
But the second man, owning he was a sinner before God, received the blessing, and left the temple a changed man … as the Lord said, “justified rather than the other.” Which are you? Are you like the publican or the Pharisee?

Friday, March 8, 2019

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Not Immune
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
We can expect to encounter adversity in our Christian life. We still live in a world that is under the curse of sin and its affects. Just being Christians does not make us immune to what the unbeliever experiences. So often we try to find a way that circumvents difficulties instead of accepting them from the good hand of our loving Father and going through them with a sense of His presence with us. If we had an easy life it would cause us to forget God and our dependence on the Lord.
When we come face-to-face with impossibilities and situations totally beyond our control and ability to handle, that is when we learn to lean on Him. When you see armies of problems marching toward you, turn it all over to the one who promises, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20).

Thursday, March 7, 2019

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Great Things
The Lord hath done great things for us;
whereof we are glad” (Psalm 126:3).
Some Christians are sadly prone to look on the dark side of everything, and to dwell more upon what they have gone through than upon what God has done for them. Ask for their impression of the Christian life, and they will describe their continual conflicts, their deep afflictions, their sad adversities, and the sinfulness of their hearts, yet with scarcely any allusion to the mercy and help which God has vouchsafed them.
On the other hand, a Christian whose soul is in a healthy state, will come forward joyously, and say something such as,
“The Lord has been so good to me.”
“His care and love has carried me through so many dark and difficult times.”
“I can’t thank Him enough for all His mercies.”
And in the language of Scripture, “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God” (Psalm 40:2-3). (Adapted from C. H. Spurgeon.)

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

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Read/Search/Meditate
Read the Bible slowly, not so fast as not to think about what you read, but sufficiently fast to bear in mind the drift of the whole passage or argument, to get an overall view of the whole. Then when you have read the Scriptures, search them as well. Points will often arise in your life upon which you must seek the mind of God. Sometimes you will find a passage bearing directly upon the point in question, sometimes you will not; then you must search to find some God-given principle which will apply to your case and shed light on your pathway. The Bible is pre-eminently a book of principles. Be like the Bereans, who “searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11, JND)
Cultivate also the habit of diligently turning over the Scriptures in your mind. To be well nourished, it is necessary not only to eat but to digest. The ox must not only feed on fresh grass, but also chew the cud; so let us not only read and search and thereby gather information, but having done so, turn it over and over in meditation that it may really soak its way into our souls. Paul said to Timothy, “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

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A Christian — Part 2
Continued from last month…
“As a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God” (1 Peter 4:16).
Are you a trusting Christian,
Confiding in the Lord?
Is faith in Him your comfort,
Or is that faith ignored?
The heart that trusts in Jesus,
Finds peace, and lasting rest,
And learns to count upon Him,
No matter what the test.
Are you a careful Christian,
Careful to please the Lord?
Is faithfulness your motto?
Is holiness your ward?
The heart that’s pure for Jesus,
Is such a precious thing,
It keeps from sin, and teaches
To righteousness to cling.

Monday, March 4, 2019

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Dear Young Christian:
Sometimes we ask the question: “What is wrong with doing this, or what is the problem with going here or there, just because I am a Christian?”Often, we even say, “It can’t be that bad, everyone is doing it!”
When these questions arise in our minds, it is a warning, like the yellow traffic light — signaling caution. It means that our conscience is at work — that small inner voice within us, that God has put there to cause us to consider the matter in the light of His Word, the Bible. It is then good to listen and ultimately weigh everything in the light of Scripture.
Is your conscience being pricked, and you know what you are about to do is not what a follower of Christ should be doing? Stop! Listen! Take heed! The Lord said to Saul of Tarsus, “Saul, Saul … it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 26:14).Later, as the Apostle Paul himself said, “Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men” (Acts 24:16).What a good exercise this is for all of us.
Your Christian Friend,
Jim Hyland
We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Sunday, March 3, 2019

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1 Corinthians 15:3-4
This verse contains three vital truths that are good for us to recall to our minds and hearts, today and every day!
“Christ died…”
“And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).
“He was buried…”
“And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth” (Isaiah 53:9).
“And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed” (Matthew 27:59-60).
He rose again…”
“He is not here: for He is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:6).
“Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25).
Hallelujah! What a wonderful Savior and Lord!

Saturday, March 2, 2019

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Warnings
“Caution, the moving walkway is ending … Caution, the moving walkway is ending.”
If you’ve ever used the moving walkway at an airport, you’ve hear this kind of announcement repeatedly.
Why do airports repeat this announcement over and over? To ensure safety and to protect them from liability and lawsuits if someone were injured.
Repeated announcements can be annoying, but they do have value. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul thought repeating warnings was vital. Here is what he records on the matter:
“Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31).
“I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you” (1 Corinthians 4:14).
“To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe” (Philippians 3:1).
There are many warnings in the gospel to the lost, as to the reality of leaving this world without Christ as our Savior. I hope each of our readers has headed those warnings!

Friday, March 1, 2019

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Envy
“A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones” (Proverbs 14:30).
Jealousy or envy can be caused by many different circumstances. Maybe someone not as good as you made the sports team and you didn’t. Your brother or sister got the best bedroom in the house, or a better gift on their birthday. Someone else at work got that promotion you felt you deserved and were better qualified for. It eats away inside your heart and causes bitter thoughts and unkind actions and words. This is not what is to characterise us as believers. We are told by the Apostle Paul,
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31).
If you take everything as from the Lord, there won’t be any room for envy and bitterness. Accept whatever happens as God’s will for you and you will have peace and contentment. Envy is indeed the rottenness of the bones.
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