Young Christians Calendar

February 2023

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

In this verse, the Lord Jesus describes Himself as the good Shepherd — the One who gives His life for the sheep. You will remember that David, while he was still a shepherd looking after his father’s sheep, risked his life for them. At different times, both a lion and bear came out against the sheep, and David went out to rescue the lamb that had been taken. With the Lord’s help David was able to kill both the lion and bear, and to save the life of the lamb.

Just as the lamb was helpless when the lion and bear attacked, so we were helpless sinners, in the grip of Satan. But the Lord Jesus has rescued us, although He had to give His life to do so. David risked his life, but the Lord Jesus died for us, and shed His blood, so that we could become His sheep. Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior?

Monday, February 27, 2023

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“His soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).

This verse tells us that the person who is proud, and whose “soul is lifted up” is not upright. He thinks that he can manage on his own, without trusting the Lord. But the just shall live by his faith. This verse is so important that it is repeated three times in the New Testament — in Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews. See if you can find them!

We cannot be just before God unless we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, but when we are saved, we are told to live by faith. Someone has said that it requires only a little faith to bring us to heaven, but that much faith will bring heaven to the soul. This means that even in the little things of everyday life, we can ask the Lord for His help. For example, we can ask Him for help in our exams, or perhaps to do something else that is difficult. (But we cannot expect the Lord to help us get good grades if we have not studied!) We can ask him for safety in any kind of danger; we can ask Him to help us find something that we have lost. The Lord wants to help us, and wants us to trust Him.

Sunday, February 26, 2023

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“He [God] hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man [the Lord Jesus] whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

Last Lord’s day we saw that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was the sign of God’s full approval of His work on the cross. Today we learn that it is also the assurance that God will judge this world, and that He has set the day when it will happen. When man crucified the Lord Jesus, they thought they had gotten rid of Him. But now He has risen from the dead, and is sitting at God’s right hand in heaven. All power has been given to Him, and one day He will come back to judge this world. Man is not going to get away with that awful crime of crucifying the Lord Jesus.

How happy we who are saved should be, for we know that there cannot possibly be any judgment for us. Judgment is behind us, not ahead of us, for all our sins were borne by the Lord Jesus on the cross. If we realize how terrible God’s judgment will be, we will want to tell others about the Lord Jesus.

Saturday, February 25, 2023

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“These all, having obtained a good report through faith” (Hebrews 11:39).

In this chapter, we have quite a few people mentioned from the Old Testament who had real faith, but there are two groups of them. The first group won great victories through faith, for it says that they “subdued kingdoms…obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword…” (vss. 33-34).

But then we read about the second group. It says, “And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance…And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned…were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins…they wandered in deserts…” (vss. 35-37). Were these people without faith? Was there something wrong with them, that the Lord allowed them to suffer? No, for it requires more power to endure suffering than to gain a big victory.

God was honored in each case — by those who won victories, and by those who suffered. The Lord reminds us that all of them obtained a good report. It is the same today. Some believers honor the Lord in victory; others honor Him with suffering, and all will get their reward for faithfulness. Read the whole chapter (Hebrews 11) for yourself.

Friday, February 24, 2023

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“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:3).

Yesterday we spoke about praying to the Lord in true faith, recognizing who He is, and that His power is able to answer our requests. But does this mean that we always get everything we ask for? No, for sometimes even as Christians we can ask for things that would not be good for us, and things that would only make it easier for us to sin. Then the Lord wisely does not grant our request. A mother would not give her small son a pair of sharp scissors, even if he were crying for them. He would hurt himself with them for sure!

The Lord expects that our requests would be made for things that would help us to please Him, to honor Him, and to serve Him better. If we are walking with the Lord, He will be much more likely to grant our requests, for we will pray for things that He wants to give us. Even if we are wanting to please the Lord, He may not give us everything we ask for, because He knows better than we do what would be good for us. We can trust Him to answer our prayers perfectly!

Thursday, February 23, 2023

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“According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29).

“If Thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us” (Mark 9:22).

These first words in Matthew 9 were spoken to two blind men who wanted to have their sight given to them. When the Lord Jesus asked them, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” they said clearly “Yea, Lord.” Then He immediately healed them.

Others doubted the power of the Lord Jesus, and came to Him only as a “last resort.” This was the case with the man in the second verse we have quoted today. His son had been possessed with the evil spirit for a very long time. He finally came to the Lord Jesus, but he said to Him, “If Thou canst do any thing…help us.” The Lord had to remind him, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark. 9:23). The word “if” did not apply to the Lord’s power, but it did apply to the father’s faith.

The Lord honors even a little faith, but faith that wavers does not please Him. When we come to the Lord Jesus, we must believe who He is, and that our faith will be rewarded. We must approach Him with full confidence in His power.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

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“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).

This verse was written more than 2,500 years ago, yet it is just as true today. Naturally we tend to think that we can find our own way, but this verse clearly tells us that we do not have the wisdom to do this. We will be like someone in an unfamiliar place; without a guide we will get lost. Man cannot do without his Creator, and as Christians we cannot walk before the Lord without His help. This again drives us back to God’s Word, and to prayer. Prayer expresses our dependence on the Lord, and looks to Him to show us the right way. It may not always be the easiest way, for God has not promised us an easy road. However, in the pathway He chooses, we will have His company. Walking a difficult pathway is worth it, if He is with us! It is better to go on a difficult path in good company, than to have an easier path without Him!

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

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“And He (Jesus) said unto them, Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25).

When I first learned to drive, cars were never equipped with backup cameras. Now they are becoming common in many new cars, but some of us who are older find it hard to get used to them. When we back a car up, we are used to turning half around, placing our right arm across the back of the front seat, and looking out the back window of the vehicle. We find it hard to trust the backup camera!

However, when I backed up the old way, I often did not back up in a straight line; I had to correct my steering frequently. But when I began to trust the backup camera, I found I could back up perfectly every time! With its wide-angle lens, the backup camera could see better than my eyes, especially at night!

Sometimes in our lives we like to try and do things in our own way, and are unwilling to trust the Lord. But He knows everything, sees everything, and is all-powerful too. We can safely trust Him to lead and guide us in a perfect way. “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psa. 18:30).

Monday, February 20, 2023

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“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

This verse tells us that the Word of God is both a lamp and a light. As a lamp it shows us the next step, while as a light it shows us where the path ends. But we do not know what is between the next step and the end of the path. Just as the headlights on a car do not light up the road all the way to our destination, so God’s Word does not show us the whole pathway. But we have enough light to take the next step, and we know where the path ends.

In these difficult days, we need to be more and more familiar with the Bible, for this world is going further and further away from the truth and principles of it. When I was growing up, much of what was considered normal behavior in the world was based on the Bible, and people generally respected what the Word of God said, even if they were not true Christians. But all that has changed today, as more and more the world does not want to listen to God’s Word. You and I as Christians must remember that God’s Word is our only sure guide, and we must read and obey it even more as the days grow darker. It is the only real light for our pathway!

Sunday, February 19, 2023

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“He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:6).

Before He went to the cross, the Lord Jesus had told His disciples that He would rise from the dead. They could not seem to understand this, but in our verses, the angels at the tomb remind the women who came to embalm Him that He had said it. Now, on the first day of the week, which the Bible later calls the Lord’s day, He had indeed risen from the dead. Later many people saw Him, for He did not ascend back to heaven for forty days.

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is most important, for it showed that God was completely satisfied with the work He had done on Calvary’s cross. Now the gospel could be preached to the whole world, for God had also been glorified in that work on the cross. How glad the disciples were to see the Lord again! How happy we should be too, for His resurrection shows us that our salvation is absolutely sure.

Saturday, February 18, 2023

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“A certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead” (Acts 20:9).

Please read this whole story in a few verses in Acts 20:8-12. The Apostle Paul evidently was preaching late in the evening, and although “there were many lights in the upper chamber” (v. 8), poor Eutychus went to sleep. Eventually he fell down and seemed to be dead. He is a picture of a true Christian who has some desire to please the Lord, but who also wants to look out on the world. The lights in the upper chamber (speaking of God’s presence) did not have their proper effect on him, and when he fell asleep, he fell down. But he did not fall into the room; he fell out of the window. A fall for a worldly Christian is always in the wrong direction.

However, there is always a way of recovery, even if we have fallen down to the level of the world. The Apostle Paul said, “His life is in him” (v. 10), and the young man was able to come back to the upper room with the other believers. I doubt if he ever sat in the window again!

This story shows us how necessary it is to appreciate the light of God’s presence, and the ministry of the Word of God. If Eutychus had not been sitting in a window, he would not have fallen asleep and fallen down!

Friday, February 17, 2023

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“In Him (the Lord Jesus) was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:4-5).

What we read in this verse is impossible in natural things. If we walk into a dark room and turn the light on, the darkness immediately vanishes, and we can see clearly. In our verses today, we see that when the Lord Jesus came into the world, His life was the light of this world. Morally and spiritually, the perfect life of the Lord Jesus showed how wicked man was, and how sin had spoiled this whole world. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, sin has been in this world, and all the sorrow and misery here has been the result of sin.

But man’s will was set against God, and he loved living in his sins. When the Lord Jesus came into this world as the light of the world, man rejected that light. Yes, they were glad to be rid of the consequences of their sin, and many people came to the Lord Jesus to be healed of their diseases. They were also very glad when He raised people from the dead. But they did not want to admit that they were helpless sinners in the sight of God, and for this reason they rejected the Lord Jesus. But the Lord Jesus went on to the cross in spite of all this, and now He offers salvation to all who will believe on Him. He is still the light of the world.

Thursday, February 16, 2023

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“The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130).

In most countries of the world today, we are used to having electric lights. When we come into a dark room, we simply flick on the light switch. Immediately the room is filled with light, and we can see. Sometimes even brighter lights are necessary, as, for example, when doctors are doing surgery. Then they have very strong lights with reflectors that concentrate the beam into one place, so that they can see very clearly.

God’s Word is like a light to this world, not in a physical way, but in a moral way. It tells us who God is, tells us right from wrong, and most important, shows us clearly that in our natural condition, we are all sinners. The Word of God tells us that “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Without the light from God’s Word, we would not realize that we are all sinners, and that we cannot approach God in our sins.

But the Bible also tells us that God loves us and sent His Son to die for us. This too is like a light to us, for we would not know of the love of God if we did not have His Word to tell us. How wonderful it is that God wrote His Word for us, and that we have it available in our own language!

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

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“Pilate saith unto Him (Jesus), What is truth?” (John 18:38).

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

Jesus did not actually answer Pilate in this way; He gave this answer earlier to His disciple Thomas, but it tells us the answer to Pilate’s question.

Today we hear so many things in the news media that it is sometimes hard to know what is true and what is “fake news.” Also, some people today try to tell us that there is no actual truth; it just depends on the circumstances. A few years ago a minister of a so-called church in England told people that if you needed food and could not afford it, it was all right to steal from big supermarkets, but not from small stores.

But God’s Word gives us absolute truth — things that never change. Once a university student was arguing about this with a gospel preacher. When the preacher stood up to leave the student’s room, he casually picked up his stereo set and began to walk away with it. When the student became upset, the preacher replied, “Who are you to tell me that it is wrong to steal?” As a result the student’s eyes were opened, and he realized that when his own possessions were involved, he did believe in absolute truth. He eventually accepted the Lord Jesus as His Savior.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

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“The soul of the sluggard [lazy person] desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat” (Proverbs 13:4).

When we are young, often we have to do things we do not want to do. We may have certain jobs around the house, and most children today have homework to do. This is called discipline; it teaches us good work habits, and how to manage our time well.

But then, as we get older, we are expected to be able to discipline ourselves. By the time we go to high school, we should be learning how to manage our own time. Sad to say, some children today are not taught good discipline, and then they do not learn how to make themselves do something that they do not want to do.

It is much the same in our Christian life. Just as in natural things, so we must discipline ourselves in spiritual things. It takes discipline, for example, to get up early enough to read our Bible in the morning, and to take time to pray. Satan whispers to us, “You are too busy; do it later!” But then, when the evening comes, perhaps we are too tired to read the Bible. It is important to learn to discipline ourselves as Christians, for it is the diligent Christian who learns more of Christ.

Monday, February 13, 2023

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“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

We looked at this verse back in January, but let us focus on another phrase in it this time. Most of you have run a race, and you know that you do not want to carry any weight when you are running. In this verse a weight is not our daily work or our normal responsibilities in our personal and family life. It is an unnecessary activity that we add to our lives — something that slows us down in our Christian pathway. It may not be wrong in itself, but it robs us of time that could better be spent for the Lord. For example, spending hours playing video games, or going on Facebook, could be weights for children and young people.

Also, the devil is always there to tempt us with sin, and sin also robs us of our joy in the Lord. We are to lay aside both of these things, so that we can concentrate on the race that we are running. Notice too that it is a long race, to be run with patience. For this we need the Lord’s strength, and we must be “looking unto Jesus” — the One who always acted in faith, and showed us perfectly how to run that race.

Sunday, February 12, 2023

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“Jesus…was troubled in spirit…and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me” (John 13:21).

Before the Lord Jesus went to the cross and was crucified, He told His disciples that one of them would betray him. That disciple was Judas Iscariot, and he made a deal with some of the Jewish leaders. They promised to give him money if he would help them arrest the Lord Jesus in a way that would not cause a big fuss among the people. For thirty pieces of silver Judas led a band of soldiers to the Mount of Olives, where he knew the Lord Jesus would be.

Judas had spent the past three and a half years as a disciple of the Lord Jesus. He had helped the Lord Jesus in His work, he had preached, and had probably even performed miracles in the name of the Lord Jesus. Yet he did not really love the Lord Jesus, and did not really believe on Him. Later his real character came out.

When we grow up in a Christian home, we may know how to repeat Bible verses, help out in doing things with other believers, and in every way we may act like a Christian. But if we do not really know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, the real truth will come out. How important it is to be a true Christian, and not to be like Judas!

Saturday, February 11, 2023

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“Take heed that ye do not your alms [giving money to the poor] before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1).

There is a big difference between being selfish, and self-centered. We are all selfish at times, and this is not good. But to be self-centered is much worse, for then we want everything to revolve around us, and what we are doing. We can appear to be very concerned about others, and very ready to do something for the Lord, and yet be very self-centered.

The scribes and Pharisees made a great show of giving money to the poor, fasting (going without food), praying publicly, and keeping the law very carefully. Yet they did all these things in order to be noticed. Their hearts were full of pride, even though they appeared to be doing the Lord’s will. The Lord Jesus said of them, “All their works they do for to be seen of men” (Matthew 23:5). But true Christian service humbles us, and then we are not expecting the praise of others. In a coming day we will find, as the Lord Jesus said, “Your Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:4). Those who want the praise of men get their reward now, but it is better to wait and get our reward from the Lord in heaven.

Friday, February 10, 2023

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“Consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3).

Have you ever become so discouraged in your Christian life that you were ready to give up and quit? Perhaps at some time in our life most of us have felt this way, although we might not like to admit it. When we feel like this, we need to remember that all discouragement comes from thinking about ourselves too much. We get discouraged because we are expecting something from others — sometimes from other people, and sometimes from the Lord. When we do not get what we expect, we become discouraged.

What should we do if we feel like this? I suggest that we should repeat this verse to ourselves, and remember how the Lord Jesus pressed on in spite of everything that was against Him. He always did the will of His Father. If things are going badly, let us tell the Lord about it, and ask Him for strength to go on, but let us never disobey the Word of God. Self-pity is never right. Rather, we should accept our circumstances FROM the Lord, and take our difficulties TO the Lord. That is the secret of a happy Christian life.

Thursday, February 9, 2023

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“Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:3).

The word “epistle” simply means a letter, usually a long one, that gives us instruction. That is why quite a few of the books of the Bible in the New Testament are called epistles. They were written to believers by apostles like Paul, Peter, or John in order to teach them more of the things of the Lord. But you and I, as believers, should be like epistles to unsaved people; our lives should display Christ to others, so that they can learn about Him from watching us, just as if they were reading a letter. We should do this in the right way.

Many years ago, a Christian young man asked his father, “Isn’t it all right to have some pride in myself? If I didn’t have some pride in myself, I wouldn’t comb my hair, shave my face, dress properly, and be polite to others.” His father wisely answered, “Son, if you always remember that you belong to Christ and represent Him in this world, you will look after all the things you have mentioned and yet not have pride connected with it.” It was a good answer, for we do not act in a right way in this world mainly for our own sake, but rather because wherever we are, we should be “the epistle of Christ,” “known and read of all men” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3).

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

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“These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto Him: a proud look” (Proverbs 6:16-17).

It has been well said that the Word of God teaches us that every form of pride is wrong, and ought to be condemned. This verse confirms this, for “a proud look” heads the list of things that the Lord hates. Why is pride so wrong? It is wrong because pride takes the glory that really belongs to God and gives it to me.

Some may ask, Cannot I be proud of the abilities I have, and what I have done? No, for the Bible says, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Everything we have, including our natural abilities, is a gift from God. We did not get those abilities ourselves, and therefore should not be proud about them. Whatever we may have, or are able to do, it is important to remember that God gave all of this to us. We must give the credit to Him.

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

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“Even Christ pleased not Himself” (Romans 15:3).

We live in a world where more and more people are taken up with themselves, and even the world around us is noticing this trend. Recently, a writer in the New York Times commented about the United States of America, “Far from softening toward one another, the whole country feels even more hardened and increasingly blind to lives other than our own.” This attitude is becoming rather common in the whole world. The feeling in the world today is, If I do not look after myself, no one else will!

But there was one Man who walked through this world who never did anything to please Himself. Rather, He could say of God His Father, “I do always those things that please Him” (John 8:29). Sin makes people selfish and mean, but the Lord Jesus came right down into that kind of a world, to show God’s heart of love by serving others. He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the hungry, comforted the weary, and in every way displayed the love of God.

As Christians, the Lord calls on us to show the same kind of love for one another and for the world around us, the love of God. Many people may not read the Bible, but they should be able to see the love of God in the Christians with whom they come in contact.

Monday, February 6, 2023

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“God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

The hummingbird is one of the smallest birds on this earth, yet it is one of the most complex and can do things most other birds cannot do. Here are some interesting facts about them.

Their wings can beat as fast as 60-80 times a second, producing a humming sound.

Their wings beat in a figure eight pattern. Because of this, they can fly forward, backwards, upside down, or even hover in one place.

Most hummingbirds weigh only about 4 grams (about the weight of a teaspoon of sugar).

At night they are able to slow down their metabolism, like hibernating, to conserve energy.

While migrating, they are able to fly non-stop for 18-20 hours across the Gulf of Mexico, a distance of 500 miles (about 800 kilometers).

All this shows man that there is a God, for we read that “the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen” (Romans 1:20). Even if a person has no Bible, they are “without excuse,” for the complexity of creation could not have happened by chance.

Sunday, February 5, 2023

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“I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert” (Psalm 102:6).

Although written in the Old Testament, this is the Lord Jesus speaking about Himself. He compares Himself to two birds, but both of them were unclean birds for the Israelites (Lev. 11:17-18). Why would the Lord Jesus be compared to an unclean bird?

It was because He was “made sin,” for it tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He (God the Father) hath made Him (the Lord Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin.” Even though He had never sinned, when the Lord Jesus bore our sins in the three hours of darkness, God had to punish Him as if He were the sinner. If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, your sins were laid on Him there, and so He is compared to an unclean bird. He bore that judgment all alone, for no one else could bear that awful punishment for sin. How thankful we should be for what He has done for us!

Saturday, February 4, 2023

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“And God created…every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:21).

More than 100 years ago man learned how to make machines like airplanes, and today they are able to fly a long way. Several times I have flown all the way from North America to Australia without stopping, a trip that takes fifteen or sixteen hours in the air. Some are even longer!

Did you know that God created a bird that can fly longer and farther than any airplane? There is a bird called the bar-tailed godwit (about the size of a small duck) that spends its summers and raises its young in the Arctic regions, but then in the fall flies non-stop all the way to Australia or New Zealand. This is a distance of about 7,500 miles (12,000 kilometers) and takes eight or nine days. During this time, it loses about half of its body weight, and it seems it has the ability to put half of its brain to sleep, while it flies with the other half. Quite an accomplishment!

This is one of the wonders of God’s creation and shows God’s power and glory. But you and I know more than this about God, for we know His heart of love. We may marvel at what He has created, but we are attracted by God’s heart of love, shown out at Calvary’s cross.

Friday, February 3, 2023

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“Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit” (John 15:8).

A few months ago, a good friend of mine gave me several small tomato plants that she had grown from seed. I planted them in what I thought was good soil, in large planters, and put them out on my deck. At first they grew very well, and soon began to have small green tomatoes on them. But then the leaves on the lower branches started to turn yellow, and eventually all the leaves began to droop. At first I thought the plants needed more water, but that did not help. The real problem was that there were fungus spores in the soil, and those plants became infected with a bad fungus. I don’t think I will get any good tomatoes from those plants, for they are just too weak to produce good fruit. All my efforts were wasted.

That fungus is like sin in our Christian lives. The Lord wants us to produce fruit for Him, and every right thought in our hearts about Christ, and everything we do for the Lord Jesus, is fruit for God. But if we allow sin in our lives, it weakens us, and we do not produce good fruit. Let us be careful not to allow sin to spoil our fruit for the Lord.

Thursday, February 2, 2023

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“Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man” (Matthew 15:18).

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34).

At the time that I am writing this, the 2021 summer Olympics are being held in Tokyo, Japan. Yesterday a girl from Australia won a gold medal in a swimming event, and she was very excited about it. During an interview with the news media afterward, she used a very vulgar swear word in her conversation, which everyone heard. But the people in the news media excused her, and commented, “Say whatever you want; you’re an Olympic gold medalist.”

Will God excuse us for saying something bad, simply because we may be good athletes? No, of course not. Why did that girl use such a word in her conversation? It was because that word was in her heart. Probably she was used to speaking like that in her everyday life, and when she was being recorded by the news media, the same kind of language came out of her mouth. But the Lord says that what comes out of our mouths defiles us.

The Bible says, “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). Let us be careful about how we speak, and what words we store up in our hearts.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

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“Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men…for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24).

The Lord may give us some special work to do for Him, but even in our everyday schoolwork, or perhaps in a job that we do for payment, we should do it well, as if we were doing it for the Lord. Sometimes our boss may not treat us well, and then perhaps we are tempted not to do our best at our work. However, we should always do our work as if we were doing it for the Lord. He has done so much for us, and it pleases Him when we do our work as if He were the boss, and not some man or woman here in this world. Then, even if our boss does not treat us properly, the Lord will give us a reward for doing our work for Him.

In the days when this verse was written, many people in the Roman empire were slaves, and had to work for masters who did not treat them well. But some of those slaves got saved, and then they could do their work as if they were serving the Lord. That made it a lot easier!