Month: January 2019

Comfort — Part 3

Here are some further ways we are comforted:

• Comfort from the Word of God:

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

• Comfort from one another:

“And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother” (John 11:19).

 • Comfort of His coming:

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

• Comfort in our soul:

“In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul” (Psalm 94:19).

Comfort — Part 2

It is a wonderful thing to realize that the whole Godhead is interested in every detail of our lives, and that there is the comfort and consolation of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Here is just a sample of verses from the Bible to confirm this wonderful truth of …

• The Comfort of the Trinity:

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

“Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless” (John 14:16-18).

Comfort — Part 1

In writing and compiling these calendar pages, I try to pray about which page goes with which date of the year so that it will be just what is needed in the reader’s life for that day. The verse that is pressed upon me as I write this is the exhortation to the prophet Isaiah amidst all kinds of sin, failure, and difficult circumstances amongst the people of God at the time. He was told: “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God” (Isaiah 40:1). With this in mind, we are going to have some Scriptures for our comfort over the next three days. Perhaps there is someone reading these pages who needs true comfort. It may be in connection with a death in the family, the loss of a job, or some other real sorrow. First and foremost, we have…

• The comfort of Salvation:

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11).

There is no real comfort for those who are not saved.

Dear Young Christian:

Yesterday, I was on a Dash-8 plane from Freeport to Nassau Bahamas. We took off in a severe rain storm with high winds and thunder. I’m surprised that we went in such weather, but we did. The result was extreme turbulence unlike anything I had experienced before. Even the flight attendant said that, in her eleven years of flying, she had never been in anything as rough. Many people on the plane were screaming and crying, thinking it was the end. I must admit I too wondered if the Lord was going to take me home to heaven through a plane crash. However, I could remain calm (at least outwardly), knowing that, whatever happened, I would be “with Christ; which is far better” (Philippians 1:23).

How about you? Would you have had that confidence? If something happened to you this week, and you were to die unexpectedly as a result of an accident, would you have the calm assurance that you would be “absent from the body … present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8)?

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you.

Send your comments and questions to jhyland@primus.ca

The Lord’s Presence

“One thing have I desired … that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4).

David’s heart longed, above all else, to be in the presence of the Lord. On another occasion, we read, “Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord” (2 Samuel 7:18). Here is where he could behold the beauties of the Lord, and sit — comfortable in the enjoyment of the one he loved, and who loved him. He learned by happy experience the truth of the words he himself would pen by divine inspiration: “In Thy presence is fulness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).

Will you find yourself in the presence of the Lord today? Will you sit down with other believers to reflect and remember the one who has requested, “This do in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19)?

Let’s have the same attitude and response of heart as David, who also said, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1).

The Lord desires our presence; do we desire and long after His?

Our Debt

“Owe no man any thing” (Romans 13:8).

When we purchase things on credit we owe money. When the total amount is paid, our debt is settled, and it is usually a great relief to get a receipt stating, paid in full.

But what about the debt of sin we owe to God? No matter how hard and how many times we try; we can never settle our debt in full. However, the good news of the gospel is that we are not required to settle the debt. The Lord Jesus went to the cross, and the debt has been paid by His death and the shedding of His blood. Now, He alone has the power to wipe our account of sin clean — if only we would come in simple faith and confess our sins to Him. By believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work at Calvary, our debt can be forever settled, because full payment has been made to His satisfaction. He states unequivocally, “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). Have you had your debt forgiven and paid? It can happen today. You are not able to pay it yourself, but remember what the Bible says of the Savior, “And when they had nothing to pay, He frankly forgave them” (Luke 7:42).

Monthly Question Page

Q. What does it mean to be justified? Is it the same as forgiveness? (Part 1)

A. Justification goes far beyond forgiveness. Notice how Paul separates them: “Through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by Him all that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13:38-39).

Let’s illustrate it this way: Suppose I broke into your home and robbed you, and having been caught, you decided to forgive me instead of pressing charges. Furthermore, since we were friends in the past, you told me that this should not break our friendship, but that we could continue our relationship as if nothing had happened. Now consider this: Would I ever really feel comfortable in your presence again? No, I would always feel like a forgiven thief, even if you assured me that all was forgiven and forgotten.

So, it is true that our sins are forgiven on the basis of the blood of Christ. But, to be justified is to be brought into a new standing of perfection before God, where there is “no more conscience of sins” (Hebrews 10:2), because, He has said, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). (Continued next month.)

We would love to hear from you.

Send your comments and questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Pride

Nothing is more detestable in God’s sight than pride on the part of those who have absolutely nothing to be proud of. “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look …” (Proverbs 6:16-17). This was the condemnation of the devil — self-exaltation. In another, how hateful we instinctively see it to be; but in ourselves, how readily and almost unconsciously it is tolerated.

In any case, it certainly indicates a lack of brokenness and self-judgment before God. The Bible teaches that lowliness of mind is an indication of true wisdom. “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:12). It indicates a person who has learned to judge himself aright in the presence of God.

The Bible also teaches that pride is the sole source of contention. “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom” (Proverbs 13:10). If pride were properly judged and the sin of it frankly owned before God, how soon would much that has caused contention, controversy, and competition amongst Christians be resolved.

(Adapted from H. A. Ironside and augmented.)

Monthly Scripture Reading

Genesis 1

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Chastening

“In the way of righteousness is life” (Proverbs 12:28).

When we go our own way, how graciously God works in our lives to bring us to our senses and turn us around to the right way! Waywardness not only dishonors Him but also robs us of joy and peace. If God allowed us to continue in the path of disobedience, we would eventually have to reap the consequences. But in love, He lets us feel His chastening hand and uses circumstances to break down our rebellion to His will. Solomon wrote, “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of His correction: For whom the Lord loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (Proverbs 3:11-12 JND).

A loving Father may have to chasten His child for his own good. Many times, the child may doubt the motives of the Father, but the child’s inability to discern the Father’s purpose does not change the Father’s love or methods. If the child had more confidence in his Father, he would believe Him, even though unable to understand. This makes it easier to yield to the Father’s will and obtain peace as well. Confidence in God is necessary to enjoy peace.