Young People’s Blog

“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all…If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:5, 7).

We are all familiar with bright light that exposes everything clearly. For example, we may think a pane of glass is clean, but when the sun shines through it, we often see that it is really quite dirty. God is light in a moral way, and His light exposes our sin. No darkness can exist in His presence; His light reveals everything. This is frightening to us naturally, and makes us want to hide from that light. That is why unsaved people do not want to be in God’s presence; it shows all of their sin.

But when we are saved, we walk in the light, and have the confidence that whatever that light has exposed, the blood of Christ has covered. We do not have to be concerned about the brightness of God’s light, for the blood of His beloved Son has put away our sin. His light shining on us shows only the purity of Christ Himself. What comfort this gives us!

“And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba…and Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 13:3-4).

Saul was the king of Israel, but he did not have the spiritual energy to go out himself and fight with the Philistines. But when his son Jonathan did it, Saul took the credit for it. This has been a pattern of man’s sinful heart all through his history. You have all heard of Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone. But after he had patented his invention, many other people tried to take credit for it, and to make money from it. His patent was contested more than any other previous patent in the history of the United States.

This kind of thing occurs even among Christians, and is a real dishonor to the Lord. Let us not be guilty of doing it; let us be ready to praise others for what they have done for the Lord, instead of trying to take the credit to ourselves. However, if someone else takes credit for something we do, what should we do? We should ignore it, for if we really did it for the Lord, we can be sure that He has the record straight. At the judgment seat of Christ, He will know whom to reward in the right way.

“And men appointed His grave with the wicked, but He was with the rich in His death” (Isaiah 53:9 JND).

When the Lord Jesus was crucified, men did all kinds of cruel things to Him, such as placing a crown of thorns on His head, striking Him on the face, spitting on Him, and scourging Him, as well as mocking and insulting Him. Then they crucified Him, which was a most brutal death. When the Lord Jesus died, they would likely have placed His body in a common grave, with criminals such as the two thieves who were crucified with Him.

But when the work of redemption was finished, God did not allow wicked hands to touch the body of His Son again. He worked in the heart of Joseph of Arimathaea to ask for the body of the Lord Jesus. He was a true disciple of the Lord Jesus and was also a rich man. He placed the Lord’s body in his own new tomb. The Lord Jesus had a rich man’s burial, because God had said it would be this way. When the Lord Jesus had borne the penalty for sin, God gave Him the honor He deserved.

“For He saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of His strength” (Job 37:6).

I am actually writing this in the month of November, 2021, and we had our first bit of snow last night. It has nearly all melted now, but it reminded me of this verse. It is the Lord who controls the weather — snow, rain, sunshine, clouds — all of it. Job had to be reminded of all this, and the Lord used a man named Elihu to say all these things to him.

We are accustomed to snow where I live in Canada, but in some places they get rain, not snow. In some parts of Canada now, and also in other parts of the world, they are experiencing the “great rain of His strength.” Too much rain is almost as bad as too little, and causes big problems for farmers as well as others. But all of it is allowed of God, and we can learn from it.

The Lord often uses weather patterns to speak to man, and to remind him that God is in control. Man is no match for strong weather patterns; he must submit, and recognize God’s hand in them.

“The world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment” (2 Peter 3:6-7).

The flood in the time of Noah is an established fact. Not only is it recorded in the Bible, but evidence of it is to be found in the traditions of many different peoples in the world. After the flood in Noah’s day, God promised that He would never again destroy the world with a flood.

However, this did not mean that God would not act in judgment again. He rained down fire and brimstone on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and will one day destroy, not only this earth, but also the heavens, with fire. This will be a more serious judgment, for it will be final, and result in the creation of a new heavens and a new earth. Peter tells us that we “look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). Sin will never enter that new creation; it will last forever. But you and I, as Christians, will not live on this earth; we will enjoy the Father’s house forever.

“Shimei, the son of Gera…cursed….Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial” (2 Samuel 16:5, 7).

“And Shimei the son of Gera…came down… to meet king David….And said unto the king….thy servant doth know that I have sinned” (2 Samuel 19:16,19-20).

When David was fleeing from his son Absalom, a man named Shimei, who did not like David, cursed him and threw stones at him. Shimei thought that Absalom would surely win the battle and become king. But when David won the battle and was brought back as king, Shimei apologized for his bad conduct, and David forgave him. This is a good example for us, if someone wrongs us. If they confess their sin, our place is to forgive them, and accept their apology.

However, we find that many years later, when David was dying, having carefully considered the matter, he told his son Solomon about Shimei’s cursing, and left Solomon to deal with the matter. Evidently Shimei had not really repented as he should, for he failed the test Solomon gave him, and came to a sad end. See if you can find out what happened to Shimei when Solomon became king. It is in the next book — the book of 1st Kings.

“For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).

As the Covid virus problem lingers on, and in some places seems to get worse, many things are unsettled in this world. Supply chains for various products have been disrupted, jobs have been lost, careers have been “put on hold,” and schooling has been much more difficult. No one really knows what is going to happen, and many people are having problems.

It is very encouraging to know that the Lord never changes, and that His Word is settled, not here in this world, but in heaven. Nothing that happens in this world can change God’s Word, nor can they change God’s purposes. His Word will unfailingly come to pass, for God is in control of everything that happens in this world. Yes, Satan may still be the god and prince of this world, but he cannot go any further than God allows. What peace this gives to our souls!

“I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils (demons)” (1 Corinthians 10:20).

At least here in North America, tonight is what is called “Hallowe’en night.” Many children go from house to house in the evening, with the customary call, “Trick or treat,” and expect to be given candy or some other gift that they can eat. They are usually dressed up in all sorts of strange costumes, and people often put out carved up pumpkins, ghost-like figures, silhouettes of witches, etc. in front of their homes.

The word “hallowe’en” is a shortened version of the phrase “all hallows even (evening),” and has very bad associations. Among the ancient Celts in Scotland and England, it was a time of year when it was believed that the entrance of the spirit world was opened for spirits to pass through and haunt the living. People marked the occasion by lighting bonfires for protection, and dressing up like the spirits and creatures they believed could cross over that night. It was definitely connected with Satan and his demons.

It is not a good thing for Christians to be involved in all this, for it is not just something funny and harmless. Satan is real, and we should not become part of anything that has to do with him.

“Put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite” (Proverbs 23:2).

When we are young we usually have good appetites, and it is nice to enjoy our food. This is not wrong, for the Lord has given it to us. But sometimes we are tempted to eat too much, and especially when we are served sweet things. This not only makes us gain weight, but is not good spiritually either. In the New Testament we are told not to be “brought under the power of any” (1 Cor. 6:12), which means not to be addicted to anything. We can have an addiction to food if we are not on guard.

Most of you know what diabetes is, but did you know that this year (2021) when I am writing this, is the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin? It was discovered by Dr. Frederick Banting and a young medical student named Charles Best in 1921, at the University of Toronto. A modern researcher commented recently that type 2 diabetes could almost be eliminated if people were not overweight. It seems that more and more young people are tending to overeat. As Christians this is not a good testimony; rather we should use moderation in our eating.

“And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son” (Genesis 22:13).

You will remember that God had told Abraham to offer up his son Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham was prepared to do this, for he knew that the Lord could raise Isaac up from the dead if necessary. But at the last minute the Lord stopped Abraham, and told him not to offer up his son. There was a ram (male sheep or goat) on the same mountain, caught in a thicket by his horns, and Abraham was able to offer the ram instead of Isaac.

Isaac is a picture to us of the Lord Jesus, who as the Son of God, was offered for our sins. But there was no substitute for the Lord Jesus; no ram could take His place. No, the blood of an animal would not do; the Lord Jesus had to bear the penalty for sin. Mount Moriah, where all this took place, was where Solomon’s temple was eventually built, and not far from where the Lord Jesus was crucified.