Young People’s Blog

Availability

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

Someone has well stated that this verse is not a question of ability, but of availability.

There is an old saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” But let’s put a little different spin on it: “When it’s God’s will, He makes a way.”

Sometimes we may question whether we have the ability or the strength to do this or that. But it is not so much a matter of “Can I do this?” but a matter of “Is it God’s will for me to do it?” If we are available and sensitive to His leading, then He will provide everything that is needed for the task at hand. His promise is, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). Don’t be afraid to go wherever the will of God leads you or to do whatever task the will of God gives you to do.

Neglect

If you neglect your Bible,
The precious, living Word,
If you neglect your prayer time —
(Your voice has not been heard),
Then you have lost your power,
The Christian’s source of joy,
And you are letting Satan
Your happiness destroy.

So don’t neglect your Bible,
Spend time in prayer each day.
Take time alone with Jesus,
Amid life’s busy fray.
Take time, it is so vital —
If you don’t read and pray,
The wiles of the Devil,
Will carry you away.
(So don’t neglect your Bible,
And don’t forget to pray!)

“I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste”(Song of Solomon 2:3).

Dear Young Christian:

Some of the best lessons I have learned in my Christian life, and some of the best examples and role models I have had in my experience as a believer have been older sisters in Christ.

The other day at a Bible conference, one of these sisters leaned over to me just before the meetings were to start, and reminded me, “Remember, without the Lord we can do absolutely nothing.”

For this simple but timely reminder, I was very thankful, and I want to pass it along to each of my readers at the beginning of another busy week. If you go forth with a very real sense of dependence on the Lord, you will have a happy, fruitful week. Not necessarily an easy or stress-free week, but one in which you can count on the Lord for every situation, and overcome, even in the face of opposition and adversity. Remember the words of the Apostle Paul, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you.

Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Two Suppers

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God” (Revelation 19:7-9).

What a wonderful thing it is to realize that we who know Christ as our Savior are not only invited to the marriage, but we are going to be the bride of Christ. There in the Father’s house, we will be married to the Lord to be His bride and wife for all eternity.

However, in the meantime, we have been invited to partake in another supper. It is called “the Lord’s supper,” (1 Corinthians 11:20), and we are encouraged, “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).

Will you partake of His supper today? If you are truly saved, it is His desire that you do.

Sins Removed

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

I am thankful that it does not say, as far as the north is from the south. If it did, there would be a limited distance denoted, as we can measure the mileage between the north and the south poles. But you will never be able to measure the distance between east and west. As long as you travel west, you will be going west, and as long as you travel east you will be going east.

Just so, our sins are gone when washed in the blood of Christ, and they are removed to such an extent that they will never be brought up again. Here are some further expressions that confirm the fact that, when we are saved, we have no fear of one charge of sin ever being brought against us again:

“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins” (Isaiah 44:22).

“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17).

“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Are your sins removed? They can be!

Like Him

The famous preacher, Charles Spurgeon, received a copy of Andrew Bonar’s commentary on the book of Leviticus. He was so impressed and moved by it that he returned it to Bonar asking for an autograph and a photograph to accompany the treasured book. When the book returned to Spurgeon, it had Andrew Bonar’s picture and signature along with a letter than read:

“Dear Spurgeon, here is the book with my autograph. If you had been willing to wait a short season, you could have had a better likeness, “when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).”

The “Him” of course was none other than Jesus Christ. Bonar reminded Spurgeon that one day we shall be wonderfully and eternally changed. The believer is waiting for that day of glorification. We have been saved from our sins, but one glorious day, we will be ultimately and completely saved. Then we will not desire the autographs and pictures of others. All praise and glory will be given to the One who forever changed these mortal, corruptible bodies. We shall indeed be like Him! “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11).

Confidence — Part 2

Another dictionary definition of the word “confidence” is as follows:

“Full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing.”

As our verses indicated yesterday, there is one person, and one alone, that we can and should have confidence in. “For THE LORD shall be thy confidence” (Proverbs 3:26). Solomon goes on to tell us, “In the fear of THE LORD is strong confidence” (Proverbs 14:26).

This is the One who will never let you down. He may not always arrange things in the way that you thought they should be, or make things happen as quickly as you would like. It may even seem sometimes that your prayers are not answered, but don’t lose confidence in the Lord. King David had many problems and enemies, but he had the Lord, and could say, “Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident” (Psalm 27:3).

So much does the Lord value our trust that He encourages and promises, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward” (Hebrews 10:35).

Confidence — Part 1

One dictionary defines the word “confidence” in the following way:

“The feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.”

Here are three things we should not put our confidence in:

1.“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence IN MAN” (Psalm 118:8).

Has someone let you down recently? Maybe someone has betrayed your trust. While we are thankful for family and friends that we can confide in, yet this verse warns us of the dangers of putting too much trust in our fellow-man.

2.“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence IN PRINCES” (Psalm 118:9).

Even those in high places cannot always be trusted. While we are thankful for government, yet we are warned to be careful, even of those that God has put in such positions.

3.“Have no confidence IN THE FLESH” (Philippians 3:3).

The Lord said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6). It never improves! Don’t trust it! It will let you down every time!

God First

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15).

There are two ways of getting help in times of trouble or dilemma. The one is to go around to all your friends and family, and get disappointed, and then go to God at last. The other is to go to God first, and be amazed at His wisdom and direction. That is the shortcut. That is the easiest and fastest route. God can make our friends and family help afterwards, and work in their hearts too. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

Out of all your troubles, the surest deliverance is from God Himself. Several times, we read, “David inquired of the Lord” (1 Samuel 23:2). In each case, the Lord gave him the direction and wisdom he needed and delivered him from the difficulty and from his enemies. He could write, “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6).

Are you in some trouble today? Be like Asaph, who said, “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord” (Psalm 77:2).

Dear Young Christian:

The other day, I visited an elderly believer in Morvant Trinidad. I have known this lady for many years and have always found her cheerful in the Lord no matter what the difficulties of her circumstances. This visit was no exception.

During our few minutes in her home, she told us that she had learned the importance of living at the corner of Praise Boulevard and Thanksgiving Street. (This is figuratively speaking of course).

Yes, it is easy to take up residence by Grumbling corner, at the junction of Complaining Lane, but this is not what the Lord wants for His people. He wants us to be happy and to cultivate the habit and spirit of thanksgiving and praise. So often we quote the verse, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). The question is, how much do we take it to heart?

As we start out this week, let’s go forth with the joy of the Lord in our hearts and a song of praise on our lips. And don’t dare go down Discouragement Road.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you.

Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com