Young People’s Blog

Monthly Question Page

Q.  “Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation” (Mark 3:28-29).

Who does this apply to, especially when it says, “hath never forgiveness”?

• We will quote from the Concise Bible Dictionary:

This term is commonly applied to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, in attributing the miracles wrought by Christ to the power of Satan. There may be many sins against the Holy Spirit, but it was this special one of blasphemy of which the Lord said it should not be forgiven, neither in this age nor in the age to come. “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come” (Matt. 12:31-32).

We would love to hear from you.

Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Timing

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).

There is an old saying, “Timing is everything.” According to the words of Solomon, recorded by divine inspiration in the above verse, this applies to our words and speech too.Another translation says, “As apples of gold in pictures of silver, is a word spoken in season.” A right word, at the right moment, is relevant and helpful for the situation or circumstance at hand.

Solomon also reminds us that there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7).It’s often hard to know what to say and when to say it. The Lord can help us to be discerning in this matter. If we depend on Him, He can help us to say the right words at the right time, and in the right manner with the proper attitude. When words are spoken in this way it is always for the good and blessing of others. Of the Lord, the perfect example, we read, “And all bare Him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:22).

Monthly Scripture Reading

Luke 2

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Reaching the Heart

“Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel”
(Proverbs 27:9).

There may be some young men reading this calendar who are exercised and interested in preaching the gospel. Here are a couple of good mottos to keep in mind when presenting the Word of God, whether in a public setting or to individuals:

• What comes from the heart, goes to the heart!

• Speak from the heart, and you will speak to the heart!

We always want to aim at the conscience when trying to reach souls, yet, when the heart is affected, there is the desired result and souls are draw to the Savior.

This is also true when encouraging our fellow Christians. “Speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), should always be our motto. If your heart is drawn to the person of Christ and His Word, you will be like the bride in the Old Testament, who said to the bridegroom, “Draw me” —that’s individual. The result was, “we will run after Thee” (Song of Solomon 1:4) — that’s collective.

Dear Young Christian:

“Turn not aside from following the Lord”
(1 Samuel 12:20).

Many of my readers are no doubt on a school break right now. You have some free time to relax and think, and do some sports or something recreational that you really enjoy and have been looking forward to. But don’t ever take a break from following the Lord. No matter what we are doing, whether school, work, or relaxation, we should always seek the Lord’s mind and seek to stay close to Him in our thoughts, hearts, and deeds. If we get lax in our Christian life, even for a day, our enemy Satan is going to be right there to tempt us and lead us into something wrong or somewhere we shouldn’t be.

If you are going on vacation, don’t forget to take your Bible with you, and don’t forget to read and pray every day. It takes time and discipline, especially if you have a busy schedule with family and friends, but it will be worthwhile, and you will have a truly happy holiday.

 Your Christian Friend,

 Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you.

Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Unspeakable Gift

Around this time of year, many people are occupied with gift-giving. But how wonderful it is to stop and consider the greatest gift ever given, by the greatest gift-giver ever known, to the least deserving people ever born.

That gift, of course, is God’s gift of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul when writing by divine inspiration burst out and says, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15). That should be the genuine response of our hearts as well, not just today, as we pause and consider the work of Calvary and remember the Lord as He has asked us to do, but every day of our lives. Every other gift that God has given us is based on that unspeakable gift. Here are the words of an old hymn I have often sung that sums it up so very well:

O gift of love unspeakable!

O gift of mercy all divine!

We once were slaves of death and hell,

But in Christ’s image we shall shine:

For every gift a song we raise,

But this demands eternal praise.

Hymn #336 LFHB

A Child of God

“They shall be called the children of God”
(Matthew 5:9).

I read recently of a young girl by the name of Mary Ann Bird. She was born with a cleft palate and hare lip and received much abuse from her classmates at school. As the story goes, her teacher, Mrs. Leonard was in the habit of giving her class a yearly hearing test. The pupils would stand at a distance and the teacher would whisper sentences like, “The sky is blue. Do you have new shoes? What is your street address?” When Mary Ann took the test, her teacher, knowing the abuse she endured, very kindly whispered, “I wish you were my little girl.”

All of us were born with sinful hearts, but there is One who whispers in our ear, “I want you as my child. I love you and want to save you. I want you to spend eternity in the Father’s house.”

I trust all my readers are saved. You can become a child of God through simple faith in Christ based on the work of Calvary. “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26).

The Bible

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Even the casual reader of the Bible will realize that it is a history book like none other. It begins with the book of Genesis, starting with the creation of the universe and the preparation of planet Earth for man. It goes on to tell of Adam’s sin and the fall of man. From there, we have the history of mankind and the biographies of individuals, for the next four thousand years. We have the origin and history of Israel. There are heroes of the faith, and men and women and young people of renown.

In the New Testament, we have the coming of Christ as foretold by God’s prophets for generations. We have His life, His death, His resurrection and His ascension. The book of Acts gives us the formation and early history of the church of God. The foundational truths are clearly outlined in the epistles. There are warnings and encouragements as well as the future unfolded.

This book we call the Bible is a truly outstanding book. It is true, living, and powerful. It changes lives and has stood the test of time. Read it each day and let it affect your life.

We would love to hear from you.

Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Numbers in Scripture: #100

This number always denotes complete salvation. Here are some examples:

• The story of Abraham and Isaac is a beautiful picture of God the Father sending His Son to be the Savior of the world. “And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him” (Genesis 21:5).

• The parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd is not content unless His flock is complete with one hundred sheep. “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it” (Luke 15:4).

• In the parable of the sower, a full head of wheat is an hundred fold. “But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold” (Matthew 13:8).

• “Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three” (John 21:11). This figures complete salvation (100), beginning at Pentecost (50), based on Christ’s death and resurrection (3).

Behavior

Good behavior is so important! Here is what the Apostle Paul said, as to his conduct and the conduct of his fellow-believers who visited Thessalonica: “Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblamably we behaved ourselves among you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:10). There are few things that will do more to spoil your testimony to those around you than bad behavior. People watch you — your way of life, your speech, your actions and reactions — and they judge your Christianity by what they see and hear. Be careful to maintain good behavior.

When Paul wrote to the young man Timothy, he reminded him of this very thing when he said, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). This is not just conduct on special occasions, but wherever we are. Let’s seek to be like David in his youth, of whom it says, “And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him” (1 Samuel 18:14).