Young People’s Blog

Time Is Short

The ladies that came early to the empty tomb on the resurrection morning were given a wonderful message by the angel to take to the disciples. And in doing so they were told, “And go quickly” (Matthew 28:7).

There is always an urgency in getting out the gospel. Time is short, and even before you finish reading this calendar page the Lord may have come and the door of grace and mercy may be closed forever. Do we really believe that the Lord Jesus is coming soon? If we do it will make us anxious for the salvation of the lost, especially in view of coming judgment. Think of how many people you meet in the course of a day. Now, consider how many of those people hear something about the Lord Jesus and the way of salvation from you. Now, put some gospel literature in your pocket or purse and have it ready the next time the Lord gives you an opportunity to witness for Him. Remember what Solomon said, “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good” (Ecclesiastes 11:6).

Dear Young Christian,

Life doesn’t always work out the way we hope or purpose. The wise man, Solomon, wrote, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord” (Proverbs 16:33).

We can plan, but the Lord controls. Deep down, that is really what we want, isn’t it? Suppose the Lord came directly to you in some situation and offered to change things in your life, even though it was not His will. What would you do? Would you ask Him to change it and make it the way you wanted, or would you just ask Him to give you the grace to submit, knowing that His way is the very best? I think you and I both know the answer.

I am sure you all have plans and schemes for the coming week, and things you plan and hope to accomplish. But remember, the Lord may change those plans, and you will be happiest if you accept those changes and say, “Teach me THY way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path” (Psalm 27:11).

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

God Is Satisfied

The following verses give proof beyond any shadow of a doubt that God the Father is completely satisfied with the work of atonement accomplished by His Son the Lord Jesus.

“According to the working of His mighty power, Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:19-21).

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

Sweetest rest and peace have filled us,
Sweeter praise than tongue can tell,
God is satisfied with Jesus,
We are satisfied as well.

#57 Little Flock Hymn Book

Imperative

“God…now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).

This is very strong language, isn’t it? When the Bible gives something in such forceful terms, it is imperative that we listen and obey — or the consequences will be dire and irreversible.

The Apostle Paul said, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11). While the Lord is gracious and loving and desires the salvation and blessing of all, yet He is righteous and must judge and punish sin. On the one hand, “God is love,” (1 John 4:8), but on the other hand, “God is light” (1 John 1:5). The Old Testament prophet records, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13).

So we can see the importance of “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). If you are unsaved and reading this calendar page, the way of salvation is still available to you through the work of the Lord Jesus at Calvary. I would strongly urge you:

Don’t wait another moment.

Culturally Acceptable

“Making the Word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye” (Mark 7:13).

This statement, made by the Lord while here on earth, was a rebuke to the Pharisees for replacing the Word of God with what they felt comfortable with or what they felt was culturally acceptable for their time.

Two thousand years later, we can be guilty of the same sin by insisting that a certain passage of Scripture simply reflects the culture of the time in which it was written. It is a simple, subtle trick usually designed so that we will not have to be obedient to some exhortation or statement of the Bible we don’t like. The result is that we end up replacing the revealed will of God with our culture, that with which we feel comfortable. But remember,

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

All Scripture is from God and all Scripture is to be obeyed!

An Awesome God

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork” (Psalm 19:1).

If you ever doubt the wisdom and power of God to direct your life, just walk outside on a clear starry night and look up into the heavens. David often did that, and on another occasion declared, “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:3-4).

The One who controls the universe is the One who controls our lives as well. It is overwhelming to think that such a great God is interested in every detail and aspect of our lives, and that He loves us with an “everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). What an awesome God we have!

He keeps the stars secured in place,
The planets in their orbit’s race;
And I am held by that same hand,
That gives the universe command.

“The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory” (Psalm 97:6).

Asking in Confidence

“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us; And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

This confidence in God finds its expression in prayer in the everyday life of a believer. We are assured that, when we ask according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, we also have the assurance that He will answer. He, according to His perfect love and wisdom, promises to answer our petitions in His own time and way. In this confidence in God, we can safely rest. It is our privilege to make known our petitions to God, but not to dictate to God as to His answer. He may see fit to keep us waiting, but in the meantime, we have the consolation of knowing that He listens to everything that we ask for that is in accordance with His will. The Lord Himself said to His disciples,

“If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).

Live For Jesus

“For to me to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21).

When we live and work for Jesus,
How much brighter life can be;
When we walk and talk with Jesus,
Then our hearts are truly free;
For He gives a peace and calmness,
That only He can give,
And an inward joyful spirit,
When for Him we work and live.

So live and work for Jesus,
And your life will shine for Him,
Do not let the devil hinder,
Or cause your light to dim;
You will be a testimony,
You’ll have fruit and power divine,
And a happiness outstanding,
Will then certainly be thine.

Dear Young Christian,

I am writing this letter from Denver Colorado, and on the wall next to me there is a motto with the following advice:

BEGIN EACH DAY

WITH A GRATEFUL HEART!

It reminds me of the verse, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name” (Psalm 100:4). Or, we could paraphrase it, “Begin each new day with thanksgiving.”

If we begin our days this way, we will have a much happier day and then can also end them with that same thankfulness and a note of praise from our hearts. We don’t just have a lot to be thankful for, we have everything to be thankful for. Growing up, we used to sing a chorus that went something like this:

Thank Him in the morning,
Thank Him in the noontime,
Thank Him when the sun goes down.

Thank Him always.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

Christ

“What think ye of Christ?” (Matthew 22:42).

This is a good question to ask ourselves on this first day of the week. Have we been occupied with the person of Christ over the past few days? If so, our appreciation of Himself has expanded and deepened.

When the writer of Psalm 45 considered the matter, he said, “Thou art fairer than the children of men” (Psalm 45:2).

The bride in Song of Solomon, in enumerating the qualities of her bridegroom, said, “My Beloved is…the chiefest among ten thousand….He is altogether lovely” (Song of Solomon 5:10,16).

When John the Baptist was occupied with the Lord as He walked in this world, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36).

Thomas, in seeing the Lord in resurrection, declared, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).

John, when He saw the vision of the Son of Man, “fell at His feet as dead” (Revelation 1:17).

As we are occupied with Him today, there will be a fuller understanding of who He is and a deeper note of worship.