Young People’s Blog

Worship Jesus?

We know that we should worship God the Father. But may we also address our worship directly to the Son? Yes, we may! The Father Himself has desired that, “All men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father” (John 5:23).

For further verification of this, we are given a view of heaven in Revelation 5, where both the Father and the Son are joint objects of worship. “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever” (Revelation 5:11-13). The Lamb who was slain shares the worship due only to God, because He is God — God the Son.

One Heart

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Jim Walton was translating the New Testament for the Muinane people of La Sabana in the jungles of Colombia. But he was having trouble with the word peace.

During this time, Fernando, the village chief, was promised a 20-minute plane ride to a location that would have taken him three days to travel by walking. But there was a mix-up, and the chief missed the plane. Fernando was livid; he went to Jim and launched into an angry tirade. Fortunately, Walton had taped the chief’s diatribe. When he later translated it, he discovered that the chief kept repeating the phrase, “I don’t have one heart.” Jim asked other villagers what having “one heart” meant, and he found that it was like saying, “There is nothing between you and the other person.” That, Walton realized, was just what he needed to translate the word peace.

To have peace with God means that there is nothing—no sin, no guilt, no condemnation—that separates us. And that peace with God is possible only through Christ.

Do you have “one heart” with God?

Choices and Results

While visiting and preaching the gospel in a secondary school in Georgetown Guyana, I noticed a poster on the wall with the following motto:

You cannot make WRONG choices,

and get RIGHT results!

It reminded me of the words of David, when he wrote, “What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall He teach in the way that He shall choose” (Psalm 25:12). David recognized the importance of making choices in the fear of the Lord, and according to the Lord’s will. He knew that the Lord’s choices were the very best!

How important it is for all of us to make the right choices in the light of the instructions of the Word of God. The prophet, Jeremiah said, “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). How can we think that we can make our own choices and have it turn out for the best? Let’s take heed to the exhortation of Paul when he said: “Prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). His choices are always the RIGHT choices.

Stillness — Part 3

“Stand in awe … and be still. Selah” (Psalm 4:4).

“Peace, be still” (Matthew 4:39).

“Be still,” my Lord, reminded,

But this I found so hard,

My faith seemed oh-so-feeble,

My nerves seemed oh-so-jarred:

I felt I must be doing,

Yet all was in His hand,

All for my good unfolding,

The way my Lord had planned.

So, finally I listened,

For what else could I do?

I only made things tangled,

This truth I clearly knew.

But resting on His promise,

Submitting to His will,

Brought peace and understanding,

My troubled heart was “still.”

Stillness — Part 2

“Stand still, and I will hear what
the Lord will command” (Numbers 9:8).
“Mary sat still” (Luke 11:20).

“Stand still,” my Lord, encouraged,

And yet, I hurried on,

I thought I was sufficient,

To straighten every wrong:

I thought I knew the answers,

To every circumstance;

That I could right each problem,

With just a passing glance.

“Sit still,” my Lord, entreated,

“You cannot work it out;

But leave it to My wisdom,

Trust Me without a doubt:

And mighty things will happen,

All for your blessing work,

Let confidence be waiting,

Let not suspicion lurk.”

Stillness — Part 1

“He leadeth me beside the still waters” (Psalm 23:2).
“Their strength is to sit still” (Isaiah 30:7).

In a world and society of constant movement, and hustle andbustle, here are three principles that are good to keep in mind:

“Stand still” (Exodus 14:13).

“Sit still” (Ruth 3:18).

“Be still” (Psalm 46:10).

We don’t seem to know much about stillness today, and if we are going to practice these three principles it is going to take discipline. Remember, the Lord wants us to take time not only to slow down, but also to stop, and to be … STILL!

If we do not take time for stillness in the presence of the Lord Jesus each day, we are busier than God ever intended any person to be!

The reason we do not always hear the Lord speaking to us in “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12), is because we are not “Still” ourselves.

Ask yourself, “Have I taken a stillness break today?”

Dear Young Christian:

In the troubled world in which we live, we all have the subject of peace on our minds. However, when the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus, was here, they rejected Him and called for His crucifixion. They said, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15). As a result, there will be no peace until the Lord Jesus returns to set up His kingdom and rule supreme. “Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment” (Isaiah 32:1).

In the meantime, there is an inward peace that we can have by knowing the Lord Jesus as our Savior and living in obedience to His Word and will.

· “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1)

· “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

You can enjoy this inner peace this week, in spite of what is going on around you in a world of utter turmoil.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you.

Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Focus

“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight … And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead” (Acts 20:7, 9).

When meeting together with other believers for the breaking of bread and preaching of the Word of God, I am often like this young man in Troas. He found it hard to focus, and, as a result, fell fast asleep, with almost disastrous results. Let’s try today to keep our hearts and minds centered on the person and work of Christ. It is so easy to let our thoughts wander, either back to what happened last week, or ahead to what we are planning and anticipating this coming week. But, as we contemplate Him in the remembrance meeting, and we hear teaching and gospel preaching from the Scriptures, let’s go rested, alert, and with a genuine desire to learn more of the One who has said, “This do in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).

Publicans

“Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners for to hear Him” (Luke 15:1).

The character of publicans back in Bible times was such that they were hated by the Jews as traitors. Their money was considered tainted and would not be accepted in the synagogue. Their oath was absolutely worthless, and they could not be witnesses in any court of law. If a man promised to do a thing for a Publican under oath, he was not bound to keep his pledge.

However, so many times we read of the publicans coming to hear the words of the Lord Jesus, and ultimately receiving a blessing. I suppose that Zacchaeus is a well-known and outstanding example. “And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich” (Luke 19:2). When we read the story of this man, we realize that nothing was going to get in his way of seeing the Lord as He passed through the city of Jericho. He had a felt need, and, as a result, it was declared, “This day is salvation come to this house” (Verse 9).

Don’t let anything stand in the way of your coming to know the Lord as your personal Savior.

Dependence

“I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Living in constant dependence on the Lord is a wonderful experience. Many believers scurry and hurry about busily trying to accomplish things through their own strength and ability. By the world’s standards, some may succeed enormously and others may fail miserably. But both groups fail to enjoy the power and presence of the one who promises, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest” (Exodus 33:14).

The Apostle Paul understood very clearly that his real strength was in the Lord, and that to accomplish anything properly and for His glory he needed to rely wholly on Him. The Lord had said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness” Thus, Paul could respond “When I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Constant dependence on the Lord gives constant joy, and the ability to accept all things from His loving hand. Begin each day by asking the Lord to keep you conscious of His presence and power, and with a sense of real dependence on Himself.