Young People’s Blog

Monthly Scripture Reading
1 Peter 2

21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps:

22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth:

23 Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously:

24 Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

1 Peter 4

14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified.

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.

16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

Lasting Joy

“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Frances Ridley Havergal was born in Astley, England, on December 14th, 1836, and died June 3rd, 1879, at Caswell Bay. She will long be remembered as a poet and hymn-writer, and for the many devotional tracts and pamphlets she penned. When meditating on the above verse of Scripture here is what she wrote:

“Perhaps in that word ‘of’ lies the whole secret of lasting joy. This joy is not merely joy ‘about’ the Lord, or even joy ‘in’ the Lord. It is His own joy flowing into the soul. Jesus prayed that His followers ‘might have My joy fulfilled in themselves’ (John 17:13). Let us seek not the stream but the fountain; not primarily the joy but the real and living union with Jesus by which His joy becomes ours.”

One of the last things the Lord said to His disciples before He went to the cross was, “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). How much do you and I enter into the Lord’s joy and what we mean to His heart?

Dear Young Christian:

When we think of great victories or conquests, we usually think of heroic deeds and feats of war. We often think, too, of great men and women of God who have accomplished great things in the service of God and for the blessing of humanity.

However, consider the following from Robert Hill:

When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely ridiculed, and you smile inwardly, glorying in the insult or oversight, that is victory. When you are content, with any food, clothing, climate, society or solitude, and any interruption and annoyance … that is victory. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Contentment is a great thing and is a real conquest. But the Lord is with us and we can do it. That’s why we are told, “Be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

Will you have victory in your life this week, by taking everything that comes your way from the Lord?

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

The Heavenly Man

• The two on the Emmaus road said to the Lord, “Art Thou only a stranger in Jerusalem?” (Luke 24:18).

• The disciples “supposed that they had seen a spirit” (Luke 24:37).

• Of Mary Magdalene we read, “She, supposing Him to be the gardener” (John 20:15).

Each was mistakenly right.

First of all, the Lord was a stranger. A stranger in Jerusalem and a stranger in this world. It was written of Him prophetically, “I am become a stranger unto My brethren” (Psalm 69:8).

The Apostles thought He was a spirit. “God is a spirit” (John 4:24). However, He could say, “Handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have” (Luke 24:39). He was a glorified Man.

Mary thought He was the gardener. Earlier He had said, “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24). In the place where He was crucified, there was a garden and in the garden a tomb. There He died, He rose, and what fruit there has been from that Heavenly Corn of Wheat, that Fruitful Seed!

Our Greatest Need

“Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

I found this quote in an old periodical called, Grace & Truth, from April 1995:

If our greatest need had been information,
           God would have sent an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology,
           God would have sent an engineer.

If our greatest need had been money,
           God would have sent an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure,
           God would have sent an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness,
           So God sent us a Savior.

“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14).

“Be it known unto you therefore … that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38).

Rebellion

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:23).

This statement may seem hard to us, but it is God who is speaking. He had told Samuel to reprimand King Saul with these words. Saul himself considered it severe judgment, and with a superficial request asked to be pardoned for his sin. But God no longer could tolerate him as king of Israel.

We all tend to make our own assessments of the severity of sins. We talk about greater and lesser sins. However, God’s perspective is very different. It has been said that one of the greater sins consists of not giving up lesser sins.

The above verse demonstrates precisely that. God understands the motive behind our actions. If we ignore Him and His rights in self-will, then that is sin … it is rebellion. Of course, there are differences in the measure of guilt or the character of sin. If we have never fallen into coarse, degrading sins, we should be sincerely thankful. However, the essential thing about our relationship to God is whether we seek to do His will or not. Can we truly say, “I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8)?

Young People of Scripture
Saul of Tarsus

“And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul” (Acts 7:58).

As a young man, Saul was one of the greatest persecutors of Christians. Later he said, “For ye have heard … how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it” (Galatians 1:13). He was of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of pure descent, born at Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, a fact which gave to him the privilege of Roman citizenship. He was a disciple of Gamaliel and a strict Pharisee. He is first introduced to us as a young man, by the name of Saul, at whose feet the witnesses who stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr, laid their clothes.

After his conversion on the road to Damascus, he was so completely changed that he became at once as bold for Christ as before he had been a persecutor of Christ. He immediately preached in the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God. He went on to become the Apostle Paul and to write a major part of the New Testament.

One great lesson we learn from Saul’s life is the power of God to change a person so completely that He can take the worst sinner and make them a great testimony and blessing.

Cancer Cannot …

During a recent brush with cancer, someone sent me the following quote:

What Cancer Cannot Do

Cancer is limited,

It cannot cripple love,

It cannot shatter hope,

It cannot corrode faith,

It cannot destroy peace,

It cannot kill friendship,

It cannot suppress memories,

It cannot silence courage,

It cannot invade the soul,

It cannot steal eternal life,

It cannot conquer the spirit.

-Author Unknown

This brought to mind the words of Artaxerxes when writing to encourage Ezra, “Perfect peace, and at such a time” (Ezra 7:12). What a wonderful thing it is to have perfect peace and confidence, even in times of sickness or facing real trail. We have so much in Christ that can never be taken away or lost!

From Him and To Him

It has been well stated, “Take your circumstances from the Lord and your difficulties to the Lord.”

Until we learn this simple yet important principle in our lives, we will never really have true happiness or “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

First of all, we must learn, like David, “This I know; for God is for me” (Psalm 56:9). Whatever is allowed in our lives we must not only accept, but accept with thanksgiving, realizing that He knows best and that it comes from a heart of love and a hand of tenderness.

Secondly, we must learn to take everything to the Lord in prayer, as so beautifully expressed in Joseph Scriven’s hymn written in 1885:

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear;
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Dear Young Christian:

I believe that those of us who are saved can enjoy the wonders of creation in a deeper way than the unbeliever. That’s because we know the Creator in an intimate relationship as our Father. As I write this calendar page, I am looking at a beautiful bouquet of flowers on our dining room table. The vibrant colors are amazing: Yellow, pink, blue, orange, white, purple, and green … all for the Creator’s enjoyment and for ours as well. “All things were created by Him, and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

When we get to Heaven, we will give the Lord worship and praise, not just as Redeemer, but also as Creator. We will fall at His feet saying, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). As you enjoy creation this week, remember the One who created it all and who sustains it all as well. And remember, too, that this mighty Creator is interested in every aspect and detail of our lives.

Your Christian Friend,

 Jim Hyland