Month: June 2018

The Lamp — Part 2

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Yesterday’s account of Florence Nightingale made me think of the fact that we who know our Saviour have been given a lamp too. It is the Word of God, and we are responsible to carry it to a sin-sick, dying world. Have we held the Lamp for someone today? Would you be known in your community as the young man or young lady with the Light, the Light of God’s Word? We have a Lamp that can soften hearts, heal the broken spirit, and bring comfort, hope, and encouragement to those around us. Learn to carry the Light for all to see. This world is enveloped in deep moral and spiritual darkness, but we can take courage from the words of the Psalmist, who penned, “Thy word is a lamp … and a light” (Psalm 119:105).

Remember too, that the Bible presents the true light, the Lord Jesus Christ. David in the midst of his difficult circumstances could say: “For Thou art my lamp, O Lord” (2 Samuel 22:29). John the Baptist said of the Lord, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9).

The Lamp — Part 1

“The entrance of Thy Words giveth light”
(Psalm 119:130).

I recently read something of the life of Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing. As she served in a military hospital in Turkey during the Crimean War, amid deplorable conditions, her custom was to take a lamp each evening and make her rounds through the hospital wards, making one last check on the wounded and dying soldiers before retiring to her room. In this way she became known as the Lady with the Lamp. The soldiers would eagerly await the glow of her lamp as she checked on them for the final time that day. One who knew of her services wrote:

“Without exaggeration, she is a ‘Ministering Angel’ in these hospitals, and as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor every poor fellow’s face softens with gratitude at the sight of her. When all the medical officers have retired for the night and silence and darkness have settled down upon those miles of prostrate sick, she may be observed alone with a lamp in her hand, making solitary rounds.”

Dear Young Christian:

As you head out the door this morning, here is something to think about:

If you had a bank that credited your account with $86,400, but cancelled whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day, what would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!

Well, you have such a bank and its name is “Time.” Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off — as lost — whatever you have failed to invest in good purpose. It carries no balances. It allows no overdrafts. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours.

How will you use your time this week? When the account is tallied what will the result be? Will there be fruit for the Lord and time spent for Him, with Him,and in His service? The Bible exhorts us to, “Walk in wisdom … redeeming the time” (Colossians 4:5).

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

Wonderful Love

“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned” (Song of Solomon 8:7).
“Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3).
“Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end” (John 13:1).
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
“The Son of God, who loved me, and gave
Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
“Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).

What marvellous, divine love this is! Think about that love today, and let it touch your heart afresh. It will certainly produce worship, praise, and thanksgiving. Let’s be like the bride of the Old Testament, who said,“We will remember Thy love” (Song of Solomon 1:4).

Saved From the Fire

“The Word of God, which liveth” (1 Peter 1:23).

A farmer in South Korea bought copies of the gospels of Matthew and Luke, and read them with some interest. When he was working in the fields away from his home one day, his house caught fire and burned to the ground. On returning he realized that all contents of the home had been destroyed except the two gospels. Someone had saved them from the flames not really knowing what they were.

That made a deep impression on the farmer. He read the gospels again, now with increased interest. Then he told people in the village about them. At first he was made fun of and avoided by his neighbors. But because he was always so friendly and helpful after a while they began to listen, resulting in eighty villagers being saved.

This shows once again that the Word of God possesses its own living power. Whoever reads it attentively and is prepared to listen carefully to what God has to say will understand its message and receive the blessing it contains. The Lord said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:36).

Hard Questions

“And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty” (1 Kings 10:13).

The Queen of Sheba came to test Solomon with hard questions. Solomon not only answered all her questions and gave her all that she desired, but he also gave her of his royal bounty. What kingly generosity this was!

Solomon reminds us of the Lord Jesus, who said, “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42).

If Solomon is a picture of the Lord, then the queen of Sheba must remind us of ourselves. Aren’t we amazed at the wisdom and generosity of our Solomon? We can go to Him at any time with a hard question and find that He has the time and resources for every problem and situation of life. “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

Chewing the Cud

“Whatsoever … cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat” (Leviticus 11:3).

Webster’s Dictionary gives the following definition of the term “Chew The Cud”:

“Food that an animal (such as a cow) brings back up from its stomach into its mouth to be chewed again.”

I recently talked to a farmer, who told me something interesting about cows and chewing the cud. He said that if a cow does not chew the cud on a regular basis you know that it is a sick animal and needs tending to.

This made me think of the above verse and the spiritual application for us. Chewing the cud would tell us of the need for meditation on Scripture. In fact another English dictionary gives this definition:

“To think slowly and carefully about something.”

If we don’t meditate on the Word of God and digest the spiritual food it offers we will never experience spiritual growth and be healthy, happy believers. Let’s be like the inspired writer, who said, “O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). Don’t just read the Bible, think about, and consider seriously what you read.

Studying The Bible

It has been well said that there are four things necessary in studying the Bible:

1. ADMIT: Admit that it is true from cover to cover.

“Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17).

“Every word of God is pure” (Proverbs 30:5).

2. SUBMIT: Submit to its teachings and admonitions.

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22).

“Submit yourselves therefore to God” (James 4:7).

3. COMMIT: Commit it to memory–and do it while you are young.

“I will delight myself in Thy statutes: I will not forget Thy Word” (Psalm 119:16).

4. TRANSMIT: Pass along the gospel and the truth to others. You really never have something until you share it.

“Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee” (Mark 5:19).

Keep Yourselves

“Kept by the power of God” (1 Peter 1:5).

We often hear the reminder that we can’t keep ourselves, and while this is certainly true according to today’s text, yet there are some things that we are to keep ourselves in and from as believers. For instance:

“Keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 21).

We need to always walk and live in the sunshine of God’s wonderful, unchanging love.

“Keep thyself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22).

We need to keep ourselves from those things that defile our minds, our affections, and our bodies.

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).

We need to keep ourselves from allowing anything to displace Christ in our lives. He should always have the first place.

Christianity takes constant care and watchfulness. We have a powerful enemy who does not want us to enjoy of God’s wonderful love, and who wants us to mar our testimony and our joy by sin and distraction.

Dear Young Christian:

My wife and I were sitting, having lunch in a Cracker Barrel restaurant recently, when I noticed the following motto hanging in a frame on the wall beside our table:

EVERY EXPERIENCE GOD GIVES US,
EVERY PERSON HE PUTS IN OUR LIVES,
IS A PERFECT PREPARATION FOR THE FUTURE
THAT ONLY HE CAN SEE.

There is a lot of truth in a statement like that. Thankfully we can’t see the future. It would be a burden we couldn’t carry. However, there is One who knows, has it all perfectly planned, and who works in our lives to prepare us for each new day and experience. We have been “predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will”(Ephesians 1:11). This should give us real comfort and confidence as we start out this week. No matter what happens or who we meet, it has all been pre-planned by our wise and loving God and Father.

  Your Christian Friend,

          Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca