Month: October 2019

Dear Young Christian:

We are all looking for satisfaction in one way or another. But remember, God has created a need in the human heart that can only be satisfied by Himself. The Bible clearly states, “HE satisfieth the longing soul” (Psalm 107:9).Nothing else, and nobody else can do that. There are many things that are fun for the time and give momentary gratification; there are those whose company we enjoy for a time and we’re thankful for them. But, apart from God and Christ, there is nothing that gives real deep, lasting joy and satisfaction. Only the one who made us can satisfy us.

King Solomon tried to satisfy his heart with many things. He said, “I withheld not my heart from any joy” (Ecclesiastes 2:10).But in the end, he truthfully declares, “Vanity of vanities … all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 12:8).

This week, enjoy “fellowship … with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Let them fill your heart, and you will be “satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 33:23).

 Your Christian Friend,

 Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you.

Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Wonderful & True

There were many wonderful and true things said about the Lord Jesus during His trial and crucifixion, even by those who had no love or care for Him.

Pilate said:

 “I find no fault in Him” (John 19:4).

Pilate’s wife called Him:

 “That just man” (Matthew 27:19).

One of the thieves crucified with Him, said:

 “This man hath done nothing amiss” (Luke 23:41).

(He of course turned to the Lord in repentance and faith.)

The centurion affirmed:

“Certainly this was a righteous man” (Luke 23:47).

The chief priests and scribes mockingly declared:

 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save”

 (Mark 15:31).

Others joined the centurion in saying:

 “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54).

This is the one that we remember today, and the one of whom we can say, “He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend” (Song of Solomon 5:16).

Right with God

In New York, several years ago, a detective went into a drug store, laid his hand on the arm of a man there who was quietly going about his business, and said, “You are wanted.”

“What do you mean?” the young man exclaimed.

“You know what I mean. You escaped from Albany Penitentiary, went west, married, and then came back and settled here. You needn’t deny it.”

“It is true, I can’t deny it, but let me go home and say good-bye to my wife and child.”

They went to his home. He said to his wife, “Haven’t I been a good husband and father and worked hard to make a living?” It was true, and she confirmed it. He was right with his family, his business, his neighbours, but all wrong with the State of New York. He had yet to pay for his crime, and years of blameless living could not make amends for that broken law.

So it is with God’s law! No amount of reformation can put away sin. But what we can never do, Christ has done. Only through His death and blood is the penalty for sin paid, and He can say, “I am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isaiah 43:25).

A Consistent Life

“But thou hast fully known my doctrine,
manner of life … ” (2 Timothy 3:10).

Someone has suggested that this would be a wonderful epitaph on the gravestone of a believer. The sense here is to live a life so others can fully know what I believe — my doctrine, and how I live out what I believe — through my manner of life. The key is to be a positive influence in every place and to everyone. If we’re going to impact people, we need to live a life of consistent integrity. The Apostle Paul could pen these words with confidence at the end of his life and service for Christ, knowing that he had indeed lived what he believed according to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures — some of which he himself had been used of God to write by divine inspiration.

Notice what else he adds to the list of things that Timothy and others had observed in his life: “purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions” (2 Timothy 3:10-11). Will you have this kind of testimony at the end of your life?What could be said about you at your funeral or on your gravestone?

Numbers in Scripture: #12

This is God’s number of perfect governmental administration in connection with the earth. Here are some examples of how it is used in the Bible:

• “Twelve tribes of Israel” (Genesis 49:28).

• “Twelve wells of water” (Exodus 15:27).

• “And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve” (Exodus 28:21).

• In Solomon’s Temple, “a molten sea … stood upon twelve oxen” (1 Kings 7:23,25).

• In Ezekiel 48:31-34, there are twelve gates of the city, speaking of the Israel’s administrative authority among the nations.

• At the age of 12 years, the Lord was in the midst of the doctors at Jerusalem (Luke 2:42, 46).

• In Revelation 21 & 22, there are twelve gates, twelve angels, twelve names of the tribes of Israel, twelve foundations, twelve Apostles, twelve thousand furlongs, twelve pearls, twelve manner of fruits. This looks on to the perfect, righteous government, when the Lord reigns in the millennium and, “The bride, the Lamb’s wife,” reigns with Him. (Revelation 21:9).

Wrecks on the Road of Life — Part 6

We won’t have a wreck if we are travelling the road of life in complete dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who has promised to bring us safely through to our final destination — the Father’s house. Let’s keep our eye on the goal, and always be on our guard against the dangers and allurements around us. Here is a good verse to remember concerning God’s people, the Israelites, who were travelling through the wilderness to the promised land “We will go by the king’s highway, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left” (Numbers 20:17).

Our Heavenly Guide is able! Trust His guidance, direction, and wisdom, every day of your life! “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

So many in Scripture made a good start but a poor finish. But God doesn’t just want us to make a good start, He wants us to make a good finish as well. It is not only the beginning of the journey that counts, but, just as importantly, the ending. As we said the other day, all we need is provided for the highway of life, by the One who can bring us safely through.

Wrecks on the Road of Life — Part 5

Thankfully, for a Christian, we are never beyond repair — no matter how battered and smashed our life may become. A vehicle may be a total write-off, but for the one who knows Christ, there is always restoration. King David sinned, and had made moral wreck in his life. You can read about this failure in 2 Samuel 11, God having recorded it for us by divine inspiration as a warning. But David could later affirm: “He restoreth my soul.” (Psalm 23:3).

However, there may be many dents and scrapes that we will have to carry the rest of our lives. David was happily and fully restored to the Lord in his soul. You can read Psalm 51, which is his prayer of repentance after his sin is brought before him by Nathan the prophet. In the government of God, Scripture states, “The sword shall never depart from thine house” (2 Samuel 12:10). Yes, sin often has consequences that remain with us for the rest of our lives! It is not a question of our eternal salvation, thankfully. That is eternally secure in Christ Jesus. But the Bible plainly and faithfully tells us, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Dear Young Christian:

Let’s meditate more on, Wrecks on the Road of Life.

Most of us acquired our driver’s licence by taking a written exam as well as a road test, and meeting certain requirements set down by the government of the country in which we live. However, to begin on the Christian path of faith, we must simply receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and be washed in His precious blood. The journey of life, naturally speaking, begins at birth. The journey of life, spiritually speaking, begins when we are saved. When Saul of Tarsus was struck down on the road to Damascus, it was a complete turnaround in his life. He started on a new journey, down a new road—the Christian pathway.

All we need is provided for the highway of life. “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Will we finish our journey battered and scraped, beaten, and dented? Or will we be like the Apostle Paul? His prayer was, “that I might finish my course with joy” (Acts 20:24).

 Your Christian Friend,

 Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you.

Send your comments and questions to jhyland1959@gmail.com

Love

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

On December 10th 1936, the British monarch, King Edward VIII, gave up the throne of England, to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson, the woman he loved. To some, this was the love story of the century. To others, it was a scandal that threatened to weaken the monarchy.

In an interview, the director of a documentary film portraying that story said that she had “been loved a lot, but no one has ever given up their kingdom for me.” But that’s exactly what the Lord Jesus did! He left the beauties of heaven and came to this sin-cursed earth, to die a shameful death on the cross — all so that He might win us to Himself.

He left the splendor of heaven knowing His destiny

Was the lonely hill of Golgotha,

There to lay down His life for me.

If that isn’t love the ocean is dry,

There’s no stars in the sky, and the sparrow can’t fly.

If that isn’t love then heaven’s a myth,

There’s no feeling like this if that isn’t love.

 -Dottie Rambo

Wrecks

Since we have been talking about wrecks the past few days, it might be appropriate to give an appeal to any who are still lost and in their sins. If you are travelling the road of life without the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, not only will you make a wreck of this life, but it will end in eternal tragedy, disaster, and an unsalvageable wreck in hell. God clearly warns, “There is a way which seemeth rightunto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

The great question is, are you on the right road? Sometimes, on a journey, I have thought I was on the right road, but in truth I was far from it — even going in the opposite direction from what I had hoped. God’s way of salvation for the lost, and blessing for the believer, has been made very plain in His Word … the guide book of life, the divine road atlas for man. Seek its wisdom, and then walk in it every day. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).