Young People’s Blog

The Tongue — Part 1

Here is some good advice: “Extinguish burning thoughts before they become flaming words.”

It made me think of these verses from the book of James:

“Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell” (James 3:5-6).

If not bridled, the tongue can become the means of condemning others and exalting ourselves, for it can boast “great things.” If not controlled, it becomes the source of great mischief, for though “a little member” it is like a little fire which may, if not extinguished, eventually destroy a whole forest. Furthermore, the tongue is described as a fire which not only kindles trouble, but keeps it going. It is capable of instigating every form of unrighteousness and fanning things so that they become completely out of control. By its evil suggestions the tongue can lead to every member of the body being defiled. The evil spirits of hell find in the tongue a ready instrument for their wicked work, which is why it can be said that “it is set on fire of hell.”

Our Speech

“Grace is poured into Thy lips” (Psalm 45:2).

“And all bare Him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:22).

“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6).

The Savior spoke with loving tones,
With kindness in His voice;
His graciousness personified,
Each word of perfect choice.

And so, we too should seek to speak
Those things that make for peace;
Let every word be healing balm,
We from our lips release.

Our speech commendable and right,
As glorifying God:
That others may our Savior see,
In us where here he trod.

Dear Young Christian:

As you start another week of activity in a world that hates Christ and a world where it is easy for the believer to become cold and indifferent to His claims, I want to give you some counsel.

The Lord desires, more than anything else, that you give Him your heart. He says to each of His children, “My son, give Me thine heart” (Proverbs 23:26). The Lord died to win your heart’s affection! The problem is that we often only give Him part of it. The rest we keep for ourselves or something else. Jesus wants our heart so that He can fill it with His love, with His peace, with His joy. A really happy Christian is one who has given his whole heart to the Lord Jesus. A heart that is given to Christ is a full and happy heart — and so is the person it belongs to.

There is much to dull our hearts and chill our affections, but we are exhorted, “Keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 21). Live in the sunshine of the enjoyment of His love, and your heart cannot help but respond.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

Seeing Jesus

“And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only” (Matthew 17:8).

“We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25).

To be occupied with the person and work of Christ is what produces true worship, genuine praise, and heartfelt thanksgiving in our hearts and on our lips.

Today we look back to remember the work of Calvary:

“Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow, which is done unto Me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted Me in the day of His fierce anger” (Lamentations 1:12).

We look up and see where the Lord is now:

“We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9).

We look ahead and consider the future:

“And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6).

Seeing Jesus is indeed a precious and enduring focus!

The Ladder

“Then said Jesus unto them … I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved … . I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 10:7, 9; 14:6).

This interesting and slightly amusing account told by the evangelist Mr. Moody, has a pungent and timely message:

“A man dreamed that he built a ladder from earth to Heaven, and when he did a good deed up went his ladder a few feet. When he did a very good deed his ladder went higher, and when he gave away large sums of money to the poor it went up further still. By and by it went out of sight, and as years rolled on, it went up, he thought, past the clouds, clear into Heaven. When he died he thought he would step off his ladder into Heaven, but he heard a voice roll out from paradise: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).Down he came, ladder and all, and he awoke. He said that if he wanted to get salvation, he must get it in another way than by good deeds, and he took the other way, which is by Jesus Christ.”

Monthly Question Page

Q. Can you give me some verses or thoughts from the Bible that would show that gambling is wrong? Some of my Christian friends tell me it is harmless and not to make a big deal out of it.

A.The first verse that comes to mind is King Solomon’s warning. “He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him” (Proverbs 28:22). I have known those who have won the lottery or large sums of money through gambling and have not been able to handle it. In the end, they become worse off than before, often through squandering or mismanagement.

Here is another verse: “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition” (1 Timothy 6:9). Gambling often brings us into association with that which is sinful and defiling, and that which can spoil our Christian testimony. This can happen too when a person suddenly comes into a great deal of money. The Bible teaches us that we are to earn a living by working and to “provide things honest in the sight of all men” (Romans 12:17). God never encourages laziness in any aspect of life.

Know Him

“That I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10).

This was the Apostle Paul’s whole desire and purpose. Everything else he counted as worthless. Earlier in the chapter he said, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (verse 8). Someone has well stated that the believer is strong or weak depending on how closely they have cultivated the knowledge of God in a growing personal experience and relationship.

How true this is! Remember, our enemy Satan wants to keep us busy with every kind of activity and distraction so that we do not develop that kind of relationship. In the midst of Job’s trial, his friend Eliphaz the Temanite said, “Acquaint now thyself with Him” (Job 22:21).

How acquainted are you with the Lord? I’m not asking how much you know about Him, but how much you know Him. To really know a person you must walk in their company. To develop a meaningful relationship with the Lord takes daily prayer, meditation, and walking in the conscious enjoyment of His presence. He promised, “I am with you alway” (Matthew 28:20).

Monthly Scripture Reading
Haggai 1

1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,

2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.

3 Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,

4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?

5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

Doers

Yesterday we mentioned the importance of practical Christianity and living out what we say and believe. Here are several verses from the Word of God that bear out what we have said:

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

“Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

“Doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:6).

In the Old Testament we have the example of Ezra the priest and scribe:

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments” (Ezra 7:10).

In the New Testament we have the perfect example of the Lord Jesus:

“The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1).

This is what gives power and validity to our testimony as believers.

Dear Young Christian:

Last night several of us were sitting around the fireplace in a chateau in southern France enjoying a late evening Bible reading. We discussed many things from the Word of God, but the thing that sticks with me today was the statement, “We need to live out what we give out.”

It is so easy to say things and instruct others as to how they should live the Christian life, but it is quite another thing to live it out in a practical way and teach by example in our own lives. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he instructed him, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). In other words, Timothy was not only to teach the Word of God by word, but by actions as well.

How much of an example will your life be this week? Others are watching us. “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself” (Romans 14:7). We can say many things that are all true and Scriptural. However, the question remains, are we living out what we are giving out?

Your Christian Friend,

 Jim Hyland