Young People’s Blog

Persistence — Part 1

Persistence is a word we hear all through life. Our parents encourage us to be persistent when things don’t seem to go right and we want to throw up our hands and give up trying. Our teachers tell us to persist when it came to learning and studying. “Nothing comes easy,” they say. Employers like employees that will persevere in their business and seek to overcome obstacles as they present themselves. But what about our Christian life? Here are some things that the Holy Scriptures admonish us to persist in:

“Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12).

“Stand fast in the Lord” (Philippians 4:1).

“Hold fast” (Revelation 2:25).

“Watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41).

“Run with patience (endurance)” (Hebrews 12:1).

“Earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 3).

“Press toward the mark” (Philippians 3:14).

“Endure hardness” (2 Timothy 2:3).

“Strive lawfully” (2 Timothy 2:5).

The Tongue

“The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body … .the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:6, 8).

The hand and the foot can become instruments for carrying out the will of the flesh; but no member of the body so readily expresses our will, exposes our weakness and reveals the true state of our heart as the tongue. It is easily inflamed by malice in the heart, and inflames others, doing endless mischief by one idle or malicious word. James describes it as a fire which not only kindles trouble but keeps the trouble going. It is capable of instigating every form of unrighteousness, thus becoming a world of iniquity. By its evil suggestions it can lead to every member of the body being defiled and stir into activity the whole course of fallen nature. The tongue is untameable by nature. Every kind of creature has been tamed by mankind, but no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Not only does it defile the body, but it can poison the mind. How easy it is by a thoughtless or an unkind word to poison the mind of one believer against another!

Too Hurried

“But one thing is needful” (Luke 10:42).

I hurried through a prayer today,

And read a verse or two;

I thought I’d done my duty,

And it would see me through.

All day I struggled, nothing worked,

No matter what I’d do;

I knew it was because I had,

My Lord, neglected You.

I had no power to confess,

Thy name to those I met;

I had no joy, I was ashamed,

And worry made me fret.

Lord, teach me then to start my day,

In company with Thee;

To find the time to read and pray…

A healthy Christian be.

Dear Young Christian:

“Ye know not what shall be on the morrow” (James 4:14).

There are a lot of unknowns and unexpected changes in life. However, there are no unknowns and no unexpected changes when it comes to the Lord. He has no surprises. Thankfully we do not know the future, and we do not know what is around the next bend in the path of faith. If we did it would be a burden we could not carry around. We would always be fretting and worrying about what was next.

By the end of this week we may look back and realize that life did not turn out as we had thought or planned, but if we are willing to leave it all to the One who knows what is ahead, and has it all planned out, it will be for the very best. Here is a good verse to keep in mind: “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5). Remember, our ways are not necessarily the best, but that unexpected happening, allowed of the Lord, will certainly be for blessing and good.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Breaking of Bread

“And they continued steadfastly in breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42).

“And upon the first day of the week … the disciples came together to break bread” (Acts 20:7).

One gathering of the early church that bound the disciples together, and which they observed continually was the breaking of bread. It was in obedience to the Lord’s command, “This do in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19), that they did so.

Today, we can continue to obey His request, and remember what He went through for us on the cross of Calvary. “The Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till He come” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

Higher Ground

On December 26, 2014, there was a very powerful earthquake off the coast of Indonesia, resulting in a massive tsunami moving at horrific speeds across the Indian Ocean and crashing on the coastlines of eleven countries. The death toll was estimated at 230,000 people.

One of the amazing discoveries from this event was the survival of the Andaman tribes. Because of the location of the Andaman Islands, officials were certain that these “Stone Age: tribes would be wiped out. However, there was virtually no loss of life! These people had fled inland to higher ground, and it was learned that they had an oral tradition handed down from their elders from ancient times, to watch for certain signs. If they noticed a certain movement of trees, and certain behaviour in the animals, they were to flee to higher ground immediately. They were obedient to the teaching of their elders, heeded the signs of nature, and survived certain destruction as a result.

What a lesson this is for any who are lost in sin today. The Bible warns us, “Flee from the wrath to come” (Luke 3:7). There is judgment coming on this world, but there is refuge and safety in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Monthly Question Page

Q. We say the Bible is inspired. What exactly does the word inspired or inspiration mean?

A. The English word is derived from two Latin words, in spiro, meaning to “to breathe into.” That is why we sometimes say the Bible is “God breathed.” It’s the action of the Holy Spirit on a living messenger by which he is enabled to receive, utter, or record the divine message. Scripture is the result of that sacred influence, recorded in writing and preserved to us. “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). It was not their own opinions, or how they saw things, but exactly what God told them to write. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16).

To understand this divine message, even though the words are very simple to comprehend, requires divine enlightenment. The study of the Bible must be by spiritual means. We must approach it by looking to the Lord to guide by His Spirit. “The Spirit of truth … will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). “The inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding” (Job 32:8).

More next month.

Do you have a question? Email us at jhyland@primus.ca

One Thing

“But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to Him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:40-42).

The “many things” worrying and troubling Martha were not wrong or forbidden matters in and of themselves. In fact they were necessary for the running and maintaining of a household, and the entertainment of guests. The trouble was they had become wrong because they had been allowed to take a priority over and above what was more important. Thus the Lord told Martha that the “one thing” that was “needful” was to spend time in His presence, listening and learning at His feet. The wonder of such an activity is that it puts all the other things into proper perspective and they do not seem so important or so worrisome anymore.

Monthly Scripture Reading

Nahum 1

1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2 God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth wrath for His enemies.

3 The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.

4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.

5 The mountains quake at Him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at His presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

6 Who can stand before His indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him.

7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.

Resurrection

“The God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus” (Hebrews 13:20).

Two people talking for some time came to the subject of resurrection and one said, “I don’t believe in that. I don’t think it is reasonable nor possible. I think that when you are dead you are dead and that’s it.”

Abruptly the other one said, “Where were you one hundred years ago?”

Surprised and falteringly the first replied, “I-I don’t know; why?”

“You are here now, aren’t you?” the second man said.

“Yes, yes I am,” he answered.

“Well, I’ll tell you,” said the second man. “The One who brought you into being the first time can just as easily raise you up from the dead.”         

Resurrection is true and God has given the following information: “According to the working of His mighty power, Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:19-20).