Author: BTP

God’s Dealing

“God dealeth” (Hebrews 12:7).

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ve been dealt a bad hand in life”? Sometimes even a believer will blame God for dealing to them what they feel is a bad hand.

God does “deal,” and with His children, He deals out just what He knows and sees is the very best. What He deals to one of His children may not be the same as He deals to another. It is important for us to realize that we are individuals in His vast family, and that whatever He deals to us is in His infinite wisdom and love. If we don’t understand this, it will cause one of two things, bitterness or jealousy. Bitterness if we feel we have been dealt a bad hand that we didn’t deserve, or jealousy when we see others get what we feel is a better hand than us.

When I was a young person there was an older brother in Christ who used to often quote the following lines of a poem to us:

He knows, He loves, He cares,

Nothing this hope can dim;

He does the very best for those,

Who leave the choice with Him.

Poison

“Let all bitterness … be put away from you”
(Ephesians 4:31).

“Holding on to anger and bitterness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

At first we may smile at the above quote, but with this unique analogy there comes a message that I believe is important for us to consider. So often we harbor anger, bitterness or an unforgiving attitude, thinking that it is going to affect or change the other person, when in reality it does as much — or even more — damage to us.

The result of imbibing this poison of anger and bitterness is that we lose the enjoyment of several things:

 Our communion with the Lord.

 Our joy in the Lord.

 Our walk before the Lord.

 Our dependance on the Lord.

 Our service for the Lord.

That is why we are exhorted, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled” (Hebrews 12:15).

Quiet Reflection

“I will give peace and quietness” (1 Chronicles 22:9).

“In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).

I sat alone the other day,

Sipping coffee in a small café,

And I thought of the pressure of daily life,

In this world of sin, and sorrow, and strife;

And then I thought of my Savior and Lord,

Whose love by so many is scorned and ignored;

It made me so thankful that He is my friend,

My faithful companion, whose love does not end;

He’s with me each moment, He keeps by His power,

He’ll never forsake me, no, not for one hour … 

I sipped at my coffee, and went on my way,

Glad for reflection at that quiet café.

So, if ever you doubt, or worry, or fret,

Stop and consider, and do not regret,

Moments of quiet reflection and thought,

They will help you recharge, and encourage a lot.

Dear Young Christian:

I am in the West Indies this morning. By 8:00 am it is hot and humid, and outside I can hear the hustle and bustle of the day beginning: vehicles are racing by on the road below my window, the roosters are crowing, dogs are barking, people are calling out to one another, and I can hear breakfast being prepared, just to mention a few. So it is time to start the day and another week. My prayer is that it will be with the conscious sense of the Lord’s presence and approval. And as I mop my brow, I will try to remember the verse that says, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

Yes, I am very thankful to be here, and for another day the Lord has very graciously given. Not only are there many opportunities to serve the Lord here today, but wherever you are reading this calendar page from, don’t forget to look around and take advantage of the opportunities the Lord is giving you right where you are. He says, “Behold, I have set before thee an open door” (Revelation 3:8).

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Brass

“And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood … And thou shalt overlay it with brass … All the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass … And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof” (Exodus 27:1-4).

“And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (Numbers 21:9).

Brass in Scripture is a picture of divine judgment. It symbolizes the Lord’s ability to bear the judgment against sin because of who He was, the eternal Son of God. So the brazen altar is a picture of the cross, and the brazen serpent a picture of the Lord Jesus as the sin bearer. It is summed up in the words of Peter, “Christ also suffered for us … who did no sin … who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:21-22,24). We will never know just how deep and intense that suffering was. That’s why it says, “The weight of the brass could not be found out” (2 Chronicles 4:18).

Another Week

Since last Saturday’s gospel message, you are one week older and one week closer to eternity. For those who know Christ as their Savior, this is a joyful thought. But for those who are still lost in their sins, this is a fearful thing. God in mercy has given another seven days of grace, and if there is someone reading, or listening to this page being read to them, remember, God does not promise you another week to repent and accept His offer of salvation.

There is always an urgency connected with the gospel, and the warning is, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). One warning of the New Testament is, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). The Lord Jesus Himself said, “Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7). To flee from something is to get as far away as fast as you can. Or it may be to get as close to something as quickly as possible. Have you “fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18)? If not, Christ is that refuge!

Great Faith

“Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O
woman, great is thy faith” (Matthew 15:28).

“O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:31).

We may not have great faith like the woman in Matthew 15, but to have faith in a great God is a great asset, and can accomplish great things. The Lord said, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20).

Go into today with confidence in God, in spite of circumstances and obstacles that may seem insurmountable. You may be surprised at what you can accomplish and what He can accomplish through you. Remember too, there is a reward for simple faith and trust, even when all seems hopeless and out of control. The promise is, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward” (Hebrews 10:35). So, whether you have “great faith” or “little faith,” the key is, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22).

Sing a Hymn

In keeping with yesterday’s meditation, here is a hymn that can be sung to the tune of, “Did You Think To Pray?”

Did you sing a hymn this morning?

Did you praise the Lord?

Did you lift your voice in gladness,

Drive away the gloom and sadness,

With a joyful chord?

Oh, how singing lifts our spirit,

Jesus loves to hear our voice!

Others too, no doubt, will hear it,

Making hearts rejoice.

Did you sing a hymn at noon time?

Did you bless His name?

Did you give Him praise and glory?

Did your lips tell forth the story

Of His love and fame?

Will you sing a hymn this evening,

When the day is done?

Will you thank Him for His mercy,

All His grace and goodness, that He

Gives from sun to sun?

Singing

Singing has always been a way for the people of God to express their joy in the Lord, and appreciation of the truth. A singing Christian is a healthy, happy Christian. Sometimes younger ones don’t think it is “cool” to sing. But let’s learn to lift up our hearts and voices to praise the Lord Jesus, Who has done so much for us. Over and over again in the Bible we read of those who sang. Here are a few examples:

“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel” (Exodus 15:1).

“Then sang Deborah and Barak … Praise ye the Lord” (Judges 5:1-2).

“And there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women” (Ezra 2:65).

“And when they had sung an hymn, they went out to the mount of Olives” (Matthew 26:30).

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises” (Acts 16:25).

The world has its songs without much real meaning, but God has given us a vast heritage of good, scriptural, Christ-exalting hymns. I am thankful that when I was younger I took the time to memorize many of them.

Epaphras

“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in
all the will of God. For I bear him record, that he hath
a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea,
and them in Hierapolis” (Colossians 4:12-13).

We are thankful for preachers, pastors, teachers and missionaries, but what we also need is men and woman of prayer, those who labor like Epaphras. Without a spirit of fervent, agonizing, persevering prayer, no spiritual work will be able to prosper.

The precious and vital labors of the prayer warrior require no special gift, peculiar talent or preeminent mental abilities. A Christian may not have the ability to preach, teach, write, or travel; but every Christian can pray. What we need among Christians is a real spirit of prayer, a spirit that enters into the current need of our fellow-believers and takes those needs up to God in persevering, fervent, believing intercession at all times and in all circumstances.

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18).