Month: April 2016

The Son

“And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2).

What a wonderful picture Abraham and Isaac are of God the Father sending His only Son into this world to go to the cross and offer Himself as that supreme sacrifice. It is summed up in the statement made by the Apostle John in the New Testament, when he states,“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). Yes, it was more than just God sending Jesus; it was the Father sending the Son.

As we think of this wonderful relationship it makes us realize something of the cost, what it must have meant for the Father to send the Lord Jesus knowing what the cost would be.

We have everything of eternal value through the Son as a result of that great sacrifice. “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things” (Romans 8:32).

 

Greatest Question & Answer

Someone once asked, “What is the world’s greatest question and answer?”

Life is full of many curious questions, and today there will no doubt be many questions put to us at school, work or even at home. Some of those questions will be important and some of them less so. How we answer may or may not affect us in the long term or even the short term. Here, however, is the most important question anyone can ever ask:

“What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).

This question was asked by a jailor at Philippi, and the answer he received from the Apostle Paul and Silas is the world’s greatest answer:

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

The jailor trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation that very day and was saved from sin and its penalty. If you haven’t sincerely asked this question and responded positively to its answer, DO IT TODAY … DO IT NOW!

 

Confessing Christ

We should confess Christ at all times, and under all circumstances. Here are three ways that Christ is confessed in our day-to-day life:

By word:

“Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).

By behavior:

“Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

By silence:

“But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (1 Peter 3:4).

How will you confess Christ today? By one of the above ways would be good; by two of the above ways would be better; by all three of the above ways would be best.

 

Things — Part 2

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).

Peter reminds us that we have, “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” (1 Peter 1:4).

What a sad commentary we have concerning Lot. “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where .… Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan” (Genesis 13:10-11). Poor Lot saw the day when all he chose and all he worked for came under the judgement of God, as He rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. All that we build in this world is going to be left behind. This planet is “reserved unto fire” (2 Peter 3:7).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). All we have of eternal value is in Him, through Him and by Him!

 

Things — Part 1

“We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (1 Corinthians 4:18).

This is a day of ever-increasing materialism. The natural man places utmost importance on the present and on the tangible … on things. What a disappointment it is when the things of this world, and the things he has trusted in, pass away and leave him empty — not filling the longing of his weary, hungry soul.

As Christians we are given several exhortations in the Bible to lift our eyes above the horizons of this earth and its hopes, goals, allurements and aspirations. Here is just one of them:

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

 

Life’s Journey

“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25).

As you travel on life’s pathway,

As you journey through the years,

You will have some joys and sorrows;

There will be some smiles and tears:

So make sure you walk with Jesus — 

He will help you through it all;

He will guide you and preserve you,

And He’ll hear your every call.

In your youth He will sustain you,

And through middle age as well,

You’ll be happy, strong and fruitful;

Of God’s love and grace you’ll tell:

In the sunset years of old age,

You will always have a Friend,

Who will still be there beside you,

Till your days on earth will end.

 

Dear Young Christian:

Two days ago my wife and I were in London England, today we are in Paris France. How fast and far we go in this modern age of travel and technology makes me think of a verse from the Bible that describes the “last days.” “To the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4). Everybody seems on the go, and the restlessness of society seems to increase the closer we get to the coming of the Lord.

Amidst all this restlessness and discontentment, how good to have “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). You may have much turmoil around you this week, and some of you may feel like you are running “to and fro,” but “let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15). This is an inward peace and calm that only comes from walking in the confidence of obedience to the Word of God and in fellowship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have a good week, and keep close to the Lord!

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Devotion

“Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus” (John 12:3).

Mary’s love and devotion to her Lord led her to give freely of her precious ointment. Perhaps this may seem a small thing, but did you realize that the value of the spikenard was approximately one year’s wages? “For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence” (Mark 14:5). A day’s wages in Bible times was about a penny a day, and there are, I suppose, about 300 working days in a year. Would you or I be willing to make any sacrifice that would come close to matching this?

Today the Lord Jesus wants another kind of sacrifice — the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

“By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).

“I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord” (Psalm 116:17).

Will you offer this sacrifice to the one who sacrificed Himself for you?

 

Where To?

My wife and I sat in the Heathrow airport in London, England and waited for our flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Hundreds and hundreds of people hurried past on their way to and from various gates and terminals. “Where are they all going?” we asked ourselves. “All over the world,” was our conclusion. Some had short flights and short journeys, some had longer flights and long journeys, but they, like us, were all going somewhere.

Yes, we are all on a journey, the journey of life. Unlike the people at Heathrow airport who were on their way to many destinations, we are all on our way to one of two places. HEAVEN or HELL! When the Lord was on earth He said, “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). Which destination we are headed to depends on what we have done with God’s offer of salvation through the work of His Son on Calvary. If you are on the “broad” road you can change to the “narrow” one now by accepting Christ as your Saviour.

 

Good Works

As another month starts let’s be exercised as to how we can serve the Lord in the days to come. The epistle to Titus has been called the “epistle of good works.” Not “good works” to save us, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5), but “good works” because we are saved.

Here are the references:

“In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity” (Titus 2:7).

“Jesus Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:13-14).

“Ready to every good work” (Titus 3:1).

“These things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8).

“And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).

There are lots of “good works” you can do for Him today!