Young People’s Blog

He Gave Himself

“Our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world,
according to the will of God and our Father”
(Galatians 1:3-4).

“The Son of God, who loved me, and gave
Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

“Christ also loved the church, and gave
Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).

“The Man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself
a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

“Our Saviour 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).

Yes, “He gave Himself!” Indeed, He was the “merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46). He could not give more; He would not give less.

Remember Now

“O Lord God: Thou art my trust from my youth”
(Psalm 71:5).

You will not always be in the days of your youth! As seasons come and go — winter, spring, summer, autumn — as earth pursues its long journey around the sun, as birthdays are brought to somebody every morning, those bright and hopeful days of youth are left further and further behind. The days when your youth and vibrancy have faded are slowly but surely coming nearer and nearer.

The time when you will be known as an old person is, of course, a long way off — perhaps you do not think about it at all. But the Preacher (Solomon) thought about it, and we should think about it as well. So Solomon wrote, “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).

If you want to be happy in old age and be able to sing the songs of heaven, rejoicing in the Lord Jesus Christ, “remember NOW thy Creator!”

Another Year

At the beginning of this year many newspapers and magazines will publish a list of notable people and celebrities who died during the previous 12 months. The name of a person we admired may stir up memories that touch us in a special way.

From the past year a list will also be written deep within our hearts as we mourn the loss of loved ones. In all of life, perhaps no greater pain is felt than when someone we love dies. When the loss and hurt seem too much to bear, where can we turn? Here is what the Bible says: “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). With a physical injury the wound is treated immediately but the healing takes time. God heals our grief in a similar way.

Psalm 147 can help us during that process. The psalm begins and ends with “praise ye the Lord.” In between, it celebrates the attributes and works of God. Read this psalm today and write down one thing for which you can praise God. With each new day this year add another one to the list. As you focus on the Lord He will heal your heart, and you will be able to praise Him every day.

Happy Endings

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:13).

We all like happy endings. Happy endings to the story we’re reading, happy endings to the surgery or sickness of a loved one or acquaintance…and so on.

As the year 2015 draws to an end, and we look back and recount the ways of God in each of our lives, it is good to realize that amidst the normal ups and downs, joys and sorrows and difficulties, there is a happy ending when we know the one who is the “Beginning and the End.” No matter what happens in our lives we know that He loves and cares, and that in the end we will be with Him in that place of unending happiness.

In the meantime He knows “the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done” (Isaiah 46:10). As one year ends and another one begins, we can trust our Lord who knows the past, present, and future. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

“The Lord thy God careth…from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:12).

Shine

“Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).
“Ye shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).

I recently heard of a young Christian lady who went to work in an office with 200 other women. She let them know that she was a believer, but soon became very discouraged because of all the filthy talk and godlessness surrounding her every day. She wanted to quit, and asked a Christian friend, “What shall I do?”

The friend told her, “God looked down in this city and He found you, one of the few believing young persons in it, and thought, ‘I’ll put her as a light for Me in that large office. I hope she won’t let me down where I have done her the honor of choosing her to represent Christ in that place.’”

She replied, “I never thought of it like that,” and within two months she came and told her friend that two girls in that office had trusted Christ as their Saviour.

If you are the only saved person in your class or workplace, don’t be discouraged or give up in despair. Perhaps God chose you, just like He did the young lady, because He has a work for you to do.

The Book

“The entrance of Thy Words giveth light” (Psalm 119:130).

Just as Queen Elizabeth I was given a Bible when she was crowned, the present Queen Elizabeth 2 was also given a Bible at her Coronation in 1953. Kneeling before her in Westminster Abbey, the Archbishop of Canterbury said, “We present you with The Book. It is the most valuable thing this world affords. Here is wisdom. This is the Royal Law. These are the lively oracles of God.”

Those words were heard not only by hundreds of people in the Abbey, but by tens of thousands of people all over the world, who were listening on radio or watching the ceremony on television. Those words are worth learning by heart, but it is better still to read and memorize as much of Scripture as we can, storing our minds full of verses and portions of the Word of God while we are young.

Without the Bible we would know absolutely nothing of the true account of creation, nothing of the birth, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and we would know nothing of God’s salvation and blessing through His Son.

Dear Young Christian:

This is the last Monday of the year, and the last letter of this calendar. Even as I write this page, I wonder if my readers will ever get to read it. These pages are written and edited some time before they are published, and there is an event that may intervene between now and then. That event is the coming of the Lord. James plainly tells us, “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:8).

Perhaps you say, “What is the point then of working on a project so far ahead, if we are expecting the Lord to come at any moment?” The truth of the matter is, we are also told, by the Lord Jesus Himself, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). So we live every day like it is our last, but we also live in view of tomorrow, because, as Solomon so wisely declared, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). As believers we plan for the future, knowing that our plans may be interrupted at any moment, in exchange for our future with Christ in the Father’s house.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Victory

“For the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:47).
“Remember the battle” (Job 4:8).

My wife and I have had opportunity over the years to visit many of the great battlefields of Europe and other parts of the world. There we have seen the memorials to those heroes who fought and won, and the burial grounds of those who gave their lives for the cause of freedom.

Some battles are more memorable than others whether won or lost. When the fighting has been fierce and costly, the battle is vividly remembered by both winners and losers. The greatest and most significant battle ever waged was at Calvary where the Lord Jesus Christ, though sore wounded and trodden underfoot, was victorious over sin and death and hell. This was the battle of all battles and now that it is over, there is nothing more to do than to remember it. The victory was final and once for all. While there is nothing to add to the work of the cross we do remember the battle, the one who is the Victor, and the blessings that have resulted. May we never forget what was accomplished there for the glory of God and our eternal blessing.

Saviour or Judge?

In one way or another millions of people around the world have just celebrated the birth of the Lord Jesus. Yet I wonder how many of them have unknowingly celebrated the birth of their judge?

It is one or the other. Either we know Christ as our Saviour or we are going to meet Him as our judge in a coming day. John tells us about it in the book of Revelation. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:12). However, the Lord did not come to judge; He came to save. He Himself said, “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47).

It is a historical fact that Jesus came to planet earth, that He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died and rose again, and is now in heaven as a man. Is He your Saviour or your judge? “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved” ( John 3:17).

Monthly Question Page

Q. What does it mean when it talks about “the laying on of the hands of the presbytery” (1 Timothy 4:14)? What is the presbytery?

A. The “presbytery” is simply “the elders,” referred to in other places as “the bishops” or “the shepherds.” They were appointed by the apostles or someone that the apostles delegated, such as Timothy and Titus, with the responsibility of taking care of the spiritual well-being of the people of God. It is also called “the oversight” (1 Peter 5:2).

With Timothy, the gift itself was imparted through laying on of Paul’s hands. “…the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). However, in our verse we learn that the elders also had fellowship with Timothy in the use of his gift and the work the Lord had called him to. It is important when we take up any service for Christ, that we do it in fellowship with our brethren.

The laying on of hands in the early church was a confirmation of fellowship and agreement, such as in Act 13:1-3. “…And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away” (verse 3).

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