Young People’s Blog

Hope

Here is a statement that gives courage and comfort, even in times of desperate need and trial:

“No one is hopeless whose hope is in God!”

Here are some verses from the Bible to prove it:

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God” (Psalm 42:11).

“That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:18-19).

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it”
(Romans 8:24-25).

“Now the GOD OF HOPE fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13).

Delivered

“Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses” (Psalm 107:6).

There are two parts to this verse that are worthy of our consideration.

First, there is a turning to the Lord in a time of trouble and difficulty. Thankfully, the believer can always go to the Lord, knowing that His ear is open, and that He is able for whatever the situation is. As another Psalm expresses it, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

 Second, He delivers them from their “distresses.” Notice, it does not say that He delivers from their “troubles,” but from their “distresses.” The Lord does not always promise to remove the troubles and difficulties from the life of a believer, but there is a peace and calm that is promised when we commit our way into His hands and trust Him for every circumstance. We don’t have to be distressed!

Someone gave me a key-chain the other day. The motto on it said,:

“I’m too blessed to be stressed.”

Something to think about, isn’t it?

Wise and Safe — Part 2

“Thy Word have I hid in my heart that
I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11)

2. Where have I hid it? — “IN MY HEART.” It was not in his head or in his intellect: but in his heart — the seat of his affections — the center of his moral being — the source of all the influences that swayed him. This is the right place to hide the Word. It is not hiding it under a bed, or under a bushel, or in the earth. It is not basely hiding it, through a slavish dread of men, lest they should sneer at us, or oppose us. No, my reader, this will not do. We must hide the Word where the Psalmist hid it, even in the heart. May we ponder this — may we understand it — may we imitate it!

3. Why have I hid it? For a very important reason — “THAT I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST THEE.” It was not to have a rich fund of new ideas to talk about and show off with. Nor that he might be able to confound in argument all his opposers, and silence them. The Psalmist did not care about any of these things. He had a horror of sin — a holy horror; he knew that the most effectual safeguard against sin was the Word of God, and therefore he hid it in his heart. May we ponder this — may we understand it — may we imitate it!

Wise and Safe — Part 1

“Thy Word have I hid in my heart
that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11)

This, truly, is a wise and safe thing to do. Let us ponder it. Let us understand it. Let us imitate it. There are three special points suggested, namely, What have I hid? Where have I hid it? Why have I hid it? The reader will easily remember What? Where? Why?

Today we will consider the first point:

1. What have I hid? — “THY WORD.” It is not man’s word, but the Word of God, that liveth and abideth forever. This is the thing to hide. It is a treasure worth hiding. No thief can steal it, no moth corrupt it. It increases by being hidden in the way here spoken of. We cannot set too high a value upon the Word of God. So the Psalmist thought when he “hid” it. This expression sets forth how intensely he prized the Word. “I have hid it.” He placed it out of the reach of every one and everything that could deprive him of it. May we ponder it — may we understand it — may we imitate it!

Tomorrow we will continue with the second and third point.

Dear Young Christian:

Monday morning again? Yes, they tell us time flies, but really it is us who fly. But some day those who know Christ as Savior are going to take one final flight.

David, with all the troubles he experienced said, “Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest” (Psalm 55:6). For the believer in Christ we can look up and say, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

In the rush and haste of today, and this week, don’t forget that it is all going to end one of these moments, and we are going to “be caught up together … in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). What a flight that will be!

Here’s how the hymn-writer, Alison Krauss, expressed it:

Some bright morning when this life is over

I’ll fly away

To that home on God’s celestial shore

I’ll fly away.

Your Christian Friend.

Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you. Send your comments or questions to [email protected]

Gladness

“I was glad when they said unto me,
Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1).

King David was glad for any opportunity afforded to him to be in the Lord’s presence. So it should be with us. There should be joy in our hearts when we go to meet the Lord, to remember Him in the breaking of bread, and to worship Him. If we are occupied with His love for us, His death at Calvary, His resurrection, and His coming again, we will certainly overflow in worship to think that He did it all for us. Let’s really think about Jesus today as we meet with other believers around Him once again.

Here are a couple of other things that made the heart of David rejoice with genuine gladness.

“I will be glad and rejoice in Thee”
(Psalm 9:2).

“I will be glad and rejoice in Thy mercy” (Psalm 31:7).

Does the person and work of Christ gladden your heart? It certainly gladdens the heart of God who could say: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17).

Something Better

Those who know Christ as their Savior have something far better than anything you can find in this world. They are too rich to care for money, too happy to hunt up the world’s pleasures, and have an inner satisfaction, a joy and peace that cannot be found here. Drugs, alcohol and giving in to the lusts which come from within, all give only temporary relief; they destroy health, and often result in the destruction of the mind, and in death. They are not the answer.

Those who have the Lord Jesus Christ as their own precious Savior know what it is to really live! All those hard-to-be-understood longings and yearnings within us are fully satisfied, and we are truly happy.

Jesus said: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

The Apostle Paul could say, “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).

To know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior gives a settled peace and joy that nothing on earth can rival. Come to Him and be truly happy! Then you can say as the Apostle Paul did, “To me to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21).

Monthly Question Page

Q. Could you please explain, “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (1 Corinthians 11:30)?

A. The believers at Corinth had failed to judge themselves and the sins that had been allowed in their lives. When they came together to remember the Lord in the breaking of bread it was a serious thing to be at the Lord’s table with unjudged sin. Paul’s exhortation gives a very strong warning: “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Corinthians 11:29).

They were true Christians, and hence God, in His government had to chasten them by bodily sickness even unto death, in order that they might not be condemned with the world. No doubt others were called to learn and take warning from the discipline exercised upon those erring ones.

The government of God in the life of a believer is a very real thing, and we are reminded that “There is a sin unto death” (1 John 5:16). If we act in a way that dishonors the Lord, and we do not heed His chastening He may call us home to Himself through death.

Do you have a question? Email us at [email protected]

Service

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Reading this verse this morning made me think of two lines of a poem by C.T. Studd, that I often see on wall plaques in the homes I visit.

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Yes, you have only this life to serve the Lord. When you stand before Him and your life and service are reviewed, will you be able to look back and say, “Yes, I served with all my might”? It’ll be too late then to change anything, and you will lose that special reward given for hearty service, if you didn’t do it according to His plan and will for you. It will all be worthwhile when you hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant … enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:21).

Here are two more lines from that same poem:

Only one life, yes only one,

Now let me say, “Thy will be done.”

Monthly Scripture Reading

Matthew 13

24 Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.