Young People’s Blog

Dear Young Christian:

I recently noted an article on one of the great 19th century French painters, Anne-Louis Girodet, (January 5th, 1767-December 9th, 1824). In his later years he seemed to think that he worked best at night, and so to provide for light, he wore a wide-brim hat and positioned candles around the brim. Forty candles was the maximum illumination he needed. He also based his fees for commissioned work on the number of candles used during his work.

This made me think what the Lord Jesus said to His disciples while here on earth. “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:15-16). Just as the artist worked by letting the light of the candles shine on his canvas, so we are to shine for the Lord while in the spiritually dark night that envelops this world. “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Worship

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant” (Joshua 5:13-14)?

Joshua, by falling on his face, showed what he thought of himself when he came into the presence of a heavenly being. He humbled himself and was ready to listen. How much better for us to humble ourselves (that is to put aside everything that we think we are) when we come into the presence of the Son of God to worship Him. And we should be ready to listen, too. Listen for the leading of the Spirit, listen to what the hymns say, listen to what Scriptures are read, and what they present as to the person and work of Christ, and listen to that which is expressed audibly in praise and prayer. Our worship sometimes is so superficial. Let’s be real and genuine.

Lost

“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:8-10).

I couldn’t find my credit card! What a panic, and I began to frantically search for it. Losing a credit card is not a small thing and I immediately thought of automatic purchases that would be disrupted, not to mention the possibility of someone finding it and charging items to my account. What a relief when it turned up in a jacket pocket.

The story of the lost, lifeless coin, told by the Lord Jesus illustrates the value of souls, and the desire and diligence of the Spirit of God in searching and finding those who are “dead in sins” (Ephesians 2:5), and need to be saved. Is the Spirit working with your heart and conscience today? Don’t despise His pleadings. Come and be found, and receive salvation. There will be great rejoicing in heaven.

Counsel

“But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who were brought up with him” (2 Chronicles 10:8).

Advice and counsel are readily available today on any subject which comes to mind. There seems to be a counsellor and a consultant for every aspect of life these days. The issue is this: whose advice or counsel will we listen to? Is the one giving the counsel an authority in their field? Do they speak from experience? All too often the young tend to listen to their peers who have no expertise or experience on which to draw. How blessed is the young believer who seeks counsel from older saints who have knowledge of the Word, the ways of God, and can speak from life-long experience of walking with Him.

In our verse today, King Rehoboam listened to the counsel of those who were inexperienced and as a result gave him bad advice, and it got him into a great deal of trouble. That’s not to say that our peers don’t often have helpful things to say to us, but the bottom line is that everything must be weighed in the presence of the One whose very name is “Counsellor” (Isaiah 9:6).

Look Up

“Lift up your eyes on high” (Isaiah 40:26).

A noteworthy story is told of a young army officer who was going through his drill at the riding school. He had been saved only a short time, but learned a valuable lesson that day, that he never forgot and that stood him in good stead the rest of his life. The young soldier was known as Number 2.

On this particular occasion he was mounted on his horse, trotting around the ring, when he heard the riding master call out, “Number 2, look up! Hold up your head, Number 2!” As the young officer pulled himself together and looked up, he thought, “Here is an unsaved man telling me, a child of God, to look up. I will indeed look up and praise the Lord, and live for His glory.” This he sought, by the grace of God, to do from that day forward.

Yes, it is a good lesson for all of us. We are exhorted to, “Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28). If we only look at present circumstances, and earthly advantage, and forget that we are a heavenly people, we are going to get discouraged and downhearted.

The Rock

“The Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge” (Psalm 94:22).

“The Lord: the rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:1).

“In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength” (Psalm 62:7).

When I was growing up I used to often hear my parents refer to something as being “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.” Today, there is a major financial and insurance institution in the United States that uses the Rock of Gibraltar as their corporate emblem.

However, anyone who follows the world markets and knows anything about today’s economic situation will have to admit that there are very few if any financial guarantees in today’s world of instability. That’s why we need to be resting on Christ the Rock. The prophet Isaiah said, “And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isaiah 32:2). Here, and only here is true stability and assurance for the future, whether in this life or that which is ahead in the next life.

Against Me

Everything seemed against me last week. I felt like Jacob when he said, “All these things are against me” (Genesis 46:36). There were innumerable problems and things to cause, what seemed like, great concern. With a heavy heart and eyes cast down, I walked the main street in my home town doing some shopping and errands, oblivious to passers-by and occupied with my own thoughts. Suddenly something caught my eye which I must have walked on many times before but had never noticed previously. It was the cover on a street drain which bore the name of the manufacturer impressed into the cast iron material. It said, “DREADNOUGHT.” It made me think of the cast iron promises of God that never fail, and I went on my way rejoicing.

When we become overwhelmed and overburdened with life, it is good to rest on the promises of God, of which we read, “All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Remembering, “There hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised” (1 Kings 8:56).

Dear Young Christian:

“Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:11).

How much is this statement true in our daily life?

Have you ever considered the fact that Jesus Christ is sometimes trusted as Savior, but not fully owned and recognized as Lord? He is taken on board more as a Passenger than as the Captain of the ship. The Captain has authority from stem to stern, and her voyage is under his full command and control. When Saul of Tarsus was saved on the road to Damascus one of the first things he said was, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do” (Acts 9:6)? As we follow his life and service for the Lord from that point on, it certainly proves true, that he was sincere in owning Jesus as Lord, and desired to be under His lordship.

Let’s re-evaluate our lives at the beginning of the work and school week, and let’s readjust our priorities and perspective, and fully own the Lord Jesus Christ as our Captain and Helmsman, giving Him full control.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Response

To a loving heart an appeal is as effective as a command. Thus, our practice in the frequency of breaking bread becomes a test of affection for the One we remember. Young men leaving home for war are asked by wives or mothers, to write often. The test of true love is found in how often they do write home.

I have heard believers remark that they thought every week was too often for Christians to come together to break bread in remembrance of the Lord’s death, as it would tend to become “commonplace.” Some feel that once a quarter, or at the most once a month, is enough. This depends on the state of heart. Once a quarter is too often for some professing Christians; they prefer once or twice a year. It is like letters home. Once a week, or once a month, or once a year, reveals the state of true love or the lack of it. Of the early believers we read, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight” (Acts 20:7).

The Lord has requested, “This do in remembrance of Me”(Luke 22:19). What is the response of your heart?

Free

Free lunch … free internet … free parking … free hotel nights…

Yes, we all like something for free, and we click on the “accept button” or make the 1-800 call. However, in the end we often find that there are certain restrictions or hidden fees of one sort or another. However, that is not the case with the gospel of Christ. It is free, and no strings attached. “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many” (Romans 5:15).

The Lord said to the woman at Sychar’s well, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water” (John 4:10).

All we have to do to receive this free gift is to accept it by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The prison warden in the jail in Philippi asked the question “What must I do to be saved?” He received an immediate answer from Paul and Silas, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). It is so simple, and so free, and yet how many pass it by. I hope you are not one of them.