Young People’s Blog

Dear Young Christian:

Sometimes I hear people say, “Life is a drag.” I suppose by that they mean life is boring — nothing exciting is happening. Maybe they mean life had become a burden — they feel dragged down or discouraged. Whatever the context of the statement, there’s a motto I know that has a relevant and timely message:

IF YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A DRAG,

WORLDLY WEIGHTS ARE PROBABLY TO BLAME!

The Bible exhorts us, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). No athlete competing in a competition is going to carry extra weight with them. Why then do we as Christians allow ourselves to be weighed down with the things of this world, while running the Christian race? Let’s put those things aside so that we are free to live for Christ with a good conscience and a pure heart.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

His Life

“Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I
lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father” (John 10:17-18).

The Lord Jesus gave His life in a way that no one else ever could. As a divine person, the Son of God, He voluntarily gave up His life in obedience to His Father. What a sacrifice, and what love, first to God His Father and secondly to you and me.

Collectively, as the church of God, we rejoice in the fact that, “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:2). Individually, we can say with the Apostle Paul, “the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

At the end of the three hours of darkness, having taken the punishment for sin, we read, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit: and having said thus, He gave up the ghost” (Luke 23:46).

 

Rivers

“And he showed me a pure river of water of life,
clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne
of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1).

“And whosoever will, let him take the
water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

All over the country, rivers are named for different reasons. The Snake River in Nebraska was so named because of its twists and turns looking like a serpent as it winds through the sandhills. Then there is the Osage River in Missouri so named for a tribe of Indians that lived along its banks in the early days of United States history. The Red River that divides Texas from Oklahoma is so named because of the red clay soil that colors the water.

In the Bible there is a river, so named because of its life-giving ability. It is the River of Life, and it is what John saw in his vision of the heavenly City. It will satisfy the spiritual thirst of souls for all eternity. Will you be part of that future scene that John describes? You will be, only if you have drunk from the river of life for salvation, now in this life.

 

GIGO

What are we taking in through our eyes and ears?

When I was a young person, computers were about the size of a classroom, and involved laboriously feeding information into them through computer punch-cards. Back then there was an expression Garbage in — garbage out, (GIGO). In other words, computers will unquestioningly process unintended, even nonsensical, input data (“garbage in”) and produce undesired, often nonsensical output data (“garbage out”).

There is an application of this in our Christian life. The Lord made several statements on the subject, and here are just a couple:

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34).

“Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:18-19).

Let’s be careful what we take in … what we watch … what we read … what we hear … etc.

 

True Science

“Children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science” (Daniel 1:4).

In 1929, Edwin Hubble made one of the most astounding and important discoveries of modern science in the field of astronomy. He determined through his studies and calculations that the universe was expanding. This discovery helped to answer many questions and solve many enigmas that had, up until that time, plagued the great minds of science.

True science will never contradict the Bible, and this is certainly true in regard to Hubble’s discovery. Centuries before, the prophet Isaiah recorded the same fact. “It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in” (Isaiah 40:22).

What an amazing and all-powerful, creator God we have. And yet, wonder, of wonders, He loves us so much, and is interested in every detail of our lives.

 

Contentment

Are you a contented Christian? Paul told Timothy, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). He also said of himself, “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11).

In Hebrews we read, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have.” The verse then goes on to give a reason, or perhaps we should say the reason, why we should be content, even though outward circumstances may not always be what we would like. “For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). With the promise of the Lord being always with us, this should be enough to satisfy the soul in spite of unpleasant circumstances and even in the absence of the necessities of life. How many believers are content and happy today, not because they have an abundance of worldly goods, or even their freedom; not because they are free from pain and suffering, but because they have a sense in their souls of the Lord’s presence with them.

 

Christ

Our present position is in Christ:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Our future place is with Christ:

“For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better” (Philippians 1:23).

Our eternal portion is to be like Christ:

“It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

In the meantime,

Our purpose should be to win Christ:

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

 

Dear Young Christian:

“He wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth
mine ear to hear as the learned” (Isaiah 50:4).

This verse, no doubt, prophetically refers to the Lord Jesus, the perfect, obedient Man as He walked through this world with His ear ever tuned to the voice of His God and to His Father’s will. Another prophetic scripture says, “Mine ears hast Thou opened” (Psalm 40:6). The Lord Himself said, “I do always those things that please Him” (John 8:29).

In all this there is something good and practical for us to consider as another week of hustle and bustle and the necessary activities of daily life begin to press upon us again. As we start out today, let’s ask ourselves, Do we really have our ears tuned to the voice of God our Father? Do we, every morning, seek to tune in to what He is saying to us? Let’s start this week with renewed exercise and desire to listen and obey. Let’s be like the Apostle Paul, who said, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6).

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Seven Utterances

From the cross the Lord Jesus spoke seven times. Here are those wonderful and profound statements:

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

To the Apostle John: “Behold thy mother!” (John 19:27).

To the thief: “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).

“I thirst” (John 19:28).

“It is finished” (John 19:30).

“Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

As we consider the impact of these utterances and the eternal blessing that has resulted from them and the work of Calvary, our hearts cannot help but bow in solemn, yet joyful wonder and worship.

 

A Safe Landing

“And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for
then would I fly away, and be at rest” (Psalm 55:6).

I have a friend who is a true evangelist. He never seems to miss an opportunity to give out gospel tracts and to speak to souls regarding their need of salvation. One day he was giving out gospel literature in the airport, and in doing so he gave one to a man in uniform thinking he was a flight attendant. He came to find out the man was the pilot of the plane my friend was about to board. My friend said to him, “I hope you are ready to have a safe landing in the next world.” With a big smile the pilot replied that he did indeed know the Lord Jesus as His Saviour and was ready for eternity through the work of Calvary and the blood of Christ.

For those who are saved, we are soon going to “fly away, and be at rest” in the Father’s house. What a wonderful, one-way flight that will be, with no delays and a safe, joyful landing with all the redeemed, and the Lord as the Lamb in the midst of it all. Are you ready for this flight? Have you secured your ticket to heaven through the blood of Christ?