Young People’s Blog

Bible Algebra

G+F+B=J

G race and  Faith on the basis of the  B lood of Christ is what  J ustifies us in the sight of God.

The book of Romans states:

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith … Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:28; 5:1).

“Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:9).

In other words, Grace is the way; Faith is the means; the Blood is the ground.

To be justified is to be brought into a position of a perfect standing before God in Christ. “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

 

Jesus Is

“The excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).

Jesus is … 

My Saviour … my Friend … my hope … 

Without Him I could not survive,

Without Him I never could cope!

He’s there as my help, and my power,

I never would make it alone,

His arms are firmly around me,

I rest on the Living Stone.

Jesus is … 

My Advocate … my Priest … my Lord … 

Without Him would be disaster,

Frustration I could not afford!

To walk with Him is to know Him,

To know Him is vital indeed;

I only want more of Jesus,

This is my one great need.

 

Dear Young Christian:

The other day I bought a cup of coffee in a café in a small town in central Iowa. As I sipped the hot brew, I noticed a rather interesting comment printed on the side of the cup. It said,

“LIFE IS SHORT — STAY AWAKE FOR IT!

It got me thinking about some verses that exhort believers to stay awake. Here are just a couple: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light” (Romans 13:11-12). “Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14).

It is possible to be awake physically but asleep spiritually. Life is short! Are you spiritually awake to the reality of the dangers around and the joy of following and serving the Lord?

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Worship

“And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground” (Nehemiah 8:6).

What a happy state for God’s people to be in — to bow and worship the Lord in response to Ezra’s prayer of thanksgiving. How much we have to thank the Lord for, especially today as we meet with other believers around Him to remember what it cost Him to make us fit for heaven. Our hearts will fill up with thanksgiving and praise when we think about Calvary and the awful death of the cross. Jesus died there for you and me. Let’s be thankful today as we remember Him in His death. In the Psalms we are told, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving” (Psalm 95:2). And also, “Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2). Then, during the week to come, let’s continue to cultivate the habit and spirit of thanksgiving and worship. “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually” (Hebrews 13:15).

 

Options

Life has many options. The waitress at the restaurant hands us a menu with so many choices that we find it hard to make up our mind. The car dealer has all kinds of vehicles with different options and at a variety of prices, with several ways to pay or finance. Colleges and universities try to attract young people with a wide range of programs and opportunities. Insurance companies vie for our business by telling of all sorts of benefits through their policies … and on and on it goes.

However, when it comes to eternity, there are only two options, heaven and hell, and when it comes to salvation there is only one choice and one way. Moses, near the end of his life, said to the children of Israel, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Peter in addressing the Jewish rulers and elders said, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). What choice have you made?

 

Fragrance — Part 3

As the Lord Jesus walked through this world those who were far from God could smell the holy perfume and say, “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46). The heartless Pilate had to say, “I find no fault in this man” (Luke 23:4). The centurion at the cross had to confess “Certainly this was a righteous man” (Luke 23:47). Others marveled at “the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:22).

None could come into His presence without smelling the fragrant odors of love, compassion and tenderness. Let our attention be more than ever directed to Him so that as He fills our vision, everything else may vanish. As His sweetness fills the soul, so will His fragrance flow forth from us as the outcome of communion with Him.

Let us not be despondent over what we are and what we are not. May the Lord so attract our hearts to Himself, that like the little flower sending forth its odor in the untrodden forest, we may send forth by His Spirit and for His own pleasure something of His fragrance in this world, and so become a reflection of the only perfect and fragrant One — JESUS!

 

Fragrance — Part 2

It is possible for you to be fragrant in this world. Keep close to Christ, walk in happy company with Him, and let your heart drink in His love and you will be fragrant to Him.

Is there anything greater than that? No eye may see you but His, no ear hear you but His, no heart appreciate your act or thought but His, yet how precious ­— I can be fragrant for the Lord Jesus! Nothing is so delightful to Him as to have you walking with Himself. If this is so, we will surely come in contact with weary souls who need refreshment. We can speak of Jesus in such a way that there will be a Christ-likeness about us. True greatness is the measure in which the excellence of Christ flows forth from us.

“Because of the savour of Thy good ointments Thy name is as ointment poured forth” (Song of Solomon 1:3). When here on earth the Lord was not great as men count greatness. He chose no place of prominence. When by force they would make Him king, He said, “My time is not yet come” (John 7:6). To do His Father’s will was His one commanding business. What fragrance came forth from Him! What a lesson for us!

 

Fragrance — Part 1

I was tired and sat down under the shadow of a great pine in the forest, glad of such a cool retreat from the hot sun. I had not been there long before I noticed a fragrant odor and wondered where it came from. I looked around and found a tiny flower about half the size of a daisy, nearly hidden from view in the moss.

How fragrant it smelled! Again and again I held it near my face, enjoying the perfume, and then I looked up and thanked God for that tiny, insignificant flower in that wild, almost untrodden forest, yet bringing such cheer and refreshment.

I wondered, why is such a wonderfully fragrant flower so small? As I thought about it, a lesson spoke to my heart. If I cannot be a pine in God’s forest, I may be a tiny flower to send forth the fragrance of Jesus in this world of sadness. There is a tendency in our hearts to desire to be or to do something great. Often we are not content like the tiny flower to send forth fragrance in obscurity. Don’t be discouraged if you have never been called on to perform some great task. It is not always a question of doing great things. It is written, “Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not” (Jeremiah 45:5).

 

Homeward Bound

Mark Guy Pearse was a preacher, lecturer and author who lived in Britain during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. He was also a great personal visitor and it is said that his visits brought cheer to many a suffering child of God. Sometimes the one visited could not bear to listen to much talk. Mr. Pearse would take from his pocket a sheet of paper, and draw a distant landscape on one side. Then as the invalid closely watched, a sketch of the homeland was drawn on the other and a wide stretch of sea between. Then a bird, tired of flying, but heading steadily toward the home side. Only two words were needed to make the meaning clear: “HOMEWARD BOUND.” Mr Pearse would leave the glowing thought of the heavenly home before the dimming eyes of the weary, travel-worn Christian.

Maybe you, as a young believer, are weary and discouraged with life. Keep heaven and home before your soul. There is nothing that will encourage our hearts like the reality of the Lord’s coming. “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).

 

Dear Young Christian:

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

I’m not much for catchy cliches, but I did see a church marquee with the following saying, and it caught my eye:

7 days without prayer makes 1 weak!

Yes, to go without praying will make a person very weak spiritually. As another week starts and you head out the door to your various activities, don’t leave your room without spending a little time in prayer, asking for the help of God your Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Then as you go about the day, remember to look to the Lord in every situation. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18). We are no more able for the small things of life than the big things apart from prayer.

We all want power, whether it’s our vehicle, our physical strength, our influence, etc. But there is only one way to have spiritual power, and that is through the resource of prayer.

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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