Young People’s Blog

The Tone of His Voice

“And all bare Him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:2).

The tone of His voice was perfect,
Though He seasoned His words with salt:
His intonations were gracious,
So that none could truly find fault.

He spoke with loving affection,
Yet faithful and truthful each word:
Yes, the tone of His voice was perfect,
As each heavenly statement was heard.

Thus were the words of the Saviour,
While walking on earth long ago:
While speaking for God in this world,
Revealing Himself here below.

He spoke to the heart and the conscience,
Addressing the needs of each soul:
The tone of His voice was perfect…
Let’s make His example our goal!

 

Dear Young Christian:

Here we are at the beginning of another month and what will it bring? Sorrow, joy, heartache, laughter, change, boredom…some of the above, all of the above…who knows! It is a good thing that we don’t know the future or even what is just around the corner for today or this week. It would be a burden we couldn’t carry around.

However, there is One who knows it all, and who has lovingly planned every event and circumstance of our life. Thankfully He knows us better than we know ourselves, loves us with an everlasting love, and understands what is best for us. How good it is when we submit to His will in our lives, and trust our God and Father even when we don’t understand all the reasons and purposes behind what He allows and what He is doing with us. Here are a couple of good verses to keep in mind as another week and month begin: “Submit yourselves therefore to God” (James 4:7), and, “Trust in Him at all times” (Psalm 62:8).

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

Desire

“The desire of our soul is to Thy name, and to the remembrance of Thee” (Isaiah 26:8).

What a desire! Away from self and towards the One who died to save us. Is this your desire today? To be with Jesus for an hour, to think about Him, and to remember Calvary and the awful cost of our salvation? Let’s concentrate on Him while we worship today.

Remember too, He desires our company far more than any desire that we may have by the grace of God. He was the One who said to the disciples in the upper room, “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer…And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:15,19-20).

He desires our company. The question is, do we truly desire His?

 

No Second Chance

“Repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

Yesterday we had some verses that show very clearly that those who have heard and refused God’s offer of salvation through the Lord Jesus, and have not repented will never experience the striving of the Spirit again. Here is what their reaction will be when the judgments begins to fall: “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand” (Revelation 6:15-17)?

There will be the gospel of the kingdompreached after the coming of the Lord, but that is not for those who have already had a chance. God never judges without giving a warning and without making a way of escape, and if you have heard the warning but refused the way of escape, you will be left behind and eventually wind up in a lost eternity.

 

Monthly Question Page

Q. Will there be a second chance for people to get saved after the Lord comes, if they have heard the gospel already?

A. For those who have heard the gospel, and have had opportunity to be saved, there is no Scripture to support the thought that they will ever have another opportunity. In fact there are a number of Scriptures that show that there will not be a second chance. Here are three of them:

“And the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not” (Matthew 25:10-12).

“When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are” (Luke 13:25).

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12).

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

Look

LOOK BACK…and praise the Lord!

“And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

LOOK AHEAD…and trust the Lord!

“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5).

LOOK AROUND…and serve the Lord!

“Serving the Lord with all humility of mind” (Acts 20:19).

LOOK UP…and see the Lord!

“We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour” (Hebrews 2:9).

LOOK FORWARD…and expect the Lord!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

 

Monthly Scripture Reading

Exodus 15

23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.

24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

25 And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them,

26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.

 

Road Map

Of what use is a road map in a strange country if we do not look at it and then follow it? And, of what use is the road map of life — THE BIBLE — if we do not read it and follow its instructions? How foolish to have a map in your vehicle and not refer to it when you are lost or trying to find your way through a strange city. And yet how many Bibles there are that sit on a shelf collecting dust while people stumble along the highway of life trying to find their own way. Jeremiah understood how important it was to have divine guidance and direction when he penned the words: “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

Do we think that we can go through life without direction from the One who made us? Let’s daily pray the prayer of David who said, “Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path” (Psalm 27:1). David’s son, King Solomon later wrote, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 2:5-6).

 

Dear Young Christian:

Just this morning I was reading of an old custom in India. To celebrate the 25th birthday of a native ruler, or the 25th year of his reign they would weigh him against gold, and the weight in gold would then be distributed among the poor. The story is told of the Aga Khan who weighed 169 pounds, and people were anxious to know, not only how much he weighed, but how the gold would be distributed and who would benefit from it.

How much do you and I weigh in God’s balances? How much are we worth to other fellow Christians in our service for Christ to them? Daniel said to King Belshazzar, “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” (Daniel 5:27). Of course, we who are saved will never be “found wanting” as far as our sins are concerned, and we are certainly valuable and precious to the Lord Jesus. But what about the practical application of everyday life and service…is it weighty and beneficial to others?

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

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

A New Song

“He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God” (Psalm 40:3).
“O sing unto the Lord a new song; for He hath done marvellous things” (Psalm 98:1).
“I will sing a new song unto Thee, O God”
(Psalm 144:9).

Our new song is not man-made, but one that Christ has put in our hearts. It’s a happy song and one that we’ll never get tired of singing for all eternity. It’s the song of the redeemed, those who are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ.

There never has been a song in the history of man that has been able to give God the praise that He deserves. He gave up His own Son and punished Him for our sins so that we could go free. And after we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, He puts the new redemption song in our mouth that gives praise to Him. Redemption is God’s work and the song is His. Let’s praise Him with it today. “Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of saints” (Psalm 149:1).