Young People’s Blog

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).

The parable of the sower is recorded in Luke’s gospel as well as in Matthew and Mark, and here in Luke the Lord Jesus speaks of those who keep the Word with “an honest and good heart.” However, in Jeremiah we are told that our hearts are “desperately wicked.” How then can some people have an honest and good heart?

The answer is that when we receive the good seed, which is the Word of God, the Spirit of God uses that Word to give us a new life in Christ. That new life gives us a new heart—a heart that wants to please the Lord, and will bring forth fruit for God. We still have the old sinful nature, and it will struggle to display itself in our lives, but God is there to help us to keep that old nature in the place of death. The old nature can never be improved; it remains desperately wicked, but we can be thankful for our new life in Christ—an honest and good heart.

“And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes…And He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled” (Matthew 15:34,36-37).

I am sure most of you are familiar with this story, but if you have not read it, it takes only a few minutes to read it in Matthew 15. We learn a good lesson from the way the Lord Jesus fed the people. As God, He could have made bread and fish simply by speaking the word; He did not have to start with the loaves and fishes that someone had brought.

However, our Lord started with what the disciples had, and then by His divine power made it grow into enough food for thousands of people. It is often that way in our own lives. We may not have enough resources to help others, or to do something for the Lord. Rather than being discouraged and giving up, we should start with what we have, and then trust the Lord to multiply it. I knew a Christian man once who was poor, and when we were talking about helping others, he said, “How can one poor man help another poor man?” He always thought of himself as a poor man, but we should not think that way. If the Lord wants us to do something, He will provide the resources, but He will often start with what we already have.

“Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man” (Matthew 15:11).

Many people today are very careful what they eat. There are many different “fad diets,” that promise various and amazing results! Some people do not eat certain foods simply because they do not like them. During the Covid pandemic, we washed our hands more frequently so as not to spread the virus unnecessarily. Yet many of those same people are not too concerned about the coarse and often foul language that comes out of their mouths.

In today’s verse, the Lord Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for insisting that people wash their hands before eating, while at the same time adding other traditions to the law that effectively took away the force of what the law said. He showed them clearly that what they said was far more serious than what went into their mouths. What comes out of our mouths comes from the heart, and even true believers can be guilty of using bad language that defiles them. As believers, we should let our new life in Christ dictate what comes out of our mouths.

“Then came His disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?” (Matthew 15:12).

As their leaders, the Pharisees taught the law to the people, but they had added a lot of human tradition to it. When the Lord Jesus pointed this out to them, they were upset, and as our verse today says, they were offended. We can react this way too, when we are doing something that is wrong, and someone points it out to us.

However, the Lord Jesus did not apologize. In fact, there is no record that the Lord Jesus ever apologized, for He never said or did anything that was wrong. He never had to take something back; He never said anything in the wrong tone of voice; He never used the wrong “body language” when He spoke. He was always perfect, as the Son of God.

When they told the Lord Jesus that the Pharisees were offended, He replied that they were “blind leaders of the blind.” This was a serious position to be in, for they eventually rejected the Lord Jesus, and demanded that He be crucified.

“And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. And He said, Come…But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught Him” (Matthew 14:28-31).

Probably you are already familiar with this story, when Peter walked on the water. It was a wonderful experience for him, but as the Bible tells us, when he saw the wind boisterous, and no doubt saw big waves on the water, he was afraid and began to sink.

This is a picture of how we are often afraid, when we are going through very difficult circumstances in our lives in this world. But just as Peter walked on the water, so the Lord calls us to rise above our circumstances, and to trust Him. Even if the water had been calm, Peter could not have walked on it without the Lord’s power. So also, we could not cope even with normal things in our lives without the Lord’s help. We need Him in every circumstance in our lives.

However, even when Peter’s faith failed, and he began to sink, he knew whom to call upon for help. The Lord immediately saved him, and He will save us too, if we call on Him for help in difficult times.

“And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Genesis 41:46).

If you go back to Genesis 37:2, you will find that Joseph was seventeen years old when he had his dreams, and it was probably about that time that his brothers sold him into Egypt. Since he was thirty years old when he became governor over the land of Egypt, that means that he was a slave, and later in prison, for thirteen years! That is a long time! Joseph must have wondered sometimes if all his trouble would ever come to an end.

This is a good lesson for us. Sometimes the Lord allows real difficulties in our lives, and perhaps they go on for a long time. Often we do not understand why the Lord is allowing all these problems, and maybe we too wonder when it will all end. But we must remember that just as the Lord brought blessing out of all Joseph’s trouble, so He is using everything in our lives for our good. He knows how difficult things can be sometimes, and we can be assured that He will be with us, and strengthen us, and teach us things that we could not learn any other way. Later on, like Joseph, we will thank Him for all the difficulties He allowed in our lives.

“And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck: and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 41:42-43).

It was a sudden and tremendous change for Joseph to be taken from prison, and made governor over all the land of Egypt. He had been sold into Egypt as a slave, then falsely accused, and put in prison. But the Lord allowed it all for blessing in the end. When he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, Pharaoh appointed him as governor over the whole land of Egypt.

We know that Joseph is one of the most beautiful pictures of the Lord Jesus. He came into this world as a man, and was also falsely accused, and eventually crucified. What an awful thing for men to do to an innocent man! But now God has highly exalted Him, and one day He will come back to this world to set up His kingdom. Just as everyone had to bow the knee before Joseph, so everyone will be compelled to honor the Lord Jesus, and submit to Him.

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

As I write this in May, 2023, a piece of news is fresh in my mind. In the U.S.A., there was a young girl of fifteen who liked to ride horses. She especially liked to ride horses over jumps. Just a few days ago, she was practicing some jumps with a big horse when the horse stumbled and started to fall. She fell off the horse, and the horse landed on top of her.

An average horse often weighs at least 1100 pounds (500 kg.), and when the horse landed on her head, she was killed instantly. It was an awful shock to everyone who saw it happen. When that girl got out of bed that morning, I am sure that she never expected to die that day. She was young and healthy, and no doubt looked forward to the enjoyment of riding her horse. Yet an accident occurred, and she was instantly in eternity.

God allows such tragedies to warn others of the shortness of time, and to emphasize the importance of accepting the Lord Jesus as our Savior now.

“And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29).

Our verse today has a solemn message that is similar to the one we had yesterday. The Lord Jesus was warning the Jews that many would come from all over the world, and receive the blessing of being in the kingdom of God, while many of those who had the greatest opportunity would not be able to enter in.

It will be the same for many who live in western countries today, and who have had a Christian testimony for hundreds of years. Sadly, there is not much interest in the gospel today in most of these countries. Many people in western Europe and North America have the idea that everyone will eventually go to heaven, and Satan is happy for them to believe this lie. Many in other parts of the world are glad to hear the gospel, and are accepting the Lord Jesus as their Savior.

In His talk to the people in Luke 13:24-30, the Lord Jesus warned the Jews who rejected Him that in a coming day, they themselves would be “thrust out,” while others from among the Gentiles would enjoy the blessing. In the same way, many in western countries will be shocked when they are denied entry to heaven, while others from all over the world are able to enter in. Have you accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior?

“And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day” (Matthew 11:23).

You may remember that back in the time of Abraham, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were so wicked that God destroyed them with fire and brimstone from heaven. You can read about this in Genesis 19. The only ones who were saved out of that city were Lot, his wife, and their two daughters. But then Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt because she looked back toward Sodom, when the Lord had specifically told them not to do so.

In our verse for today, the Lord Jesus told the Jews that if the mighty works that they had seen Him do had been done in Sodom, they would have repented, and the city would not have been destroyed. This is very solemn, for Capernaum was the city where the Lord Jesus lived, and yet they did not believe. They probably saw more of Him than anyone else, and this made them much more responsible.

Today you and I know all about the Lord Jesus, for the record of what He did when He was in this world is given to us in the Word of God. We have the Bible in our hands in North America, and we can readily get a copy and read it. Yet many are indifferent to God’s claims upon them, and will not come to the Lord Jesus. An awful judgment will fall upon such people, for they have had such a wonderful testimony to God’s grace and love.