Young People’s Blog

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:25).

In the year 1897, a group of sailors from Belgium, led by a man named Adrien de Gerlache, made a historic journey to the Antarctic to see if they could be the first ones to reach the South Pole. He and his men hoped to achieve fame, not only for themselves, but also for their native country of Belgium.

In the course of their epic journey, they spent a winter with their ship frozen into the pack ice, and endured terrible hardships. Two men died, several others suffered from insanity, and all of them aged considerably over the two years of their voyage. They did not succeed in reaching the South Pole. They went through all this simply to have their names remembered in history as great explorers. Later several of them resorted to underhanded means, and even lying, to make themselves appear more important than the others on the trip.

How different all this is for true Christians! Those men endured much for human glory, and for a reward that was limited to this world. How much better it is to use our time and energy for the Lord’s interests down here, and to look forward to a crown that will last for eternity! Also, there is no need for us to try to make ourselves look important. The Lord has the record straight, and we can rest in that.

“I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in….Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people” (1 Kings 3:7,9).

These words were spoken by a young king named Solomon, who was less than twenty years of age. His coming to the throne followed major confusion in Israel. His brother Adonijah wanted to be king and was put to death. Then Joab, his father’s army captain, turned traitor, and he too was killed. Abiathar, the priest of long-standing, had to be taken from his position. And of course, Solomon’s coming to the throne was on the death of his beloved father, King David.

That was a lot to happen to a teenager, just anointed king! But the Lord appears to him in a dream and asks what he would like to be given. He humbly recognizes that he is weak, and just asks for wisdom to govern God’s people. We all know how abundantly this request was granted, and Solomon received so very much more.

Today, “self-confidence” is promoted as such a desirable character trait. However, confidence in God and His power and love is a better basis on which to build. We will then carry ourselves as “sons of God.” That is confidence without the “self”!

“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:21).

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they brought death into this world, and every individual born into this world since then has been subject to death. The Lord had told them that this would be the penalty for eating of the forbidden fruit, and so it happened.

But God had already planned for redemption for man, and since it was man who brought death into this world, God ordered that blessing and resurrection would also come by a Man—His own beloved Son. The Lord Jesus came into this world as a man, suffered for sin as a man, was put into a grave, and then rose from the dead as a man. He is now risen and seated at God’s right hand in heaven, and all who trust in Him will also rise with bodies of glory, when He comes back to take every true believer to be with Him. What a mighty power is His in resurrection! Every individual born into Adam’s race is subject to death, but all who put their trust in the Lord Jesus will be made alive.

“God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

Since the Lord Jesus came into this world as a man, He has revealed the heart of God in love and grace to man. God has made Himself known as a “Savior-God” in this time of His grace. As such, His desire is for all men to be saved. The gospel of His grace can now go out to the whole world, and whosoever will may come to Christ and have their sins forgiven.

However, the verse does not end here, and many seem to forget that. God not only wants all to be saved, but also wants all men to “come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Christianity is much more than simply “a fire escape from hell.” God is forming His church today, and has much more for us to enjoy than simply to know our sins forgiven. He wants us to have a personal relationship with Him, and to enjoy all the blessings He has for us in Christ.

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men: for kings, and for all that are in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

When you pray, do you ever pray for the government of your country, and for the people who are in authority over us in this world? Most people in the world find many things for which to criticize their government, but probably not very many remember to pray for them.

Here in our verse for today we are reminded to pray for them. It was God who set up government in this world, and it is for our good. But sometimes governments allow religious freedom, and sometimes they persecute Christians. We are to pray for them, in order that Christians may “lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 1:2). While God may allow persecution sometimes, He does not want to see His children suffer. We are to pray that the government may allow us to have liberty, and not only liberty for ourselves, but also for those in other countries of the world. The Christian is not to take part in government today, but we are to pray for them.

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15).

In the first chapter of this epistle to Timothy, Paul is reminding Timothy of his (Paul’s) past, before he was saved. Paul had been a wicked man, for he had been persecuting Christians. Some he had put in prison, and others he had killed. It is true that he had done it ignorantly, thinking he was doing the right thing. But because he had committed this awful sin, he could rightly call himself “the chief of sinners”. Yet the grace of God was able to save him, and make him into a preacher of the gospel. Paul was really saying to Timothy, “If I can be saved, anyone can be saved!”

This is true, and for this reason we can preach the gospel to all the world. Yesterday we mentioned men like Hitler and Stalin, who were each responsible for the deaths of millions of people. Yet if they had turned to Christ, there is enough power in His blood to wash away the sins of even all those murders. Truly the gospel we can preach today is “the glorious gospel of the blessed God” (1 Timothy 1:11).

“Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after” (1 Timothy 5:24).

Some people in this world have committed very serious sins—sins that are publicly known. Although he has been dead for more than 75 years, many people knows the name of Adolf Hitler, and the terrible things he did. Stalin has been dead for more than 70 years, yet most people know his name too. The sins of those like Hitler and Stalin are indeed “open beforehand.”

However, there are many others who are living outwardly upright lives, yet have their secret sins which others do not know about. But the Lord knows them, and has kept a careful record. Unless they repent and receive Christ as their Savior, God will judge them for those secret sins, just as He will judge those whose sins are public knowledge. We cannot hide anything from God.

How good it is to know that if we have accepted Christ as our Savior, all our sins have been washed away in the precious blood of Christ. God says that He will not remember them anymore!

“That in all things He might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18).

The word “preeminence” is not a word that we commonly use today, but it simply means to have the first place. It is the purpose of God for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to have the first place. We know that He will have the first place, both in this world and in heaven, after He has acted in judgment on those who have not accepted Him as Savior.

However, it is important that the Lord Jesus have the first place in our hearts now. At the moment this world has rejected Him, and when you and I honor the Lord Jesus by our walk and actions, we are going against the thoughts of this world. But it is a privilege to honor Him now, for He has done so much for us. If we reverence Him now, others will notice this, and perhaps will want to know more about Him. Also, the Lord Jesus will reward those who honor Him during the time He is rejected. Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 2:12, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him.”

“Ephraim is a cake not turned” (Hos. 7:8).

Normally today, when we wish to bake a cake, we put it into an oven where the heat is properly distributed, and the cake bakes evenly from all sides. However, when we are making pancakes, we often use a griddle or a frying-pan. Since the heat comes only from one side of the griddle, it is necessary to flip the pancake after a minute or so, in order to cook it on both sides. If we fail to do this, the pancake will be cooked only on one side, and may be mushy and runny on the other side.

The name Ephraim is often used to represent a group of the tribes in Israel who had departed from the Lord. They had failed to keep separate from the nations around them, and were thus like a cake not turned. One side was for the Lord, and the other side for this world. The Lord had to condemn them for this kind of living.

As Christians we too can be like this. We can be half for the Lord and half for this world, and the Lord does not like this kind of cake. He wants us to be completely for Him! Let us not be like Ephraim!

“Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).

We live in a very wooded area, and during the past three weeks we had two good-sized trees come down. Both times a sudden strong wind came up and ripped through the property. We heard a loud snapping and cracking noise each time as a tree came down. Each tree that came down was surrounded by other trees about the same size and age, but each time only one tree broke off and fell down. There seemed to be no reason for those specific trees to fall.

We look around us in everyday life, and we may see some people suffering while others are doing well. We see those who have many difficulties while others seem to be sailing through life easily. Why am I having problems while others are not? Or why is someone else in a serious difficulty while I am preserved from all that?

For one thing, we often do not know what hidden problems others may be having. But the Lord has the right, as our Creator, Savior, and Friend, to do as He sees best for us in our lives.

We may need to pass through rough times so that we can sympathize with others. Or maybe the storm may pull us closer to the Lord Jesus. Perhaps the Lord is “pruning” us so we will be more like Him. Let us not question the storms, but ask the Lord to help us learn what He may be teaching us.