Christian greetings! How are you all doing? Time goes so fast! Jesus is coming soon and there is a world to warn. Do you remember what God’s Helping Hand means? We, as youth, are to be God’s helping hands, to go into the entire world and preach the gospel to ever human being. Then the end will come--the end of earthquakes, famines, wars, pestilence, tears, sorrow, unfairness, envy, pride, selfishness, weeds, pain, and the list goes on… May we each do our part!

The same commandments that Jesus said He came to fulfill and not break are the same commandments He gave from the beginning to human beings. Just as the Bible says "The Sabbath was made for man and not the man for the Sabbath" in the same way it applies to all the rest of the commandments.

Thanks for all the inspiration on GHH. It is always helpful.

In order to answer the question of this past issue I would like to share a few thoughts.

This will be a brief study. It would be good for each of us to go through the Bible in its entirety to find all the verses on this subject, but for now we will give the foundation and overview.

Isaiah 48:17, 18 " Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea."

Who is the Redeemer? In other verses He is called the Saviour and Redeemer and in Phil 3:20, specifically addressed as Jesus Christ.

Psalm 119:151 "Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth."

Deuteronomy 5:29 "O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!" (Sounds familiar doesn't it?)

Deuteronomy 6:6-8 "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes." (See also Revelation 7:3; 14:1. Opposite to the mark of the beast referred to in Revelation 14:9 )

The Ten Commandments given on Mt. Sinai are the same that Jesus referred to in Isaiah and John. He gave them. They were recorded on tablets of stone, but as we saw in Deuteronomy 6, and also in Hebrews 8:10, that God meant for them to be in our hearts, not on tables of stone.

When we love Jesus with all our heart, and soul and mind, He writes His law, His commandments on our hearts and by His Holy Spirit we are enabled to be doers of these, not just hearers (or memorizers) of them. Notice one of the final promises of the Scripture:

PJ

Both Flaviu and PJ brought out that these commandments were given to us for our good. Notice the following verses:

"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein… Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it." Jeremiah 6:16, 19

Why is evil brought on those who disobey God’s law? Is it because God is angry and wants revenge? No, it is the natural results, the fruits. If a parent tells a child not to touch a hot stove, and the child disobeys, what happens? The child is burned. Why? It is just the result of touching an element that is too hot.

Please send in your answers before or on April 13th so they can be published in the next issue.

Do you have any inspirational stories, poems, recipes, prayer requests, etc. that you would like to share?

"The Lord has appointed the youth to be His helping hand."

God bless you all and I look forward to hearing from you!

Kyla

"God’s Helping Hand" Editor

Hello friends! I realized yesterday that I was supposed to send this issue of God’s Helping Hand last week! I am late. L My apologies.

Please send in your ideas on how to make GHH more interesting. Do you have any suggestions for future theme questions? I can use some ideas!

I would like to keep a list of birthdays for you young subscribers. That way we can remember you and pray for you, and thank the Lord with you when you reach another milestone in your life. Please send your birthdates to me at kylajayne@yahoo.com. Thanks in advance!

Thank you for your replies, Flaviu and Jessica.

Flaviu’s answer is:

First and most important is how we live our lives. Everyone notices how one acts and they either choose to apply the same to their life or not. So by watching what we do around others is a great way to spread the gospel. Second is to grab a friend and talk to them. Or grab a friend and go door to door and hand out literature. There have been radio stations and or TV programs that spread the gospel. This email program is a very good one. There are many ways one can spread the word of God.

******************************************************************************

Jessica’s answer is:

There are so many ways of sharing the gospel with others. Following are a few examples. They may not all apply to you. Different methods are for different people, of different ages, living in different places, etc!

Through counsel and natural remedies, we can help people with their physical needs and reach their hearts.

Usually by an experienced Bible Worker, Minister, etc. or the simple sharing of the Bible truths we believe with those around us.

This would include door-to-door evangelism. Selling inspirational and educational literature, usually.

Many people are comforted and cheered by good Christian music. Singing in old age homes is a great way to reach elderly people.

Not many of us get to go across the ocean or into the dark corners of the earth. There are millions to reach out there!

• Publishing/writing work

Writing or publishing inspirational and educational books, pamphlets, etc.

Being able to teach children and young people can be an extra special opportunity. Not only do younger people accept new ideas easier, but they are more likely to have an influence on others, and will share with their families as well!

"Teachers should not feel that their duty is done when their pupils have been instructed in the sciences. But they should realize that they have the most important missionary field in the world. If the capabilities of all engaged as instructors are used as God would have them, they will be most successful missionaries. It must be remembered that the youth are forming habits which will, in nine cases out of ten, decide their future. The influence of the company they keep, the associations they form, and the principles they adopt, will be carried with them through life." Christian Education, pg. 31

Being a missionary in your home has got to be one of the most important. Showing kindness, helpfulness, etc. to your parents, siblings, or children. Being missionaries to each other!

Included here would be the ministry of raising a godly family. Much too little notice and appreciation goes to the hard-working parents. Really, though, they and God are cooperating in molding the future!

"Would that parents could realize that upon judicious, early training depends the happiness of both the parents and the children. Who are these little ones that are committed to our care? They are the younger members of the Lord's family. ‘Take this son, this daughter,’ he says, ‘nurse them for me, and fit them up 'that they may be polished after the similitude of a palace,' that they may shine in the courts of the Lord’ Precious work! Important work! Yet we see mothers sighing for a wider field of labor, for some missionary work to do. If they could only go to Africa or India, they would feel that they were doing something. But to take up the little daily duties of life, and to carry them forward faithfully, perseveringly, seems to them an unimportant thing. Why is this? Is it not often because the mother's work is so rarely appreciated? She has a thousand cares and burdens of which the father seldom has any knowledge. Too often he returns home bringing with him his cares and business perplexities to overshadow the family, and if he does not find everything just to his mind at home, he gives expression to his feelings in impatience and fault-finding. He can boast of what he has achieved through the day, but the mother's work, to his mind, amounts to little, or is at least undervalued. To him her cares appear trifling. She has only to cook the meals, look after the children, sometimes a large family of them, and keep the house in order. She has tried all day to keep the domestic machinery running smoothly. She has tried, though tired and perplexed, to speak kindly and cheerfully, and to instruct the children and keep them in the right path. All this has cost effort, and much patience on her part. She cannot, in her turn, boast of what she has done. It seems to her as though she has accomplished nothing. But it is not so. Though the results of her work are not apparent, angels of God are watching the careworn mother, noting the burdens she carries from day to day. Her name may never appear upon the records of history, or receive the honor and applause of the world, as may that of the husband and father; but it is immortalized in the book of God. She is doing what she can, and her position in God's sight is more exalted than that of a king upon his throne; for she is dealing with character, she is fashioning minds." Christian Education, pg. 171

Wherever we live, however old, however well or sick, God wants us to share our lives with others. Not only does God want us to do this, but the heart that truly loves God can not help but do these things. It may be as simple as doing the dishes for your mother when she’s tired, raking the neighbor’s leaves, or sending a card of encouragement to someone who is down. Carry a smile. You may be the only sunbeam in someone’s life. And, in all that, you may be the only Bible some people ever read!

May God be with you, and guide you into the area He wants you to work in. "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord." Colossians 3:23

Please send in your answers before or on March 16th so they can be published in the next issue.

Do you have any inspirational stories, poems, recipes, prayer requests, etc. that you would like to share?

"The Lord has appointed the youth to be His helping hand."

God bless you all and I look forward to hearing from you!

Kyla

"God’s Helping Hand" Editor