Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

February 26, 2019

2/26/2019

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son (Rev. 21:7).

    Continual victory is the privilege of God's children. Let us remember the words of the apostle Paul: "Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ" (2 Cor. 2:14). This is not an up-and-down experience, but a day-by-day victory and triumph.

    Our Savior "knew that the life of His trusting disciples would be like His, a series of uninterrupted victories, not seen to be such here, but recognized as such in the great hereafter" (The Desire of Ages, p. 679).

    What will overcomers inherit? "All things." Some of the things to be inherited are mentioned in this same twenty-first chapter of Revelation: free access to the water of life; complete separation from unbelief, from the unclean, from deception, from idolatry, from falsehood, from crime and murder; the gift of a painless world, a sorrowless world, a deathless world, a tearless world.

    The reward is great because the victory is great. Victories that are worth having are the result of hard battles. After the decisive victory on Lake Erie in the War of 1812, Commodore Perry announced the result to General Harrison in these words: "We have met the enemy, and they are ours." So Christ could have said; and soon all of His followers will be able to say the same.

    Notice, the overcomer does not earn all things; he inherits all things. The servant earns; the son inherits. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:1). Through faith we are born again, become the sons and daughters of God, and inherit all things by right of birth.

    Can we all be overcomers? Yes. How? By the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (Rev. 12:11). If we reign with Christ there, we must stand up for Him here.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Thou God of my salvation:...my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness" (Ps.51:14).

February 25, 2019

2/25/2019

Above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (Eph. 6:16).

    The apostle Paul is describing the spiritual equipment of the Christian warrior. Then, "above all," or over all the other armaments, he says, take "the shield of faith."

    We know that our adversary is always seeking to destroy us, so we are to be sober and vigilant, and to resist him. "Whom resist steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:9). The shield of faith is absolutely necessary to this resistance. "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). In overcoming the world, we overcome the prince of this world (verse 18).

    Martin Luther said, "The only faith which makes a Christian is that which casts itself on God for life or death." How shall we get this shield of faith? Where shall we find it? Listen to the Word of God: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Let us open the door of Holy Scripture, and there we shall find the shield hanging on the wall.

    Dwight L. Moody once said: "I suppose if all the times I have prayed for faith were put together, it would amount to months. I thought that someday faith would come down and strike me like lightening. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, 'Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' I had closed my Bible and prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since." We are not only to pray for faith but to seek for it in the Holy Scriptures.

    Our enemy is likely to attack at any time, so let us not forget the shield.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation" (Ps. 18:35).

February 24, 2019

2/24/2019

In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness (Zech. 13:1).

    Was this fountain opened in due time? "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3).

    "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water" (John 19:34). "Being...justified by his blood" (Rom. 5:9). "In whom we have redemption through his blood" (Eph. 1:7). We have "peace through the blood of...[the] cross" (Col. 1:20). We "enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19). "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). He has redeemed us by His blood from every nation (Rev. 5:9). We are washed "white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:14).

    And so the blessed fountain flows on forever and for all. Dr. Plummer, of Philadelphia, preaching before Congress, took as his text, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isa. 1:18). He said, "Some weeks ago I used this text as the basis for a sermon in an Eastern penitentiary, and I see no reason for not using it here."

    This fountain is to cleanse sin and uncleanness in high and in low alike. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross is the one and only sacrifice, made once and for all. This cleansing fountain in the house of David is Christ and His redemption.

                                There is a fountain filled with blood,
                                        Drawn from Immanuel's veins;
                                And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
                                        Lose all their guilty stains.
                                                                    ___William Cowper

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation" (Ps. 85:7).

February 23, 2019

2/23/2019

The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself (Prov. 11:25).

    There need be no fear of overweight here. It is the liberal soul that shall be made fat. If we help others, we shall be helped. If I consider the poor, the Lord will consider me. If I feed His flock, He will feed me. "Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:38).

    A traveler was seeking a new community in which to live. He met an old man by the wayside and said: "Good morning, sir. I should like to settle in this community. What kind of people live here? I hope better than the place I left."

    "What kind of people were they?"

    "Terrible--cheats, gossips, never gave anyone a chance."

    "Don't stop here," said the old man. "The people here are no different from those you left."

    Later in the day another traveler greeted the same old man. "Good afternoon," he said. "I am looking for a good community where I may live in quiet. What is it like here?"

    "How were the people you left?"

    "They were the finest I have known--always willing to help in trouble. Like all human beings, of course, they made mistakes; but they were so honest and sincere I hated to leave them."

    "Well, then," said the old man, "this is the place for you. These people are no different from those you left."

    As we give, it shall be given. As we do, it shall be done to us. This is the law and the prophets, the golden rule, the facts of life, and the promise of our Lord Himself.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright" (Ps. 18:25).

February 22, 2019

2/22/2019

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever (Dan. 12:3).

    To be wise with the wisdom that God bestows and to be a winner of souls--what more glorious attainment? Does my service for God, my testimony, actually win people to Christ? Is it effective?

    When Sir. Astley Cooper, the famous British surgeon, was asked by another surgeon how many times he had performed a certain wonderful feat of surgery, he replied, "Thirteen times."

    "But sir, I have done that operation 160 times."

    "I saved 11 of the 13," said Sir Astley. "How many of your 160 did you save?"

    "Ah, sir, I lost them all; but the operation was very brilliant."

    Of how many popular ministers might the same be said. Souls are not saved, but the preaching is very brilliant. People who try to shine here are not apt to shine hereafter. The wisdom of God in a human life leads to the salvation of souls. "God does not accept the most splendid service unless self is laid upon the altar, a living, consuming sacrifice....While worldly ambition, worldly projects, and the greatest plans and purposes of men will perish like the grass, 'they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever' " (Gospel Workers, p. 371).

    Not only like a star, but like the stars--the whole firmament itself. Look up at the clear sky tonight, and think of this wonderful promise. Think of the magnitude of the stars, their distance, their unchanging glory! In their brightness, majesty, and inconceivable antiquity they remind us of their Creator, the Ancient of days. They proclaim the glory of God forever and ever, and so also will those who win souls for Christ.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Ps. 90:12).

February 21, 2019

2/21/2019

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such and hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh (Matt. 24:44).

    These words of promise urge preparedness. We are not only to get ready, but to be ready to stay ready. The coming of the Son of man will surprise even believers. "In such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."

    The war was over. The men were coming home. One little girl, anxious to meet her brother who had been gone for three years, asked her mother what dress she should wear. "Your white dress," said the mother. "I'll meet Bob at the dock. You wait for us here at home."

    It seemed like a long wait. In warming some chocolate to drink, Mary spilled it all over her dress. Just then her mother and long-awaited brother came up the steps. Frantically Mary ran and hid in the closet. Her brother just must not see her in that soiled dress. "Mary, Mary, where are you?" she heard him call. But she just crept farther back into the closet. "Mary, dear, where are you? Here's Bob." It was her mother's voice this time.

    Finally they found her, sobbing as though her heart would break.

    "What are you doing in here?" her brother asked.

    "Oh, Bob, I'm so ashamed. My dress is all ruined. I wanted to be clean and pretty when you came home."

    Our Lord warns us that He will come in such an hour as we think not. We shall have no time to get ready then. We must be ready. "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming" (1 John 2:28). "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, but my Father only." "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Matt. 24:36, 42).

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake" (Ps. 6:4).

February 20, 2019

2/20/2019

Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight (Prov. 12:22).

    The Lord is "the God of truth" (Isa. 65:16). All His works are truth (Dan. 4:37). The Holy Word of God is the "scripture of truth" (Dan. 10:21). His Holy Spirit is called "the Spirit of truth" (John 16:13). All the true children of God in this world are "of the truth" (1 John 3:19) and bear witness to the truth (John 18:37). In praying for His disciples, our Lord said, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17).

    All this being true, it is no wonder that lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. God's character is truth, and falsehood is the direct opposite. The lie represents the character of the devil. He was the world's first liar, and it is quite plain that he was heaven's first liar too, since he was cast out of heaven (Luke 10:18).

    Jesus said to certain important people: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44).

    Of all true Christians it can be said that their word is as good as their bond. If their words and acts are not truth itself, they do not represent Christ, who was the living truth itself. We are to walk in the truth (3 John 3). We are to speak the truth with our neighbors (Eph. 4:25), but always in love (verse 15). Someday lying lips will be put to silence (Ps. 31:18). May God keep the door of our lips (Ps. 141:3)!

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (Ps. 51:6).

February 19, 2019

2/19/2019

  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (Isa. 55:7).

    Isaiah is the gospel prophet, and here he preaches the gospel with power. What a mighty appeal is this to sinners: "Let the wicked forsake his way." It is something they can do, or God would not command them to do it. The Lord does not demand something that sinners cannot do. Let them forsake their way; but they cannot unless their thoughts are changed. So the sentence continues with "and the unrighteous man his thoughts." "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7).

    One reason for much backsliding is that sinners try to reform their ways without a change of heart or mind. The heart must be converted, changed, or turned around before the ways can be God's ways. But they must not only turn away from their way and thoughts; they must return unto the Lord. It is not in human beings to direct their own ways (Jer. 10:23). If they do not come to the Lord when they turn from sin, their last state will be worse than their first (Matt. 12:45). Do not hold back because you are afraid that God will not accept you. There is no doubt about it--"He will have mercy" upon you is the promise of our text.

                                There is welcome for the sinner,
                                        And more graces for the good;
                                There is mercy with the Savior;
                                        There is healing in His blood.
                                                                    __Fredrick W. Faber

    God will pardon--and not only pardon, but "abundantly pardon." So come to the Lord, and come today!

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God" (Jer. 31:18).

February 18, 2019

2/18/2019

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14).

    Here in this life the punishment of sin is that it brings a person under its power. Sin will reign anywhere it can, but it is not satisfied with any authority less than the throne of the heart. For that reason the apostle warns, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof" (verse 12).

    We are to reckon ourselves dead unto sin since God has reckoned us righteous through faith in Christ (Rom. 4:9). Sin is the transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4), and sin is a universal curse, because "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Therefore, all the world is under the condemnation of the law and thus guilty before God (Rom. 3:19). But now, believing in Jesus Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, we are justified by faith (Gal. 3:8), and the law cannot condemn us.

    "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9). Now, therefore, "being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24), we are to live for God. No longer are we to yield to sin. The old nature, the former life as a slave under the power of sin, is dead, and we are risen to "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4).

    God's grace, greater than all our sins, makes us free from the condemnation of past sin and enables us to live victoriously day by day. It is when sin has dominion over us that we are "under the law" in the meaning of this text. But when that tyrannous dominion is broken by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, we re not longer under the law, but under grace. May God give us this victory forever and ever!

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great" (Ps. 25:11).

February 17, 2019

2/17/2019

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler (Ps. 91:4).

    Have you ever seen little chick peeping out from their mother's feathers? Remember their little whispers of contented joy? How warm and safe they were! In this figure the Lord shows His care for His own. Just as a hen spreads her wings over her brood and allows them to nestle there in safety, so the Lord will protect His people and encourage them to hide in Him. We may shelter ourselves in God and feel the deep comforting peace that comes from the knowledge that He is guarding us. We may sleep, for He is awake protecting us. We trust while He covers us. God Himself becomes our house and home and refuge and rest.

                                Under His wings I am safely abiding;
                                        Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
                                Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me;
                                        He has redeemed me, and I am His child.
                                                                                __Rev. W. O. Cushing

    From this place of safety we go out to war in the Lord's name and cause, and His care follows us in that, too.  We need protection from all the fiery darts of the enemy. When we trust God implicitly, we find that His truth is our shield and buckler.

        We are protected in His truth and by His truth. God cannot lie. His Word "is true from the beginning" to he end (Ps. 119:60). His promises never fail; they must stand forever. His sure truth is all the shield we need. How important it is, then, to receive it, to read it, to hold it in our hearts.

    Come, friend, let us hide under those great wings until earth's calamities be overpassed.

MEDITATION PRAYER: "They that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee" (Ps. 9:10).