Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

July 21, 2019

7/21/2019

The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever (Ps. 37:29).

    Notice, this is a double promise. First, "the righteous shall inherit the land"; second, they shall "dwell therein for ever." They do not buy it, discover it, merely take possession of it, claim it, see it, hope for it; but they inherit it, and their dwelling in it is never to be disturbed.

    What is the land that they inherit? God promised Abraham the land of Canaan (Gen. 13:14-17), a land that He would afterward show him. But this land of Canaan was a type, a symbol, of the entire world, for we read in Romans 4:13 that the promise to Abraham was "that he should be the heir of the world," and that this promise came through faith. This promise was not only to Abraham and his seed, but to all those who are of faith through Christ. So the promise is by grace. "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all" (Rom. 4:16).

    So all Christians have inherited the right to a part of Abraham's farm, or to a part in all of it. They are heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17) to the inheritance of the land, the entire world. With this promise we remember the words of Christ, "Blessed are the meek: For they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5). This is really a parallel to our promise text for today.

    The usurper still claims authority in this world, but Jesus came that "he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14). The earth will be renewed and brought back to its Edenic beauty as the eternal home of the saved. It is by faith that we become citizens of God's spiritual kingdom now and are assured a place in His kingdom of glory soon to come.


MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed" (Ps. 74:2).

July 20, 2019

7/20/2019

  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy (Matt. 5:7).

    You see, God will measure us with our own bushels, as someone has said. "He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy" (James 2:13)

    We must remember the two bears, bear and forbear. Surely we wish to be blessed and have mercy extended to us. If we fulfill the condition, we shall experience the beatitude. It is our privilege to be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful (Luke 6:36). And this mercy is to be shown "with cheerfulness" (Rom. 12:8). In the parable of the good Samaritan the true neighbor was the one who showed mercy to a stranger.

    Alexander Whyte, of Edinburgh, tells of an interview with a fine Christian man in his congregation who had given much for good causes and had helped many poor people in need. One day, after finishing some church business, he looked at the minister with earnest eyes and said, "Now, have ye any word for an old sinner?"

    "It took my breath away," said Whyte, "for I knew he was an old saint. But the paradox of grace is that the greatest saints feel themselves the greatest sinners. So I arose and held up my hand to him, and said, 'He delighteth in mercy' (Micah 7:18), and left the room. The next morning I received a letter from him. I have it on my desk. It read: 'Dear Friend: I will never doubt Him again. The sins of my youth--the sins of my youth. I was near the gates of hell, but that word of God comforted me, and I will never doubt Him again. I will never despair again. If the devil casts my sins in my teeth I will say, "Yes, it is all true, and you cannot tell the half of it, but I have to do with One who delighteth in mercy." ' "

    Whyte declared that that letter sanctified his desk.



MEDITATION PRAYER: "For thou, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee" (Ps. 86:5).

July 19, 2019

7/19/2019

The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself (Prov. 14:14)

    That's the trouble with backsliding. That's why it's such a miserable condition. Nobody enjoys it. Backsliders are filled with their own ways. "The symptoms of spiritual decline," says Dr. Payson, "are like those which go with a decline of bodily health. First, loss of appetite for spiritual food, prayer, reading of the Scriptures, concern for others. When we see these symptoms we should be alarmed. Our spiritual health is in danger. We should go at once to the Great Physician for a cure."

    On the other hand, there is much satisfaction in the service of God. Why do so many professed Christians look dissatisfied, gloomy, tense, and sad? If we are to be satisfied in the Lord's presence hereafter, why not be happy in His service now?

    A wealthy woman, unfortunately deaf, made good use of her riches by providing for some excellent gospel services in a mission hall in London. On one occasion a well-known minister asked her, "What part do you take in this noble work?"

    "Oh," she answered, "I smile them in, and I smile them out again."

    It was not long before the minister saw the result of her sympathy, for great crowds gathered in the hall night after night and looked delighted to get a smile from her.

    You know, friends, the bread of life and the water of life cannot be recommended to others by people who look as if the food and drink disagreed with them.

    We are to be satisfied with the goodness of God's house (Ps. 65:4). Jesus was satisfied with the travail of His soul (Isa. 53:11). And when He dwells in our hearts by faith we should be satisfied, and happy, too.



MEDITATION PRAYER: "O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Ps. 90:14).

July 18, 2019

7/18/2019

  As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem (Isa. 66:13).

    When Thomas Carlyle lay dying, he was asked if there was anything he wanted. Turning his face to the wall, the granite of his old Scotch heart broke up and he sobbed, "I want ma mither; I want ma mither!"

    We can see how God is a father, but He comforts us as a mother also. Of all the comfort that a child loves best, it's Mother. One father can testify that, when for a good while the mother was away from home, the children would come to him with their little sorrows, accidents, aches, and pains; but just as soon as the mother returned, whenever they were hurt or had a childish heartbreak, they would run right past him, crying, "Where is Mother? Where is Mother?"

    In this text God invites us to the unreserved confidence, to the holy familiarity, to the sacred rest, that His great father-mother heart longs to give. Sometimes we can respond only with sighs and sobs, but He does not despise them. He understands our tears and remembers that we are dust (Ps. 103:14). He can deal with our false and broken hearts much better than even our own mothers can.

    Let us not try to bear our grief alone, but let us come to Him who is so gentle, so kind, so understanding. And let us invite others, that they too may be comforted with "the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (2 Cor. 1:4).

    Why not more sermons from our pulpits, in our homes, in our lives, from Isaiah 40:1,2: "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned"?


MEDITATION PRAYER: "Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant" (Ps. 119:76).

July 17, 2019

7/17/2019

I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it (Ps. 81:10).

    Sometimes we see little boys or girls unwilling to open their mouths to receive needful food or medicine. It takes a lot of urging, coaxing, or even authority to get them open. But look at the little birds when their mother comes home with food. All you can see is a nestful of mouths wide open. "Open thy mouths wide," says the Lord, "and I will fill it." This should be a great encouragement to us to pray--yes, to request great blessings of God. Prayer should be just as natural with us as opening the mouth. Realizing that our deserving are so small, we often ask only small things of God. We should always be ready to ask great things and expect to receive them.

    Notice the argument of the verse: God has already done great things for us, therefore He is ready to do still greater things. He invites us to ask for more--yes, to expect more.

    There are three things that should make us open our mouths wide for God's blessings, to request God's blessings and to receive them: our great need, our great spiritual hunger, and the fear that we shall lose the blessing of heaven.

    "Yes, we are praying for a revival," said a godly woman, "but we don't expect it."

                                Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah!
                                        Pilgrim through this barren land;
                                I am weak, but Thou are mighty;
                                        Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
                                Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,
                                        Feed me till I want no more.
                                                                __William Williams

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart" (Jer. 15:16).

July 16, 2019

7/16/2019

The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe (Prov. 29:25).

    Short's drugstore in Galveston, Texas, was open continuously day and night for 26 years. At the close of this period all their filled prescriptions were displayed, and above them was this sign: "Trusted 1 million times." No doubt there are individual Christians who could put up such a sign: "Trusted God 1 million times [or "2 million times," or "many million times"]. and He has never failed."

    Fear of other people brings a snare. "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish" (Ps. 146:3, 4). Even the best of people are only human. Their lives are brief, and their strength is small. That is one reason it is unsafe to trust even in ourselves. As D. L. Moody said: "Trust in yourself, and you are doomed to disappointment. Trust in your friends, and they will die and leave you. Trust in money, and you may have it taken from you. Trust in reputation, and some slanderous tongue will blast it. But trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity."

    When the prodigal son came home to his father's house, he was safe and sound. The only place of safety today is the place of trust, of faith in God.

                                Under His wings, O what precious enjoyment!
                                        There will I hide till life's trials are o'er;
                                Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me;
                                        Resting on Jesus I'm safe evermore.
                                                                            __W. O. Cushing

MEDITATION PRAYER: "For thou are my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth" (Ps. 71:5).

July 15, 2019

7/15/2019

He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them (Ps. 145:19).

    When a student one day entered Pasteur's laboratory, he found the great scientist bent over his microscope. Not wishing to disturb him, the young man started to leave. Pasteur looked up, and the student said, "I thought you were praying." Turning again to his microscope, the great but humble man of science replied, "I was."

    Prayer consists not only of words spoken, but of a constant attitude in the life of true Christians. Their desire is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. This desire is imparted by the Holy Spirit, therefore God will answer it. God-fearing people desire to be holy, to be useful to God, to be a blessing to others. They desire help in time of need, guidance in times of perplexity, deliverance in trouble. Sometimes these desires are so strong that they cry out in agony as a child might to its father or mother. Then the Lord hears and answers wondrously.

    Like Daniel, we are to be people of desires, and God will help us to realize them. If we fear God, we have nothing else to fear, for then our salvation will be certain, and that will be our chief desire. The Lord will hear our cry and will save us. Let us often have this great threefold promise upon our tongues. It will bless us as long as we live.

                                Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
                                        Unuttered or expressed;
                                The motion of a hidden fire
                                        That trembles in the breast.

                                Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
                                        The falling of a tear,
                                The upward glancing of an eye
                                        When none but God is near.
                                                                    __James Montgomery

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing" (Ps. 145:16).

July 14, 2019

7/14/2019

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:32, 33).

    These are the words of the holy angel Gabriel, "He shall be great." He had said these words also of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, but had added then, "in the sight of the Lord" (Luke 1:15). Now he omits this last phrase and adds, "[He] shall be called the Son of the Highest." Could there be any greater title than Son of the Most High? Our Savior is exalted above all the angel hosts, for "he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they" (Heb. 1:4). Through adoption we share with Him and become heirs of the kingdom.

    When Prince Oscar Bernadotte, brother of the king of Sweden, a very sincere Christian, was asked to speak to a great crowd, he said: "What have you come out to see? Is it that you wish to see the son of a king? Look well at me then, for that I truly am--a son of the father of your country and a son of the King of kings."

    And this king is to "reign over the house of Jacob for ever." Jacob stands for Israel, and his spiritual descendants include all those who believe. We see also that His kingdom is to be eternal. This is almost a direct quotation from Daniel 2:44: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,...and it shall stand for ever."

                                Oh, that with yonder sacred throng
                                        We at His feet may fall,
                                Join in the everlasting song,
                                        And crown Him Lord of all!
                                                        __Edward Perronet

MEDITATION PRAYER: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre" (Ps. 45:6).

July 13, 2019

7/13/2019

  And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord (Zech. 6:12).

    Pilate unconsciously used these very words, "Behold the man!" (John 19:5). In this prophetic promise of Zechariah, Joshua, the high priest, is a remarkable living prophecy of the Messiah. A crown is placed upon his head; a crown of thorns was placed upon the head of Jesus. This shows that He was both king and priest of the royal line of David. The coming Messiah, or Christ, is ere called "The Branch," as springing from the almost extinct royal line of David.

    The promise is that "he shall grow up," or spring up, not only from His place (Bethlehem or Nazareth), but by His own divine power. His miraculous conception seems to be prefigured here. For 30 years He who was practically unknown in an obscure village. He, the Messiah, who springs from such a humble origin, is to build the temple of the Lord. This He has done (1 Cor. 3:17; 2 Cor. 6:16). He is the foundation stone; in Him the whole temple fitly framed together literally grows (Eph. 2:20, 21). It is a living temple, the church of God, and every stone is a believer in Christ.

    Savonarola was once preaching to a great multitude in Florence. Suddenly he cried aloud, "It is the Lord's will to give a new head to this city of Florence." Then he paused a moment, and all was perfect silence. The people were in suspense. Continuing, he said, "That new head is Christ. Christ seeks to become your king." At those words the vast audience sprang to their feet shouting, "Long live Jesus, King of Florence!"

    While Jesus is rightful King, not only of Florence, but of every city in this world, and of all the world, He rules by His grace only in the hearts of those who acknowledge Him "both Lord and Christ."

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth" (Ps. 108:5).

July 12, 2019

7/12/2019

     And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely (Hosea 2:18).

    What a promise is this! The end of war. No more munition factories. No more inconceivable sums of military preparations. Peace even with the beasts of the earth, the fowls of heaven, and the creeping things on the ground. Real peace, world peace, eternal peace! But notice, it does not come from any association of nations. It does not come even from the will of people in their own works, but from God. "I will make a covenant," says the Lord. "I will will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth." To His followers Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you" (John 14:27). It is by this miracle of inward peace--first, peace with God, and then peace with one another--that the lives of God's children are transformed, and through them the world. It is only when the entire world is filled with people who have peace in their own hearts that there will be peace in the world. "There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked" (Isa. 48:22).

    In Kensington Garden, London, there is a picture of Waterloo a good while after the battle has passed. The grass and flowers have grown over the field. There is a dismounted cannon, and a lamb has come up from the pasture and lies sleeping at the very mouth of the cannon. So, when our souls stop warring with God, instead of the announcement "The wages of sin is death" come the words "My peace I give unto you." When sin is finally destroyed, war will be destroyed. The Isaiah's dream of 2,500 years ago will come to pass, for "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isa. 2:4). May God hasten the day.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence" (Ps. 140:13).