Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

August 17, 2019

8/17/2019

Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not: and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? (Luke 12:27, 28).

    Consider the lilies how they grow; the grass of the field, which is here for but a day. God gives beauty to nature, and will He not care for us? We need the faith of little children, who sing:

                                He paints the lily of the field,
                                        Perfumes each lily bell;
                                If He so loves the little flowers,
                                        I know He loves me well.
                                                                    __Maria Straub

    Jesus revealed God as a father, and we are His children. He taught us to pray, "Our Father which art in heaven" (Matt. 6:9). "What man is there," said Jesus, "if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matt. 7:9-11). What is our trouble? Lack of faith. "According to your faith be it unto you" (Matt. 9:29).

    In the days of the Reformation, Brentius of Wurttemberg, pursued by persecuting soldiers, hid is a hayloft, under the hay. The soldiers entered the place and ran their bayonets through the hay here and there without detecting him. Every day for 14 days a hen came and laid an egg within his reach. This was his only sustenance. When the supply ceased, he took it as a sign that it was safe for him to leave his hiding place. He found that the soldiers had just left town, and he was able to find safety.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Thou hast dealt well with thy servants, O Lord, according unto thy word" (Ps. 119:65).

August 16, 2019

8/16/2019

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, the Lord our righteousness (Jer. 23:5, 6).

    Jesus is the righteous branch. In His true name is His character, "The Lord our righteousness." No one will ever be saved in their own righteousness. It is all of God, for "their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord" (Isa. 54:17). "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3). And that's how we are righteous--it's accounted to us.

    People trusting to their own righteousness are like people seeking shelter under their own shadow. They may stoop even to the ground, but their shadow is still beneath them. When they flee to the shadow of the great rock or a widespreading tree, they find shelter from the noonday sun. So human merits are unavailing. Christ alone is able "to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him" (Heb. 7:25).

    Notice, His glorious name is "The Lord our righteousness." He is our righteousness, and there is only one way to receive it--by faith. "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17). The apostle Paul declares that this holy righteousness is "by faith of Jesus Christ...: whom God hath set forth to be propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God" (Rom. 3:22-25). Let every believer speak His matchless worth and sound His glories forth.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness" (Ps. 48:10).

August 15, 2019

8/14/2019

And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land (Isa. 32:2).

    Who could this man be but the Son of man, the "man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isa. 53:3), the Lord from heaven? Through His atoning sacrifice upon the cross He became a hiding place from the just wrath of God against sin. In His care we escape the troubles of life and even fear of death itself.

    We once camped in the shadow of a gigantic rock in the midst of a Western desert. There, hidden in a grotto, was a great pool of cool, pure water. In our weary pilgrimage, Jesus is like a great rock bringing us shade and the water of life.

    A party of travelers in North Africa was overtaken by a fierce simoom. The blinding sands rolled like an impenetrable cloud across the horizon and seemed to engulf the world. Just at that moment they came to a rude stone building that had been erected for the protection of desert travelers. They rushed into it, closed the door, and were safe.

    Great storms of trouble are to sweep this earth in the final days of its history, yet in the darkness, the tempest, and the terror will be heard a voice saying, "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast" (Isa. 26:20).

    For every believer, Jesus, the Son of man, is the rock of refuge, the hiding place for the soul in trouble. He is__

                                A shade by day, defense by night,
                                A shelter in the time of storm;
                                No fears alarm, no foes affright,
                                A shelter in the time of storm.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance" (Ps. 32:7).

August 14, 2019

8/14/2019

I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me (Prov. 8:17).

    Remember this: heavenly wisdom loves its lovers and seek its seekers. It has been said that one who seeks to be wise is already wise. If this is true of wisdom in general, certainly it must be true of the wisdom revealed in Jesus Christ, "who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). The gospel story is God's saving wisdom. The apostle says that the preaching of Christ crucified is foolishness to some, "but unto them which are called,...[He is] the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (verse 24).

    We do not need to go to any human philosopher for wisdom, for in Christ "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). And this wisdom is the true wisdom, which comes from above. It is our part, then, to seek this wisdom by seeking Christ, and by seeking Him early. In fact, we are to seek Him first, and the glorious reward is that we shall find Him. We should seek Him early in the day. Our very first thoughts on awakening should be of Him. We should seek Him by prayer and meditation and the study of His Word. We should seek Him early in life. We should teach our children the way to find the dear Savior, that their lives may be guided by His wisdom and love. Then in maturity and old age we should make Him first and last and best in everything. The great reward is that we shall find Him.

    A Chinese Christian was explaining to some friends that "Jesus is the invisible God, and God is the visible Jesus." This is a unique way of saying, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9), and "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30). God is unseeable, unhearable, unknowable, and untouchable, except in Christ.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is" (Ps. 63:1).

August 13, 2019

8/14/2019

  The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand (Ps. 37:23, 24).

    The word here translated "a good man" is literally "a hero," "a valiant man." As John Bunyan put it: "Mr. Valiant-for-the-truth." God delights in his way. That's why he must prosper, even though he goes through many trials, as did Joseph (Gen. 39:2-6, 21-23).

    Notice, this promise does not assure a good person that they will never fail, but that if they do, they will not be "utterly cast down." The Lord will take them by the hand and raise them again. We have a beautiful picture of this in Matthew 14:31. Peter was sinking beneath the angry waves, and Jesus stretched forth His hand to save him. Peter's short prayer may often be ours, "Lord, save me."

    The writer remembers receiving two terrific blows--one from falling on the ice in learning to skate, the other from a senior minister who gave some very hard, but much needed, rebuke. Both were hard to endure, but were blessed in their outcome.

    Stuart Hutchinson tells of his minister father, whose hobby was that of a vinedresser. Late in the winter he would cut the vines until it seemed that he would kill them, but when the next September came, the heavy clusters of grapes proved he was right in what he did. On the hill behind the house was a wild grapevine. One day Stuart said, "Father, why don't you trim that vine?"

    "Oh," he replied, "it isn't worth it."

    Sometimes when God sends disappointments and trials we think He doesn't love us; but remember, He is with us. When we fall we shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord will uphold us with His hand and bring blessing out of pain.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?" (Ps. 56:13).

August 12, 2019

8/14/2019

AUGUST 12

        The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant (Ps. 25:14).

    This promise does not mean that those who fear God will know all the secret things and mysteries of the universe to which He has given no key. Holy Scripture plainly declares that "the secret things belong unto the Lord our God" (Deut. 29:29). The meaning of this text is that the familiar intimacy of the Lord will be with His people. They will know Him as their heavenly Father and Friend.

    When Bishop Watts Ditchfield was a small boy, he was visiting one day at the home of an old woman who asked him to read a motto on the wall, "Thou God seest me." Then she said: "When you are older, people will tell you that God is always watching to see when you do wrong, in order to punish you. But I do not want you to think of it in that way. Always remember that God loves you so much that He cannot take His eyes off you."

    Jesus said to His disciples, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:15). It is in the intimacy of friendship that God reveals His secret of salvation to His people. "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself," said Jesus (John 7:17). Even the glorious gospel "is hid to them that are lost" (2 Cor. 4:3). They cannot see it. The secret of the Lord is not with them. But God promises to show His covenant to all who fear Him. His close relationship with His people is revealed especially in His communication to them by His Spirit of the covenant of salvation, which cannot be known by mere human reason, for "the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Rom. 8:16).

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance" (Ps. 89:15).
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August 11, 2019

8/14/2019

  The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way (Ps. 25:9).

    This promise includes guiding and teaching; but meekness, a willingness to be guided and taught, is necessary if these two blessings are to be ours. Moses had to endure many hardships before he learned meekness. Then not only was he led by God but he was able to lead others.

    The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night not only went with the children of Israel but led them. But they had to be willing to be led before God worked this miracle for them. The star led the Wise Men to Christ, but they were willing to follow it.

    To the extent that God's children are meek and teachable, to that extent will they be taught and guided. The proud learn little, for "pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). Meekness is revealed in different ways. We read of the meekness of love (1 Cor. 13:5, 7), of wisdom (James 3:13), of teaching (2 Tim. 2:25), of self-restraint (Ex. 23:4-9; Prov. 6:32), of long forbearing (Prov. 25:15). We have the examples of Joseph, Moses, David, and above all, of Jesus, who when reviled, upbraided not, and when crucified, prayed for His murderers.

    We may know many things--the arts and sciences; but if we would know God's way, we must become as little children, listening to and obeying His will.

    A missionary in Jamaica, examining some schoolchildren, asked the question "Who are the meek?" One boy answered, "Those who give soft answers to rough questions." We might add, Those also who are willing to learn from the rough teachers that God sometimes uses to guide and educate His saints. But the reward at last will be great, for it is written, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5).

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works" (Ps. 119:27).

August 10, 2019

8/14/2019

  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end [or as the Revised Version puts it, "a future and a hope," or a happy future] Jer. 29:11.

    No matter how things seem to us, God knows what He is doing. He knows what He has in mind. He knows that His thoughts toward us are good, and not evil, to give us a happy future. This is His expectation, and it should be ours. He is planning for it all the time.

    Things may be going hard, but remember___

                                ...Behind the dim unknown,
                                Standeth God within the shadow,
                                    keeping watch above His own.
                                                            ___James Russell Lowell

    And He has promised with every trial to make a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13). He has promised never to leave us, nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

    Rowland Hill tells of a rich man and a poor man of his congregation. The wealthy man came to him with a sum of money that he wished to give to the poor brother, and he asked the pastor to give it as he thought best, either all at once or in small amounts. Mr. Hill sent the poor man a 5-pound note with the message "More to follow." Every few month a remittance was sent with the same notation, "More to follow." Now, that's grace. God's grace is like that--more to follow.

    God's thoughts follow us all the time, and we are to have faith that "God's tomorrow will be better thantoday." His thoughts toward us are "thoughts of peace, and not of evil," to give us a happy future, an expected end.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God" (Ps. 40:17).

August 9, 2019

8/14/2019

Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine (Prov. 3:9, 10).

    Riches, gain, earnings, are really a crystallization of ourselves, our energies, our thoughts, our heartbeats. If we really honor the Lord ourselves, we shall honor Him with our increase.

    Notice, the firstfruits are His. God is to be first and last and best in everything. There is much instruction in the inscription on an old Italian tombstone:

                                What I gave away I saved;
                                What I spent I used;
                                What I kept I lost.

    You see, giving to the Lord is but transporting our goods to a higher floor, which is the only place for safekeeping. We cannot place our gifts in the hand of God personally. Everything we give to God must be used for humanity. Christian stewardship is the practice of systematic, proportionate giving of time, abilities, material possessions, as a trust from God, to be used in His service here on earth.

    Here is David Livingstone's testimony: "I will place no value on anything that I have or possess, except in relation to the kingdom of Christ. If anything that I have will advance that kingdom, it shall be given or kept, as by giving or keeping it I shall best promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes, both for time and eternity."

    God gave His Son. The Son gave Himself. Let us be like those of old who "first gave their own selves to the Lord" (2 Cor. 8:5) and then honored Him with their substance in helping others who were in greater need than they themselves.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor" (Ps. 68:10).

August 8, 2019

8/14/2019

  Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be (Deut. 33:25).

    God's children are princes of the royal blood. They are kings and priests. Their strength shall be as their days, that is, in proportion to the burden and stress of the day. Unexpected emergences? Yes, and unexpected strength. Long-drawn-out labors and sufferings? Yes, and long-drawn-out strength and endurance to meet them.

    Where does it all come from? From God. "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33:27). No matter how far down we may have sunk, lower still are the everlasting arms, holding us, lifting us to the very heart of God.

    A little lad trudged behind his father and his father's friend across a field. They came to a drainage ditch, and the men went across it in their stride. But the boy knew his limitations--the length of his legs. In a voice that could not be denied, he cried, "Daddy, my legs are too short." Instantly the father was by his side, lifting him over the ditch.

    Often we find some problem too big for us, some ditch we cannot cross alone. Then we find our heavenly Father more willing to help us than we are to ask. When we seem to be going down in despair, suddenly we realize that underneath us are those everlasting arms.

    Blind Milton spoke of that Glorious Presence, and John Henry Newman sang:

                                So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
                                        Will lead me on
                                O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
                                        The night is gone.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up" (Ps. 94:18).