Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

September 10, 2019

9/10/2019

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth (Rev. 3:10).

    Do we keep the word of His patience? And can we expect His keeping power in the hour of temptation, which is about to came upon all the world? In Revelation 14:12 we read: "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." The hour of temptation and trial is just before us.

    In these days when the signs of the times proclaim that the coming of the Lord is near, this promise of the Savior is very dear, because the words of the next verse are: "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."

    If we keep Christ's word, He will keep us. A man in a dream once saw himself in a glass cage surrounded by furious foes. They sought with all manner of weapons to destroy him, but their weapons could not pierce the glass wall, so he looked out upon them with safety. That is how it is with the Christian. Jesus said: "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

    As the Israelites were safe in their houses under the mark of the blood when the destroying angel passed over, so God's people will be safe in this hour of trial and trouble that will some upon all the earth. The Lord's gracious invitation is: "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. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover the slain" (Isa. 26:20, 21). Those who have kept His word will be kept by the Word.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word" (Ps. 119:114).

September 9, 2019

9/9/2019

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isa. 40:31).

    They that wait upon the Lord are the servants of the Lord. They are to fly, and it takes strength to fly. In spiritual things not many of God's children "mount up with wings as eagles," but some do, and their strength is from God.

    But here's a place for more of them, those who run in His service. Those who "wait upon the Lord...shall run, and not be weary." Obedience to the Word of God sustains us in the race of life. "I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart" (Ps. 119:32).

    Most of us must walk, but that is the greatest accomplishment of all. The promise is "They shall walk, and not faint." The most difficult place in which to represent Christ is in the humdrum routine of everyday life. Those who mount up with wings as eagles have a great deal of encouragement and the thrill of accomplishment. They that run experience the speed, reach the goal, receive the applause of the onlookers. But they that walk--that's different! Someone has written a book entitled Blessed Be Drudgery, but about the only thing blessed in drudgery is that we may know the Blessed One, who will give us strength to walk and not faint.

    Jesus did not ride on His missionary journeys. He walked the dusty roads of Palestine, and finally His feet were nailed to the cross. If He could walk and not faint, so by His strength can we. One step at a time, one step after another, and at last we reach the gate of the city. Among millions in this motorized age walking has become a lost art, and unfortunately it is becoming a lost art spiritually in many cases. Those who walk in the light of truth here will walk in the light of the Holy City (Rev. 21:24).

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee" (Ps. 143:8).

September 8, 2019

9/8/2019

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them (Rev. 14:13).

    To the people of God, death is but a momentary sleep from which they wake to life immortal. Longfellow said, "The grave itself is but a covered bridge leading from light to light, through a brief darkness."

    Notice the three things promised to the dead in Christ: first, they are blessed; second, they rest from their labors and troubles; third, their works follow them. All who die in the Lord enter into blessedness. So if we live, we have the joy of God's service; if we die, we are blessed.

    Those who die in the Lord find rest from labor--the hard labor, the unpaid labor that sometimes seems to be so useless, yet is not so in the Lord's sight.

    But that isn't all--"their works do follow them." Drop a pebble into a pool, and the circling ripples reach out to all sides. Say a word, even think a thought, and its reverberations continue on and on into eternity. How much more, then, the works of God's children! Their deeds of kindness, their gifts of service, reach on to the eternity that awaits God's redeemed.

    Notice also the word "henceforth"; that is, from the time the great threefold message of the preceding verses goes to the world. From the time that this message starts, those who die in the Lord are especially blessed. How wonderful it is to carry a message that blesses even those who die in it, as well as those who remain alive until the return of our Savior.

    Someday soon it will be moving day for all of us--out of the palace, out of the beautiful home, out of the fine apartment, out of the tiny cabin, our of the attic, into "an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2 Cor. 5:1). Yes, it will be moving day.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!" (Ps. 139:17).

September 6, 2019

9/6/2019

  For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not (Isa. 30:15).

    The children of Israel would not accept God's plan, but we may. The worrying, fretting, questioning, tense, disturbed, troubled, fearing mind is the curse of our day. Many are like swimmers going down by struggling when they might float by faith. It is often well to keep a quiet tongue, but how much better to have a quiet heart. Remember the scripture that says, "Be still, and know that I am God:...I will be exalted in the earth" (Ps. 46:10).

    And confidence goes with quietness. During an earthquake the inhabitants of a small town were greatly disturbed and alarmed. At the same time they were surprised to see the quietness and apparent calmness of an old woman who was well known among them. Someone asked her if she wasn't afraid.

    "No," said this mother in Israel. "I am happy to know that I have a God who can shake the world."

    Confidence is really faith and trust in God.

    We may safely "trust...in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength" (Isa. 26:4). Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35). That is our strength--confidence and faith in His strength.

    Let us return to the old faith, the old trust, and find rest to our souls.

                                I an resting, sweetly resting:
                                        'Tis the safest place for me
                                To be resting in the shadow
                                        Of the cross of Calvary.
                                                                __F. E. Belden

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea" (Ps. 65:5).

September 5, 2019

9/5/2019

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord (Ps. 31:24).

    The Bible is full of examples of courage--Abraham with his servants defeating the armies of the kings, Joshua invading Palestine, David meeting Goliath, Daniel in the lions' den, the three Hebrews in the fire, the apostles before the council. Stephen before his murderers, Paul before Nero, Jesus before Pilate.

    If we use the courage we have, the Lord will give us more. He will strengthen us. If we are courageous in the Lord, we may expect that He will give us the help we need and will strengthen our hearts with faith and trust in Him.

    When someone urged our Savior to flee from a certain place, saying, "Herod will kill thee," Jesus said, "Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do curses to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected" (Luke 13:31). What did He mean? He meant that God had given Him a work to do, and until that work was done, neither Herod, Pilate, Caesar, nor the devil himself could hurt Him.

    And so all those who trust in the Lord and believe His Word need have no fear whatever when they are doing God's work and living the life God wants them to live.

    Sir W. H. Russell, a war correspondent, speaks of the courage of General Gordon in the Crimean War. One day the Russians actually reached the English trench, and there stood General Gordon on the parapet with nothing but a stick in his hand, encouraging the soldiers to drive out the enemy.

    "Gordon," his men cried, "come down! Come down!" But he took no notice. Then one of the soldiers was heard saying to his comrade: "It's all right--'e don't mind bein' killed; 'e's one of those Christians."

MEDITATION PRAYERS: "Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee" (Ps. 33:22).

September 4, 2019

9/4/2019

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me (Mark 10:21).

    Just think what this young man had--youth, money, popularity, the special love of Christ. He was religious, he was moral. He was athletic, for he ran to Jesus. Yet he lacked one ting--the worship of the true God. He had an idol--his possessions.

    Our Savior told him that if he would enter into life, he must keep the commandments (Matt. 19:17), and He quoted from the second table of the law, our duty to others. When He suggested that His inquirer sell all that he had and give to the poor, the young man went away "very sorrowful: for he was very rich" (Luke 18:23). He wouldn't make a sacrifice. He wouldn't give up his false god.

    What a great worker for God this young man would have made with his talents and possessions. How much he could have done for the infant church and for the struggling cause of the gospel.

    Bernard Palissy, who lived in the sixteenth century, experimented to recover the lost art of porcelain enamel, and in so doing was reduced to great financial distress. The world laughed at him, but at last he was certain that he had discovered the right formula. According to legend, he needed only a small piece of gold to mix with the other ingredients. But he was poor and had no gold. At last his wife came to his help, and by a beautiful act of loyalty an sacrifice showed that she believed in him. She took off her wedding ring and dropped it into the crucible. That was all that was needed to attain perfect success.

    So our Savior asks us to sacrifice ourselves to Him and for Him, but many find it hard to do. Yet those who sacrifice what they treasure most will find that their loss is gain and that life therefore is forever glorified.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O Lord; for it is good" (Ps. 54:6).

September 3, 2019

9/3/2019

SEPTEMBER 3

        But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold (Job 23:10).

    There are three wonderful parts to this promise: God knows our way, He will try us, and we shall come forth as gold. A patient who has confidence in a physician will willingly endure much suffering inflicted in order to be cured. If we settle it once and for all that God knows what He is doing and what is good for us, then we can endure the trial, realizing that His eye is watching over us.

    Is it not written that God "shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver" (Mal. 3:3)? Like a refiner of gold He watches the precious metal in the crucible. Hotter and hotter grows the fire. Clearer and more shining grows the metal. Bit by bit the dross is melted away and separated from the gold. At last refiners see their own image perfectly reflected in the pure molten mirror. Then it is taken from the fire to its proper use. How like the life of a Christian! How often the fires of tribulation, of test, of suffering, burn! Hotter and hotter they become until the children of God reflect the image of their Lord and come forth as gold.

    God does not promise that we shall never be in trouble, but He does say of His child, "I will be with him in trouble" (Ps. 91:15). Joseph, the victim of injustice, with reputation blackened, was cast into an Egyptian prison, but the Lord was with him (Gen. 39:21). When the three young Hebrews were in the fiery furnace, "the form of the fourth...like the Son of God" was with them (Dan. 3:25).

    So let us always remember that God knows the way we take. He steps unseen with us. In our trial He is with us, always with us.

    "I don't know what is in the future," said a Salvation Army member, "but I know the Lord is in the future; and I know I am in the Lord."

    What more than that do any of us need?

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried" (Ps. 66:10).

September 2, 2019

9/3/2019

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation (Heb. 9:27, 28).

    That it is appointed unto human beings once to die is a fact of universal knowledge, and it is universally acknowledged. Unbelievers agree with Christians on this point: Everyone dies. But the next statement, "after this the judgment," we can know only from revelation. After death the next experience of every human being will be the judgment. Are we ready for it? We must face it. Yes, we must face Christ in judgment, for God "hath committed all judgment unto the Son" (John 5:22).

    But here is another promise: Christ, who was once offered to bear the sins of humanity, will "appear the second time without sin unto salvation." This is the blessed hope. He who bore our sins upon the cross will again be manifested. He will come in power and glory as "King of kings, and Lord of lords" (Rev. 19:16). Those who have accepted His atoning sacrifice for sin upon the cross will behold Him with joy. They will "be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump" (1 Cor. 15:51, 52). They "shall be like him; for...[they] shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). But to those blinded by sin and their own selfishness, He will appear as the judge they cannot bear to see. Sir Walter Scott wrote of that time, that hour, that day:

                                The day of wrath, that dreadful day,
                                When heaven and earth shall pass away!
                                What power shall be the sinner's stay?
                                How shall he meet that dreadful day?

    The way to meet it is in Christ, in the blessed hope. We must first look to Him, and then we shall look for Him. Life is a preparation for a greater life.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Thou satest in the throne judging right" (Ps. 9:4).

September 1, 2019

9/3/2019

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isa. 35:10).

    The prophet caught the sound of music there, and song, such music and song as, save in the vision of God, no mortal ear has heard or mind conceived" (Prophets and Kings, p. 730). It's a song of salvation, for the ransomed sing it. It's a song of homecoming, for they are in Zion at last. It's a song of joy, for sorrow and sighing and every cause of them are forever gone. Your sorrow, friend, may be deep, inexpressible to others, but you shall have joy and gladness. Your sorrow will be gone. Your sighing will be gone. This is just as certain as tomorrow's sunrise, for both are based on God's promises.

    The victors in the Olympic Games considered a crown of wild olive or laurel more honorable than a golden diadem. Think of the crown of these victors, the ransomed of the Lord. Their reward is eternal, a crown of everlasting joy, a crown that never fades, never grows heavy.

    In spite of sorrow and sighing here in this old earth, we may look forward with optimism to the new earth with its joy and gladness, toward which God is constantly guiding our lives.

                                My life is but the weaving
                                        Between my God and me.
                                I only choose the colors
                                        He weaveth steadily.
                                Sometimes He weaveth sorrow
                                        And I in foolish pride,
                                Forget He sees the upper
                                        And I the under side.

    And every day God is planning for us the great future, the joy, the gladness, which we may not now see.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice" (Ps. 51:8).

August 31, 2019

9/3/2019

In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge (Prov. 14:26).

    Cities of refuge in ancient Israel were fortified strongholds. They were a symbol of the refuge provided by Christ to every believer. The "fear" of God is faith in Him and in all His Word, and His provision for us is our strong city. The one who fled to the city of refuge had to either stay there or fall prey to the avenger of blood. It is not enough that the sinner believe in Christ and come to Him for pardon. He must by faith and obedience abide in Him. "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation" (Heb. 10:26, 27).

    Driving over the Simplon Pass from Italy into Switzerland is a never-to-be-forgotten experience. A man was in a tunnel on this road when a great avalanche thundered down the mountainside, but he was perfectly safe because he was hidden inside the rocky heart of the mountain.

    There are worse things than avalanches overhanging the path of each of us today--grief, pain, temptation, disappointments, trials, and loss. Where will we hide in the day of trouble? A child is frightened by a strange knock at the door. They run and bury their face in their mother's lap, and are safe. Even so, all believers find in God their safety. The fear of the Lord gives them "strong confidence" when they are troubled, tempted, worried, or in danger. They run to their city of refuge, to the Rock of defense. David said of the Lord, "Thou art my hiding place" (Ps. 119:114).

                                O Rock divine, O Refuge dear,
                                        A shelter in the time of storm;
                                Be Thou our helper, ever near,
                                        A shelter in the time of storm.
                                                                    __Vernon J. Chatsworth

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Thou art my strong refuge" (Ps. 71:7).