Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

September 30, 2020

9/30/2020

BOUND UP IN WORLDLINESS

        I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.--Romans 12:1-2

    The claim to be without sin is, in itself, evidence that he who makes this claim is far from holy. It is because he has no true conception of the infinite purity and holiness of God, or of what they must become who shall be in harmony with His character; because he has no true conception of the purity and exalted loveliness of Jesus, and the malignity and evil of sin, that man can regard himself as holy. The greater the distance between himself and Christ, and the more inadequate his conception of the divine character and requirements, the more righteous he appears in his own eyes.

    The sanctification set forth in the Scriptures embraces the entire being--spirit, soul, and body. Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, that their "whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." [1 Thessalonians 5:23.]...Christians are bidden to present their bodies, "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto Good." In order to do this, all their powers must be preserved in the best possible condition.

    Every practice that weakens physical or mental strength unfits man for the service of his Creator. And will God be pleased with anything less than the best we can offer? Said Christ, "Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." Those who do love God with all the heart, will desire to give Him the best service of their life, and they will be constantly seeking to bring every power of their being into harmony with the laws that will promote their ability to do His will. (The Great Controversy, 473)

REFLECTION: God will not be pleased with anything less than the best we can offer. Those who love Him with all the heart, will desire to give Him the best service of the life, and they will be constantly seeking to bring every power of their being into harmony with the laws that will promote their ability to do His will. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 352-353)

September 29, 2020

9/29/2020

BIBLE--THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH

        They said to one another, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"--Luke 24:32

    Unless we stand on the elevated platform of eternal truth, we shall be swept away by the tide of delusive error that is sweeping over the world. Satan is coming down with great power to work miracles, and unless we are abiding in Christ, we shall be deceived. God's people are not the only ones who will have miracle-working power in the last days. Satan and his agencies will work "with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish." [2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10.]

    It is not miracle-working power by which our faith is substantiated. We must rely upon the power of God. We must stand upon His platform of eternal truth. His Word, the Bible, is the foundation of our faith. Unless we plant our feet upon this foundation, unless we substantiate our faith "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" [Matthew 4:4], we shall be deceived by Satan when he comes in glory, claiming to be Christ. (Manuscript 168, July 14, 1902)

    In the days of Christ the rabbis put a forced, mystical construction upon many portions of Scripture. Because the plain teaching of God's word condemned their practices, they tried to destroy its force. The same thing is done today. The word of God is made to appear mysterious and obscure in order to excuse transgression of His law.

    Christ rebuked these practices in His day. He taught that the word of God was to be understood by all. He pointed to the Scriptures as of unquestioned authority, and we should do the same. The Bible is to be presented as the word of the infinite God, as the end of all controversy and the foundation of all faith. (Christ's Object Lessons, 39-40)

REFLECTION: We are to be in the world but not of the world. The world or worldliness is not to be in us. When a boat is in the water everything is good, but when the water gets in the boat, there is a problem.

September 28, 2020

9/28/2020

CHRISTIAN ARMOR

        Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.--Ephesians 6:13

    God is calling you to enter His service. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, Bring into the work an earnest desire to learn how to bear responsibilities. With strong arms and brave hearts go forth into the conflict all must enter, a conflict which will grow more and more severe as we approach the closing struggle. (Manuscript 18A, 1901)

    Men who are thus affected by circumstances should remain at their homes and employ their physical and mental strength in a less responsible position where they will not be liable to meet such strong opposition. If everything moves smoothly, they may pass for very good, devotional men. But these are not the ones whom the Master will send to do His work, for this is opposed by those who are emissaries of Satan.

    Satan also, and his host of evil angels, will be arrayed against them. God has made provision for the men whom He has called to do His work, that they may come off conquerors in every contest. Those who follow His directions will never meet with defeat....

    We are engaged in an exalted, sacred work. Those who profess to be called to teach the truth to those who sit in darkness should not be bodies of unbelief and darkness themselves. They should live near to God, where they can be all light in the Lord. The reason why they are not so is that they are not obeying the word of God themselves; therefore doubts and discouragements are expressed, when only words of faith and holy cheer should be heard. (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, 515-516)

REFLECTION: Christian attainments can be reached only through much prayer and constant watchfulness....With faith in God as their armor, and with His word as their weapon of warfare, they would be supplied with an inner power that would enable them to turn aside the attacks of the enemy. (The Acts of the Apostles, 307)

September 27, 2020

9/27/2020

A TRUE SIGN

        Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: "Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you."--Exodus 31:13

    In these words the Lord clearly defined obedience as the way to the City of God; but the man of sin has changed the signpost, making it point in the wrong direction. He has set up a false sabbath and has caused men and women to think that by resting on it they were obeying the command of the Creator.

    God has declared that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord. When "the heavens and the earth were finished," He exalted this day as a memorial of His creative work. Resting on the seventh day "from all His work which He had made," "God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." Genesis 2:1-3....

    Through the setting up of a false sabbath, the enemy thought to change times and laws. But has he really succeeded in changing God's law? The words of the thirty-first chapter of Exodus are the answer. He who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, has declared of the seventh-day Sabbath: "It is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations." "It is a sign....forever." Exodus 31:13, 17. The changed signpost is pointing the wrong way, but God has not changed. He is still the mighty God of Israel....He is just as jealous for His law now. (Prophets and Kings, 179-180, 184-185)

REFLECTION: The Sabbath is a sign of creative and redeeming power; it points to God as the source of life and knowledge; it recalls man's primeval glory, and thus witnesses to God's purpose to re-create us in His own image.

The Sabbath and the family were alike instituted in Eden, and in God's purpose they are indissolubly linked together. On this day more than on any other, it is possible for us to live the life of Eden. (Education, 250)

September 26, 2020

9/26/2020

BLESSED ASSURANCE

        For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.--John 3:16

    The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan's deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God's government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world's dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, "with healing in His wings." Malachi 4:2.

    The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. It was a revelation of "the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal." Romans 16:25, R.V. It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God's throne. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency. So great was His love for the world, that He covenanted to give His only-begotten Son, "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. (The Desire of Ages, 22)

REFLECTION: To all who receive him, Christ is an inexhaustible treasure-house of supply for all spiritual necessities....The Holy Watcher is present from heaven to make this season one of soul-searching, one of conviction of sin, and of the blessed assurance of sins forgiven. (The Review and Herald, June 28, 1898)

September 25, 2020

9/25/2020

MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU

        He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.--2 Corinthians 12:9

    Man-made theories and suppositions are not to be allowed to enter the work....We must let the great principles of the third angel's message stand out clear and distinct. The great pillars of our faith will hold all the weight that can be placed upon them....

    All must be careful what they present to the people as truth. Do not present your own imaginations as Bible truth. The enemy tries to wrap and twist human minds. To the one who will listen to him, he presents ideas which are odd and peculiar, which will create a sensation. These he leads him to present to others, with a test which he has imagined....

    Those who present the idea that the blind, the deaf, the lame, the deformed, will not receive the seal of God, are not speaking words given them by the Holy Spirit....The Lord has afflicted ones, dearly beloved in His sight, who bear the suffering of bodily infirmities. To them special care and grace is promised. Their trials will not be greater than they can endure....

    The Lord Jesus has bound up His interests with the interests of the whole world. His influence is an ever-widening, shoreless influence. Although unseen, it is intensely active. Wielded by the Father Himself, it is the element which is used in restoring the moral image of God in man. (Letter 207, December 15, 1899)

REFLECTION: We are to take up the burdens that God appoints, bearing them for His sake, and ever going to Him for rest. Whatever our work, God is honored by wholehearted, cheerful service. He is pleased when we take up our duties with gratitude, rejoicing that we are accounted worthy to be co-laborers with Him. (Christ's Object Lessons, 364)

September 24, 2020

9/24/2020

SATAN TRYING TO DESTROY GOD'S PEOPLE

        The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.--John 10:10

    Satan is constantly at work to make as forbidding as possible the establishment of the kingdom of God in our world. There will be difficulties to obstruct the work of God, for Satan through his masterly power will use unconsecrated hearts to present the characters of the professed people of God to the world as a stumbling block. The precious truths which they hold are not practiced in their lives. While there are those who will advance, there are others who think so much of their individual selves that they cannot see that which needs to be done at the right time. There is no harmony of spirit or action. They magnify the difficulties. But as those who seek to carry out God's plans advance, the great mountain becomes a plain....

    All the powers of darkness, represented by the great mountain, will melt away as God's people move forward with the mind of Christ....

    The truth of the third angel's message is bound to triumph, and those who purify their souls from all defilement will triumph with it. When the human agent will give up his own important ideas in regard to himself, when he will bear in mind that he is working in sight of the universe of heaven, then his piety will be sweet and fragrant. It will not be of that kind which tastes so strong of the dish (his own human feelings and attributes). (Letter 108, November 25, 1898)

REFLECTION: Satan is constantly working through his agents to dishearten and destroy those whom God has chosen to accomplish a great and good work....Too often [Satan] succeeds in bringing upon them, through their own brethren, such sorrow of heart that God graciously interposes to give His persecuted servants rest....Their death may accomplish that which their life has failed to do. (The Acts of the Apostles, 418)

September 23, 2020

9/23/2020

DELIVERANCE

        Many are the afflictions of the righteousness: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.--Psalm 34:19

    The Lord has not concealed from His followers the plan of the battle. He has presented before His people the great conflict, and He has given them words of encouragement. He charges them not to enter into the battle without counting the cost, while He assures them that they do not fight alone, but that supernatural agencies will enable the weak, if they trust in Him, to become strong against the vast confederacy of evil arrayed against them. He points them to the universe of heaven, and assures them that holy beings are wrestling against principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places.

    The children of God are co-operating with the invisible host of light. And more than angels are in their ranks; the Holy Spirit, the representative of the Captain of the Lord's Host, comes down to direct the battle. Our infirmities may be many, our mistakes and sins numerous, but forgiveness is for all who, with contrition of heart, will confess and forsake their sins. Angels of light are sent to render them all the help that is required. (Letter 102a, March 9, 1896)

    The Lord has a time appointed when He will bind off the work; but when is that time? When the truth to be proclaimed for these last days shall go forth as a witness to all nations, then shall the end come. If the power of Satan can come into the very temple of God, and manipulate things as he pleases, the time of preparation will be prolonged. (Letter 83, May 22, 1896)

REFLECTION: The Bible is clear that before the end of time and Christ's second coming, there will be a great conflict. We don't have to go through it alone. God's word is full of promises that He will see us through. But the time to get ready is now! "For He says, 'In an acceptable time, I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)

September 22, 2020

9/22/2020

COUNSEL WITH KINDNESS

        Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.--Ephesians 4:32

    How careful we should be in giving advice lest our counsel should result in great evil and suffering. How much better for the families to go out into some other cities or some other country, but never encourage the spirit of defiance and resistance, even if they are placed in the chain gang. The bigotry that exists, the prejudice against truth to sustain religious error is firm, for the human agent is stirred with hellish power from beneath....

    Our work is to study to weed out of all our discourses everything that savors of retaliation and defiance and making a drive against churches and individuals, because this is not Christ's way and method. He did not pronounce scathing rebukes against those who knew not the truth, but against those whom God had made the depositaries of sacred responsibilities, a people chosen and favored with every temporal and spiritual advantage, and yet bearing no fruit. (Letter 35, November 21, 1895)

    Cannot you see that eternal interests are involved in your life practice? Every one is deciding his own destiny. He who reigns in heaven allows every man to take his position to hasten or retard his Lord's appearing. All who consent to be freed from their natural selfishness, and to [be] changed with the Holy Spirit of God, are taking part with God. As the human channel they are pouring forth the currents of divine influence. Their work has God's blessing within it. (Letter 63, April 20, 1896)

REFLECTION: You need the kindness, courtesy, meekness, and lowliness of Christ. You have many valuable qualifications that can be perfected for highest service if sanctified to God. You should feel the necessity of approaching your brethren with kindness and courtesy, not with harshness and severity. You do not realize the harm you do by your sharp, domineering spirit toward them....This is not as the Lord would have it. He is not pleased with your attitude toward your brethren. (Letter 22a, January 18, 1889)

September 21, 2020

9/21/2020

BLESSINGS FROM TRIALS

        The genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.--1 Peter 1:7

    The fact that we are called upon to endure trial proves that the Lord Jesus sees in us something very precious, which He desires to develop. If He saw in us nothing whereby He might glorify His name He would not spend time in refining us. We do not take special pains in pruning brambles. Christ does not cast worthless stones into His furnace. It is valuable ore that He tests.

    The blacksmith puts the iron and steel into the fire that he may know what manner of metal they are. The Lord allows His chosen ones to be placed in the furnace of affliction in order that He may see what temper they are of and whether He can mold and fashion them for His work. (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, 214)

    The Lord gave Paul the wisdom of a skillful architect, that he might lay the foundation of the church of Christ. This figure of the erection of a temple is frequently repeated in the Scriptures, as forcibly illustrating the building up of the true Christian church....

    Some ministers, through their labors, furnish the most precious material, gold, silver, and precious stones, which represent true moral worth in those gained to the cause by them...

    The precious stones represent the most perfect Christians, who have been refined and polished by the grace of God, and by affliction which they have endued with much prayer and patience. Their obedience and love resemble those of the great Pattern. Their lives are beautified and ennobled by self-sacrifice. They will endure the test of the burning day, for they are living stones. (Sketches from the Life of Paul, 154-155)

REFLECTION: The trials of life are God's workmen, to remove the impurities and roughness from our character. Their hewing, squaring, and chiseling, their burnishing and polishing, is a painful process; it is hard to be pressed down to the grinding wheel. But the stone is brought forth prepared to fill its place in the heavenly temple. Upon no useless material does the Master bestow such careful, thorough work. Only His precious stones are polished after the similitude of a palace. (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 10)