Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

October 11, 2019

10/11/2019

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37).

    And the reason for our Savior's statement comes in the next words: "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life" (verses 38-40).

    The "coming" ones in the last part of our promise text are the "given" ones in the first. Although they are given by God to His Son, they are spoken of as coming; that is, by their voluntary advances to Him and acceptance of Him--"him that cometh to me"--"whosoever will" (Rev. 22:17). So the door is wide open. Notice, there must be not only willing but coming. Our Savior came down from heaven, not to do His own will, but to carry out the great plan in reference to the divine and human side of salvation.

    An evangelist working in the oil fields of California encouraged the young people and children to read the New Testament. In each Testament was a blank page on which to inscribe their names. After they had finished reading the Holy Word, they were encouraged to write under their names a brief statement of the acceptance of Christ as their Savior, if they could do it sincerely. One very small boy wrote in a scrawling hand, "I expect Jesus." And, after all, accepting Jesus is really expecting Him to be the center of our lives and to guide us to the end, not only while reading our Bibles, but in every act of life. Jesus accepted His mission from the Father, and expected much from God. Our success as Christians will be in proportion to our acceptance and expectation.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed" (Ps. 71:23).

October 10, 2019

10/10/2019

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones (Isa. 57:15).

    David knew this, for he said, "Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly" (Ps. 138:6).

    We are told that the star nearest to the earth is so far away that it would take light from this star, traveling at the inconceivable speed of more than 186,000 miles a second, four years to reach earth. The North Star is more than 300 light-years away. The great constellation of Orion is from 500 to 600 light-years away. And now it is announced from the great Palomar Observatory that stars have been photographed so far away that it would take hundreds of millions years for their light to reach this earth. This is beyond our human comprehension, and we wonder if people actually know it to be a fact. The vastness of the universe staggers our imagination, but it gives us just a little suggestion of the might and power of our God.

                                I sing the mighty power of God,
                                        That made the mountains rise,
                                That spread the flowing seas abroad,
                                        And built the lofty skies;
                                I sing the wisdom that ordained
                                        The sun to rule the day;
                                The moon shines full at His command,
                                        And all the stars obey.
                                                                        ___Isaac Watts

    But here is a divine revelation that the God of infinite space and infinite duration, who dwells in "light which no man can approach unto" (1 Tim. 6:16), also dwells with those who are humble and contrite, to revive them and strengthen them for life's pilgrimage. How beautiful, how wonderful, to know that the Creator and Sustainer of the universe is our God and Friend.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "What is man, that thou are mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" (Ps. 8:4).

October 9, 2019

10/9/2019

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth (Ps. 46:10).

    We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, 'Be still, and know that I am God' (Ps. 46:10). Here alone can true rest be found....Amid the hurrying throng, and the strain of life's intense activities, the soul that is thus refreshed will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace" (The Desire of Ages, p. 363).

    Four-year-old Bobby was attending the Sabbath school class for little people. He sat quietly, not saying a word, but simply looking on. The teacher wondered why, but said nothing. Later Bobby's mother came for him. When they were getting ready to leave, the teacher asked why the little fellow had not joined in the singing that morning. At first he said nothing. Then his mother, thinking that perhaps he had not been cooperative, exclaimed, "Why, Bobby, what was the matter?"

    Slowly the little boy replied, "Somebody has to listen." As it is written, "A little child shall lead them" (Isa. 11:6). In quiet reverence Bobby had worshipped. So we too, even in the rush and crush of modern life, may find "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding" (Phil. 4:7) in the quiet moments spent in meditation and prayer.

    The nations may forget God; the world may seem to be under the control of evil powers; but remember this, you who love the Lord, He will yet be exalted in the earth.

                                We bless Thee for Thy peace, O God,
                                        Deep as the soundless sea,
                                Which falls like sunshine on the road
                                        Of those who trust in Thee.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come" (Ps. 102:13).

October 8, 2019

10/8/2019

  Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God (Deut. 12:28).

    Charles Spurgeon once said: "Though salvation is not by the works of the law, yet the blessings which are promised to obedience are not denied to the faithful servants of God. The curses our Lord took away when He was made a curse for us, but no clause of blessing has been abrogated."

    We are not to pick and choose what we shall obey of God's Word, for "all these words which I command thee" are for us to observe and obey. All the iniquity of the fathers may have an effect upon the children of the third and fourth generations of them that hate God, still He says that He will show mercy unto thousands of them that love Him and keep His commandments (Ex. 20:5, 6). Of the holy angels it is written that they "do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word" (Ps. 103:20). How much more should we!

    A teacher was explaining to her class the work of God's holy angels. The text under consideration was Psalm 103:21: "Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure." "How do the angels carry out God's will?" she asked. Many answers followed. One said, "They do is directly." Another said, "They do it with all their hearts." A third added, "They do it well." After a while a quiet little girl said, "They do it without asking any questions."

    May our obedience be like that before the world, and especially before our children. Then, by God's grace, it shall go well with us and with them.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness" (Ps. 143:10).

October 7, 2019

10/7/2019

  For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely is the floods of great waters they shall not come night unto him (Ps. 32:6).

    Today is the day when the Lord may be found, for it is written: "Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). That is why we are to seek the Lord while He may be found, and call upon Him while He is near (Isa. 55:6). We all need to listen to the warning of the apostle: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:12, 13).

    If we keep on praying terms with God during fair weather, we shall be safe in the big rains. In the great floods of trouble that are coming upon the world, God's care for His children will be sure, though we may not know the manner of His deliverance.

    Near Port Royal, Jamaica, there is a tomb with this epitaph: "Here lieth the body of Louis Caldy, Esq., native of Mont Pelier, France. He was swallowed up by the earthquake at this place in 1692, but by the great providence of God was, by a second shock, flung into the sea, where he continued swimming until rescued by a boat, and lived forty years afterward."

    God's care is over us, even when we do not see it in such startling ways. John Greenleaf Whittier wrote:

                                Yet, in the maddening maze of things,
                                        And tossing by storm and flood,
                                To one fixed trust my spirit clings;
                                        I know that God is good!

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea" (Ps. 93:3, 4).

October 11, 2019

10/7/2019

  All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37).

    And the reason for our Savior's statement comes in the next words: "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life" (verses 38-40).

    The "coming" ones in the last part of our promise text are the "given" ones in the first. Although they are given by God to His Son, they are spoken of as coming; that is, by their voluntary advances to Him and acceptance of Him--"him that cometh to me"--"whosoever will" (Rev. 22:17). So the door is wide open. Notice, there must be not only willing but coming. Our Savior came down from heaven, not to do His own will, but to carry out the great plan in reference to the divine and human side of salvation.

    An evangelist working in the oil fields of California encouraged the young people and children to read the New Testament. In each Testament was a blank page on which to inscribe their names. After they had finished reading the Holy Word, they were encouraged to write under their names a brief statement of the acceptance of Christ as their Savior, if they could do it sincerely. One very small boy wrote in a scrawling hand, "I expect Jesus." And, after all, accepting Jesus is really expecting Him to be the center of our lives and to guide us to the end, not only while reading our Bibles, but in every act of life. Jesus accepted His mission from the Father, and expected much from God. Our success as Christians will be in proportion to our acceptance and expectation.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed" (Ps. 71:23).

October 7, 2019

10/7/2019

For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely is the floods of great waters they shall not come night unto him (Ps. 32:6).

    Today is the day when the Lord may be found, for it is written: "Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). That is why we are to seek the Lord while He may be found, and call upon Him while He is near (Isa. 55:6). We all need to listen to the warning of the apostle: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:12, 13).

    If we keep on praying terms with God during fair weather, we shall be safe in the big rains. In the great floods of trouble that are coming upon the world, God's care for His children will be sure, though we may not know the manner of His deliverance.

    Near Port Royal, Jamaica, there is a tomb with this epitaph: "Here lieth the body of Louis Caldy, Esq., native of Mont Pelier, France. He was swallowed up by the earthquake at this place in 1692, but by the great providence of God was, by a second shock, flung into the sea, where he continued swimming until rescued by a boat, and lived forty years afterward."

    God's care is over us, even when we do not see it in such startling ways. John Greenleaf Whittier wrote:

                                Yet, in the maddening maze of things,
                                        And tossing by storm and flood,
                                To one fixed trust my spirit clings;
                                        I know that God is good!

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea" (Ps. 93:3, 4).

October 6, 2019

10/6/2019

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning (Ps. 30:5).

    Let us remember that the brevity of God's anger here is a sign of His mercy. Our Father is a God who is ready to pardon the iniquity and to pass by "the transgression of the remnant of his heritage" (Micah 7:18). The affliction that He permits are in some way for our good. As someone has said, "Tears clear the eyes for the sight of God and His grace." Even then He keeps a record of our grief, for it is written by the psalmist: "Put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?" (Ps. 56:8).

    For all believers, the way into light leads through darkness, and often the darkest hour is just before the dawn. But every night is followed by a morning, every sunset by the light of day. The last night the children of Israel spent in Egypt was a dark night, but the morning found them on their way to the Promised Land. It was a dark night for the disciples and all the world when Jesus lay in the tomb, but it was followed by the light of the glorious resurrection morning, and that light has been shining around the world to this very day.

                                When it is night, with shadows deep and still,
                                        And all the cloudy flags of day are furled,
                                However dark the hour, remember, friend,
                                        It's always morning somewhere in the world.

                                In the soul's night, when every star is gone,
                                        And love's bright chalice into fragments hurled,
                                Ah, heart, know this: The sun will rise again;
                                        It's always morning somewhere in the world.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee" (Ps. 139:12).

October 5, 2019

10/5/2019

The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (Ex. 14:14).

        The Israelites in attempting to leave Egypt were caught in the wilderness, with the Egyptians behind them and the Red Sea before them. An unarmed multitude at the mercy of the crack troops of Egypt, they blamed Moses for their dilemma. "Fear ye not, stand still," said the man of God, "and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace" (Ex. 14:13, 14).

    That is a good suggestion. Often the Lord can do much more for us when we hold our peace. We need to stand still and see God work. As we read the rest of the wonderful story, we see the waters congealed in the heart of the seas, a nation of slaves marching to liberty on dry land, and the destruction of the hosts of Pharaoh. In the midst of the turmoil, conflict, threats, and roar of the enemy, it is good for us to remember the words "Be still, and know that I am God:...I will be exalted in the earth" (Ps. 46:10).

    Our victory today is not in weapons, but in faith. "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). It is when we hold our peace that God can speak to us and to others. "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" (Isa. 30:15). When God fights our battles, there is always victory and the assurance of real peace. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7). The word "keep" here might be translated "garrison." God garrisons the hearts of His people when the battle is over. Then our peace is forever sure.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me" (Ps. 30:1).

October 4, 2019

10/4/2019

OCTOBER 4

        For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways (Ps. 91:11).

    This is a wonderful promise text, even if the devil did try to twist it once to his own use (Luke 4:10). The whole angelic host is commissioned "to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" (Heb. 1:14; cf. Gen. 28:12; Ps. 34:7; John 1:51).

    To the Christian the ways of sin are not "thy ways." "Thy ways" are the paths of duty, as wise old Adam Clarke reminds us. We are to keep our own ways, not those of the flesh, the world, and the devil. We are to keep to the ways that God has appointed for us, and there He has promised to care for us. When Satan quoted this verse and the next to our Savior, he left out "in all thy ways." He was urging Christ to go another way, the way of pride and sin.

    A timid young minister had preached his first sermon on angles and thought he had made a failure. A few days later a frail old woman said to him, "I have been afraid for years, living alone away out there on the edge of town. But since hearing your sermon, I have no more fear. I just think of that text, 'The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them' " (Ps. 34:7).

    We read of the guardian angels too: "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 18:10). The angel of the Lord delivered the apostle Peter from prison the night before his expected execution. An angel appeared to Paul at night on a stormy sea. An angel strengthened our Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane. And when He comes in glory, all the holy angels will be with Him (Matt. 16:27).

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone" (Ps. 86:10).