Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

January 17, 2019

1/17/2019

For thou are my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness (2 Sam. 22:29).

    John Henry Jowett used to tell of a farmer who gave him a lantern when he had to meet a train on a stormy night, saying, "Just to help you see where you are going and keep you our of the ditch." Then the farmer added: "You see that glimmer of light yonder? That is Saddleworth station. Make of it" The lantern gave him a light for each step, and the glimmer in the distance showed him the appointed course.

    "In thy light shall we see light" (Ps. 36:9). "Light is sown for the righteous" (Ps. 97:11). And in 1 John 1:5 it is written that "God is light." This light shines from His Word (Ps. 119:105), and we are to hold it forth as a torch in a dark night (Phil. 2:15, 16). But our light is from God's lamp; we merely reflect it. We are to "walk in the light of the Lord" (Isa. 2:5).

    Are we in the dark? Let us be of good cheer--a brighter day is coming soon. Things will change. It may even become darker for a while, but the morning will come. When we cannot find one ray of light in ourselves, in our friends, or in the whole world, "then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day" (Isa. 58:10). The Lord who said, "Let there be light," will speak us into sunshine. Look by faith to Jesus, and you will see the light of God.

                        The Lord is my light; though clouds may arise,
                        Faith, stronger than sight, looks up to the skies
                        Where Jesus forever in glory doth reign:
                        Then how can I ever in darkness remain"
                        The Lord is my light, my joy, and my song;
                        By day and by night He leads me alone.
                                                        __James Nicholson

    MEDITATION PRAYER: "For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness" (Ps. 18:28).

January 16, 2019

1/16/2019

He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail (1 Sam. 2:9).

    A distinguished artist, speaking to some students on artistic composition, declared it to be wrong pictorially to paint a woods or forest without a path leading out of it. When a true artist paints such a landscape, they put in some suggestion of a path to carry the eye out of the picture. Otherwise the tangle of trees and undergrowth would suffocate us, or the wide, trackless spaces dismay us. So God provides a way of escape for His children.

    The way of life is often rough, but the Lord will keep our feet. If we surrender all our ways to Him, He will be our guard and guide. Not only will He give His angels charge to keep us (Ps. 91:11), but He Himself will preserve our goings; He will keep our feet from falling. He will pluck our feet out of the net set by crafty foes (Ps. 25:15) and set them on the solid rock of faith. "He brought me up also...out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings" (Ps. 40:2). He will not suffer my feet to be moved from the way of life (Ps. 66:9). He will guide our feet by His Word. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path" (Ps. 119:105). He will make our feet like hinds' feet so that we can run the way of His commandments (Ps. 18:33). He will make beautiful the feet of those who bring good tidings (Isa. 52:7), for they are "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" (Eph. 6:15). And He will keep the feet of His saints in many other ways. God will lead us in "the way everlasting" (Ps. 139:24).

                        I must have the Savior with me,
                                For I dare not walk alone;
                        I must feel His presence near me,
                                And His arm around me thrown.
                                                            __Lizzie Edwards

    MEDITATION PRAYER: "Make thy way straight before my face" (Ps. 5:8).

January 15, 2019

1/15/2019

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee (Deut. 31:6).

    Between St. Giles Cathedral and the Parliament House in Edinburgh is a stone with the letters "J. K." on it, marking the spot where the dust of the great Reformer John Knox reposes. Knox was fully worthy of the verdict of the Regent Morton, who, as he saw him laid in the grave, exclaimed, "There lies he who never feared the face of man." Why was John Knox so fearless before people? Because by faith he had looked upon the face of God.

    In any warfare what a wonderful promise is our text! Israel was about the cross over Jordan and meet seven enemy nations. They would need courage, and more than that, they would need the help of the Lord. This was promised to them and gloriously fulfilled. We need to be strong and of good courage. Why should we ever be afraid while obeying God's Word?

    Notice, there is a threefold promise in this text: (1) The Lord will go with us; (2) He will not fail us; (3) He will not forsake us. Jesus knew that His Father was with Him. "I am not alone," He said, "because the Father is with me" (John 16:32). No one will be lonely or afraid when they realize that God is with them.

    Last, and most important of all, He will not forsake us. Human helpers may forsake us in a crisis or leave us through extreme weariness. But never God! He is "the Lord thy God." He is the ever-present helper who never fails, never forsakes. "Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength" (Isa. 26:4).

                        Courage, brother, courage!
                                Turn not back, nor fear;
                        God will not forsake us,
                                He is ever near.

        MEDITATION PRAYER: "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength" (Ps. 18:1).

January 14, 2019

1/14/2019

   Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Matt. 5:6).

    Have you ever seen anyone really hungry? In some parts of this earth such people may be seen every day. Millions of them have been hungry all their lives and are hungry at this very moment. Hollow-eyed, they hold out their hands in earnest appeal for something to eat.

    We must continually eat and drink, or die. Too much hunger or too much thirst is a terrible thing, but a certain amount is good. God created people and animals with hunger as part of their nature, and a wise provision it was, too. Without the urge of hunger, food would not be taken, and death by starvation would ensue. Even intelligent life would soon vanish from the earth. Human beings eat what they like and because they are hungry. And so by nature they eat, in general, that which sustains life. By and large, hunger and thirst are good. They drive people to eat and drink, and so to live.

    But notice our promise text: "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Here is a real blessing, a spiritual blessing. Without a spiritual hunger and thirst no one will ever be filled. It is blessed to have this divine hunger. Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). Then, speaking of this God-implanted thirst for God and righteousness, He continues, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37).

    What does this promise mean to you, to me? The real question is Are we hungry? Are we thirsty? If we are, we shall be filled.

                        Are you hungry? Come and eat,
                                The Bread of Heaven see;
                        Are you thirsty? Come and drink,
                                The Word of God is free.

    MEDITATION PRAYER: "Oh that men would praise the Lord....For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness" (Ps. 107:8, 9).

January 13, 2019

1/13/2019

As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord (Num. 14:21).

    The older I grow," said Thomas Carlyle, "and now as I stand upon the brink of eternity, the more comes back to me this sentence from the catechism that I learned as a child, and the fuller and deeper its meaning becomes: 'What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.' "

    The children of Israel had refused to glorify God by listening to His voice. They believed the majority report of the committee of spies and planned to appoint a pro-Egyptian leader to take them back to the land of bondage. There were giants in the Land of Promise, and the Israelites were afraid of giants. The official report of the committee said, "We were in our own sight as grasshoppers" (Num. 13:33). They had the grasshopper complex, and one is never so much like a grasshopper as when he or she feels like one.

    Now, what about the march to the Promise Land? It seemed that the grasshopper people had ruined everything. God was about to destroy them, but Moses interceded for the backsliders. He reminded the Lord that all the unbelieving world was looking on and would say that God did not bring them into Canaan because He could not, that He was a limited God. And the Lord answered him, "I have pardoned according to thy word: but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord" (Num. 14:20, 21).

    So, friend, we may fail God, but God's glory will not fail. Egypt, the desert, the hunger, the thirst, the endless marching, the Amalekites, the mixed multitude, the fiery serpents, the subversive report, the grasshopper people--yes, all of that and more! But the glory will come; the earth will be filled with it. Let us march on to the Land of Promise.

    MEDITATION PRAYER: "Shew thy marvelous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee" (Ps. 17:7).

January 12, 2019

1/12/2019

And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain (Ex. 3:12).

    Tell me," said one of Martin Luther's enemies, "when the whole world turns against you--church, state, princes, people--where will you be then?"

    "Why, then as now," cried Luther, "in the hands of Almighty God."

    God was sending Moses to confront the most powerful ruler in the world. No wonder he was afraid. But would God send a man alone to reprove a king and defeat an empire? Of course not! "Certainly I will be with thee." What more than that promise did Moses need?

    As John Wesley lay dying, his preachers gathered round his bed. Suddenly he roused from unconsciousness, a smile broke over his face, and he said, "The best of all is God is with us." To us today, as to Moses and Wesley, that is the best of all. When God sent heaven's richest treasure, His Son and our Savior, to redeem humanity, the inspired promise declared, "They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" (Matt. 1:23). When we go on God's errands, He is with us, so we cannot fail. Then let us go, not timidly, halfheartedly, carelessly, or presumptuously, but realizing the very presence of God.

                O let me walk with Thee, my God,
                    As Enoch walked in days of old.
                                                __Mrs. L.D. Avery Stuttle

    What sort of persons ought we to be today, walking with God! If He is with us, we must succeed.

    MEDITATION PRAYER: "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand..., and thy right hand shall save me" (Ps. 138:7).

January 11, 2019

1/11/2019

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles (Isa. 42:1).

    This is a prophecy of Christ. How wonderful it is in the mouth of Isaiah, spoken seven long centuries before Jesus was cradled in the Bethlehem manger. "Behold My servant," saith the Lord. "Look upon Him. I uphold Him. He is My elect. I delight in Him. I have put My Spirit upon Him. He shall bring forth judgment and righteousness to the nations." Who could this be but Jesus?

    In Isaiah's day the Israelites sought to confine the blessings of God to their own nation, but the coming Savior is for everyone. His gospel is to go forth to all and bring righteousness to them. The command of God here is really "Look to Jesus." In Hebrews 3:1 we have almost the same words: "Consider...Christ Jesus." Of those who crucified Jesus it was prophesied in Zechariah 12:10, "They shall look upon me whom they have pierced." And all His followers today are urged by the apostles to "look for the Savior" (Phil. 3:20). We should all be "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2). Where are we looking? At Christ, or at some of the failings of His followers?

    Once when Mr. Astor was fording the Susquehanna River on horseback, he became dizzy and almost lost his balance from looking at the swirling waters below. A hunter traveling with him struck him on the chin and shouted, "look up!" He did so and recovered his equilibrium. From the dizzy world that swirls about us, we need to look up to Christ. In Him is God's Spirit; in Him is our righteousness; in Him is life.

    MEDITATION PRAYER: "Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul" (Ps. 86:4).

January 10, 2019

1/10/2019

And he brought him forth, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness (Gen. 15:5, 6).

    On his deathbed King Phillip II of Spain sent this word to his confessor: "Father Confessor,...I protest to you that I will do everything you shall say to be necessary for my being saved, so that what I admit doing will be placed to your account, as I am ready to acquit myself of all that shall be ordered to me." And one writer says, "He did everything he could for salvation."

    Our promise text for today shows God's answer, the only answer to earth's great problem--how to be righteous, how to be good. This is never accomplished by human effort. It is the gift of God, and faith is the hand by which we accept it. "The just shall live by faith" (Gal. 3:11). Sinners are made righteous by faith, not by works.

    Notice here the law of first mention. In our text three great salvation words--"believed." "counted," "righteousness"--are found for the first time in the Bible, and all together. Abraham believed in the Lord, and God did the rest. Surely we can believe God when in His Word He promises to forgive our sins and count us righteous through Christ's atoning sacrifice. "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ until all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:22-24). Will you believe in the Lord?

                Let not conscience make you linger,
                Nor of fitness fondly dream;
                All the fitness He requireth
                Is to feel your need of Him.
                                        --Joseph Hart

    MEDITATION PRAYER: "Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness" (Ps. 5:8).

January 9, 2019

1/9/2019

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:14, 15).

    Because of their sins the children of Israel were attacked by "fiery serpents" in their wilderness journey (Num. 21). Thousands died. By divine instruction Moses made a serpent of brass and erected it upon a pole. Then all who looked upon it were healed. This was an enacted prophecy of Christ and His death for our sins.

    An ill man came to his pharmacist and said, "Can you give me something for a bad cold?"

    "Have you brought your prescription with you?" asked the pharmacist.

    "No," was the answer, "but I brought my cold with me to be cured."

    Often those seeking a cure for the sin disease try to bring their prescription to the Lord, but all He asks is that the sinner say:

                Just as I am, without one plea
                But that Thy blood was shed for me.
                                        --Charlotte Elliott

    Notice, the Son of man must be lifted up, must die, if we are to live. At the cross His better enemies said, "He saved others; himself he cannot save" (Matt 27:42). They never told a greater truth. To save humanity, He had to die. That's why He came to this world--"to give his life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). And notice this: God used death, the terrible wages of sin, to destroy sin and death and to bring eternal life to all believers. A look at the brass serpent healed the serpent's bite. At last it will be seen that our Savior's death upon the cross was really the death of death.

    Read today's promise text again, and emphasize the word "whosoever." That includes all of us if we will believe.


    MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved" (Ps. 80:7).

January 8, 2019

1/8/2019

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isa. 1:18).

    Sir James Simpson, the celebrated Scottish surgeon and scientist who was one of the pioneers in the medical use of anesthetics, was once asked by a young man what he considered his greatest discovery. His simple reply was "My greatest discovery was that I am a sinner, but that Jesus is a great Savior."

    God wants to reason with us about our sins, and this He does in today's promise--God's promise to everybody, for "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23). It is a matter of life and death, "for the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23).

    Here is God's promise that when we meet the conditions, our sins "as scarlet...shall be as white as snow." That means forgiveness, cleansing, a new life out of death. But we must admit our need by coming to Christ. He came to do the will and work of God on earth, and He says: "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). These are His wonderful words to us. Shall we not come to Him? You see, that is our part of it. We must make the decision. Why not come to Him now? He says now--"Come now." Tomorrow never comes. Anything that we ever do will be done now. We live in the path of a point, and that point is now. "Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2).

    It is said that if one looks at a red rose through a piece of scarlet glass, the rose will look white. When God looks at our sins, "red like crimson," through the atoning sacrifice of the cross, they appear "as white and snow." And this is the reason: "Christ died for our sins" (1 Cor. 15:3).

    MEDITATION PRAYER: "Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin" (Ps. 85:2).