Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

August 11, 2018

8/11/2018

Witness                        FISHERS OF MEN

        And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matt. 4:19.

    In John 21 you have the story of the disciples who had decided to go fishing. Jesus asked them, "Have you any fish?" But they had worked hard all night and taken nothing. Then He told them to cast their net on the right side of the ship, and their nets were filled. He made it clear that if you are going fishing, you must fish on the right side of the boat. The wrong place to fish is on the wrong side of the boat.

    We don't do injustice to Scripture when we transfer the fishing story to real life today and apply it to fishing for men, because Jesus Himself is the One who made the analogy. He said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." So what can we learn from the story of the fish and Jesus' encounter with the fishermen-disciples?

    We know what it's like to toil all night and to take nothing. Have you ever had that experience? There's many a Christian who has. He has tried to respond to duty, tried to witness, and was unsuccessful. It is discouraging to have doors slammed in your face. It is a miserable thing to fish all night and take nothing. What drudgery it is to try to do God's work with man's tools, and to splash the water and make a great many waves, only to catch a few small ones that slip away back into the sea again. This is par for the course in the experience of many Christians.

    We need to realize that this failure can be a prelude to the miracle of the fishes. It's not so bad to toil all night and accomplish nothing if it brings us to our knees. Our problem is that sometimes we have done as the disciples did, and gone fishing by ourselves. Sometimes we plan and work and go to a great deal of expense and preparation. But we fail, because we are fishing from the wrong side of the boat.

    What is the wrong side of the boat? It is the side of self-effort. The right side was the side that Jesus was on. "Jesus had a purpose in bidding them cast their net on the right side of the ship. On that side He stood upon the shore. That was the side of faith."--The Desire of Ages, p. 811. It takes faith to become involved in fishing for souls. It is as we unite with Christ and follow His instructions that we are enabled to be fishers of men.

August 10, 2018

8/10/2018

Witness                        LOVE KNOWS NO END

        How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? Hosea 11:8.

    If you ever have any doubt about the love of our heavenly Father, look at Jesus, who came to reveal Him. You see Him riding on a donkey, down toward the gates of the city. He looks over the brow of the hill toward the city below, and, convulsed with sobs. He cries, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. How can I give you up?" When we catch a glimpse of the One who loved us so much, then we can begin to understand the pain and longing of the question "How can I give you up?" And our hearts are drawn out in love and service to those around us, to try to bring as many as possible of them to accept God's salvation.

    As we look at those we love who are struggling, and realize the tremendous price that has been paid for them, if we really see it, then it makes no difference if they are easy to get along with, or difficult. It's like the two men who met in town one day. The first man had a son who had been into all kinds of trouble. And the second man said, "If that had been my son, I would have disowned him a long time ago."

    And the first replied, "I would have too, if he had been your son. But not my son." You simply cannot walk away from those you love. There are many parents, teachers, relatives, and friends today who can identify with this truth.

    Sometimes we say to people, You are responsible for someone, but they may not feel responsible at all. Sometimes we try to lay a heavy load upon people in terms of spreading the gospel. We say, Now you be surety for everyone in your block. You are responsible for this one or that one. If they are lost someday, their blood will be required of you. But this only makes people feel guilty when they don't get involved in the gospel work.

    Once in a while someone asks, "How long do I have to pray for someone to be saved?" That is a foolish question. Love never asks it. Love continues to plead and to intercede because it can do nothing else, because it is unable to bear the thought of giving up on the one who is loved. Love does not know "it is enough."

August 9, 2018

8/9/2018

Witness                        WITNESSES FOREVER

        For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2 Cor. 8:9.

    Can you imagine, one day in heaven, your angel coming to you and saying, "How would you like to take a journey/"

    And you respond, "Of course. Where are we going?"

    "There's a little planet, way out on the rim of the universe, where they want to hear what it's like to have been ransomed from a lost world," your angel says. "I can't tell them. But I'll show you how to get there."

    Would you be interested? The law of giving is the law of the universe. And although the doctors will be out of a job in heaven, and the funeral directors will be unemployed, and many of the other jobs we have here on this earth will be no more, the Christian witness will go on forever. Angels never felt the joy that our salvation brings. And if giving is the essence of heaven's bliss, then it wouldn't hurt to get started on it right here and now, would it?

    If my primary motive in being a Christian is to try to get myself to heaven, then it is possible that I'm not a Christian at all. The one who has truly become a partaker of the spirit of Christ is more concerned about someone else's salvation than his own. Remember Judah, when he had become surety for his brother Benjamin? When he thought that Benjamin would be kept in Egypt as a slave, and thought of the grief it would bring to his father, he offered to take Benjamin's place.

    Remember Moses, when he was leading the Israelites out of Egypt? God offered to destroy the ungrateful rebels, and start over again with Moses to make a great nation. Moses was willing to put his own eternal life in the balance in order to save the people he loved.

    And Jesus, the greatest Giver of all, did not count heaven a place to be desired while we were lost, but came on the long, expensive journey, risking His own eternal life, in order to secure a place for us in heaven. It is His spirit of unselfish giving that was shown in Judah, in Moses, and in all haven. It is this willingness to spend and be spent for others that is our need today.

August 8, 2018

8/8/2018

Witness                        CONCERN FOR THE FATHER

        For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father. Gen. 44:34.

    "For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me?" Judah was pleading for his younger brother Benjamin. Judah had been the one whose idea it was to sell Joseph into slavery. Judah had been part of the plot to kill a young sheep and dip Joseph's coat in its blood, and present it to his father to make him think that Joseph had been killed. But now we see him pleading for his brother's life and willing to take the place of his brother in prison, if only his father might be spared further grief. There's been a change of heart somewhere, a complete change. I like what has happened to Judah, don't you?

    Previously, Judah hadn't cared for his father's feelings. Now he is concerned about them. Before, he thought only of himself. Now he is thinking of the welfare of others as more important. He used to be dishonest; now he is honest. Judah's life had been changed. He has taken the responsibility of becoming surety for Benjamin. Judah had voluntarily become surety for him. He had taken that responsibility upon himself by choice.

    When a couple decide to have children, they have made the choice to become surety for those children. When one chooses to become a teacher or pastor, he is choosing to become surety for those under his charge. These are voluntary responsibilities, not ones that are laid on us by another.

    The day is soon coming when we will go to our Father (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). We can be thankful today for a God who cares, and who will do everything possible that when we go up our Father and His Father, those we love will be with us. Aren't you thankful for the One who, like Judah, stepped forward and said for you, and for those you love, "I will be surety for them. Let Me take their place"? Aren't you thankful for the burden of the parent or teacher or friend that you knew, who became surety for you? Won't you join me today in determining not to bring sorrow to the heart of our Father by not being there when all His children are gathered home? Won't you join with Judah in that plaintive appeal made in the court of one of the mightiest nations of the land, "Let me be surety. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me?"

August 7, 2018

8/7/2018

Witness                        THE HAPPIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD

        In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Ps. 16:11.

    We understand that the people who would not be happy in heaven won't be there at all. One of the most outstanding truths that we know about heaven is that people are happy there. Have you ever wondered what makes heaven a happy place?

    Now I'm sure that the boys and girls will find time for playing in heaven. For instance, I'm sure that the children will find a lot of pleasure in playing with all the animals there. It will be fun for the children, and even for some of us older ones as well, to be able to fly without having to get into an airplane first. It will be fun to try hand gliding without the hand glider, or parachute jumping without the parachute! Maybe we can even do some scuba diving in the river of life, without all that heavy equipment. And the opportunities for travel will be unlimited.

    But the primary fun and happiness of heaven is not going to be in getting your own "kicks." Notice Steps to Christ, page 77: "The spirit of Christ's self-sacrificing love is the spirit that pervades heaven and is the very essence of its bliss." The reason people are happy in heaven is because they are involved in reaching out to others. And that is the secret of happiness here on this earth as well.

    The happiest person in the world is the one whose life is the most centered in others, and the most miserable person in the world is the one who is most self-centered. The person whose main interest in life is trying to figure out what he can do or try next to get the most, to have the most fun, is a miserable unhappy person. Have you ever gone to some amusement center, and watched the faces of the people there, waiting in line to "have fun"? The majority of them are pretty unhappy looking. And the children who could hardly sleep the night before while waiting for the big day of "fun" are invariably grouchy all the way home.

    If you are looking for happiness and fun and enjoyment, the best place to look--the only place to look--is to service, to sharing, to trying to bring the greatest happiness to those around you. This is the source of joy in this life, and will be the source of happiness in the life to come.

August 6, 2018

8/6/2018

Witness                        FREE TRIP TO THE HOLY LAND

        Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matt. 20:28.

    "Many feel that it would be a great privilege to visit the scenes of Christ's life on earth, to walk where He trod, to look upon the lake beside which He loved to teach, and the hills and valleys on which His eyes so often rested. But we need not go to Nazareth, to Capernaum, or to Bethany, in order to walk in the steps of Jesus. We shall find His footprints beside the sickbed, in the hovels of poverty, in the crowded alleys of the great city, and in every place where there are human hearts in need of consolation. In doing as Jesus did when on earth, we shall walk in His steps."--The Desire of Ages, p. 640.

    God's purpose for His church as a body, and for each of His children as individuals, is that they walk in the footsteps of Jesus in service for others. It is the law of life throughout the entire universe that to give is to live. Heaven itself has initiated this giving, and it is only as we in turn give to others that we can have life and growth.

    We see this principle demonstrated in the physical world. No matter how fresh and clean the air we breathe, once we have breathed in, we must then breathe out again. Trying to add air to lungs that are full is impossible. And to hoard what air we have inhaled will result in death.

    We see this principle of giving demonstrated in the natural world. All of nature is interacting to produce life. It is only through constant giving, and receiving, and giving again, that the things of nature are able to grow and flourish.

    The angels of heaven are engaged in constant ministry. They work unceasingly to bring help to those who are inferior to them in every way, and for the purpose of bringing us to a closer relationship with God than they themselves can know.

    And the greatest Example of giving is found in Jesus. He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. Yet how many of us, as His professed children, try to hoard the gifts of His grace, and refuse to become involved in working for others. The Christian life was designed to be an opportunity for giving. Let us follow the steps of Jesus in reaching out to others.

August 5, 2018

8/5/2018

Witness                        HOLY GROUND

        And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Ex. 3:5.

    Moses had been in the wilderness for forty years, herding sheep. They weren't even his own sheep--they belonged to his father-in-law. One day as he was traveling along through the desert sands, he saw a bush that was on fire. He went closer to investigate. The Lord spoke to him from the bush and said, "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."

    What was it that made the ground around the burning bush holy ground? Oh, you may say, it was God's presence. But hadn't God been present with Moses, in his desert wanderings, before the burning bush? Yes. So what made the difference now? It was that Moses realized in a special way that God was there.

    Jesus came to earth for only thirty-three and one-half years. Thirty of those years He spent in the carpenter shop. We are told that Jesus was serving God just as much in the carpenter shop as during the three and one-half years of His public ministry (see The Desire of Ages, p. 74). Jesus, while working as a carpenter, realized God's presence there with Him, and the carpenter shop became holy ground for Him.

    Each of us today can understand that wherever we work, wherever we spend our days, can be holy ground for us, if we realize the Lord's presence there. We don't have to go to some temple or holy mountain to find the presence of the Lord. He is always with us, and as we discern His presence, the ground whereon we stand becomes holy ground. It makes no difference if you are a sheepherder, like Moses, or a carpenter, like Jesus, or a teacher or businessman or housewife or salesman. It makes no difference if your place of business is "the backside of the desert" (Ex. 3:1), as Moses', or in the crowds of the city. The office, the home, the place of business, can become holy ground as you realize that the Lord is with you there.

    Witnessing for Christ is not something that is limited to Sabbath afternoons. It is rather a way of life. Perhaps the broadest field of witnessing you will ever have is to be found in the place where you earn your livelihood, for it is there that you spend so much of your time. If you dedicate your place of business to the Lord, to be holy ground, He will be present there.

August 4, 2018

8/4/2018

Witness                        TO GIVE IS TO LIVE

        Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Matt. 5:15.

    We spend so much of our lives trying to build up enough security for a rainy day, trying to plan, and save, and accumulate, to be protected against loss, and all the time the facts keep staring us in the face. He that tries to save his life is going to lose it. It is the one who has been willing to lose his life who finds it.

    We have been told that in the great judgment day, those who have not worked for Christ, who have drifted along thinking of themselves, caring for themselves, and ignoring the needs of others, will be placed by the Judge of the whole earth with those who did evil. They will receive the same reward (see The Desire of Ages, p. 641). We know, if we have studied it at all, that to give is to live, and not to give is to die. We must impart in order to receive, and the one who stops imparting is going to stop receiving. Even our capacity to receive is maintained only by giving. This is why many Christians never grow, and why many churches never grow. The only way that God can save us is by allowing us to work with Him. "The efforts to bless others will react in blessing upon ourselves. This was the purpose of God in giving us a part to act in the plan of redemption."--Steps to Christ, p. 79.

    The biggest single need of the church, and of the individual Christian, is to accept the challenge of getting involved in outreach and service. Witnessing is not primarily a matter of going out and knocking on doors, trying to convince total strangers of their need of Christ in five minutes or less so that you can rush on to the next house. Witnessing must become a way of life in order to be really meaningful.

    It is impossible to witness unless you have something to tell. The relationship with Christ must be the basis for any outreach to others. But it is equally impossible to be a witness and never tell anything. A candle gives no light unless it is lighted, but if, as soon as it is lighted, it is covered up so that its light cannot be seen, it will soon go out. It is only as we share our light with others that we ourselves can grow.

August 3, 2018

8/3/2018

Witness                        SURRENDERED FOR SERVICE

        Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matt. 24, 25.

    Earlier in this passage, Jesus had asked His disciples whom they said that He was. And Peter had said, "Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus commended him for his response. Then Jesus began to talk about going to Jerusalem, where He would be delivered into the hands of evil men, and crucified, and buried, and rise again the third day. Peter, I suppose still riding high on his recent achievement, thought he would come through again with the right answer. And he began to rebuke Jesus, saying, "Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee." You recall what happened next, verse 23. Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me."

    Then Jesus proceeded to try and straighten out their thinking. He said, "Look, I'm going to Jerusalem and the cross. And if you will come after Me, then deny yourself and take up your cross, and follow Me. There's a cross for you, too."

    What is our cross? It is submitting ourselves to Jesus. It is submitting our wills to Christ. It has to do with surrender, and giving up on ourselves. It has to do with living for Christ rather than living for self. The cross, the yoke, and the surrender of our will are all the same. And the yoke is placed upon the oxen for the purpose of service.

    Jesus said in Luke 9:23, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." So step one is to surrender our lives totally to Jesus, and step two is to become involved in cooperation, through a life of service for Him.

    What does Jesus mean when He invites us to follow Him? He is inviting us to a life of outreach and witness. "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." When we stop trying to save our lives, and begin to seek first the kingdom of God, we will become involved in service to others, and will be following Jesus, who lived His entire life for the purpose of blessing and helping others.

August 2, 2018

8/2/2018

Witness                        WHY REVIVAL FADES

        For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. Luke 9:24.

    Do you believe that witnessing is always spontaneous? If you really have gotten a glimpse of the love of Jesus, will you be able to keep still about it? Or will it be automatic for you to talk of the things of the gospel? Look at two sentences in Steps to Christ. The first one says, "No sooner does one come to Christ than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus."--Page 78. So let's nail that point down. If you have become involved in the things of the gospel, you will have a desire to tell to others about the friend you have found in Jesus. The other sentence says, "The Christian who will not exercise his God-given powers not only fails to grow up into Christ, but he loses the strength that he already had."--Page 81.

    When you put these two together, you have this conclusion: In the first enthusiasm of accepting the gospel, I have something to tell. But if I don't tell it, I will lose whatever I have. You will have to conclude, then, that it must be possible not to tell. Witnessing must not always be spontaneous. If telling was always an automatic thing, then it would be irrelevant to include the second thought, that if you don't tell, you will lose what you have already. So although the initial impulse to tell is spontaneous, the deliberate action may not be that spontaneous.

    It is impossible to sit in your closet and meditate and read the gospel, and become excited about it for only so long, and then it will go sour unless you begin to share with others. If you try to hide it, you will end up in greater darkness than before you started.

    "Should we give our lives up to prayerful meditation, our lights would grow dim, for light is given to us that we may impart it to others, and the more we impart light, the brighter our own light will become."--Selected Messages, book 1, p. 139. Those who have known great revival, but failed to become involved in sharing, will find that the revival will fade and darkness will return.

    Do you know what it means to speak to someone specifically about the things of the gospel, and what Jesus means to you? It is as we share the love of Jesus with others that we draw nearer to Him ourselves.