Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

November 30, 2020

11/30/2020

IT WAS YOU

        The King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."--Matthew 25:34

    When you enter within the gates into the city, and the crown of life is placed upon your brow, and on the brows of the very ones you have worked to save, they will cast themselves upon your neck, and say, "It was you that saved my soul; I should have perished if you had not saved me from myself. You had to take a good while; but you were patient with me and won me to a knowledge of the truth."

    And then, as they lay their crowns at the feet of Jesus, and touched the golden harps that have been placed in their hands, and unite in praising and glorifying their Redeemer; and they realize that theirs is the great blessing of life, everlasting life, there will be rejoicing indeed. And oh, the thought that we may be instrumental, under God, in helping to show men and women the way of salvation, while living on this earth!...

    If you give your heart to God, if in humility you take up your appointed work, and remain faithful, at last you will hear the words, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, enter ye into the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Is not this sufficient reward? In that happy world there will be no more temptation, no more sorrows. In your earthly life you have labored together with God; you have so lived that your righteousness has gone before you, and the glory of the Lord has been your rearward. (Manuscript 15, April 25, 1909)

REFLECTION: While all honor and majesty and glory shall be given to God and to the Lamb, yet those who have sought for the salvation of their associates will share in the joy of their Lord. Many will say to the faithful followers of Jesus, "It was your constant efforts, your Christ-like character, that influenced me to seek the salvation of my soul;" and this acknowledgment will not detract in the least from the glory that shall flow forth from immortal tongues to the Father and to the Son. (The Review and Herald, October 30, 1888)

November 29, 2020

11/29/2020

ACCEPT THE INVITATION

        The master said to the servant, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled."--Luke 14:23

    In preparation for the coming of our Lord, we are to do a large work in the great cities. We have a solemn testimony to bear in these great centers. But in our planning for the extension of the work, far more than the cities alone must be comprehended. In out-of-the-way places are many, many families that need to be looked after in order to learn whether they understand the work that Jesus is doing for His people.

    Those in the highways are not to be neglected, neither are those in the hedges; and as we journey about from place to place, and pass by house after house, we should often inquire, "Have the people who are living in these places heard the message? Has the truth of God's Word been brought to their ears? Do they understand that the end of all things is at hand, and that the judgments of God are impending? Do they realize that every soul has been bought with an infinite price?"...

    What a reward awaits the winner of souls! When the gates of that beautiful city on high are swung back on their glittering hinges, and the nations that have kept the truth shall enter in, crowns of glory will be placed on their heads, and they will ascribe honor and glory and majesty to God.

    And at that time some will come to you, and will say, If it had not been for the words you spoke to me in kindness, if it had not been for your tears and supplications and earnest efforts, I should never have seen the King in His beauty. What a reward is this! How insignificant is the praise of human beings, in this earthly, transient life, in comparison with the infinite rewards that await the faithful in the future, immortal life! (Manuscript 15, April 25, 1909)

REFLECTION: In order to accept the invitation to the gospel feast, they must make their worldly interests subordinate to the one purpose of receiving Christ and His righteousness. God gave all for man, and He asks him to place His service above every earthly and selfish consideration. He cannot accept a divided heart. The heart that is absorbed in earthly affections cannot be given up to God. (Christ's Object Lessons, 223)

November 28, 2020

11/28/2020

MANSION, HARP, CROWN

        Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.--John 14:1-2

    To those who make Him their counselor and guide in this life, He has promised a beautiful home in the new earth. This promise was given to His disciples just prior to His crucifixion. He knew of the sufferings through which He was about to pass. He realized that soon He must leave those whom He loved; but He did not allow His mind to brood over these matters. He directed the minds of His disciples to the life beyond.

    Soon we shall be in our promised home. There Jesus will lead us by the side of the living stream flowing from the throne of God and explain to us the dark providences through which He led us in order to perfect our characters. There we shall see on every hand the beautiful trees of Paradise, including the tree that bears twelve manner of fruit, one kind during each month of the year. There we shall behold with undimmed vision the beauties of Eden restored. There we shall cast at the feet of our Redeemer the crowns that He has placed on our heads, and touching our golden harps, we shall render praise and thanksgiving to Him that sitteth on the throne. (Manuscript 70, June 7, 1903)

    Long have we waited for our Saviour's return. But nonetheless sure is the promise. Soon we shall be in our promised home. There Jesus will lead us beside the living stream flowing from the throne of God and will explain to us the dark providences through which on this earth He brought us in order to perfect our characters. There we shall behold with undimmed vision the beauties of Eden restored. (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, 254)

REFLECTION: The word here translated mansion means permanent abodes, habitations that are not removed like tents, but which permanently endure for the family of the redeemed. The Father is there, to gather His children in His paternal arms, and bestow upon them His everlasting love. (Letter 84, March 5, 1907)

November 27, 2020

11/27/2020

FAITHFUL SOLDIERS

        For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.--2 Corinthians 4:17

    It is time that men and women have some true idea of what is expected of a true soldier of the cross of Jesus. Those who serve under the blood-stained banner of the Prince Emmanuel are expected to do difficult work which will tax every power God has given them.

    They will have painful trials to endure for Christ's sake. They will have conflicts which rend the soul; but if they are faithful soldiers that will say with Paul, "These light afflictions which are but for a moment worketh out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; looking not at the things which are seen but at the things which are unseen and eternal." [2 Corinthians 4:17, 18.]

    An army would be demoralized if it did not learn to obey [the] orders of the captain. Each soldier must act in concert. Union is strength; without union, efforts are meaningless. Whatever excellent qualities a soldier may possess, he cannot be a safe, trustworthy soldier if he claims a right to act independently of his fellow comrades.

    This independent action cannot be maintained in the service of Christ. The soldiers of Jesus Christ must move in concert, else it were better that they do nothing....Therefore the apostle charges that all who believe on Christ be of one mind, one faith, one judgment, each moving in concert, influencing one another beneficially, because they are both obedient to the precious truth of the Word of God, attached to one Saviour, the great Source of light and truth. (Letter 62, August 2, 1886)

REFLECTION: You are not to wait for great occasions or to expect extraordinary abilities before you go to work for God. You need not have a thought of what the world will think of you. If your daily life is a testimony to the purity and sincerity of your faith, and others are convinced that you desire to benefit them, efforts will not be wholly lost. (Steps to Christ, 83)

November 26, 2020

11/26/2020

CO-WORKER WITH GOD

        For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.--1 Corinthians 3:9

    If I know my own heart, it is to do the will of God to the very letter. I am willing to be a pilgrim and a stranger here, for I am seeking a city whose builder and maker is God. It is only for a little while that we shall have to work, and we want to do our work with diligence. We want to make sure of eternal life. We do not want to follow our inclinations or our pleasure, but just do the will of God and wait for His salvation and the final reward.

    I have peace and joy in my Saviour. I am looking to the great beyond; and if the Master says, "Well done" [Matthew 25:21], I shall be entirely satisfied. I love Jesus, I love to do His will. I ask not position or honor or ease or convenience. I want to labor together with God, practicing self-denial and self-sacrifice and be a partaker with Christ of His sufferings, that I may be a partaker with Him of His glory....

    We should study how to render to God the most perfect service by constantly seeking to reach perfection....

    The Christian life is compared to the life of a soldier, and there can be no bribes presented of ease and self-indulgence. The idea that Christian soldiers are to be excused from the conflicts, experiencing no trials, having all temporal comforts to enjoy, and even the luxuries of life, is a farce. The Christian conflict is a battle and a march, calling for endurance.

    Difficult work has to be done, and [for all who] enlist as soldiers in Christ's army with these false ideas of pleasantness and ease, and then experience the trials, it often proves fatal to their Christianity. God does not present the reward to those whose whole life in this world has been one of self-indulgence and pleasure. (Letter 62, August 2, 1886)

REFLECTION: What an amazing thought! To be a fellow worker with Christ. We should work with all diligence regardless of what we are asked to do.

November 25, 2020

11/25/2020

FAMILY OF GOD

        "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."--2 Corinthians 6:18

    I walked quite frequently to the King's palace [in Oslo, Norway] and in his broad, extensive gardens. They are very beautiful grounds, but I let my mind dwell upon the purified new earth where all things would be made new, and there would be no more curse.

    How happy the thought that I was the daughter of God; member of the royal family; child of the heavenly King; heir to the pure and holy everlasting kingdom. I love to see everything that is beautiful in nature in this world, and I think I would be perfectly satisfied with this earth surrounded with the good things of God, if it were not blighted with the curse of sin. But we shall have a new heavens and a new earth.

    John saw this in holy vision, and he says, "I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, The tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God." [Revelation 21:3.] Oh, blessed hope, glorious prospect! "I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be My son." [Verses 6, 7.] I am, I hope, waiting and watching for the appearing of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven....

    We have no time now to talk of unbelief or to enshroud our souls in an atmosphere of doubts. Jesus loves us and and wants to make us happy. (Letter 62, July 1886)

REFLECTION: Imagine being a son or daughter of God. Remember this hymn that was written several years back. It went like this; "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God! I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood. Joint heirs with Jesus, as we travel this sod, for I'm a part of the family of God." (Song: "The Family of God," by William Gaither, 1970)

November 24, 2020

11/24/2020

GLORIOUS SABBATH

        If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words.--Isaiah 58:13

    Every man in God's world is under the laws of His government. God has placed the Sabbath in the bosom of the Decalogue, and has made it the criterion of obedience. Through it we may learn of His power, as displayed in His works and His Word. But today the world is following the example of those that lived before the flood.

    Now, as then, men choose to follow their own inclinations, rather than to obey the commandments of God. The inhabitants of the antediluvian world glorified themselves instead of commemorating the glorious works of creation. They did not obey the law of God; they did not honor the Sabbath. Had they done this, they would have recognized their duty to their Creator. This was the original and supreme object of the command, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy."

    Men could not place themselves more decidedly in opposition to God's work and to His law than by upholding a day that is without one evidence of sanctity, and professing to worship Him on that day. Those who have corrupted the law by substituting a false sabbath for the holy Sabbath of God, and who compel the observance of this false sabbath, exalt themselves above God, and honor the spurious above the genuine.

    Sanctification is claimed by professed Christians who ignore God's holy rest day for a spurious sabbath. But God declares that the sanctification coming from Him is bestowed on those only who honor Him by obeying His commands. The sanctification claimed by those who continue in transgression is a spurious sanctification. Thus the religious world is deceived by the enemy of God and man. (The Signs of the Times, March 31, 1898)

REFLECTION: To keep the Sabbath holy, we should not even allow our minds to dwell upon things of a worldly character. And the commandment includes all within our gates. The inmates of the house are to lay aside their worldly business during the sacred hours. All should unite to honor God by willing service upon His holy day. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 307-308)

November 23, 2020

11/23/2020

WICKED ARE JUDGED

        I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.--Revelation 20:4

    I saw thrones, and Jesus and the redeemed saints sat upon them; and the saints reigned as kings and priests unto God. Christ, in union with His people, judged the wicked dead, comparing their acts with the statue book, the Word of God, and deciding every case according to the deeds done in the body. Then they meted out to the wicked the portion which they must suffer, according to their works; and it was written against their names in the book of death.

    Satan also and his angels were judged by Jesus and the saints. Satan's punishment was to be far greater than that of those whom he had deceived. His suffering would so far exceed theirs as to bear no comparison with it. After all those whom he had deceived had perished, Satan was still to live and suffer on much longer.

    After the judgment of the wicked dead had been finished, at the end of the one thousand years, Jesus left the city, and the saints and a train of the angelic host followed Him. Jesus descended upon a great mountain, which as soon as His feet touched it, parted asunder and became a mighty plain.

    Then we looked up and saw the great and beautiful city, with twelve foundations, and twelve gates, three on each side, and an angel at each gate. We cried out, "The city! the great city! it is coming down from God out of heaven!" And it came down in all its splendor and dazzling glory and settled in the mighty plain which Jesus had prepared for it. (Early Writings, 290-291)

REFLECTION: During the thousand years between the first and the second resurrection the judgment of the wicked takes place. The apostle Paul points to this judgment as an event that follows the second advent....John in the Revelation says: "I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them." Revelation 20:4. It is at this time that, as foretold by Paul, "the saints shall judge the world." 1 Corinthians 6:2. In union with Christ they judge the wicked, comparing their acts with the statue book, the Bible, and deciding every case according to the deeds done in the body. (The Great Controversy, 660-661)

November 22, 2020

11/22/2020

SENTENCED TO A THOUSAND YEARS

        He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.--Revelation 20:2

    My attention was again directed to the earth. The wicked had been destroyed, and their dead bodies were lying upon its surface. The wrath of God in the seven last plagues had been visited upon the inhabitants of the earth, causing them to gnaw their tongues from pain and to curse God. The false shepherds had been the signal objects of Jehovah's wrath. Their eyes had consumed away in their holes, and their tongues in their mouths, while they stood upon their feet. After the saints had been delivered by the voice of God, the wicked multitude turned their rage upon one another. The earth seemed to be deluged with blood, and dead bodies were from one end of it to the other.

    The earth looked like a desolate wilderness. Cities and villages, shaken down by the earthquake, lay in heaps. Mountains had been moved out of their places, leaving large caverns. Ragged rocks, thrown out by the sea, or torn out of the earth itself, were scattered all over its surface. Large trees had been uprooted and were strewn over the land. Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Here he will be confined, to wander up and down over the broken surface of the earth and see the effects of his rebellion against God's law.

    For a thousand years he can enjoy the fruit of the curse which he has caused. Limited alone to the earth, he will not have the privilege of ranging to other planets, to tempt and annoy those who have not fallen. During this time, Satan suffers extremely. Since his fall his evil traits have been in constant exercise. But he is then to be deprived of his power, and left to reflect upon the part which he has acted since his fall, and to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future, when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done and be punished for all the sins that he has caused to be committed. (Early Writings, 289-290)

REFLECTION: Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Limited to the earth, he will not have access to other worlds to tempt and annoy those who have never fallen. It is in this sense he is bound: there are none remaining, upon whom he can exercise his power. He is wholly cut off from the work of deception and ruin which for so many centuries has been his sole delight. (The Great Controversy, 659)

November 21, 2020

11/21/2020

PURE CRYSTAL RIVER AND TREE OF LIFE

        He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.--Revelation 22:1-2

    Then I saw Jesus lead the redeemed company to the gate of the city. He laid hold of the gate and swung it back on its glittering hinges and bade the nations that had kept the truth enter in. Within the city there was everything to feast the eye. Rich glory they beheld everywhere. Then Jesus looked upon His redeemed saints; their countenances were radiant with glory....

    Then I saw Jesus leading His people to the tree of life, and again we heard His lovely voice, richer than any music that ever fell on mortal ear, saying, "The leaves of this tree are for the healing of the nations. Eat ye all of it." Upon the tree of life was most beautiful fruit, of which the saints could partake freely. In the city was a most glorious throne, from which proceeded a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal. On each side of this river was the tree of life, and on the banks of the river were other beautiful trees bearing fruit which was good for food.

    Language is altogether too feeble to attempt a description of heaven. As the scene rises before me, I am lost in amazement. Carried away with the surpassing splendor and excellent glory, I lay down the pen, and exclaim, "Oh, what love! what wondrous love!" The most exalted language fails to describe the glory of heaven or the matchless depths of a Saviour's love. (Early Writings, 289)

REFLECTION: Here we saw the tree of life and the throne of God. Out of the throne came a river of water, and on either side of the river was the tree of life. On one side of the river was a trunk of a tree, and a trunk on the other side of the river, both of pure, transparent gold. At first I thought I saw two trees. I looked again, and saw that they were united at the top in one tree. So it was the tree of life on either side of the river of life. Its branches bowed to the place where we stood, and the fruit was glorious; it looked like gold mixed with silver. (Early Writings, 17)