"BUT I TRUST IN THE LORD JESUS"
Philippians 2:19a
This was the Apostle Paul's testimony on all occasions. You are a Christian -- is this your testimony?
Regardless of the circumstances, this testimony will see you triumphantly through.
You may say:
My body is racked with pain, an incurable disease is wasting it away; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
I am old and lonely and virtually forgotten; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
Our home is on the brink of disaster, our marriage just about on the rocks; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
My business is near collapse; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
Taxes are mounting, bills to be paid, income not enough; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
There is trouble in our church; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
There is social unrest in our country, revolution; anarchy; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
Our country is embroiled in a big war, and getting bigger, Asia, and then the world; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
Atomic stockpiles threatening our very existence; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
No hope in the world; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
Doomsday looming large on the horizon; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
God's judgment soon to break upon an unbelieving, disobedient and unprepared world; but I trust in the Lord Jesus!
Christian, read your own problem into this, and answer it with these words -- BUT I TRUST IN THE LORD JESUS!
"The LORD is good, a strong hold in the days of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him" (Nahum 1:7).
-- Editor
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"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear,
then shall ye also appear with him in glory."
Colossians 3:4
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WITH HIM
By S. E. Elphick
More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show,
More of His saving fulness see,
More of His Love -- Who died for me.
This is the language of the heart that is looking and longing for Jesus. He is not only indispensable, but He is incomparable. In His fulness He is indescribable. The spouse in the Song of Solomon did her best to describe her beloved but came to the point where she embraced it all by the words, "He is altogether lovely," and so it is with Christ, for a sense of His fragrance, a sight of His beauty, a glimpse of His glory, are sufficient to endear Him to the heart that has been brought to know Him and who could not, and would not, do without Him now or forever. May we be helped in our own desires for increased intimacy and communion with Him as we consider those referred to in the following Scriptures in their recorded experiences with Christ.
1) "And his disciples came, and took up the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus." -- Matthew 14:12.
2) "And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus." -- Matthew 14:29.
3) "And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only." -- Matthew 17:8.
A tragic disaster had overtaken the disciples of John the Baptist. For his own faithfulness and to satisfy the revengeful heart of a wicked woman, he had been beheaded. The whole circumstances were filled with tragedy, and we can understand how deeply affected the hearts of these disciples of John were that the life and service of the one whom they had regarded with much respect and affection should be cut off in such a manner. They rendered the only and last service available as with sorrowing hearts "they took up the body and buried it."
Many of us have had this experience, not, it may be, in similar circumstances, but none the less sorrowful, as we have laid one dear to us in the grave. However death comes, and whatever the circumstances, we experience the reality of it at such a time, but even more so when we have to face it for ourselves. For the believer in Christ it holds no terrors, but it still is a real thing.
To whom can the disciples of John turn with this great sorrow and sense of loss in their hearts? The Record says, "They went and told Jesus." What they needed and wanted was sympathy! In Herod's court and surroundings there was only callous indifference, but they knew that in Jesus they would find One whose heart would be filled with divine sympathy.. One who would understand perfectly just how they were feeling. He would feel for them as no one else could.
He is the same now -- yesterday, today, and forever. He feels for His own and with them now. He has been in the same character of circumstances and had the same experiences. He had Himself been through the experience of death and annulled its power, and all because He loved us.
There are many ways and circumstances by which sorrow is brought into our hearts besides death, but Jesus has been through them all. What do we do when sorrow comes? Let us do what these disciples of John did, "They went and told Jesus." No matter what the trial or pressure, whatever the problem or difficulty, tell Jesus and you will find Him a ready and sympathetic listener; and when He has listened to all you have to tell Him, then listen to what He has to tell you. It may be much, it may be little, but be assured of this, it will be enough to set your heart at rest and lead you to submit to the wisdom and will of God.
These disciples were brought into a deeper, richer, and more intimate acquaintance of the Lord than they could have been apart from the trial and sorrow which sent them to Him. This can be our experience, so that we are able to thank God for any and every trial that brings us nearer to Christ. Some of the happiest saints are among those who are bedridden and physically helpless, and you often find that they can tell you most about Jesus.
Tell Jesus, tell Him everything. He knows in any case, but there is tremendous gain in telling Him so that He can impart relief and rest to your heart. You will then be able to say, as He said, "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." It was just after He had said this to His Father that He uttered those precious words which He reiterates to us, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Peter's experience was somewhat different. He was not exactly looking for sympathy, but what he came to realize was that he needed support. The disciples were having a trying time in the boat. It was a rough sea, and Jesus was not with them. Indeed, He seemed a long way from them as the trial continued and the pressure increased right into the fourth watch of the night. It is said that the darkness of the night is greatest just before dawn, and it was just then that the Lord appeared. He had not forgotten them, and no doubt He had been praying for them. Now He comes to them "walking on the sea."
Imagine the roaring of the wind, the tossing of the waves threatening every minute to swamp the boat and plunge them all into the angry sea, and there He is, not defying the elements, but in complete control of them. The sea is His and He made it, and here He is walking on it. Here is One who is in absolute superiority to every destructive element, and as the poor terrified disciples cry out for fear at the sight of Him, there comes a voice -- His voice. Those of us in similar circumstances can listen to His word which can be heard today, "Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid."
Now comes Peter's experience. He saw the Lord, he heard His voice, and it produced in his heart a longing and a readiness to be with Him out there on the water in the midst of the storm. He did not stop to consider which was the safest place, although he learned afterwards that the safest place was with Christ, as we, too, may learn whatever the character of the storm. It was not a question of leaving a sinking ship for what might be a better position; on the contrary, the boat provided some shelter and might come through, whereas the Lord was out there on the water with no visible means of support. No, it was the Lord Peter wanted -- to be with One who was greater than any storm, to prove for himself what Isaiah had written centuries before, that "a Man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and as a covert from the tempest" (32:2).
Peter said, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come to thee on the water." And He said, "Come," and Peter left the ship and "he walked on the water to go to Jesus." Many saints of God since then out of love for Christ have walked into danger to have His company, and some have walked into fire as well as water. But Peter became afraid, as we may in such circumstances -- not that it is evil to be afraid; as far as I know, the Lord does not condemn fear, what He does condemn is unbelief. The Lord did not say, "O thou of great fear," but "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" I think the principle is that faith will conquer fear.
Now Peter began to sink, for he took his eyes off Christ and looked at the wind and waves, and what began in faith and affection for Christ seemed threatened with disaster. Peter is sinking, but not sunk, for the saving power of Jesus is there, and he cries, "Lord, save me," the outstretched hand of Jesus draws him to His side, and Peter is with the One who rules the waves and says to the sea, "Peace, be still."
Let me say to any who are being tried and tested, trust the Lord implicitly. In your case the storm may not be stilled, but if you look out, you will see Him controlling it, and if you listen you will hear His voice saying, "it is I, be not afraid," and He will bring into your soul a great calm though the storm may still roar without. If we are governed by fear, we shall only see the circumstances, but if we have faith we shall see the Lord.
Now let us consider the wonderful scene on the mount of transfiguration. The ultimate result in the experience of the three whom the Lord took with Him up the mountain was that Jesus filled their vision, for "they saw no man, save Jesus only." What a word! Jesus only. It will be so in eternity; it can be so now. Then it will be true as the verse of a hymn says,
"The heart is satisfied, can ask no more,
All thought of self is now forever o'er.
Christ, its unmingled object, fills the heart
In blest adoring love -- its endless part."
What a sight for those three on the mount! A scene of glory, and Christ the sun and center of it! It was a high mountain apart; far above the level of things here in this world, and apart from them. His shining face, His glistening raiment, the appearance in glory of Moses and Elias, the bright cloud and the Father's voice all combined to bring into relieve the glory of the Person of the Son of God. Peter, writing of it later, speaks of "His majesty" of which he and the others were eye-witnesses. He refers to the excellent glory from which the Father's voice was heard, and adds, "when we were with Him in the holy mount."
What a possibility now, and a certainty for eternity, to be with Him. With Him, as John's disciples were, experiencing His sweet and loving sympathy in the time of deepest sorrow. With Him, as Peter was, proving His saving power and absolute superiority to the storm which raged around them. With Him, as the three disciples were on the mount, their vision filled with Christ. Peter never lost the sense of the blessedness and power experienced on that unique occasion, as his reference to it in his writings show, when they were privileged to see Christ in His supremacy in a realm of glory. May it be that in all circumstances, now as it will be ever, to us Christ is everything and all.
(In "Things Concerning Himself.")
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THE FACE OF CHRIST
My beauty-loving eyes grow tired
Of walls, and through long days and nights
I often dream how it would seem
Could I behold earth's fairest sights.
My pale hands never held a star,
I never climbed a mountain height,
Nor sailed in tropic seas, nor saw
Aurora Borealis light
The northern sky, I never glimpsed
The beauty of the Taj Mahal,
Nor watched a fading sunset paint
The Alps with afterglow. Yet all
The loveliness of earth, if given me,
Would not suffice. Some day these eyes will see
The face of Christ as He beholds His Bride,
And seeing, be forever satisfied!
-- Martha Snell Nicholson.
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Words and works are worse than worthless,
except when offered in the faith,
and through the merits
and for the sake of Jesus.
-- Things Concerning Himself
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TESTIMONY OF A HAKKA CHINESE YOUTH
KO-KO'S CONVERSION
as told to
Geoffrey T. Bull
missionary to Borneo
It was over forty years ago that my father came to Borneo, Of course, he is retired now, but all the time he has been here he has been employed on the railway staff as a clerk. The first home I can remember was situated just below the clock tower and my earliest recollections are of its chimes awaking me each morning. Down at the foot of the hill, there ran the railway line and there you could see the original Jesselton station which has long since been demolished. Daddy being on the railway, we didn't do too badly for food, and we used to get our rice regularly and nearly always some vegetables or even fish and eggs with it.
In those days before the last war we didn't go to school and anyway, when I was only seven, the Japs came in. A big fleet of ships brought them here. They didn't have to fight although I remember seeing some smoke rising from the direction of the wharf. Something must have been set on fire. They marched into town and some went out as far as "Mile Three." They have brown uniforms and wore caps. Sturdy little men they were. Not long after, the rationing started and each family received an allotment of food according to the number of children they had.
My lasting impression of those days though, was the night of the "Double Tenth" 1943 (when the people of Jesselton and the surrounding district rose up against their Japanese oppressors). That evening I was staying out at my granny's place, some two and a half miles from Jesselton. She lived amongst the trees on the top of a ridge of hills.
My uncle and his family lived there too. It was a place where they used to grow pineapples, and I often went out there to see my cousins. Suddenly in the middle of the night my grandmother woke us all up. Something terrible was happening. We could hear the machine-gun fire rattling away somewhere in the valley below.
As we listened fearfully to the machine-gun fire, my grandmother and uncle discussed what would be the best thing to do. To wait till the whole area was purged by the Japanese was useless. We children needed to be taken away, so my uncle looked at us all and then chose two of my cousins along with myself. He got out his bicycle and together we began to descend the hill, creeping down the little paths and through the undergrowth to the road that led back inland to Inanam and Mengattal. It was a hazardous undertaking -- a man and three young children racing against time. We hoped to get well into the interior before Japanese reinforcements overran the whole district, for we feared they would just shoot and kill all in their path.
On we went, taking turns to sit on the bicycle, for our little legs tired easily as we trudged on mile after mile. Through the rice fields we passed and then after a long while, we cut up through rubber trees along a little track known to my uncle. It was dark, and eerie through the trees and we seemed to go on for an interminable distance. Then ahead we could see something burning. What could it be? There was a river to cross before we could get to the little hamlet where we would have some measure of safety. As we broke out of the trees, to our horror the wooden bridge was in flames. My poor uncle was in a dilemma. No doubt the local people were burning it down for the defense of their village against the inevitable counter-attacks of the Japanese. Meanwhile we were stranded in the jungle.
As we approached the bridge we could see there was just a small width of wood left between the flames. The heat and smoke were terrific. "Run through! Run through!" shouted my uncle, and on we ran. The last memory I have of my uncle that early morning hour was seeing him pick up his bike and return in the direction of my grandmother's home. We children had been instructed what to do, so once over the bridge we went without delay to our relatives' home. We were sad to hear later on that my uncle was caught soon afterwards by the Japanese and thrown into prison.
Life in the little jungle village was hectic. As we expected, the Japanese soon caught up with us and began to maraud the district. They would come storming into the village, shooting at sight and it wasn't long before we learned how to hide. Soon we had built a little shelter far away in the dense forest and although we often used to creep back to the village at night, we were always back in the jungle by dawn. In the midst of all the suffering and bloodshed God cared for me but like most youngsters I never thought of Him then.
Things quietened down after a while. The Japanese cut down on the shooting and I was able to come back to my own home in Jesselton. In the end it was even possible for my uncle to receive food in prison. In 1945 when the war, unbeknown to us, was almost finished, our whole family moved up to Tenom and we planted rice and maize. Things took a definite turn for the better. There was a Japanese camp nearby and we were able to barter bananas for quinine, which was a great help. One day when I was up at the camp I noticed that the Camp Commandant looked very disturbed. He was saying something to his fellow-officers which I could not understand. Afterwards I found out that the Japanese had lost the war and that all their forces in Borneo must surrender.
After that, hundreds and hundreds came marching down from Keningau on their way to Jesselton. For a long time my father had been down there, but we never heard from him and I was so sad because it was very easy to get shot by the Japanese. In fact it was during that period that I first prayed and I used to cry sometimes just thinking of the possibility of his being killed. I remembered how my old granny used to say there was a "heavenly Father," and how she used to give thanks for her food.
I didn't go to school until I was eleven. Then, of course, it was hard to make up for lost time. One of the things I first remember learning though, was a kind of catechism, which began:
"Who made you?
God made me.
Why did God make you?
That I may glorify Him!"
but I liked playing marbles and chess mostly and the drill and football were the greatest fun to me. To be quite honest, it was during those teenage years that I began to go to pieces.
We had all been through a lot and now that peace had come I guess we didn't know how to enjoy it. Daddy began to drink and when he came home he would quarrel with mummy. He joined a club in town, and life became just one big gamble of cards and mahjong. My home and family which had pulled through the war began to break up now. I didn't help matters either. I followed my father, ganged up with rough company and started on the gambling run too. Needless to say, I failed my exams time and again. Drink brought my dear parents to the brink of divorce. The little security I had known seemed about to fall through altogether. I began to know what it meant to be thoroughly miserable.
About that time, I was feeling particularly fed up one evening. There wasn't a single fresh thing to do so I decided to go and see my old partner in "crime," P'eng-Yu. He was one of the wildest boys at school, and although he had seemed a bit different of late we still got on fine. Perhaps we could scrape together enough, I thought, to get out to the cinema. I jumped on my bike and quite soon had reached his house. It was one of the few two-story buildings in the district, with a coral causeway entrance.
Well, I parked the cycle and went up to the entrance of the house. I could tell something was going on inside. It sounded like people singing. As it happened there was a whole crowd there, so I just walked in. To my amazement there was an Englishman standing up in front of everybody. He had a whole room full of people listening to him and he was writing on a blackboard. What staggered me was that he was speaking fluent Chinese. Whatever had gone wrong with P'eng-Yu and his family I couldn't imagine. "I suppose the cinema is out anyway," I thought, glancing round.
Then I suddenly realized the foreigner was speaking about Jesus Christ. As I listened I was unaccountably drawn into the circle. The things he was saying I had never heard before. Was he making it up or could it really be true what he was saying about Jesus? I looked casually towards the end of the bench on which I was sitting and caught sight of an elderly English lady. "That must be his wife," I thought. Suddenly she turned and smiled at me. No European woman ever smiled at me like that before.
(Unbeknown to Ko-Ko, P'eng-Yu had put his name down for a course of Bible Study.) So I received the course through the post and the first thing I began to learn was the meaning and nature of sin. I began to find out just what was wrong with me and why I was so miserable. How can a man ever be happy when out of touch with the One who made him?
I learned how God's son died in my place at Calvary.
I learned how He rose again from the grave.
I learned that He saves for ever those who put their trust in Him . . .
Soon I began to go along to meeting and there we used to sing hymns together and listen to Mr. Pucknell teaching the Bible. Things were changing inside me. I knew it was the only way worth taking. Christ was undoubtedly real and I really wanted His salvation more than anything else.
One day not long after, I found myself on my own, at home. Father and mother had gone out on a gambling spree. My brother was down at the billiards and my sisters had gone next door. I was all alone in our bedsitting-room. It was a simple place. There was an old wooden bed with a mosquito-net tied over it, and beside the bed was our desk with my school books on it. Somehow I felt very sad and lonely. I looked through the open door. The sun was just setting in deep red over Gaya Island. It was exceedingly beautiful. I watched the people walking slowly along the road outside. Oh, how people forget God, I thought. Oh, how empty is our life without Thee. No peace. No peace. No peace. . . Suddenly I turned from the doorway. My heart was breaking. Then it was that my eyes caught sight of the little text I had hung so recently on the wall. I looked intently at the clearly printed characters.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son . . ." It said, and as I read, tears came down my cheeks. Nothing could stop me now. I knew that I was coming back to God. The words of the text ran on, "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
As I finished reading it, I just bowed my head in my hands, there on the desk. I could think of nothing but the Cross. All I could see was Jesus dying for me.
As I wept I kept crying out, "Lord, forgive me! Lord, forgive me!"
Then as I quietened I simply received Him as my Saviour, and thanked Him with all my heart. I knew my sins were all forgiven, and I adored Him.
(In "Coral In The Sand," U.S.A. edition published by Moody Press, Chicago.)
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