Numbers 13:20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
Aye Friends, who says the Lord’s not in control eh? Listen to this for coincidence. The Lord knew that I was going to continue talking about courage today, so last night when I went to visit my mother, I found her watching an old movie. She didn’t know the name, but said it was about Peter and the early Christians. I got there just about the time a Christian woman was tied to a stake in the middle of the arena, and a big, burly man sort of roamed free, until a wild bull was let loose in the arena. The idea was if the man killed the bull with his bare hands, the woman would be set free, if not, the bull would gore her to death. What savagery we humans consider entertainment eh? Anyway, at the end of the movie, I discovered its name, ‘Quo Vadis’ (wither goest thou). Only the ole fogies would remember this 1951 picture by Mervyn Le Roy and Sam Zimbalist in blazing Technicolor. It starred Robert Taylor as a Roman army commander, Deborah Kerr as his LOVE interest, and the always crazy-looking Peter Ustinov as Nero. The story is that Nero blames the early Christians for the burning of Rome, captures them and condemns them to be slaughtered in the arena, all in an afternoon’s fun, just like we go today to watch football or any game in the stadiums and hear the blood lust cries. Life really hasn’t changed that much, we just pretend to be classier. The Roman commander who is in LOVE with the Christian girl is forced to watch beside Nero as her bodyguard fights the bull. It’s a powerful, moving scene as the fellow fights the bull. At one point when things look dim, the commander is shown in Nero’s box, mouthing ‘Christ give him strength!’ And what do you think happens? Yes mih people, Christ gives him strength and he kills the bull, then the entire crowd rises and cheers and along with those in his box, gives Nero the thumbs up signal. But the ole crazy, after a moment’s hesitation, cruelly gives the thumbs down sign. Obviously pandemonium breaks loose, but the commander and his troops jump into the arena and save the day. I know it’s only a movie, a combination of facts and fiction, but Friends, we all know how the early believers were ruthlessly hunted down and savagely persecuted, however, if it wasn’t for their phenomenal courage, which no doubt came from the strength of their belief, we wouldn’t know anything about the Bible today. And the sad fact is that throughout all the ensuing generations, ours has been the least persecuted, yet we have the dubious honour of complaining the most and having the least amount of courage, doing the least to further God’s kingdom, with the most opportunity. Why is that eh? I guess persecution and hard times must have a way of bringing out the best in the human spirit and character. And it all comes right back to really appreciating things when you work hard or suffer much for them, although that doesn’t seem to apply to the Israelites at the banks of the Jordan. They had experienced all sorts of hardship, but with the help and guidance of the God of their fathers, had finally made it to the gates of the land the Lord had promised their forefather Abraham, way back when. Yet they were also too scared when it came to standing up and fighting for what the Lord had promised them. I guess, like us, they expected that whatever the Lord promised would conveniently fall in their laps, like the manna from heaven, which they disliked, but which kept their lives and limbs together through the long, rough wilderness trek. Oh Friends, today we’re so soft and molly-coddled that it’s a shame! We expect everything to be handed to us on a silver platter. That old faithful, the work ethic, has disappeared, and not only from the younger generation, but from the old one too. Everybody expects a hand out, or just want an easy job, doing basically nothing, taking no responsibility, but getting a big salary. Hn! It’s become so ridiculous, that I’ve seen people trying to get out of doing their job, which ends up being harder, than if they’d done the job in the first place. They’re willing to waste a lot of time and energy getting out of doing something that actually requires less of both. That’s the basic nature of our society today. And don’t fool yuh fat Friends, we believers are very much a part of that group who whine and complain, cheat and steal from our employers. So don’t go pretending with a holier than thou attitude that it’s only the unbelievers who are guilty of such low-life actions. But getting back to the Bit. The Israelites listened to the ten scaredy-cats, not the two brave lions, Joshua and Caleb. And we’ll just let the Good Book take us home today, showing how the Israelites rebelled against the Lord. ‘And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured (grumbled) against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! and wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword (be killed in battle), that out wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.’ (Num.14:1-4) Ah Lord eh! Isn’t that wild, crazy, stupid and ungrateful? After going through so much trial and tribulation in Egypt and along the way, just when they were about to reach their Nirvana, they balked, ran scared and wanted to return to bondage in Egypt. Ah sorry yes Friends, after all that ‘sufferation’, no way was I going back. I would take mih chances going forward, cause I know the devil I’ve left behind, and he wasn’t nice. Besides, if the Good Lord was truly in my heart, then I’d know I could rest on His promises. Oh mih people, it’s imperative that we ramp up out courage, our gumption, belly and backbone in these trying times because the enemy is currently holding sway, and yuh better believe he won’t give it up without a serious fight. So if we really want to work for Jesus, further His kingdom and bring His wonderful tenets of Peace and LOVE to this evil, misguided world, then we have to be strong and get a move on NOW, not sometime later, for time’s not waiting on us. The enemy is slowly eating away at our Church, which he’s bent on destroying, like the Romans and others did in the early days. Oh Friends, I beg of us to seriously consider what the early Christians suffered, but yet NEVER GAVE UP. Let’s uphold our part of the bargain and do the same nuh. More tomorrow, God willing. Till then, Much LOVE!…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
Aye Friends, who says the Lord’s not in control eh? Listen to this for coincidence. The Lord knew that I was going to continue talking about courage today, so last night when I went to visit my mother, I found her watching an old movie. She didn’t know the name, but said it was about Peter and the early Christians. I got there just about the time a Christian woman was tied to a stake in the middle of the arena, and a big, burly man sort of roamed free, until a wild bull was let loose in the arena. The idea was if the man killed the bull with his bare hands, the woman would be set free, if not, the bull would gore her to death. What savagery we humans consider entertainment eh? Anyway, at the end of the movie, I discovered its name, ‘Quo Vadis’ (wither goest thou). Only the ole fogies would remember this 1951 picture by Mervyn Le Roy and Sam Zimbalist in blazing Technicolor. It starred Robert Taylor as a Roman army commander, Deborah Kerr as his LOVE interest, and the always crazy-looking Peter Ustinov as Nero. The story is that Nero blames the early Christians for the burning of Rome, captures them and condemns them to be slaughtered in the arena, all in an afternoon’s fun, just like we go today to watch football or any game in the stadiums and hear the blood lust cries. Life really hasn’t changed that much, we just pretend to be classier. The Roman commander who is in LOVE with the Christian girl is forced to watch beside Nero as her bodyguard fights the bull. It’s a powerful, moving scene as the fellow fights the bull. At one point when things look dim, the commander is shown in Nero’s box, mouthing ‘Christ give him strength!’ And what do you think happens? Yes mih people, Christ gives him strength and he kills the bull, then the entire crowd rises and cheers and along with those in his box, gives Nero the thumbs up signal. But the ole crazy, after a moment’s hesitation, cruelly gives the thumbs down sign. Obviously pandemonium breaks loose, but the commander and his troops jump into the arena and save the day. I know it’s only a movie, a combination of facts and fiction, but Friends, we all know how the early believers were ruthlessly hunted down and savagely persecuted, however, if it wasn’t for their phenomenal courage, which no doubt came from the strength of their belief, we wouldn’t know anything about the Bible today. And the sad fact is that throughout all the ensuing generations, ours has been the least persecuted, yet we have the dubious honour of complaining the most and having the least amount of courage, doing the least to further God’s kingdom, with the most opportunity. Why is that eh? I guess persecution and hard times must have a way of bringing out the best in the human spirit and character. And it all comes right back to really appreciating things when you work hard or suffer much for them, although that doesn’t seem to apply to the Israelites at the banks of the Jordan. They had experienced all sorts of hardship, but with the help and guidance of the God of their fathers, had finally made it to the gates of the land the Lord had promised their forefather Abraham, way back when. Yet they were also too scared when it came to standing up and fighting for what the Lord had promised them. I guess, like us, they expected that whatever the Lord promised would conveniently fall in their laps, like the manna from heaven, which they disliked, but which kept their lives and limbs together through the long, rough wilderness trek. Oh Friends, today we’re so soft and molly-coddled that it’s a shame! We expect everything to be handed to us on a silver platter. That old faithful, the work ethic, has disappeared, and not only from the younger generation, but from the old one too. Everybody expects a hand out, or just want an easy job, doing basically nothing, taking no responsibility, but getting a big salary. Hn! It’s become so ridiculous, that I’ve seen people trying to get out of doing their job, which ends up being harder, than if they’d done the job in the first place. They’re willing to waste a lot of time and energy getting out of doing something that actually requires less of both. That’s the basic nature of our society today. And don’t fool yuh fat Friends, we believers are very much a part of that group who whine and complain, cheat and steal from our employers. So don’t go pretending with a holier than thou attitude that it’s only the unbelievers who are guilty of such low-life actions. But getting back to the Bit. The Israelites listened to the ten scaredy-cats, not the two brave lions, Joshua and Caleb. And we’ll just let the Good Book take us home today, showing how the Israelites rebelled against the Lord. ‘And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured (grumbled) against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! and wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword (be killed in battle), that out wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.’ (Num.14:1-4) Ah Lord eh! Isn’t that wild, crazy, stupid and ungrateful? After going through so much trial and tribulation in Egypt and along the way, just when they were about to reach their Nirvana, they balked, ran scared and wanted to return to bondage in Egypt. Ah sorry yes Friends, after all that ‘sufferation’, no way was I going back. I would take mih chances going forward, cause I know the devil I’ve left behind, and he wasn’t nice. Besides, if the Good Lord was truly in my heart, then I’d know I could rest on His promises. Oh mih people, it’s imperative that we ramp up out courage, our gumption, belly and backbone in these trying times because the enemy is currently holding sway, and yuh better believe he won’t give it up without a serious fight. So if we really want to work for Jesus, further His kingdom and bring His wonderful tenets of Peace and LOVE to this evil, misguided world, then we have to be strong and get a move on NOW, not sometime later, for time’s not waiting on us. The enemy is slowly eating away at our Church, which he’s bent on destroying, like the Romans and others did in the early days. Oh Friends, I beg of us to seriously consider what the early Christians suffered, but yet NEVER GAVE UP. Let’s uphold our part of the bargain and do the same nuh. More tomorrow, God willing. Till then, Much LOVE!…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
SCRIP-BITS 