SCRIP-BITS

Ah mih Friends, it’s Monday again. Chuh! That means the party over, is back to the common grind and daily task of labouring for the man to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. But please mih people, let’s make sure that before we set out, we’re fully clothed in the spiritual armour of the Most High God Jehovah, so that we can be protected from the enemy’s evil plans and designs on us. If we’re so clothed, then all his wicked, deceitful, amorous advances will be readily repelled. I know it gets tiring to hear that warning all the time, but it’s necessary because Lucifer is always on the prowl for weakness, and all he needs is one little chink in our armour to take us to the cleaners. So please, let’s not give him any opportunity to do that; wear your armour at all times. Anyway, here’s a pleasant thought to carry in our hearts today. It’s attributed to Yoshida Kenko, and says: ‘Blossoms are scattered by the wind and the wind cares nothing, but the blossoms of the heart no wind can touch.’ Wow Friends!  That’s both beautiful and true! Whatever good thing of God that exists in our hearts, cannot be touched by the wind, or anything else. Our Bit today resonates with the same positive, sincere confidence. ‘Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth.’ My people, our God isn’t only near, but He’s living within us, guiding and protecting us through the might and power of His awesome Spirit. What can be better than that eh mih breddren? Nothing! He’s the only Deity that lives within His followers. That He desires to dwell within us just shows the premium value He places on our association with Him. And unlike all the other deities, He’s a living, breathing Being, not an inanimate object. But remember Friends, you have to consciously invite and accept Him into your heart. He will not violate your privacy and freedom of choice. But Friends, when you do make that wise and wonderful decision, the wisest you can ever make, what peace and calm suddenly flows through your soul, accompanied by a renewed faith, trust and assurance in life! Now all your cares and problems don’t just fade away into space, as some of us believe, but you acquire the strength and confidence to deal with them, the ability to come up over them, the sure knowledge that they will not put you under, that you will fight them tooth and nail, to death if need be. That’s the kind of empowerment the Spirit of Christ brings to us my people! Oh Friends, the Psalmist unequivocally voiced this later on. ‘Great peace have they which LOVE thy law: and nothing shall offend them (causes them to stumble). (Ps.119:165) And the mighty prophet Isaiah, when talking about the suffering of the Lord’s servant, a prophecy of Christ, verily proclaimed: ‘For the Lord God will help me: therefore shall I not be confounded (disgraced): therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? Let us stand together: who is mine adversary (master of my judgement)? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? Lo, they all shall wax (grow) old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay (rely) upon his God.’ (Isa.50:7-10) Yes my brethren, though we who put our trust in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob may have difficult lives, once we stand steadfast and strong in His Name and Word, we shall never be defeated. As Bruh Paul victoriously proclaims: ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of (bring a charge against) God’s elect? It is God that justifieth (declares righteous). (Rom.8:31-33) Oh Friends, who knows more about God’s law and his promises than Bruh David? He possibly experienced them personally more than any other soul that ever lived. So he knows what he’s talking about when he declares in Psalm 145, a Psalm of Praise: ‘I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).’ (Ps.145:1-3) Yes mih people, there we have three great men of faith, extolling the greatness of our God, not through hearsay, but by personal experience. Are we going to believe them, and act on their words and experiences? I certainly hope so. But for good measure, something extra, as ‘langniappe’ and ‘broughta’ (smile) we’ll close with more assurances from Bruh David. ‘The Lord is righteous in all his ways; and holy (gracious) in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145:17-21) And all God’s people joyfully sung: ‘Praise Him, Praise him, Glory Hallelujah, He is LOVE, He is LOVE!’ Oh Friends, let’s take those wonderful words of inspiration, bury them deep in out hearts, souls and minds, then go out there and cut a wide swath through the enemy’s lines, furthering the kingdom, in Jesus’ Name! Amen! Much Love!…as for me and mine…we will follow the Lord…

Ah mih people, I hope yesterday’s Bit struck a wake up call in our evil, disobedient hearts, and at least got us to thinking straight again. Oh Friends, it’s not rocket science but basic common sense; simply doing right as opposed to doing wrong, with the rewards and penalties of going in each direction. This topic is of considerable importance to our society for it holds either the seeds of prosperity or those of destruction. It all depends on the way we choose to approach it. Consequently, it deserves another visit, focusing more on the scriptural aspect, highlighting some passages that bring out the true benefits and disadvantages of either course of action. And our first passage comes from Jeremiah 9, where he talks about disobedience bringing God’s judgement. ‘Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! For they be all adulterers, and an assembly of treacherous men. And how they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord. Take ye heed everyone of his neighbour (friend), and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. And they will deceive everyone his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt (refine) them, and try (test) them, for how shall I do for the daughter of my people? Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit, one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait (inwardly he sets his ambush). Shall I not visit (punish) them for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?’ (Jer.9:2-9) Friends, we have to be blind, deaf, dumb and totally unaware of what’s happening around us to not realize how aptly Jeremiah’s words apply to our world situation today. And it’s so sad that we’ve not only picked up all the wrong doing and disobedience of olden times, but that we’ve taken them to such high levels of refinement, it just boggles the imagination. We’ve taken evil, greed, lies, deceit, distrust, etc. to such meteoric heights, surrounded by such guile and intrigue that even our forefathers of a generation ago wouldn’t be able to comprehend our world. And mih breddren, it’s not like we don’t have numerous examples of unruly societies, beginning with Israel, right up to our time, who have eschewed the grace of Abraham’s God, disobeyed His edicts and suffered serious punishment, even unto total destruction. Our God is a living, LOVING, patient Being, but at the same time He’s just and righteous and not content to put up with our sottish, spoiled brat, whining, disobedient, wicked behaviour for ever. Remember Friends, time longer than twine, and all the evil we do will come back to haunt us, will boomerang back on us at some stage, be it now or later. Oh Friends, we just have to look back about 75 years ago, when we were a more God-centred people, how our society prospered. But very unfortunately that same prosperity caused us to move away from God who had provided it. We became rather enamoured of ourselves and our supposed might, wealth and wisdom, and pushed God aside to worship the idols of our own making. Since then my brethren, we’ve been on the downslide, and let’s not fool ourselves, we have not reached rock bottom yet. But if we continue following Lucifer and his evil cohorts, we’re guaranteed to hit rock bottom, and I assure us, it won’t be nice. What we’re undergoing now will seem like paradise when the real wrath of God hits us. My people, right now He’s just warning us, firing shots across our bows to keep us from going further into the depths of Hades with the enemy. But are we listening? Not really, because we’re still lusting mightily over the trifles and truffles of the world, and refuse to store up treasure in heaven as Jesus directed. That brings us to the next passage of scripture, from Bruh Paul’s writings to the Corinthians. ‘Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice ye be children, but in understanding be men.’ (1 Cor.14:20) Bruh Paul couldn’t put it any simpler. He’s pleading with us to be babes, innocent and guileless when it comes to evil, but to be bright, mature and wise in matters of godliness and understanding. Common sense mih people, strictly common sense! Sorry, I forgot that term is old school and no longer exists in our vocabulary. But we’d be wise to bring it back into vogue as quickly as possible, for therein lies our fate. And we’ll end today with a similar exhortation of Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘For your obedience is come abroad (reported) unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise (crush) Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.’ (Rom.16:19-20) Oh mih people, let’s wake up and smell the smoke nuh, for where there’s smoke there’s certainly fire. It’s already burning and spreading, and if we don’t douse it soon with plenty water (godliness), it’s going to eventually engulf us in a deadly conflagration. Listen mih people, please listen! Much LOVE!…remember the promise…is the fire next time…

Ah Friends, the weekend, read Sabbath time, has slowly rolled around again after a hard, deflating workweek. But it’s now time for rest, relaxation, fun and fellowship; the things that revive us physically, emotionally and spiritually. Praise the Lord! Our God, in His awesome wisdom instituted that break every seven days so we can catch our bearings, inflate our deflated spirit with renewed fervour which allows us to carry our His kingdom’s work for another week. And I have some appropriate words to share from Nelson Mandela’s autobiography of 1995, ‘Long Walk to Freedom.’ Mandela says: ‘I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb…But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended.’ Oh Friends, how true that is! All of us will constantly have hills to climb in this life, be they physical, mental, emotional problems, or in the sense of working to make a living five days a week, resting for two, then beginning the cycle all over again. And one point I especially want to drive home from Mandela’s quote my people is the overwhelmingly important fact that ‘with freedom come responsibilities.’ All over the world, people are clamouring for freedom, but what they don’t realize is that that euphoric, utopian word and situation labelled freedom brings more responsibilities than oppression or suppression. Then you have to look after yourselves, because you’re free, and in a group of supposedly free people there will always be confrontation and differences of opinion, so it becomes difficult to sustain that group with everybody wanting to be free to do their own thing. So shouting for freedom and democracy is the easy part, actually living it is something else. That’s why we can never stop climbing those hills and rest for too long, else we’ll never get back on track. And contrary to what many think, or are searching for, there are no easy ways to solve our problems, whatever they may be. However, the surest way to gain a strong foothold on whatever hills we’re climbing is to be in a real tight association with the Most High God Jehovah. He’s the only one both willing and able to guarantee help in surmounting those hills in our lives. Unfortunately, the majority of the world is seeking easy, do it yourself answers, listening to the supposed experts of the world. But Friends, just stop and think for a moment, if the experts were as knowledgeable as they profess, would our world be in such a horrible mess? I doubt it. Our world today certainly echoes Jeremiah’s as he lamented over Judah’s disobedience. ‘My bowels, my bowels (soul)! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled (plundered): suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?’ (Jer.4:19-21) Yes Friends, all over our beautiful planet Earth, there are wars, rumours of war, lots of evil doing and destruction, with rape and pillage abounding. And just like Jerry, I wonder how long this negative supremacy over our world will last. Possibly not until we wake up from our torpid slumber and really smell the roses, since we’re behaving just like the people of Judah that Jerry is lamenting on the Lord’s behalf. ‘For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish (silly, stupid) children, and they have none (no) understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.’ And isn’t that gospel today too Friends? Evil is rampant in our world, and we behave like spoiled brats, wanting everything easy and now for now. A majority of us have forsaken the God of our fathers and thrown in our lot with Lucifer, seeking worldly things to satisfy our lustful appetites. But that my people is not only madness, but thorough stupidity, for the things of this world can never satisfy us since with each new toy we get, we keep wanting more, which only leads us down the road to ruin and destruction. Remember Friends, that the Lord who made us knew what He was doing, and He designed a secret compartment in each of us that can only be filled and satisfied with ONE thing; LOVE for Him. So regardless of all the worldly stuff we possess, if that secret chamber is not filled with our Maker, our God, then we’ll never be satisfied. Sadly, many of us know that, but we still choose the easy way out and worship at the altar of Beelzebub, who has nothing worthwhile to offer, only death and eternal damnation. In turn, all that does is invoke the Lord’s anger against us. As Jeremiah testified: ‘I beheld, and lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet I will not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent (relent), neither will I turn back from it.’ (Jer.4:26-28) And remember people, God keeps all His promises, so we really don’t want to invoke His wrath any more than we’ve already done. Oh Friends, everyday a new disaster, natural or man made strikes our world, and foolishly we’ve looked to man to solve them, with only unsuccessful results. What’s it going to take for us to turn in a major tide to the Lord God of our fathers eh? We’ve tried everything else, obviously with negative results, for it’s only God who can bring us lasting peace and prosperity. My people, let’s smarten up and turn to Him NOW nuh, for we certainly don’t want to feel His wrath. Let’s ramp up our efforts to bring the ungodly to Christ. It’s the only way to stop the senseless bleeding and destruction. Much LOVE!…if yuh doh hear…yuh going to feel…

It’s Monday again my people! Battle stations all! It just seems to come around so quickly. Hope you had a restful, rejuvenating weekend, where you fellowshipped and released all the stress and tension of the past week, because it’s time to don your battle armour again and rejoin the fray in this new work week. And I have an interesting quote from Thomas Fuller, reminding us that ‘Every tub must stand on its own bottom.’ Gospel mih people, pure gospel! Regardless of circumstances, good, bad or indifferent, each of us has to stand on our own two feet and make certain decisions about our lives. And even if we have the best advice in the world, straight from the mouth of Jesus, we still have to make the decision to believe and follow it or not. The same goes for the advice James gives in our Bit to believers who fall under the oppressive yoke of the evil rich that we spoke of yesterday. Believers are to be patient in affliction, waiting on the coming of the Lord, like the Israelite farmers of old waited patiently for their crops on the two rainy seasons of late fall and mid spring. And James continues: ‘Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.’ (James 5:8) Yes Friends, we’ve got to establish a sense of patience in our hearts and souls through prayer, meditation and fellowship, and wait for Jesus’ second coming, which draws closer every day.  James mentions Christ’s return to encourage us to have that perseverance and fortitude necessary for Christian survival and maturity. ‘Grudge (grumble) not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold the judge standeth before the door.’ (James 5:9) Ah mih breddren, that’s so very important if we’re ever to successfully spread God’s kingdom all over the earth. Unfortunately, the further along we’ve gone through the ensuing years, the more grumbling and complaining we’ve done amongst ourselves, till today Christ’s Church has been split asunder into innumerable divisions, with so much internal bickering and dissension that makes it easy for the ungodly to keep us suppressed and take control of the world. Remember Friends, at one stage the Church ruled the world, was the most important institution in society. Now we’ve been relegated to bit player status. Oh my people, it certainly isn’t easy to patiently endure the affliction which many believers have to undergo, but that’s what the Good Book teaches. But remember too that nothing worthwhile is ever easily accomplished. And James points out. ‘Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.’ (James 5:10) Jesus also used the prophets as an example of patience when He proclaimed the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Mat.5:12) And the writer of Hebrews positively declared: ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36) So Friends, in the Christian life everything tends towards patience, endurance, perseverance and fortitude, even in the most difficult and dangerous of times and situations. But though it’s exceedingly hard to put into practice, without those things, we won’t last very long in this greedy, violent, evil, cutthroat world, which makes it essential for us to study the Word and encourage each other as much as possible. And here’s a little exercise to try; whenever we come under what we consider affliction, before we moan and groan, let’s just stop for a moment and compare our current situation with what the believers down through the ages suffered, then tell me if our affliction is so great after all. For we’ve suffered nothing in comparison to them. But we’ve become such a soft, whiny, selfish society, unable to withstand the simplest problems without complaining, that the Lord must shake His head in sad wonder. I doubt many of us would have made it in the earliest stages of Christianity, but luckily those early believers were made of sterner stuff, else we’d not know anything about Christ today. Oh Friends, the whole point of our existence is to endure and persevere so that we can further Christ’s kingdom here on earth. You can bet your bottom dollar that the unbelievers won’t sit idly by, as we seem to be doing, and allow us to do it. That means we desperately need to have the parts and smarts to keep on keeping on, even under the most daunting circumstances and challenges. I know you’re tired of hearing that, but it’s the only way Christ’s Church will stay alive, and more importantly spread to all areas of the globe. That’s Christ’s goal: He doesn’t even want to lose one sinner. And He assigned that job to us. So please let’s not disappoint Him, after all the sacrifices he made for us. Let’s get down to our bounden duty. It’s hard, but the rewards, salvation and eternal life are definitely worth it. Much LOVE!…to work for Jesus…is to work for the best employer ever…

Oh Friends, I found an interesting fact in the newspaper today, actually Friday’s paper; it’s the supposed derivation of our popular word ‘tragedy.’ They claim that this is the anniversary of both Shakespeare’s birth and death, thus it’s appropriate to look at the word he made famous through his plays. And apparently it’s derived from two Greek words, ‘oide’ meaning song and ‘tragos’ meaning goat. So in other words, tragedy was a goat song, though no one seems to know why it was called that. Somebody snidely suggests that maybe goats were given as prizes at drama festivals in ancient Greece. Hn, hn! But whatever the word’s origin, it has come to play a major part in our vocabulary, and is an apt description of what will eventually happen to the rich, ungodly, oppressive men of this earth. James certainly doesn’t mince words in his warning: ‘Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.’ He was addressing the wealthy, unsaved Jews who had poor Jews working for them in disgusting conditions, for miserly, unfair wages. Oh Friends, how I wish our world’s wealthy would see and pay close attention to that statement. Why? Because unfortunately nothing much has changed in today’s world. The wealthy, both Jews and Gentiles are still ill-treating the less fortunate, keeping them totally subservient by means of unhealthy, unsanitary, unsatisfactory working conditions and beggarly wages, way below the true worth of their work. And if you complain, they fire you, instilling an element of fear in the remaining workers. James though is warning them that they will pay for their harsh, greedy, unjust deeds towards their fellow man. God’s judgement will be meted out to them in no uncertain terms. For as he continues: ‘Your riches are corrupted (have rotted), and your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered (corroded); and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.’ (James 5:2-3) They have amassed wealth for their retirement, but sadly, it’s that same wealth the Lord will use against them. Jesus also spoke clearly several times on the topic. In the parable of the rich fool: ‘So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:21) Then in the Beatitudes, He declares: ’But woe unto you that are rich! For ye have received your consolation.’ (Luke 6:24) They have already received their reward down here on earth. The next move is ‘sufferation’ to pay for their misdeeds. And He clarifies it all in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, where the rich man in hell is pleading with Abraham: ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.’ Luke 16:24-25) Yes Friends, that’s the reward of the wicked rich. And James spells it out even more for them. ‘Behold the hire (wages) of the labourers who have reaped (mowed) down your fields, which is of you (have) kept back by fraud, crieth (cry out): and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (of Hosts, of Armies)’ (James 5:4-5) He’s talking here about the all powerful character of our God who sees and hears the injustice and will repay it in His time and manner. ‘Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton (indulgent); ye have nourished (fattened) your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.’ (James 5:5-6) That hasn’t changed in today’s world either my Friends. If possible, it’s gotten worse. But don’t worry, the Lord will repay them for all their evil deeds and worldly lusts when He is good and ready. So let them have their fun now, thinking that they’re so strong and mighty that nothing can touch or harm them. But Friends, they haven’t encountered the Lord God Almighty as yet. When they do, it will be an entirely different story; just like Jesus described in the tale of Abraham and Lazarus, that’s worthy of continuation here. Abraham informs him of the great gulf between them so nobody can pass from one side to the other. ‘Then he said, I pray thee therefore father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.’ (Luke 16:27-31) And isn’t that the living truth Friends! They had Moses and the prophets, yet they listened not. Then Jesus came and rose from the dead, yet they’re still not listening. So what’s a man to do? Believers are to keep on trying, leading by example, sharing the word, upholding truth and justice, all in the name of Jesus. But listening and believing is the individual’s choice, and if they choose to put their faith in the things of the world, there’s not much we can do. Once we have sincerely tried, and our hearts are right, the Lord will understand. But we’ve got to keep on trying. Much LOVE!…remember…he who doesn’t hear…shall surely feel…

And the sad story continues Friends: Because of their abominable behaviour, the Lord threatens to smite the Israelites with a plague, disinherit them and build a bigger and better nation. But Moses intercedes on their behalf, trying to talk sense and reason to God. Hn! He explains that if the Lord destroys Israel, Egypt and all the other nations would hear of it and cast aspersions on His power; ‘for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by daytime in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. (Num.14:14-16) Oh Friends, what a smart man Moses turned out to be! Then he continued to the Lord: ‘And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is long-suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.’ (Num.14:17:18) Ah Friends, I have to chuckle at how Moses turned back and used the Lord’s words against Him. He spoke those words after He gave Moses the second tablets of stone bearing the Ten Commandments. (Ex.34:6-7) So you see it pays to listen to God. That reminds me of my good, ole bachelor days in T&T, when my Uncle Foster would tell me to do him anything but give him back his own talk. (smile) None of us really want to be reminded of things we said which contradict our current position. And so, knowing that he had the Lord, as we would say over a barrel, where He couldn’t disclaim His words, Moses boldly continued: ‘Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.’ (Num.14:19) Ah mih people, what a good thing the Israelites had Moses to intercede for them so eloquently; the same Moses who earlier claimed that he couldn’t face Pharaoh because of his speech impediment. What wonders God can work in us when we sincerely obey and reverence Him eh! Luckily, today we have Jesus running interference for us with the Father, and He carries a little more weight, more influence than Moses, for we sorely need intercession because the Israelites’ sins pale in comparison to ours. They could never dream or imagine some of our abominations, which must make the Lord shake His head and long for those simple, less sophisticated days of yore. Anyway, the Lord listened to Moses’ reasoning. Oh Friends, yuh see the wonderful God we worship, not an angry, despotic monarch, who never listens to His subjects. None of the other supposed gods can do that because they’re all dead, inanimate, man-made idols. But our God, that of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is alive and thus can interact sensibly with His subjects. ‘And the Lord said, 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. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and have tempted (tested) me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware (solemnly promised) unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.’ (Num.14:20-24) So the Lord dissented from annihilating them, but nonetheless they would be punished; none of those who came up out of Egypt and experienced God’s ultimate glory and wonders and yet rebelled, would ever set foot in the Promised land. The Lord was so tired of the Israelites whining and grumbling, that He asked Moses and Aaron: ‘How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me?…Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole (entire) number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me…save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander (be shepherds) in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities (guilt) even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise (rejection or opposition). (Num14:27-34) Oh Friends, our God is a good but serious God. He doesn’t take kindly to disobedience or rebellion especially when He’s shown you what He’s capable of. Yuh see what became of that great Exodus from Egypt for lack of a little faith and courage? None of the older ones who began it ever entered the Promised Land, including poor Moses, because he paid for the Israelites sins too. Only Caleb and Joshua lived to enter therein, the rest perished in the wilderness. They wandered there forty years, a day for every one they’d spent searching the land and then rejecting it through fear and no faith in the Lord’s promises. And I have to chuckle at the way the Lord paid them back with their own words and ideas, when they grumbled about Him bringing them to die in the wilderness and their children to be prey. (Num.14:2-4)  And the moral of the story Friends? The Lord is the BOSS; He’s in control, and knows what He’s doing. So do not disrespect or disobey Him. Don’t grumble and complain when He tells you to do something. Just say ‘Yes Lord,’ and do it. And be careful what words or expressions you mouth, for they might just come back to haunt you. And above all my people, believe in His promises; stand strong in faith with courage and great expectations, for He will never let you down. Much LOVE! …to be successful in any endeavour…one must have first have courage to attempt it…