Onward! Upward! May We Ever Go!

The chorus for 'The Song Of Guyana's Children' goes like this

Onward, upward, may we ever go

Day by day in strength and beauty grow,

Till at length we each of us may show,

What Guyana’s sons and daughters can be.

There is a message in it for the Children of God's Kingdom!

Do we find ourselves dwelling in the past and what it used to be? Do we find ourselves comparing what is now to what it was before. Do we long for the "good old days" when life was predictable with no challenges?

God does not want you to dwell on your failures.

God does not want you to dwell in the past

God expects you to move on with Him.

There are people who are always moving but getting nowhere and there are people who seem not to go anywhere but keep making gigantic strides in the right direction with God.

Abundance of activity is not indicative of progress!

Stop singing about the way we were..rather start singing we're marching on.

Every time Israel came face to face with an obstacle they began reminiscing of the way they were back in Egypt! They seemed to have forgotten

the unceasing labor,

the taskmaster's whip,

the constant male infanticide,

their lower class slave status

and their constant groaning and crying out to God for deliverance.

They subsequently incurred the displeasure of God because of their unbelief.

Remember what the Word says? "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Heb 11:6)

The song says it all "the more I seek you the more I find you".

Jesus said seek and you shall find (Mat 7:7).

God who knows your heart knows the difference between earnest seeking and a half-hearted search! The search can take a long time and necessitates the dying of the unbelieving self life until the new nature in Christ asserts itself and move onward...upward to victory.

In review it is noted that:

The blessing of God was on their lives in Egypt Ex 1:7

They grew and prospered mightily Ex. 1:7

The Pharaoh and his people became afraid Ex 1:9,10

The Pharaoh made them slaves Ex 1:11-14

Taskmasters afflicted them Ex 1:11-14

Male infanticide was ordered. Ex 1:15-22

They cried to God for release from bondage Ex 2:23

They were heard and God sent a deliverer...Moses. Ex 2:24,25; 3:1-10

Things appeared to become worse after Moses appeared, sent as deliverer to Israel by Yahweh. They blamed the deliverer Moses for this! Yet Moses was obeying God!!!

When they left Egypt they became:

THE COMPLAINING DEPARTMENT!!!

1. THEY COMPLAINED AT THE RED SEA!

(Exo 14:11) And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? (Exo 14:12) Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. God delivered them without they having to fight

2. THEY COMPLAINED ABOUT BITTER WATER

Exo 15:22-24 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

(23) And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. (24) And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? God sweetened the water for them

3. THEY COMPLAINED FOR BREAD

(Exo 16:3) And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. God provided manna

4. THEY COMPLAINED ABOUT PRIVILEGES AND LEADERSHIP

Num 16:1-5 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: (2) And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: (3) And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? (4) And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: (5) And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. God got rid of the dissenters