Christian's Delight

Now Christ's command is simple,

And meant to be obeyed,

"Go ye and preach My Gospel

In every land," He said.

Christ hadn't any favourites;

He lived and died for all!

So all should know the Message,

And hear His gracious call.

So I'll go and face the music

In some dark far off land,

Where no one's ever been before

For Christ to make a stand.

I'll leave the ninety-nine behind,

And seek the wandering sheep,

To bring it back to Jesus Christ,

And lay it at His feet.

The way may not be easy,

The grub not over good,

The climate may be treacherous,

The men a devil's brood.

But what of that? My Jesus

Suffered torture and the cross

For me the chief of sinners,

Lest I should suffer loss.

It may mean death or poverty,

Or grief-or pain-or shame,

But what of that? The martyrs lived

And suffered just the same.

I wouldn't want to live at all

Unless it was to fight

For Jesus Christ and sinful men,

Morning, noon and night.

And in some fierce, hot battle,

Fighting I'd love to die,

Watching for Jesus' coming,

To carry me home on high.

But when I walk the golden street.

I'll blush a scarlet red,

And hide my face in shame until

The crown drops off my head.

The crown that Jesus won and gave

To His unworthy son,

Who'd done so little, and badly, too,

Even the things he'd done.

And if it won't drop off I'll cast

My crown at Jesus' feet,

Then run and seek the lowest place

Upon the lowest seat.

And then I think I'll weep and weep

Till Jesus dries my eyes,

As I realise at last the depth

Of His great sacrifice.

And that I can't go back to earth,

And have another try

To serve Him better than before,

To suffer and to die.

And then I'll shout with rapture

With all the heavenly host,

"Glory to God, the Father,

The Son and Holy Ghost."

And then the joys of meeting

The loved ones gone before,

And watching for the others

To enter at the door!

My word! what introductions

To all God's family,

And leave to ask them questions

With impunity.

I'll want to hear from Jonah

Of his time inside the fish,

And how John Baptist laughed to see

His head upon the dish.

How Daniel felt descending

Into the lion's den;

What Gideon thought when marching out

With but three hundred men.

What Nebby thought about the three

Who nearly caught a cold,

When thrown into the fire because

They wouldn't worship gold.

And what they felt like when they found

That they had merely come

To have a walk with Jesus,

Who Had just arrived from Home.

We understand that Nebby got

Converted on the spot,

And right away for infidels

Began to make it hot.

We need a few like Shadrach, Meshach,

And Abednego

To pay a little visit now

To Christendom, I trow.

They'd say we were behind the times,

And just as much demented,

As poor old Uncle Nebby was

Before he had repented.

The image then was on the plain,

But now it's come to town,

And has as many votaries

To worship and bow down.

Elijah's thoughts on Carmel

When he faced the mighty throng-

My! how he chaffed the Baalites,

Laughing loud and long.

And what the Apostles felt and thought,

And what the women said,

When first they gazed on Jesus Christ

Risen, from the dead.

The comical grimaces of

Philippi's magistrates,

When they had to beg Paul's pardon

And escort him to the gates.

The thoughts of Simon Peter

When he felt the chains drop off;

And the gates began to open

Like a lion going to cough.

And why poor Rhoda's mistress thought

She'd gone stark, staring mad,

Because she said that Peter stood

Outside the door. Too bad!

The faces of the Sadducees,

When the fishermen declared

In future they'd obey the Lord,

Not men! They must have stared.

For well they knew that Peter

Had so late denied the Lord,

In mortal fear of women, too,

Though neither had a sword.

It must have been as though they saw

A Baa-lamb on its legs;

Deploring their pernicious taste

For eating addled eggs.

Their nonplussed looks, when Peter told

The godless Roman soldiers,

"Kindly crucify me, with

My head below my shoulders."

And when the oil began to boil,

The aspect of the crowd,

As John within began to sing,

And thank the Lord aloud.

In heaven no amusement?

I venture to declare

There's never been such fun on earth

As we shall have up there.

The joy will be without alloy

Within our home above,

A perfect Father's family

And every soul in love.

Enthusiastic service for

A perfect Master too,

And every servant singing,

"I want more work to do."

All hearts will glow with rapture,

As we gaze on Jesus' face,

While we sing the wondrous story,

Of the Father's matchless grace.