Thoughts ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZONPRTOFF dateof comment Look Inside Data Conditions:Order: 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30| Dateof Comment 03/19/2026 Man, it is already spring. Soon we are going to have many college graduates who are soon going to enter the work force. Paul has a word for you: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NLT The Temple of the Living God 14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. 18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. If you are in it for the money, evil will probably win over you. This is not how you impress Jesus. Look for businesses that have morals and preferably a connection with Jesus Christ. This same message applies to people already in business. Don't believe evil will not influence you when you expose yourself to it, because it will. If God has a plan to bring a business to salvation, he may want you there. But you better be sure you are called by him. He will give you the strength to overcome any evil that may exist. If you are not called by God you probably will fail. Just like Timothy, you should follow his example: 1 Timothy 6:11 NLT But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. I am thankful for our coming graduates. Especially those who know Jesus. They will determine if we become one nation under God again. My generation dropped the ball on this one. I really believe that God has some big plan for you college students. I will be excited to see it put into action. LET JESUS LIVE in your lives!!!!!!! 03/17/2026 I have watched how people who trust other people will want them to work for them to make their own life better. The question is, "Do I put the same trust in God believing that he will also improve our lives by turning things over to him?" Romans 15:13 (New Living Translation) I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. 03/16/2026 I believe that they are right when they say Jesus is coming back soon. I also believe there is no better time to talk to people about Jesus then now: 2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. If Paul could have done bold print in his letter, he would emphasize what I did. 03/15/2026 It is spring and it feels good to go out into the sunshine and get some fresh air. The warmth of the sunshine feels good on the skin. We feel refreshed, and when we go back inside we don't think much more about it. Our sun, when we expose ourselves to it, we experienced something that we don't notice. Our skin picks up the rays of the sun. Those rays give us vitamin D, increase our bone density and strengthens our immune system. I have been exposed to many sources of light but none do what our God created sun does. Those who sell sunscreen will tell you that no exposure to the sun is what is good for you. Just as the light of our sun changes our physical lives, there is a light that shines in the spiritual side that also changes our lives. We we have a spiritual light that does the same thing. He is called the light of the world. John 8:12 Jesus, the Light of the World Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” You are right that Jesus is in heaven but they say Jesus is God and Hebrews says this: Hebrews 4:12 NLT 12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Sometimes we read God's word and we may not understand what we are reading now but we are exposing ourselves to something that is alive and it is changing our lives even though we do not realize it now. Those people who are in God's word a lot can confirm this is the case, but in time it all begins to be revealed. That is why persistence matters when it comes to God's written word. All other literature is dead. God's written word is the only thing that grows our spiritual lives like the sun that helps heal our physical bodies. Proverbs 30:5 NLT Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. 03/13/2026 You always hear about God hardening Pharaoh's heart like that is the only thing God is capable of. Our God is a God who also softens hearts. After Israel upset God so bad, he exiled them into slavery for 70 years. There are some amazing things God did to allow the people to finally come home: Ezra 1:1-7 NLT Cyrus Allows the Exiles to Return 1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: 2 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! 4 Wherever this Jewish remnant is found, let their neighbors contribute toward their expenses by giving them silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a voluntary offering for the Temple of God in Jerusalem.” 5 Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. 6 And all their neighbors assisted by giving them articles of silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock. They gave them many valuable gifts in addition to all the voluntary offerings. 7 King Cyrus himself brought out the articles that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his own gods. I never hear about this side of God. He did not stop here. Nehemiah was about to see what God was about to do: Nehemiah 1:3-4 NLT Nehemiah’s Concern for Jerusalem 3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” 4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. God was about to do something for Nehemiah like he did for Ezra: Nehemiah 2:1-6 NLT Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem 2 Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. 2 So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.” Then I was terrified, 3 but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” 4 The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, 5 I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” 6 The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request. Here are two occasions where our God softened hearts. What is really interesting about Pharaoh of Egypt, King Cyrus, and King Artaxerxes, is that the method God used on each brought Glory to his name. What we have to realize that God does not just make people stubborn. 03/11/2026 It amazing how much Christians fail in understanding God's word. We know the biggest one is: Matthew 7:1-2 NLT Do Not Judge Others 7 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. Paul commands us to judge those in the church and remove those who abuse the grace of Jesus Christ. The next one they like to twist is: 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. They substitute the word "problem" in place of "temptation". Again Paul proves us wrong again about our problems: 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 NLT 8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. Paul said, "I cannot do it without God". God lets us get overwhelmed because he desires us to come to him. Think about this. Maybe, if we come to God earlier before the crapola hits the fan, that the situation may not get so far out of control. For us guys, it is still manly for God to help us out of a situation. He wants to do it again and again. God never gets tired but he wants us to learn something from every challenge we face. Jesus says: Matthew 11:28-30 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” With Jesus, there is always a happy ending! 03/09/2026 Even as Adam walked the earth, God predicted this day would come: 2 Timothy 1:9 NIV He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, This grace came at a steep price. Let our hearts show how much we appreciate it by how we live for our King. Jesus is Lord!!!!!!! 03/09/2026 I have been watching what has been going on in Iran. I noticed that the women were anxious to shed their burkas. Those things had to be extremely uncomfortable in the summer. Their expressions on their faces were like they were just released from prison. I am glad the women in this country do not have to cover up like this. After all why should our women be uncomfortable. I would never want to cover up like that unless it was below zero outside. Paul did have dress codes for women discussed in 1 Corinthians 11: I have never had anyone challenge how things are done today. I see women praying in public and teaching about God. I sense that God is pleased with our women. I think it is cool also. Just like men, women have to watch things that can make them fall into sin. I feel that as men we have not handled our roles of being a godly man like God wants us to be. He has been forced to elevate women into roles that men should be doing. I have seen that women are capable of showing us up. Now check this verse out: 1 Corinthians 11:14-15 NIV 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. Verse 14 talks about long hair for men as being a disgrace. Jesus was a Nazarene and the men had long hair. I doubt if Jesus was embarrassed with his hair. Paul in Verse 15 talks about her long hair as a physical covering of her head. I thought that Paul meant she had to have a towel over her head to be covered. You ladies just keep that beautiful long hair so that you stay covered. This comment may not change your world but it is interesting to see how today compares with then. I do think it is still a good idea for guys not to wear hats in church. In the end, God is more interested in what is in our hearts then what we wear. Oh yeah, we are going to church not a strip club. 03/08/2026 One thing I remember growing up is when we wanted to start a game of some kind that I was always one of the last to be picked. This is not good for the self esteem of a child. As I began to figure things out and get taller the rolls changed. I was either a captain or one of the first to be picked. The choice was based more on how I looked compared to everyone else then actual performance. It was no different for the vineyard workers in Jesus's time: Matthew 20 talks about grape harvest where all the growers would hire people in town to help with harvest. The growers were looking for able bodied workers leaving the old and frail people behind. The Kingdom of God is different it wants to give all of us a chance. Matthew 20:1-2 NLT Parable of the Vineyard Workers 1 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work. The Kingdom of God is persistent. It is always looking for people to help with the harvest. God never gives up on us. Matthew 20:3-7 NLT 3 “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. 4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing. 6 “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’ 7 “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’ “The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’ The Bible does not mention the condition of the last workers at the end of the day. I feel that they were either old or feeble. That was why they were rejected from the harvest. I have talked to older people myself today and they mention their age is against them. We serve a God who can even use old people to bring the harvest into the Kingdom of God. He can even give favor to the down trodden: Matthew 20:8-16 NLT 8 “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. 9 When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. 10 When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, 12 ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’ 13 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14 Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ 16 “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” I have never seen God reward work equally. Some people may have sacrificed much compared to most people. Maybe people are rewarded just because they are treated like an underdog. God has the right to bless someone. Even if two people are working hard to solve a problem but one discovers the solution first. That person has the right to the royalties of his discovery. The question is are we going to rejoice for him. James says something about those who don't: James 3:16 NIV 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. Do not let envy or selfish ambitions destroy your heart. I went to church with the man who started Otterbox. There was nothing special about him other than he had a dream and was willing to take it to the next level. I was envious of him and said to myself, "I am not going to buy anything from him." God showed me how dumb I was and I love his cell phones cases even if it makes him rich. I also discovered it is hard to be thankful for what God has given me when in that state of mind. When we are envious or try to destroy someone who is in our way to success, it becomes a real problem. It would be cool to be able to speak to him again and tell him how I like my cases. This time I will for sure have the love of Jesus in my heart. 03/06/2026 While read this verse in Paul's letter I began to think about teenagers: 1 Corinthians 8:2 NLT 2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. You do not become wise until you realize that there are a lot of things you do not know. You will want to continue to learn new things and take advantage of the good knowledge acquired from the older generations. These are the teenagers who are truly wise especially the one's who have Jesus running their life. Our teenagers are going to be part of running this country soon and I encourage all of you to become wise with Jesus. Maybe you can make godly things happen in this country that my generation never put the effort into. Our motto was "Place head in sand and the problem will go away." This thinking only made the problem worse. Abortion is what it is today because my generation did not take a stand against it. I pray your generation will solve these problems because my generation failed miserably. Jesus even wants to help you succeed! 03/05/2026 When I read these verses from Paul, I really see how awesome you ladies are! Even though men can do what you do, our pride prevents us from performing like you do. I know because my buddy tells me about stubborn husbands in our ministry who do their thing while you wives are praying for him and putting up with his nonsense. You are very noble: 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 NLT 12 Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. 13 And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. 14 For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. 15 (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) 16 Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you? Every man who is slow at turning his life over to Jesus should praise his wife for sticking with him until he finally figured out that he needs Jesus in his life too. The world is a better place because of your patience. Men could be as influential as you ladies are, but we let that "I can do it on my own" pride prevent us from being like you. I do know there are men out there who are responsible for bringing their wives to the Lord, but you ladies win this contest hands down. 03/04/2026 If we are living for Jesus Christ it is hard to imagine that anything like this would ever happen: 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 NLT Avoiding Lawsuits with Christians 6 When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! 2 Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? 3 Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life. 4 If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church? 5 I am saying this to shame you. Isn’t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues? 6 But instead, one believer sues another—right in front of unbelievers! 7 Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your fellow believers. As believers we should know better, Paul leaves us with this message: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NLT 9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. It is never to late to repent to get back on track but change needs to occur or our repentance is phony. 1 Corinthians 6:11 NLT 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 03/03/2026 I used to think President Trump was just a great president. But after watching the media, the FBI, and the entire system unite against one man... I realized something: You do not get attacked like that unless you are a threat to them. That is when I discovered he is the greatest President of all time. Another thing that makes him cool he is not afraid to mention the name of Jesus Christ in front of people. Lord, I ask you to give President Trump and those under him the wisdom to conquer this Iran deal and that the devil is defeated because of what he is doing to the country of Iran. We wouldn't be disappointed if you give our military favor at removing the enemy too. Protect the lives and equipment of those who serve this great country. We understand that those in our services put the word "Free" in freedom Jesus Christ - Commander & Chief Joshua 1:9 NLT This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 03/02/2026 I listened to a pastor today talking about Proverbs 5. This is about a father talking to his son about woman. Women can either ruin your life forever or be your greatest honor if you do it right. Even though promiscuous women exits today, the greatest threat to a great relationship is pornography. Satan hates the family and pastor's who represent God and tries to entrap them into pornography and anyone else that he can snare. The addiction to pornography degrades the woman you supposedly have given your life to. The last verses in chapter 5 talks about the danger of these addictions. Proverbs 5:21-23 NLT 21 For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. 22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. 23 He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness. It is time to remove any addictions from our lives that are holding us back from being what Jesus Christ calls us to be. If you are like me, I do enough stupid things already. I do not need sins that me make me look even more stupid. This pastor I listened to conquered his addiction to pornography through Jesus Christ. Jesus can conquer any addiction in our lives if we really want to give them up. That is the question! 03/01/2026 Why does seem like God is quiet when we are being tested? Someone had a great analogy for this. I bet everyone of you can relate to this. When you were in high school the teacher would give us all tests. That teacher would be silent while we took the test. The teacher wanted to know what we have learned. So it is the same with God! James 1:3 NLT For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 02/28/2026 For those who love to take this verse wrong to get away from standing up against evil: Matthew 7:1-2 NLT Do Not Judge Others 7 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. Paul commands us to judge: 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 NLT 12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” Even though we may not challenge the outsiders vocally, we need to continue to judge outsiders to determine if it is right to do what they do. If it is evil, we need to run from it. Lets stay pure as much as we can. If we are truly children of Jesus we need to do this just like Paul instructed Timothy: 1 Timothy 6:11 NLT Paul’s Final Instructions But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 02/27/2026 I have watched people come to church for a few weeks then all of the sudden they are gone. When I ask them about missing them, they usually reply, "The church did not fit my needs." Isn't this reverse thinking? We should be asking, "What can I do to fill the need of this church?" Paul talks about people joining skills to enhance the churches of Jesus Christ: Ephesians 4:15-16 NLT 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. When you are part of an active church, do what Paul says: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 NLT Divisions in the Church 10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11 For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. 12 Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! Each church should have these common interests: 1. Speak God's word. No sugar coating allowed. 2. Honor the name of Jesus Christ. 3. Love people and share the gospel with the world and the people who come into the church. 4. Stand up against evil even if it is at the ballot box. Let the Holy Spirit come into every service. He is a sign that the truth is being taught and the name of Jesus is being honored in the worship. If a church cannot do these things, I would leave them to God's judgement. Remember that "Jesus is Lord" and should be the head of every body of believers. Always ask, "Jesus, what can I do here to best serve you." 02/26/2026 There are two verses in the bible that can almost replace the entire law of God if they are truly followed: Matthew 22:37-39 NLT Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’, Jesus came to simplify the blood sacrifice requirement for the forgiveness of sins. As men we could never get this right. This fulfilled that part of God's law of shedding blood for the forgiveness of sins. The only thing that is missing here is the instructions on how to do certain things God wants. So it is still good to keep his law. It also shows us when we are doing things right. Let Love Live!!!!!!! 02/24/2026 Even though America is the greatest place in the world there still a lot of sinning going around. Yet I still see the blessings on our nation from God. Why is that? You would think God would be cursing us by now. This could be one reason: Exodus 34:6 NLT The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Numbers 14:18 NLT ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’ If God was like me, he would have buttons that could be pushed. I am learning to love people, so it does not bother me much when someone pull out in front of me if they continue to get the lead out. I realize that with all of the traffic on the roads it is hard to merge into traffic. What infuriates me is when they pull out in front of me then drive slowly. If God had my buttons, it would be like giving someone a flyswatter in the fly season. It could get messy. I am thankful that God is not like me. It is still possible to push God too far. King Josiah found this out. When they found scrolls in the temple they realized they had not been following God's law. The prophets gave Josiah a word about these sins: 2 Chronicles 34:23-28 NLT 23 She said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this city and its people. All the curses written in the scroll that was read to the king of Judah will come true. 25 For my people have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to pagan gods, and I am very angry with them for everything they have done. My anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched.’ 26 “But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek the Lord and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: 27 You were sorry and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this city and its people. You humbled yourself and tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord. 28 So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You yourself will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city and its people.’” Israel and Judah were eventually conquered by Babylon and hauled off to a foreign country. This lasted for 70 years. There were men like Daniel who loved and served God but still fell into God's judgment. Our sins do affect the innocent when God's anger cannot be quenched. I believe the next judgment against us will be the tribulation. It cannot be stopped either. I believe we have pushed God too far and it is just around the corner. I also believe just like what God did for Josiah that if we are truly repentant and try to model our life after Jesus Christ that God will delay his judgment for us too. The Old Testament is full of stories where people have changed the timing of God's events. God is waiting to see what his children will do. 02/22/2026 There are times in our lives when we think everything is against us. We may even think our life is not fair. After all my neighbor's Facebook page shows he does not have to go through any of this garbage. I do realize Facebook can never be trusted to be accurate. You begin to be ashamed when you find out that in the 1800's there was a man who worked hard and developed a real estate empire in Chicago. We have heard of the great Chicago fire in our history class. Well, this same fire destroyed everything he worked for. It was such a heart break that he wanted to go to Europe to get away from it all. He sent his wife and four daughters on ahead while he finished up some details. That ship collided with a freighter and he lost all four daughters in the crash. He quickly got passage on another ship to comfort his wife from the tragedy. While in route to Europe the captain talked in front of him about the ships that crashed at this very spot. While many would curse God for this kind of tragedy, this guy did not. He wrote the song "It Is Well with My Soul". This in the premise for the movie "If Only you Can Imagine 2". The movie was about these things: Bart Millard's Father: Lead singer Bart Millard’s father, Arthur Wesley Millard Jr., passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1991. This event and his father's transformation to Christianity inspired the hit song "I Can Only Imagine". This song came about when Bart truly forgave his Dad. Unforgiveness stiffles the productivity God wants to give us. The movie talks about the difficulty Bart had dealing with raising a son with severe type 1 diabetes. Tim Timmons was instrumental at getting Bart on track. Tim Timmons: While Tim Timmons is not a member of MercyMe, he is a Christian singer-songwriter who co-wrote the song "Even If" with the band and has been living with incurable cancer for over two decades. Bart was living a "Woe is me" life and told Tim you have no idea what I am going through. When Tim told Bart he was dying of cancer, he started to realize that he was the one who did not understand. Family Members: The song "Even If" was written regarding Bart Millard's son's battle with Type 1 diabetes, but in testimonies, fans and band members have discussed the song in the context of loved ones, including relatives, fighting cancer. After the top seller "I Can Only Imagine" the bands recording sales dropped. Bart needed to develop a relationship with his son liked God wanted it. Tim asked Bart for help to finish the song he wrote but Bart would not listen to it until the cancer sent Tim to the hospital. Bart finally listened to the song and co-wrote the song "Even If" while Tim was in the hospital. This song is every bit as a big seller as their first hit. I encourage everyone to see this movie. The sad part was being a newer movie that my wife and I another couple were the only ones there on a Sunday. Let's promote movies that honor God and bring revenue to the theaters that they will demand more movies like this. This movie makes one think: If I lost everything including my family would I write a song like "It is Well With My Sole" or would I withdraw from being effective for God. Would I realize that withdrawing never solves anything, but creates despair?
