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| Dateof Comment 12/21/2025 That night when Jesus was born, did you ever ask yourself why he went to the shepherds first. After all, no one has being a shepherd on their bucket list: Luke 2:8-12 NLT The Shepherds and Angels 8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” God loves people equally and does not like it when we exalt ourselves above people who are doing a necessary job. God saw that these shepherds were looked down on, so he went to them first. It is no different today in Denver. No one has on their bucket list to live in the ghetto but to live someplace like Cherry Hills where there is money. I will bet you that the people in the ghetto have stronger hearts for God than those affluent communities. God wants to reveal himself to those who have hearts for him and/or are the underdogs. The story of God in the ghetto will not be matched by any affluent community. I feel it is better to live where God is hanging out than to live where he is not. Matthew 23:12 NLT But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. If we get wrapped up in prestige and wealth, this can bite you: Luke 1:52 NLT He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. Make sure that you are part of God's story today! Those I know in the ghetto are doing that now! 12/19/2025 Have ever imagined what life would be like if God did not put challenges in our lives. Wouldn't that be cool. I have witnessed that isn't the case. In agriculture God has given this nation and countries around the world fabulous crops because of the weather. This bounty has destroyed the value of commodities to the point many farmers are filing for bankruptcy. Farmers were better off when they faced weather challenges and prices were double. The cattle guys are facing challenges and beef prices are soaring for them. These guys are facing disease threats, Government wolves released on their herds, and the high price of buying replacement cattle. Challenges are making these guys some money. I bet many of you have worked hard with God's help to get where you are. Just think, if you had no challenges neither would the next guy. You would have a lot of competition for your job. This would mean smaller pay checks. The next time you want it easy, this undesired outcome may happen to you too. Paul said this: Romans 5:3 NLT We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. Peter has a lot to say about the trials we face 1 Peter 1:6 NLT So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. | | 1 Peter 1:7 NLT These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. | | 1 Peter 4:12NLT Suffering for Being a Christian Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. | | 1 Peter 4:13 NLT Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. | | 2 Peter 2:9 NLT So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. Our challenges don't destroy us but make us into something God desires. 12/15/2025 It is interesting how the establishment watched Jesus when he began his ministry. They all had eyes to see and ears to hear, yet they were divided on their opinions. One side was like this: John 2:18 NLT 18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.” The other side, entirely the opposite, was like this: John 3:2 NLT 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” This next verse tell why so many refuse to believe in Jesus even with the overwhelming evidence showing that he is real: John 6:44 NLT 44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. Jesus could do a million miracles and many would still reject him. If we dedicate ourselves to the world, Jesus will say: John 17:9 NKJV 9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. We can make Jesus stop pleading for us if we reject him for the world. I have heard of people being told by God to just to let them go and move on. If I do not hear from God, I will continue to pray for others assuming that God has called them to him. That is something that God drew me to want to accept the Lord. He will be the first to say that I did not deserve it, but he did it anyway. It could be because he wanted me to help fulfill one of his dreams. For this, I am thankful. 12/12/2025 They say that God can do anything. Nothing is impossible for him. Well, I am going to tell you some things that God cannot do. First you have to understand that our God is Holy. Because of this he cannot lie. He also cannot break a covenant between him and the person he made it with. Our sin is the only thing that may break it off. God cannot improve because he is the author of all knowledge and wisdom. Whatever he does it is to perfection. He does not miss any details. He does not forget about anything and is always prepared for every outcome. This is the reason why God always wins. Creation was carefully thought out. Man was to live with God forever. Man's sin forced God to add death and decay to what was a perfect creation. Jesus was sent to repair what man forced God to do because of his sin. 1 Corinthians 1:30 NLT God Himself made the way so you can have new life through Christ Jesus. God gave us Christ to be our wisdom. Christ made us right with God and set us apart for God and made us holy. Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from our sins. I truly believe true holiness can stop us from lying and our word will be like a written contract. Jesus's blood frees us from our sins to live more like our Father. P.S I do not think our God is done creating because the book of Revelation talks about the new heaven and earth. That will be quite glorious to see. But until then, Jesus is Lord. 12/10/2025 I was reading 2 Samuel 23 and I am convinced that God really loves our military. He wants to honor those who do an amazing job serving their country: 2 Samuel 23:8-12 NLT David’s Mightiest Warriors 8 These are the names of David’s mightiest warriors. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite,[a] who was leader of the Three[b]—the three mightiest warriors among David’s men. He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle. 9 Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled. 10 He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder! 11 Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, 12 but Shammah[d] held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory. There was a lot more to be said about the military then I wrote here. If God hated the killing of bad guys, he never would have put these verses in the Bible. You people who hate the military need to read this whole chapter. You will find out you are completely wrong about who God is and your idea of killing. You who serve in the military need to also read this so you know how much God loves it when you put your heart into serving your country. If we truly understood God we would all love our military men and women just as God does. Love them even if they kill the bad guys. They are making our country safe just like David's men did theirs. 12/09/2025 President Trump has more interest in the people in this country then he has in the establishment. The establishment knows this and they want to get rid of him in the worst way. They can't find any evidence so they do these witch hunts to get rid of President Trump. I know of another person that dealt with witch hunts. If you read John 9, Jesus healed a blind man. He did not follow the establishments rules when he healed the man's sight. Now the witch hunt begins. The establishment started investigating everyone near the miracle to find testimony to use against Jesus. When they harassed the blind man the second time, he responded with the most amazing answer. I pray that I can stand up for Jesus like that blind man did. John 9:24-34 NLT 24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” 25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” 26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” 27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” 28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” 30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” {These are the coolest words that he said about Jesus. I want to always be able to say powerful things about Jesus like this man did.} 34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue. If you did not think like the religious, they threw you out of the synagogue. If you support President Trump, they want to ban you from speaking on any social platform. Jesus stood firm and continued teaching in the temple. As believers in Jesus, we to need to talk about Jesus even if the establishment doesn't want us to. Jesus is the true Lord even though the establishment thinks they are Lord. 12/08/2025 No, Jesus is not a cannibal here. I also do not hear people talking about the significance of these next verses. He is talking about spiritual things: John 6:53-58 NLT 53 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.” Jesus demonstrated here what he was talking about above: Matthew 26:26-28 NLT 26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. These verses talk more about the body of Jesus: John 4:34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, This brings us to the next act of carnage. Jesus is not into the "Saw" movies as described in these verses: Mark 9:42-48 NLT 42 “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’ We also know that our minds can cause us to sin: Matthew 5:27-28 NLT 27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your mind causes you to sin, you need to cut your head off. We all know that would be suicide and God can't use dead people to fulfill his will. What metaphor Jesus is saying, we need to use drastic measures to keep from sinning. We may have to dump our so called friends and separate ourselves from temptations that may be in our homes or at work. If we don't eliminate these temptations now, hell may be the only option we have. Both of these topics are spiritual in nature and we have to treat them as such in order to understand them. Jesus is still Lord!!!!!!! 12/06/2025 Could you imagine saying this to an unbeliever: John 8:21 NLT The Unbelieving People Warned 21 Later Jesus said to them again, “I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going.” It can be used even today when you have an opportunity to share Christ with someone: "The Lord brought me here today to tell you about him. You may never see me again but on judgement day you will be reminded about this day we met. Without Jesus, you will continue to search for something to fill that empty spot in your life that only Jesus can fill. Without Jesus, we will die in our sins. We have two option in life: A. Heaven or B. Hell. I am choosing option A but you will not be able to come with me because accepting Jesus holds the keys to A. Please accept Jesus today because Jesus and I both want you to come where I am going." Jesus is Lord!!!!!!! John 14:6 NLT 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 12/05/2025 Everyone has heard of the Samaritan women at the well story. When she asked the question about the right location to worship, Jesus set the precedence on how we are to worship: John 4:21-24 NLT 21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Notice that "spirit and in truth" was emphasized twice. The Holy Spirit is to be part of our church services and only the entire truth is to be spoken. The Holy Spirit never comes into a church service if the entire truth is not spoken. Don't be intimidated by those who do not understand the Holy Spirit. It is OK to speak in tongues at a church service. The Holy Spirit loves organization too, so do it properly. Let him live in your life. Jesus said, "The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way." John 14:16 NLT And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 12/04/2025 Boy, I feel like I am complacent on understanding Jesus when I read John the Baptist's understanding: John 3:31-36 NLT 31 “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. 32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! 33 Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. 34 For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. 36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” Sure, God may have revealed this to him: John 1:31-34 NLT 31 I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God. We all serve the same God as John did. Besides what we find in his written word, we need to ask God to reveal more of Christ's understanding in our own lives just like he did to John. I want to be able to say as much about Jesus in one paragraph as John did. That paragraph will be different for each person we encounter but each one will be powerful. This authority tells people that I know my King inside and out. Lord, we continue to pray that you never stop revealing yourself to us. People need to know that you are real and we love you. We want to talk about you and it will be done in an "honor your name" manner. 12/02/2025 There is a lot more to a ministry than just spreading the gospel and glorifying the name of Jesus. John knew what that was: John 3:27-30 NLT 27 John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. 28 You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ 29 It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. 30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. We should want people to grow in the Lord stronger each day which means we will become less each day. They will remember the day you brought them to Christ but it will only be a passing memory compared to the God who started it all in the first place. 11/28/2025 Growing up I have always been told about trusting Jesus. John 2:23-25 NLT 23 Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. 24 But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. 25 No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart. Why didn't I ever hear about conditioning our hearts to a place where Jesus will begin to trust us. It so easy to let him down. Just follow after the world. The other, which is more difficult, is to focus on spiritual things to gain that trust. It makes you think, "How much does Jesus trust me?". Jesus is no quitter and stays with us while we grow spiritually if we are serious about that relationship. Jesus is Lord!!!!!!! 11/26/2025 God's favorite thing from us is obedience. Second is gratitude: 1 Chronicles 16:8 NLT Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Third is to honor his name in all nations. After all "Jesus is Lord"! Psalm 136:1,26 NLT Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. 11/23/2025 Isn't it interesting when people hate other people they always seem to get God into the equation. David had one of those times: 2 Samuel 16:5-8 NLT Shimei Curses David 5 As King David came to Bahurim, a man came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei son of Gera, from the same clan as Saul’s family. 6 He threw stones at the king and the king’s officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him. 7 “Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!” he shouted at David. 8 “The Lord is paying you back for all the bloodshed in Saul’s clan. You stole his throne, and now the Lord has given it to your son Absalom. At last you will taste some of your own medicine, for you are a murderer! Even David's answer to this mess was interesting: 2 Samuel 16:11-12 NLT 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son is trying to kill me. Doesn’t this relative of Saul have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to do it. 12 And perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today.” Was David foretelling what Jesus would say: Luke 6:22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 11/22/2025 When Adam sinned in the garden, God gave a curse about having to work hard. But is it really a curse, maybe God is protecting us against future sin. Look what David did with his free time when he was not with his troops: 2 Samuel 11:1-2 NLT David and Bathsheba 11 In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. 2 Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. David was in a position of power and felt he could do anything he wanted. This same thing can separate us from God if we are not on guard. David sure dropped his guard: 2 Samuel 11:3-5 NLT 3 He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. 5 Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.” Sin 1. David knew she was married but slept with her anyway. Sin 2. The great cover up. When we try to hide our sin from him, God will thwart our plans to cover it up. He wants us to repent. Sin 3. Destroy whatever evidence is preventing us from covering up our sin. Sin 4. Pretend like nothing ever happened or blame it on someone else. When we start sinning, it can grow just like a snowball rolling down a hill. David sent Uriah to the front lines to be killed and got his wife as his. It was as though David believed he did nothing wrong. It seems that he wasn't even concerned about what God would say about what just did. It appeared that David separated himself from God. God is a God of justice and he used Nathan's rich man -poor man story to wake up David. David was ready to kill the rich man for killing the lamb of the poor man. Sin can do that. It clouds our judgement of whats right and wrong. When Nathan said, "You are that rich man", it was like being hit in the head with a hammer. David realized he was wrong. Just like Jesus does, God forgave David: 2 Samuel 12:13-14 David Confesses His Guilt 13 Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. 14 Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing this, your child will die.” Even though Jesus forgives sins there is the consequences of sin that have to be dealt with. David had to deal with this: 2 Samuel 12:11-12 NLT 11 “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. 12 You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.” The consequences of our sin can even ruin our future blessings that God was going to give us: 2 Samuel 12:8-10 NLT 8 I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9 Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. 10 From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. We have to keep Christ in our minds to prevent things like this from happening. It is so easy to fall into these kind of traps and do sins like David did. So stay on guard. Our awesome God can still bring glory to his name even in our failures. With all the pain David went through, much of Psalms was written by him that honor our God's name. You can even be sent to prison for a sin and still glorify the name of Jesus just by witnessing to other prisoners. Your life will never be a waste if you give your heart to Jesus. He can use you anywhere! Jesus still "King of kings"! 11/20/2025 I never have been into dancing myself, but I do know that God likes when we dance with our hearts in his presence. The next time you celebrate a victory do what David did: 2 Samuel 6:14,16,20-23 NLT 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. 16 But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him. 20 When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” 21 David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. 22 Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” 23 So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life. When you see someone dancing before the Lord be careful about your opinion about their moves or you can anger God to the point to have something happen bad in your life like Michal. When dancing is done to glorify sin, it is wrong. Let the Holy Spirit guide you to make the moves God likes. Dancing unto the Lord is action of excitement for him. If you are not the dancing type, just jump up once, then spin around while you say "alleluia", "Thank you Jesus", and/or "Praise the Lord". To finish up, "moon walk" like Michel Jackson did and you have a dance. Do not let legalism prevent you from dancing unto the Lord! Remember: "Dance unto the Lord, not men!" 11/19/2025 If we do not know our God, we may believe that he is unreasonable at times. Just like what happened here, God is made out to be the bad guy: 2 Samuel 6:3,6-7 NLT 3 They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart 4 that carried the Ark of God. 6 But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. 7 Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God. What did Uzzah do that is so bad? Well, God gave instructions on how the ark was to be built so it can be moved: Exodus 25:12-15 NLT 12 Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. 13 Make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. 15 These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them. The ark was to always to be carried by men so this scenario would never happen. And who was to carry the ark: Numbers 1:50-51 NLT 50 Put the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle of the Covenant, along with all its furnishings and equipment. They must carry the Tabernacle and all its furnishings as you travel, and they must take care of it and camp around it. 51 Whenever it is time for the Tabernacle to move, the Levites will take it down. And when it is time to stop, they will set it up again. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the Tabernacle must be put to death. God gave instructions on how the ark was to be moved. He knew the best way to move it and he assigned the Levites to move it. I know that God had this all written down, but if we do not learn it, it can kill us. God has every right to get angry and warned that unauthorized people would die. As modern day adults we all know not to stick a metal fork in an electrical outlet or it will kill us. Isn't it just as important that all adults during this period should have known about treating God's Ark. We need to have as much passion about learning what God does not like as we do learning about things in our environment that can kill us. One final thought: You are an expert on a valuable piece of technology that you have moved many times yourself. You know what can happen if the proper procedure is not followed. You write it down with instructions and diagrams. You are called to another task and you give the moving procedure to some employees to move the technology. The employees, who think they do not need instructions, put it together without following the bosses instructions. When the technology is turned on, it shorts out causing major damage. Just like God, you will burn with anger because your instructions were not followed. Always follow God's instructions and take them seriously. Never take short cuts but follow each step as he dictates. Just remember this, he may have created these instructions for your life a long time ago. Jeremiah 29:11-12 NLT 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 11/18/2025 God gives us talents and God blesses those talents. When this happens we see results. The dangerous thing about this is when we take full credit for what happened. After all, I worked hard to make these things happen! What can happen to us when we become arrogant? This is the story about the rich man Nabal: 1 Samuel 25:4-9 NLT 4 When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, 5 he sent ten of his young men to Carmel with this message for Nabal: 6 “Peace and prosperity to you, your family, and everything you own! 7 I am told that it is sheep-shearing time. While your shepherds stayed among us near Carmel, we never harmed them, and nothing was ever stolen from them. 8 Ask your own men, and they will tell you this is true. So would you be kind to us, since we have come at a time of celebration? Please share any provisions you might have on hand with us and with your friend David.” 9 David’s young men gave this message to Nabal in David’s name, and they waited for a reply. David and his men have been hiding from Saul in this valley. David loves people and he has been watching over Nabal's possessions during this time and his workers knew about it. Nabal could care less about what David did: 1 Samuel 25:10-11 NLT 10 “Who is this fellow David?” Nabal sneered to the young men. “Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters. 11 Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?” Does being arrogant make you stupid? When do outlaws who are hungry ask for food? They just take what they want. Nabal's wife took charge that day and prevented the slaughter of her family by graciously bringing goods to David's men. God did not forget though: 1 Samuel 25:37-38 NLT 37 In the morning when Nabal was sober {a party to exalt Nabal}, his wife told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke, and he lay paralyzed on his bed like a stone. 38 About ten days later, the Lord struck him, and he died. When God blesses you, do not create excuses to not help people. Always give thanks to God because our talents are on loan from God. Many times he reveals things to us to allow us to do amazing things in our work. Getting cocky like Nabal and living for himself, really angered God. It also shows that we "DO NOT LOVE PEOPLE" I really believe God continues to bless those who bless his children in need. Blessing others in need: "JUST DO IT" 11/17/2025 A mistake many Christian make is assuming because they are going through so much bad stuff is because they did something to make God angry. Why else are my problems so much worse then the average person? Do you remember Job? Job 1:1, 8-12 NLT 1 There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. 8 Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” 9 Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. 10 You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! 11 But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” 12 “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence. Job lost his wealth, health, family and friends but Satan lost the bet. In the end, Job was better off than ever in all these areas. How often does Satan ask God to test those who love him? Jesus's disciples were on this list just like Job: Luke 22:31-32 NLT Predicts Peter's Denial 31 "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers." You may never know but what you are going through today may be from a challenge from the enemy that your relationship with God is not real. This is actually an honor to you that God believes in you to win the bet. God never loses at anything, so he is confident when he makes the challenge. Even if this may not be the case, Jesus said this: John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Again, Jesus is declared the winner!!!!!!! One final though; one can never can compare one's problems to another person's problems. Only God knows the entire story of each one of us. Just give it to Jesus so he can set you free! Pray so victory can be decisive! 11/16/2025 Our God Yahweh has some very interesting names in the Old Testament. One of the names I'm surprised he doesn't have is "Yahweh Last". If you read the Old Testament, you will notice that the people always seem to gravitate to foreign gods first and try to do everything on their own. They would never turn to God until the last moment just before they were about to be destroyed by some enemy or famine they caused by neglecting the real God. Many times even today we put God last. Now the cool name that God should have is "Yahweh First". If we truly love the Lord, he is going to be the first thing we think about each day. Instead of consulting the problems of today on our own, we will seek his counsel first. Before making any big decisions we pray to him first. I know that God thinks it is a cool name but it probably will never happen that name will stick. Because man has a tendency with all the distractions in his life NOT to put God first. God will tell you that I do not always put him first, either. But when we get up every morning say, "Yahweh First". Maybe this will get us pointed in the right direction. Jesus is Lord!!!!!!!
