Animals of the Bible

A-Z

25 Sermon Devotionals
for Daily Reading

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Dr Paul R. Friesen
Animals of the Bible

Table of Contents

A is for Ants …………………………….

B is for Bees ……………………………
C is for Camels …………………………
D is for Dovetailing ……………………..
E is for Eagle ……………………………
F is for Frog …………………………….
G is for Goat …………………………….
H is for Hornets …………………………
I is for Insects ……………………………
J is for Jackal ……………………………
K is for Kine ……………………………..
L is for Lamb …………………………….
M is for Mouse …………………………..
N is for Night Owl ……………………….
O is for Ostrich …………………………..
P is for Partridge …………………………
Q is for Quail ……………………………..
R is for Ram ……………………………...
S is for Serpent or Servant ……………..
T is for Turtle ……………………………..
U is for Unicorn …………………………..
V is for Vulture ……………………………
W is for Worm …………………………….
X is for Xenarthra (Xtinct) ……………….
YZ is for YZ men ………………………..

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Introduction

These sermons were given over a period of weeks in 2005/06

the response to them was so much that I have put them into a
reflective devotional.

Each day has a thought of the day. In the morning read this to
focus on God for the day.

Each day has the sermon about one animal and its character.
We can see their character in our life. Remember it was God
who designed them as well. Read this in the evening as you
reflect on the day’s stress.

Each day has a prayer. After you have spent some time
reflecting on your day pray it. You can read it or memorize it.
But pray it. God listens to our hearts.

If you have any comments please write me at

dreams_wb@email.com.

Dr. Paul R. Friesen

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 Thought for the day

When we focus on what

God wants us to do we can
have energy like the ant.

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Dear God,

As I start this journey open my eyes

to who I am. Open my eyes to who
You are in the world of animals,
and who you are to me. Open my
heart to Your still small voice.
Change me into a better image of
You and Your purpose for my life.

In Jesus Name
Amen

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 A is for Ants
Reading
Proverbs 6:6-11 30:24-28

Have you ever had ant in your pants?

We use the phrase in English “ants in our pants” for the

children who can’t sit still. Because, if you have ants in your
pants you wiggle and can’t stand still.

Many years ago when I was in boarding school in Guinea we

used to look at the ants marching along. There were big ones
and small ones, red, yellow, black, and brown ones.

We had names for some of them. The army ants were the most
fun. They would march in a line and we would step on the line
to confuse them. They would always find the line and continue.
Did you know they leave a scent or smell for the others to
follow?

Then there were the “sloppy joe” ants. We called them that
because they were like a bunch of hamburger. They always
went in a group and when we stepped on them they would
smell like hamburger meat with sauce.

There were the sugar ants and the water ants. The fruit trees
were full of sugar ants. Of course you didn’t climb those trees.
The water ants could always find water and they were very
small.

The large ant hills have millions of ants and can be as tall as 4
meters.

There is always something that all ants have in common. They

do what they are born to do. They don’t complain. They don’t
try to so someone else’s job. They don’t even get greedy. Army
ants will give their life so that the others will be able to continue.

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If you watch ants in their home they have many storage places
for food. They do the same thing all day long. They don’t need
to be told what to do. They serve only the queen. There is
nothing too big to bring back to the house for food. If it is too
big they get together and conquer it.

This is what the book of Proverbs says about the ant.

“Ant” is mentioned only twice in the Bible. The first mention is

about being lazy versus the ant. I know you aren’t lazy, but
sometimes you are in your homework or in English.

The second is about wisdom and strength. The ant is not

strong but it is wise in its planning for the future.

How can we learn from the ant?

First we learn that the ant does not go fast or slow. They just
do their job. Many times we are lazy in our spiritual life. We
pray and read the Bible every day. We go to Church on
Sunday and Friday and Wednesday. But are we getting
stronger.

When we memorize scripture we store up spiritual strength for

the times when we need it. When we develop a disciplined life
we don’t get tired and stressed out. When our plan gets
stepped on we focus on getting on track.

When we find ourselves with a load too big to carry we find

support from other Christians. We also have a special job. The
water ant is very small and can squeeze through the tiniest
crack to find water. The sugar ant eats the sugar found in fruit.
The army ant just follows the leader sacrificing their life so that
others can succeed.

We need to question ourselves about our job.

We need to question ourselves about our discipline as good

disciples. We need to ask ourselves questions about why we
get stressed. Perhaps we have lost our way because someone
has stepped on the line.

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We need to get back into the habits that have promised the
power of Christ in our lives. We need to do the job that God
has chosen for us and do our best not worrying about the
others. Are we doing it?

Are we becoming lazy like the man in chapter 6 or are we

considered wise like proverbs 30. We do not need to be the
biggest but known as wise.

What is your goal in your life? Are you “ant” wise?

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Dear God,

My life is so full of activity that makes

me tired. I lose my focus on the job
you have given to me. I get so proud
of myself. Forgive me Lord. I set my
purpose on You, who loved me from
the beginning. Help me to keep my
goals clear so I can better serve You.

In Jesus Name
Amen

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 Thought for the day

The time to capture is

short. Am I making honey
or busy doing
nonproductive things.

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 B is for Bees
Reading
Psalm 118

Do you like Bees?

Like ants there are many kinds of bees. There is the African
bee which can kill you when it bites you.

This is found in America too. It swarms and the poison will kill
you. They get angry easily but almost always fight in a group.

Then there is the water bee. We used to pump water to the

roof in Africa. We had to fill the reservoir first and then pump
the water up. We always had a screen over the water so that
the dead bees would not be so many on top of the water.
These bees are not dangerous and there only desire is to drink
the water.

Then there is the bumble bee. It is yellow and black striped and
really doesn’t get angry very often. He flies from flower to lower
drinking the sweetness. His legs are hairy and they carry the
pollen from one flower to another. That is how many trees get
their fruit. By the pollen carried by these bees.

Then there are the honey bees. Do you like honey? I like
honey. I used to watch the honey farmer put the beehive in the
tree and then they would smoke the bees out to get the honey
later.

Even our neighbor in Canada was a bee farmer. He set his

boxes of hives out in the field every spring. There are worker
bees and there are honey finding bees. The worker prepares
the queens eggs while the other bees find the honey. The
worker then seals the egg with wax. That is called beeswax.

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In English we say, “That’s just a bunch of beeswax”. What do
we mean by that? I’m sure that we don’t carry around a bunch
of bees wax.

Bees wax is very good for making things slide smoothly.

Bees are very amazing. These bees never get lost. They
dance to give directions.

What can we learn from these bees?

First the African killer bees. African killer bees get angry easily.
They always go in swarms, or thousands at a time. They attack
people when they get upset and they kill with their sting.

We can do the same.

I know we like to be peaceful but sometimes we get upset

easily. We gossip to others and kill the person through our
gossip.

This happened to me in the first pastorate I had. One lady who

had come from another part of Canada thought I was doing
strange things in my study. She just had a feeling. She told an
Elders wife who believed her and they told other people.

Finally they told me and found that the feeling was wrong. But
they had caused me a lot of stress. They had almost killed me.

Second, there is the water bee. He is so determined to drink

the water that he gets caught and dies in the water. He won’t
hurt anybody. But he wont get any work done either. He just
drinks the water.

This is like a person who prays everyday and goes to Church

all the time. Yet, their spiritual life is not getting deeper.

Then there is the bumble bee. He is the cutest of them all. So

colorful and chubby. He goes about his business while blessing
all those he touches.

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He is like the person who lives their Christian life simply. The
stress in their life is from not doing what God has called them
to do.

Then there is the honey bee. We like this bee because he

gives us the sweetness. But he doesn’t do it alone. ALL
honeybees serve the queen. And they have different jobs.
They don’t worry about changing to be better than the others.
They just do their job.

But the honey bees make wax. The wax is not only important
to make things slide easily it is also used for putting in your ear.
It blocks out the sound. It can block out the whispers of the
gossip.

To get the honey they need very hot heat and filtered. To be
pure like Jesus we need to cleanout the garbage in our lives.
We can be sweet but not attractive is we have garbage in our
lives.

Imagine if they didn’t do their job. You wouldn’t have any honey.
If the bumblebee didn’t do his job there would not be much fruit.
If the water bee didn’t do his job nobody would care. But the
bees don’t live through the winter. They die. If a bee stings you
it will die.

God has given each of us a job to do. If we get angry easily

and gossip we damage relationships.

If we just drink from the Spirit but never do anything else we

don’t benefit anybody but ourselves.

We can make an impact on people. Not by preaching at them.

Just by living out our Christian life. That is why we need to
know Christ in a relationship, not just some theory. This is the
bumblebee.

We can group together and attack all that is not understood.

We can be too sensitive. In killing others we hurt ourselves.
We listen to gossip and make judgments without knowledge.

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The Bible says that we should test things for the truth. We
should NOT listen to gossip but look for the truth.

We need to fill our ears with bees wax so that we listen to

God’s still small voice and not the gossip of those around us.

We need to filter out the impurities through God’s life changing

relationship.

Are we just a busy-bee, a killing bee, a bumbling bee, or a

honey bee?

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Dear God,

I am like a bee. Being busy keeps me

from looking at my sin. Too often I am
like the killer bee with my tongue.
Forgive me and help me to become like
the honey bee. Directing people to You,
who can make even the worst into the
sweetest honey.

In Jesus Name
Amen

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 Thought for the day

Carrying everybody’s
burdens over wasteland is
not meant for just anyone.
It is only for the very thick
lipped. Only one person can
do this effectively, that is
Jesus Christ. Try putting
your burdens on His back
when you are in the desert
of life. He will leady you to
the oasis.

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 C is for Camel
Reading
Jeremiah 2: 20-25

Have you ever seen a Camel? They have them in Zoos and
they can even be found in Cheju do.

There is a “camel” brand cigarette. It was a sign of a certain

character. The western man who wanted to be a little stubborn.

There are two kinds of real animal camels. The one hump and
the two hump. One is called a dromedary. One is common to
Asia, the two hump. The other is common in Africa the one
hump, or dromedary.

The camel is an interesting animal. It has very thick lips and

eye lids. The lips are so thick they can eat thorns. The eye lids
are so thick they can protect the eyes from sand in a sand
storm.

But they are also very smelly and stubborn.

What does the Bible say about the camel?

In the Old Testament there are couple of references to the

character of the camel. Leviticus is a book of the Law. It gave
directions on what to eat. The camel was an animal that God
told them they didn’t like. (Lev 11:4)

In Jeremiah, the camel is referred to the stubborn people who

broke the rope to be free. So they have a strong sense of
independence.

Let’s read it together.

Jer 2:20 For long ago you broke your yoke and tore up your
bonds. And you said, I will not transgress, when on every
high hill and under every green tree you lay down like a
harlot.

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Jer 2:21 Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly a true seed.
How then have you turned into the deviant shoots of an
alien vine to Me?
Jer 2:22 Though you wash yourself with potash, and multiply
soap for yourself, your iniquity is stained before Me,
declares the Lord Jehovah.
Jer 2:23 How can you say, I am not defiled; I have not gone
after Baals? See your way in the valley; know what you
have done! You are a swift camel criss-crossing her ways;
Jer 2:24 a wild ass used to the wilderness. In the passion of
her desire she snuffs up the wind in her time. Who can turn
her away? All those who seek her will not tire themselves;
in her month they will find her.
Jer 2:25 Withhold your foot from being bare and your throat
from thirst. But you said, It is hopeless! For I love strangers,
and after them I will go.

Israel had promised God to not continue in the habit of SIN.

They wanted to change. So they broke the ropes of the bad
habits. God planted a tree that was pure and holy.

How had they become so sinful?

They had tried to wash the sin off. They thought that if they
kept the outside clean the inside would be ok.

They didn’t worship the idols of the other people. But they
didn’t tear them down either. They were like a camel who
would not become tired crisscrossing the valleys.

Did you know the hump is where the camel keeps his extra
water? He can walk for days without drinking water.

The Islam people say that there are 100 names for God. We
can know 99 and the camel knows the 100th name only.

So the camel is not only stubborn but he is very smart. He can

avoid doing what other people do because of his water storage.

In the end the passion and desire of the camel will get him into
trouble. Many people want to catch him and chase him
tirelessly. In the end they will find it.

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But is this what God desires?

Jeremiah says in verse 25 that the people chose to run after

strangers. They chose the way of the camel instead of God’s
way.

In the New Testament we find three Gospels that tell us the

same thing. If we find the same thing in three different books I
think it is important.

Three places say that it is easier for the camel to pass through
the eye of the needle than the rich man to get into heaven.

This sounds funny and easy. The eye of a needle is very small
and the camel is very large. So it is impossible.

What does this mean? Does it mean that rich people can’t get
into heaven? OF COURSE NOT!!

It does tell us about the character of both.

First, we know that the camel is stubborn. The camel can go a

long distance without drinking. It can protect itself from the
many dangers in a desert.

Second, we know that often rich people do not depend on God

for their riches.

But we cannot look only to this one verse we must look farther.

The people in Luke asked Jesus, ”Who can be saved?”

Jesus said, Luk 18:27 But He said, The things impossible with
men are possible with God.

This is the comparison between Old and New Testament.

In Jeremiah the camel is like someone who is careful about

what he does. He is very determined and stubborn. People
want to follow them because they seem to be going the right
way. But they never clean anything.

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Therefore to God the camel is like somebody who avoids
things. They never clean things out which is what God wants
us to do. God doesn’t want us to avoid things. Rather he wants
a clean life and mind so He can fill them with blessings.

In the New Testament the camel is like someone trying to do

the impossible with their own strength. They can be stubborn
but they cannot do the impossible. Only God can do the
impossible. That is to give you life forever.

Are you like the camel today? Chasing after something which
seems impossible? Something like peace of heart and mind?
Something like power to change your life direction.

God can do the impossible, and with God we can have all
these things and more.

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Dear God,

I feel like I am in a dry desert in my life.

The things I carry are precious to me. I
need to let things go. Give me guidance
to know what is important. Take my
burden so I can again be refreshed. I am
so thirsty and tired. Thank you.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

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 Thought for the day

It is not what your gift is

but the attitude with
which you give it.

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 D is for Dovetailing
Reading
Psalms 55:2-17

Dovetailing in English is what we say when we want to blend

things together smoothly.

It is used in carpentry many times and when things need to fit

tightly together.

I find the dove interesting. You can hear them in the morning
cooing to each other.

These are called morning doves.

In the Bible doves were used for sacrifice of the poor people. It
was the bird God chose to accept as a sacrifice.

Dove also is used for the Holy Spirit. We see so many of these
on Christian stickers and think of the Spirit.

But the Bible says things about the dove that we see in
ourselves. They are the opposite of the donkey. The donkey is
hard headed and stubborn. The dove is soft and gentle.

Which would you like to be like?

In this Psalm we find that David wants to escape as easily as

the dove. The dove is seen as a sense of freedom.

Have you ever felt that way? Just wanting to escape form the
pressure of life. To escape from the English tests and hokwons.

Sometimes I feel that way. To be as free as a dove to fly away

and escape quickly and easily.

But the word dove is also used for gentleness. A soft emotional
person. We find this in the Song of Solomon. It is very romantic.

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Dove in Jeremiah talks about the nests of the dove. Jeremiah
says that the people should move out and live like the dove.
Making nests where they do, in the crevasses and sides of
cliffs.

There will no longer be protection of the large walls of the city.

They will be exposed to the enemy.

In Hosea we find the dove as a fragile and easily deceived

person. A person who is naïve or simple minded and without
understanding.

The dove is also portrayed as a person who is trembling with

fear. They are scared because of the larger enemies around
them.

The Old Testament talks about the Dove as God’s people. The
New Testament talks about the dove as The Holy Spirit. It is
interesting to look at the dove as ourselves.

We are the people of God. The dove is never written different

than that. The dove in the Psalms l0oks at the protection of
God on a defenseless bird. It is God who is the Protector of His
people.

In Jeremiah we find that God knows where we are even if we

have to run away from our problems.

In the Song of Solomon we find the dove as the gentleness

that God wants to see in us. The Song of Solomon is a love
song. God loves us so much. God the gentle lover of our soul.

In Hosea we find the dove as the person who believes

everything everybody says. They follow easily. They are easily
led astray.

The Dove is not a bird of prey. It is a bird of beauty not strength.

A bird of purity not of dirty.

The dove is not a fighting bird but a peaceful bird.

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This all means that if we are like the dove we will depend on
God for everything.

God will be our protector when we have some trouble in our

lives. God will be there when there seems to be no security in
our lives. When God is the center of our lives we will
demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s attitude to the world around us.

We must be careful not to be like the dove who follows easily

to everything. The attitude and personality of the dove in 0ur
lives is the sign of the Holy Spirit within us.

When we are like the lion we have our own power. When we
are like the dove. We like the Psalmist want to escape but God
is our power even when we sleep.

Do you have a dove personality or a lion personality?

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26
Dear God

I don’t have much to give you. My

sacrifice seems so inadequate, so
little. I become like a lion in my
frustration. Change me O God into
a dove. Accept my life as a sacrifice
to you and your purpose.

In Jesus Name
Amen

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 Thought of the day

When can soar on the wind

of cultural trends we lose
our sharpness

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 E is for Eagle
Reading
Isaiah 40:27-31

In English we often say someone has “Eagle Eyes”.

Eagles are birds that are very different than other birds. But
they are not the only ones that have sharp eyes.

The eagle however is one of the highest flying birds you can
find.

In Scripture we find that the eagle is the animal used to escape.

It can soar high above all the problems that other animals face
on the ground.

The eagle’s wings are almost the longest. The Bible talks about
the Eagle as a bird of speed and long distance.

So what does the eagle have to do with the New Year?

The personality of the eagle is perfect for this special day.

In the New Year we look forward. We plan our goals and ideas
around what we want to do.

These plans should include a spiritual goal to fly higher and

see clearer through God’s eyes.

This is where we need to have long and wide wings. These

wings which are like the Holy Spirit. Give us the strength to
soar above our circumstances. We call them Spirit Wings.

To “soar like and eagle” means that we don’t worry about what
goes on below. We can enjoy our life without fear.

But there is another thing that eagles have to take care of.

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They are little birds. They like to tease and peck at the eagle.
They bother the eagle if it flies too low.

The eagle doesn’t waste energy chasing its food. It is very

precise and careful.

In this Psalm we find the eagle as God.

What is God like then in this Psalm?

He is forgiving
He is the healer
He is the Redeemer
He is the One who crowns us with mercy
He is the One who can satisfy all of our desires.

In this New Year we need to look at our goals.

Look at where we want to go in this fresh new year.

The Indians use eagle feathers in their war bonnets to give

them strength.

Christians use Spirit wings to keep us above the problems

around us.

We as Christians should desire to be more dependent on the

Spirit who will lift us above our circumstances.

We need to have eagle eyes in this new year. Eyes that can
see the future as God sees it.

We need to pray for eyes which are clear to see where we

need to change to become more like Jesus.

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Dear God

I follow the trends and become

careless in my spiritual life. Though
I often feel free I am a slave to my
image. Help me to use my energy
more wisely so I am less tired. Help
me to set better personal goals.
Goals based on who You are.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

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 Thought of the Day

Change is inevitable. It is
when we ignore this change
that we get into trouble.

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 F is for frog
Reading
1 John 4: 1-10

I wanted to go with fish. Fish are an important part of our

Christian life. In fact fish are a symbol of Christians.

But the frog is also an interesting creature. It is different than a

toad. A toad lives on the land while the frog in the water.

That is not all true. Frogs live in trees and other places.

Toads are found hiding. They like to hide. But so do we. We

like to hide from the truth sometimes.

Frogs are found in the Bible in only two places. But the second
one refers to the first one. It was a plague of Egypt. When the
people of Israel wanted to escape from Egypt.

But when God brought the frogs to Egypt the fortune tellers
and Shaman did the same.

In the plagues of Egypt the magicians of Egypt copied the

miracles of Moses. Except for the last one. Do you know what
it was? Do you remember?

It was life and death. Only God could save them and choose to
take the first of everything from Egypt.

But frogs do something we all do sometimes.

Let me tell you what it is. Frogs like to be comfortable.

Yes they enjoy the rain and they enjoy the fun of sitting on a lily
pad. They can survive most things because they can live on
land and in water.

But they die because they become too comfortable.

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Let me explain what I mean.

If you put a frog in a pail of water he will be very comfortable.

He will swim and then wait.

Then you slowly warm up the water. As the water warms up

the frog continues to wait. Very patiently.

Then the water gets hotter and hotter. Finally the frog is boiled
and dies.

We do the same in the winter. When it is really cold our bodies

get numb, or not feeling. As we feel less we think that
everything is ok. Later we find that the feet and hands and ears
are frozen too much and we lose them to frostbite.

So what can we learn from the frog.

First we can learn that God’s miracles can be duplicated by

Satan. Magic is not a miracle but they look the same. How can
you tell the difference? Whose frogs are from God?

The Bible tells us to test the spirits.

1Jo 4:1 Dear friends, stop believing every spirit. Instead, test
the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many
false prophets have gone out into the world.
1Jo 4:2 This is how you can recognize God's Spirit: Every
spirit who acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is from God.
1Jo 4:3 But every spirit who does not acknowledge Jesus is
not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist. You have
heard that he is coming, and now he is already in the world.

Second we find that when we become too comfortable we don’t

grow in our faith.

Faith is something that grows. Growing faith means that it is

changing. If we become too comfortable the changes are never
noticed and we die spiritually.

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In John’s world false teachers came into the Church. The
people were like the frog in the pail of water. The false
teachers slowly turned the heads of some of the people. They
didn’t see the change and their spiritual life died.

We face the same thing in our culture. We don’t like change

because we have fear of it.

We don’t like change because we don’t like to challenge things.

This year we need to make goals to grow spiritually. To know

more about what the Bible says about the doctrines.

This year we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit so we can

change to be more like Him.

We need to become more confident so we can test what we

see and hear and have courage to keep the truth of God first.

Today we need to ask ourselves if we can determine whose

frog is it anyway. Is it magic or a miracle?

Today we have things like Harry Potter. These are movies that
are popular. They warm our water slowly and slowly we accept
them into our Christian circles.

This is when we need to jump out and say, NO!!! They do not
help us grow spiritually. They are against Christ.

Today let us make a goal to test and challenge those things

that we desire so that we can be ready for harder challenges to
our spiritual life.

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36
Dear God,

I am like the frog. I have become

insensitive to how the culture has
changed me. I desire to be more
sensitive so I will live in your power.
Let me live in your freshness and
not the lukewarmness that
surrounds me.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

37
 Thought for the day

Being stubborn is not

always bad. It is when our
stubbornness makes us
blind to the truth that we
hurt ourselves.

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 G is for goat
Reading

Matthew 25:32- 46

Have you ever seen a goat?

What is a baby goat called? A kid! So kids what do you think

about that?

Goats in the Bible are used most of the time as an opposite to

Sheep.

Sheep were animals that were used for a saving sacrifice. It

was the blood of the lamb that was important.

Lamb was also a type of Christ. In other words Lamb and

Christ in the Bible are the same thing.

But in English we use the word SCAPEGOAT for the opposite

of the Lamb. It is a person who gets blamed for something
when we really don’t want to be responsible. Another new
English phrase is “fall Guy”. The person who takes the blame.

Goats and people have a lot in common. The goat is an animal

that is very stubborn.

Are you stubborn? What do you do when you are stubborn? Do

you pout, yell, hit, or run away.

But stubborn is not always bad. As we look to scripture being

stubborn is good when we have to make a choice for God.

The Bible says a lot about goats and sheep. In these verses
we find that God likes sheep and not goats.

How are sheep different than goats?

First they follow easier than goats. If you get one sheep going
in the right direction the others follow.

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The goat likes to do their own thing. I am like this a lot.

Second the offering of a lamb or kid was acceptable to God if it

was a perfect one.

Third the goat here is separated. The New Testament is very

specific about the goat and sheep when it comes to God’s
judgment

In this passage we find the sheep are on the right hand and the
goats the left.

The right hand was the most important hand. It was the clean
hand. The left being the dirty hand. The hand that you cursed
people with.

The sheep on the right had paid attention to who Jesus was.
They had served Christ by helping those people who were
down and out.

The goats, which were on the left said they had also done the
same. So why were they on the left?

They had experienced the same people. They had seen the
same problems. But they had not responded. They were
greedy and stubborn.

So what does Christ look like?

In these verses we find many ways to see Christ. Christ is not

always seen as a power monger. Rather He looks for the
sensitive sheepness that we should be like.

Goats are every independent. They like to be the king of the hill.
They are arrogant and insensitive to others.

We need to be strong but dependent on God’s strength not our

own.
We need to be sensitive to the needs of others outside of our
little circle.

40
Sheep need to be cared for a lot. Goats like to get into trouble.
They ignore others needs focusing on themselves.

Today when we look at ourselves. Are we like the goat or the

sheep?

If God was to choose today, would He say you are a sheep or

a goat?

Could you say you were strong and independent on your pay
check and your strength of mind?

Or are you dependent on your God to follow Him?

41
Dear God,

I am stubborn. Sometimes I’m too

stubborn to see my own sin. I am
like the goat when I want to be like
a sheep. Help me be a better
follower. You promised peace beside
still waters to Your sheep. I want
this peace.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

42
Thought for the Day

When we protect ourselves

we feel more confident to
sting others. We need to be
willing to move on so we
can have victory in our life.

43
 H is for Hornets
Reading
Joshua 24:2-15

Hornets, Bees and Wasps are almost the same. But the bees
and the wasps are different.

Bees look for sweet flowers. They can make wax and honey
and they are soft.

Wasps and Hornets are the same family. Their mouth is small
so they eat different things.

Hornets have a body covered in special protection. They are

also the largest of the wasp family. They make the loudest
noise.

When a bee stings they die because their stinger is left behind.
The hornet can use its mouth to bite and their stinger has some
poison in it.

We used to call the hornet a yellow jacket because of its color.

Its body is yellow and it looks for meat (your arm) to eat.

We also have the horse fly. But this is not in the Bible. The
horse fly can bite as well. It is like a monster fly that they make
science fiction movies with.

But the hornet has an interesting place in the Bible. God used it
in Exodus and in Deuteronomy and Joshua God makes a
reference to this occasion.

The lesson today is about hornets.

God used the hornet for a special purpose. What was that? Do
you know? There were many people outside of Egypt that
didn’t like Israel. God had promised to give a special land to
His people Israel.

44
Do you think that those people wanted 1 million people to
move next door? They didn’t even speak the same language.

But God had promised and God always keeps His promise.

So how did God move these people?

Maybe he sent them a letter. Or, maybe He sent them an email.

Maybe He yelled at them.

NO!NO!NO!NO! He sent hornets.

Let us look at this story. It is very important because it shows a

lot about us. Joshua is speaking to the people. He outlines all
the times when they cried to God and God came to the rescue.

When they obeyed there was victory in their life. There is a

spiritual principle here that is important. When you cry to God
he hears you. ALL THE TIME

When He sends you He will take care of all the problems. This
is the most important. God had told the people to go into a land
full of people who didn’t want them. They had to make a choice.
Obey and go or look at the problems and wander in the desert.
Sometimes they obeyed and many times they wandered in the
desert.

When they found a problem like people who wanted to fight

and not move He used HORNETS. Israel didn’t have to fight.
They had only to obey.

This principle is found all the way through the Bible. God
doesn’t always use hornets. He used many animals to teach
people. When you are stubborn and don’t do what God wants
He may use a bad situation to move us.

He may use hornets but we don’t find many in Korea. But,

often God helps us or others through our circumstances.

He doesn’t always use miracles. He uses things around us to

move us encourage us to do His will.

45
If you don’t have peace inside your heart and mind today ask
yourself

What is God trying to tell me? Do I need hornets to bite me to

make me move?

God wants us only to obey. Not to fight battles and get tired
and stressed. When we obey the hornets go ahead of us to
help not against us.

46
Dear God,

I like to go my own way. I like to do

my own thing. I like to be
comfortable and lazy. I need you to
move me from my comfort zone.
Help me to obey you so I don’t find
myself in bad situations so much.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

47
Thought for the Day

Often we miss the small things God

wants us to do because we are too
busy doing out own business. We
see only the now and not what God
can do. Ponder how God uses our
circumstances to communicate with
us.

48
I is for insects

Reading

Scripture Deuteronomy 28: 38-52

There are many kinds of insects mentioned in the Bible. The

word insects can be found in some versions in Leviticus. In
these verses the mention of “locusts” and “worms” are insects.

Insects are interesting. Some people hate them. Some people

love them. Insects are really good sometimes.

Imagine if there were no caterpillars there would be no

butterflies.If there were no insects many birds would have no
food. Imagine a robin not finding the worm.

Insects are also a part of God’s plan. Have you ever wondered
how God talks to us?

God used hornets to move the nations so Israel could go

forward. God used a donkey to talk to the prophet. God used a
fish to pay the taxes of the disciples. But, insects also damage
things. The farmer uses poison to keep them from eating his
fruit, rice, etc.

Insects get into something and ruin it. They get into a tree and
slowly destroy it. It becomes dead and then becomes useless
to anything.

Insects carry disease like mosquitoes.

So what can we learn about the Bible, insects, and us.

First the Bible says that God controls everything. Even the
insects. In these verse we find that God sends them His people
because they didn’t obey the command of God.

Second we find that insects are for both good and bad. This is
like most of the things that happen in our life. We choose our

49
friends, good or bad. We choose to study or not to study. We
choose to obey our parents or not.

We choose to listen to God or not.

There are many things clear in the Bible. We are sometimes

sick because our bodies are not perfect. But these verses are
very clear about one thing. Sometimes what we do, the choices
we make don’t work. We pray but our situation gets worse.

This is when we know that God has sent some insects. Our life
slowly gets worse and worse. We get more frustrated and
angry every day and week.

This is what happened to me. I knew what God wanted me to

do. That is to preach and teach. But I was going a different
direction. Now God has given me His blessing because I am
now obeying His command.

The key to insects is to use them for the glory of God. We can
do this obeying the Word of God. Or our life will slowly get
more frustrating.

God always gives us choices. Our choice is to obey His still

small voice. This will make us confident and strong.

Or

We can do it our way and let the insects into our lives to make
us frustrated and our prayers empty.

What are you doing with your insects today? Are you using
them for the glory of God? Or are you letting them take your
power and confidence away?

50
Dear God,

I like to protect myself. I don’t like

to move into new situations easily.
Please help me to move without any
extra stings.

In Jesus Name
Amen

51
Thought for the Day

We all have the same

dragon within. We must be
careful that it does not
burn us with its fire. We
have God as a protection if
we want Him.

52
J is for Jackal
Reading

Psalm 63

Well my trip was exciting. It was also tiring. The trip back was
also tiring. (The summer camping trip)

God did great things. I told everyone how great God was. The
weather was great and God had prepared the hearts before me.

Even the car broke down at the hotel door.

Today we want to look at the jackal.

In the Hebrew jackal is translated to English as “dragon”. We

find this in Nehemiah. In this psalm we find the jackal
translated as “fox”. The jackal is like a fox we find in Korea or
Canada.

What are the traits of a jackal?

The jackal is a very patient animal. It will wait for what it wants.
It is cunning and deceptive. It is also very quick to catch its
prey. It is a thief. They like to hunt alone and in the wilderness.

So what can we find in this Psalm to understand the jackal?

In this Psalm we find that the wilderness is the place we often

find ourselves in our daily life. It is here that the jackal lives and
where we find our desire for God the most. It is here that we
find the shadow of God as protection from the cunning jackal.

It is here that we must make choices to follow God, praise God,

worship God, or just meditate on God. The trip to Canada was
like this for me. I went to Canada worrying about how the
Directors would understand the vision we have.

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I was in the wilderness wandering what was coming. The
prayer I made was to keep focused on the things that were
more important. That was to keep focused on God’s vision,
meeting God’s people and not my own emotion.

All the other years the weather was terrible. It was cold and
windy when I came. This year it was wonderful.

The other years there were complaints and this year I met so
many people who encouraged me. Other years the Directors
were not open and this year they were ready to accept the
ideas.

Satan is often written about in the Bible as a cunning person.

He is like the jackal waiting patiently for us to fall and become
weak. Then he will attack us with lies and gossip.
The jackal waits for the animal to focus on something else.
Then he jumps on them and eats them.

This Psalm mentions the jackal as what happens when

someone tries to harm you the child of God.

The wilderness is a dry place. I grew up on the edge of the

desert. There is not always water you can drink. No water
bottles with cold water ready.

It is a place where God made Israel wander when they

disobeyed Him. It was also where they made the decision to
follow God’s command and have victory in their lives.

The wilderness in our life is the place where we make the

choice to worship God or to become weak.

The psalmist didn’t have a church or a tabernacle tent. But, he

knew that worship was what he had to do.

When we are in the shadow of the Lord the heat of the

wilderness is not so hot. The dryness not so dry. And the
jackals waiting for us get bored and go away.

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Today some of you are worried about the lies and the gossip
that goes around. There is only one solution to this problem.
We find it in this Psalm. Worship God in our dry wilderness.

When I cam to Korea in 1999 there was lots of gossip around.

But after 3 years and a renewed focus on God and who He
was this was all changed. My sister told me, “All the things that
were said people have found out the truth. The people that said
them have lost their credibility.

They became food for the jackals.

What are you doing in your wilderness today? Are you

worshiping God? Or, are you worrying about the gossip which
makes you weak and food for the jackal?

55
56
Dear God,

I am weak and in wilderness. I long

for your protection from the jackals
of life. Take my life and lead me to
the safety of your bosom.

In Jesus Name
Amen

57
Thought for the Day

Using others can be fun for

a time. It can also get us
ahead. But in gaining the
world we must be careful
not to lose our respect.

58
 K is for Kine
Reading
Amos 4:1-5

What kind of kine are you?

What is a kine? In the bible we find kine is the buffalo. Not the
western buffalo we see in western movies. Rather it is the
water buffalo you would see in Asia or Africa to help the farmer.

The other word that is associated with the kine is yoke. To

make the buffalo work you put a yoke on it. Yoke is a great
biblical concept. Jesus said Mat 11:30 for my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light.'

When you are married you become yoked together.

But there are two kinds of buffalo in the Bible. There are lean
ones and fat ones. Let’s look at some of the personality traits of
the buffalo. The buffalo is a large animal. It is a powerful anima.
So when the Bible uses buffalo it is often uses to demonstrate
the power person, or people in power positions.

When the buffalo is not in a yoke it can be very dangerous. It

has a long memory. It remembers those who did wrong to it.

In Joseph’s dream the skinny ones ate the fat ones.

In this passage the personality of the fat buffalo was compared

to the buffalo of the nation of Bashan. They were fat but they
didn’t like to stay in their own pasture. They wanted more even
though they had enough.

They had become fat by abusing others.

59
But they wanted so much to have the blessing of God. They
cam and sacrificed to their gods in front of the True GOD.

They thought that they would be able to do as they wish and be

blessed. They looked blessed because of their fatness but
really they fooled themselves. Their blessing came because of
their power and freedom to break the fences of others land.

Today we find the same thing.

It is easy to look at another’s money or power and desire it. We

get clouds in our mind which hide the blessings of God. When
laws and discipline are put around our neck we break them to
have freedom. Then our desire becomes the drive in our life.
God’s desire becomes dimmer and dimmer.

Finally we have success only to desire more and more and

more. In the end we have everything but happiness and
fulfillment.

Jesus says, Mat 11:30 ,” for my yoke is easy, and my burden

is light.' This means that the fences He puts on is, the Law He
demands us to do, is really not so heavy.

When we keep our focus on God’s desire. When we let God do

His job for us. When we let Him work ahead of us and not us
running ahead of Him.

Then we find we are satisfied. We don’t need power. We don’t

need to break other peoples fences just to get fatter.

All we need is to carry His yoke, go in His direction for our life,
celebrating the freedom of Christ to our neighbors who carry
the yoke of the world.

What kind of Kine are you? One who desires to be fat with
power, lost in your own desires? Or, the kind of Kine who is
yoked to Christ and His purpose for you’re your life as the
guiding power in your life?

If your yoke is heavy maybe you are carrying Christ’s burden

and not yours. If your yoke is too heavy ask the pastors or

60
elders to pray with you so Jesus yoke can be one you are
carrying. It is light and freeing.

Dear God

My yoke is so heavy today. How can

I lighten it? It is hard to go on.
Lighten my load so I can have the
joy, peace, and power I desire. Take
my yoke and replace it with yours.
Guide me to the still waters and
green pastures.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

61
 Thought for the Day

To have the mind of a child

doesn’t make you childish.
To be dependent on Jesus
makes you the strongest
person in the crowd.

62
 L is for Lamb
Reading
Isaiah 43:21-28

Lamb is an important animal in our Christian faith. It was also a

key part of the sacrifice of the people of Israel.

What is it about the Lamb that is so important. Why not a

chicken or a dog?

Let’s look at the character of a lamb.

A lamb is innocent and young. It follows so easily the care of its

mother or father.

Compared to the kid which is a baby goat it is very gentle. The

kid likes to be the king of the hill. It likes to be first. It is always
fighting or in English,. “butting heads” with others.

Christ was called the “Lamb of God”. John 1:29

The Lamb was the first choice for sacrifice. It was preferred to
any other. It had to be perfect in the Old Testament to be
accepted. It had to be the first baby of the mother.

The character of the Lamb in the Bible is one of gentleness

and ready for sacrifice.

In this scripture we find Israel in captivity. God defends His

decision to allow this to come to Israel.

Israel didn’t have to sacrifice for some things outside of their

land. But they had just got tired of doing their duty as chosen
people of God.

63
They had got tired of all the Laws that they thought they had to
do.

Do you get tired of the things you have to do as a Christian?

All the Bible reading and praying and not having fun? That is
what a lot of people think. They think that the Christian life is all
about rules.

In real life being a Christian is about being a lamb. A pure lamb

which is ready to be used of God. In these verses we find that
the people obeyed all the rules. But they were not ready to be
used of God.

God says that He gave them everything they wanted. He even

forgave ALL their sin. He didn’t even enforce the rules when
they were in captivity.

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. He was the PERFECT LAMB.

It was His blood that gives you and me the freedom in Christ.

But even with all the things God gave Israel they continued to
not see what God really wanted. Instead of serving God they
wanted God to serve them by continuing to sin.

We do this sometimes. Maybe we don’t continue to sin but we

demand from God in our prayers. We think we can do good
works on the outside and get God to answer with blessings.

But all was not lost. God pleads with Israel to do things to
cause Him to remember… Remember what?

Remember their sin? Or remember that He had chosen and

made the nation of Israel?

God wants to remember why He created a nation as great as

Israel was and could be. He is was and will always be ready to
forgive. He is always ready to restore His power to your life.

All He asks is for us to take a sum of our life. From this we can
see if there is anything that would make us justified to live
without penalty.

64
So today we want to ask ourselves questions about our life.
Questions like, “Are we tired of all the rules that Christians
have to do?”

Are we serious about our Christian life? What does this mean?

It means that we are not only doing good things to please

others, but that we have an attitude of service to God and not
being served by God.

Like Israel we need a pure Lamb to sacrifice. We need a first

born Lamb to shed blood to cover our sin.

That Lamb is Jesus Christ. He died so that that we can live a

life of peace and happiness.

Jesus the Lamb wants us to use Him so that we can be

justified. So that we do not have to become tired of the
Christian life, but enjoy the power that He promises.

If you have tried to work for your salvation you need to come to
the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. IT is His blood that will secure
your relationship and open the blessings.

Maybe you pray every day. But do you pray as a servant to

God? Or do you want God to server You?

Today only you can answer these questions. I urge you to take
an account of your life. Are you a servant of God through the
blood of the Lamb?

65
66
Dear God,

Thank you for being the sacrifice

lamb for me. Without You I would
have to bear the burden of my sin
alone. May I have a lamb’s
simplicity to enjoy your complexity.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

67
 Thought for the Day

It was the straw that

broke the camels back. It
was the mouse that set the
lion free. It is the small
things that make and
break us, not the big things.
Let’s take care of the small

68
 things in life and the big
things will come.
M is for Mouse
Reading
Isaiah 66:15-24

Do you remember the story about the mouse and the lion? The
lion gets caught in a net and the mouse helps him by chewing
the net open.

The mouse is very small but can be very dangerous. In

America and Canada many farmers die of the hanta virus
which is found in a small field mouse dung.

Most of the time we find our minds thinks of mouse as Stewart

little, or Mickey mouse.

These are the most fun ones.

Or there is one that eats the cheese or the peanut butter. The
one that eats a hole in the bag of rice, or our favorite socks.

But in the Bible mouse is very serious. So serious that God told
the people they should not eat them.

The Philistines, a nation that Israel struggled with all the time,
made small statues of them. They were eaten like Koreans like
Dog meat.

The mouse is small but it destroys so many things.

What can we discover about the mouse in the Bible that

reflects on us?

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First we find that the mouse was not to be eaten. This was
commanded because the Nations against God did this.

For us, this means that we need to be separate from the world
around us. This is very important. In fact it is a major theme in
the Bible.

The key to power in our lives is often linked to this separation.

In 1 Samuel the story is about the Philistines sending the ark of
the Covenant back to Israel. Guess what they sent along?
Some bags of mice idols. They wanted their idols to protect the
Ark on its way home.

Imagine sending to God’s people idols which God had

demanded not to eat. In English we say, “Quiet as a Church
mouse”. This shows us another thing about a mouse. It is very
quiet. It wanders around along the edges of the room hoping
never to be seen.

The mouse problem is what Israel had and what we have.

Israel was tempted to do the things of the world around them.

This took the power away from the nation. It made them weak.
If there was no war they didn’t notice how weak they were.

What can we learn form the mouse?

A mouse made the net of the lion weak slowly. Israel became
weak slowly. Often we don’t think there is anything wrong with
the little things. A little lie, a little idol, a little a little a little
………………. Then we are faced with a challenge. As we try
to find the strength to fight we find that we are weak.

What can we do?

In these verses we find

Isa 66:20 And they have brought all your brethren out of all
the nations, A present to Jehovah, On horses, and on
chariot, and on litters, And on mules, and on dromedaries,
Unto My holy mountain Jerusalem, said Jehovah, As the

70
 sons of Israel bring the present in a clean vessel, Into the
house of Jehovah.

The key is to present ourselves a clean vessel to God.

How do we do this? We do this by confession of sin all the time.

Making new habits,

This means that we need to look at our life and ask if we have
little things that take our focus away from God. Jesus is
coming soon. He cannot let sinful people into His perfect
kingdom. He is the perfect JUDGE of all our life, thoughts,
and, heart. It is His blood that makes us clean.

If we are to have power to live our life we need to have a pure

life. We need to throw out our idols, we need to catch the
mice that make us weak.

What mice do you have in your life? Are you ready of Jesus if
He came for you today?

71
72
 Dear God,

I know the small things are

problems. I need your blood to wash
over me and cleanse me. Only then
can I experience Your power in my
life.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

73
Thought for the day

God has given us

everything we need for a
good life. If we are
disillusioned by the lights
around us we become fooled
into a false security.
74
 N is for Night Hawk
Reading
Job 39:1-12

In Africa we used to have night hawks. You could see their red
eyes in the headlights of your car.

It is sometimes called a night jar. Maybe because of the shape

and size.

It is called in some translations an “owl”.

What does the Bible say about this bird? Really very little
except you shouldn’t eat it.

But if you consider it a hawk then you can find several things.

In Job, which we have read today, we find God challenges Job.

The challenge is to consider everything Job can do in his own
power.

Many birds go south for the winter. They don’t have a map.
They just know where to go.

The night hawk hunts at night. This is the same as Satan.

Satan hates the light.

Satan likes it when there is darkness in our life. He has good

night eyes and we get lost very easily.

75
The night is when we feel blue or depressed. When we feel like
Job that everything has fallen apart.

The night hawk in the Hebrew means to scratch or tear the

face.

I remember when I was younger. I got into a lot of fights. Some

of them were with older guys. They were bigger and stronger
than I.

The older ones sometimes lost because they were vulnerable

to the scratching I did to their face and eyes. Eyes are
important. Imagine if you had no eyes from today. What would
you do?

Eyes are also an important part of scripture. Eyes are a

weakness for us. It is through the eyes we sin. We see things
which make us covet. We see things that make us unhappy.

Satan wants to scratch and face so that we are unhappy with

who we are. He wants us to be unhappy with the way God
created us. With the problems that He lets us have.

This is where we find Job in these verses.

In reality He lights the way. Night hawks can do nothing in the

light. They cannot hunt or fly or anything. They become the
prey.

Today we can find the same things in our lives. When our
relationship with Jesus Christ is not right, we become dark and
gloomy inside.

Satan attacks us so we can’t see where God’s light is.

But all is not lost because of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the healer
of all those scratches. He is the restorer of the sight lost when
we sinned.

Today we need to look at our life and see God’s light.

76
If you don’t see the light, pray. It is only through prayer that we
communicate with God. It is only through prayer that we have a
relationship with God.

Don’t be afraid of the night hawk. Accept Jesus as Lord of Your

life. Let Him heal you from the inside out so you can see again
the beauty of God.

Dear God

Like the owl need to use my eyes

wisely. I need your eyes to see into
the darkness, because when there is
light Satan cannot have power over
me. Heal my hurts that I have
gotten. They take away my focus
from you. Thank you for your
healing and your light.

77
In Jesus Name
Amen

Thought for the Day

When we stick our neck

out the risk is great. When
we bury it in the sand we
can’t see the danger when
it comes. By holding our

78
 head high we can see
danger far away and avoid
it.
O is for Ostrich
Reading
Job 39: 13-18

An ostrich is a strange creature. Its long neck with no feathers

and long legs make it look different.

Sometimes in the movies the kids will ride them like horses. So
they are very strong and very fast. They even used the
feathers for ladies hats many years ago.

The ostriches I have found in Korea would not make good hat
feathers. They are dirty and not pretty.

There is also something about ostriches we can find if we ask a

few questions to the farmer.

Did you know that if you pick a feather off the wing and chose
the wrong one it would die? Only one feather.

In this passage we find that the ostrich lays its egg and then
goes away. It leaves it unprotected in the sand.

Imagine. What a foolish bird. The ostrich is also known to bury

its head in the sand when there is danger. This is not very safe.

The bird that forgets .Now I forget some things. But maybe that
is because I am just an old guy.

79
But the ostrich has faith in the shell. The ostrich egg has a very
thick shell. Most animals can’t break it.

We are the same in many ways. We put our faith in our job or
our family. Maybe our Church! We have some money saved for
our retirement. We can escape from trouble because we are
fast. We can see danger coming because we have a long neck.

But we forget. What do we forget? What did Israel always

forget? They forgot how good God was to them. They forgot
their egg and went after other things. They got distracted.

In the New Testament they also got distracted. They got

distracted by the traditions.

But we do the same. Don’t we?

Jesus taught that He would come again. He encouraged His

disciples to look forward to this moment. It was to be the focus
of their life when things got bad.

When things go wrong what do we do? We often go looking for

answers in all the wrong places. When things don’t go right we
stick our head in the sand hoping things will just work
themselves out.

Like the ostrich we put our heads in the sand.

What do we forget?

We forget the promises that God has given us. Promises that
He will come again to Judge the world.

We remember that there is heaven but forget that there is also

a hell. We forget that Satan’s goal is to draw us away from
God’s power.

Like the ostrich that goes away and leaves the egg for others
to steal or destroy so easily.

So we have to ask ourselves today, “How easy is it to leave the

promises of God behind?”

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What draws us away from God?

How easy is it to ignore the fact that Jesus is coming soon?

Are we ready or do we just cover our head?
Jesus is coming soon. We need to be ready to meet Him. Are
You?

Dear God

Too often I am drawn away from

you. The pressures of my job and
friends make me less aware of the
danger around me. I often hide my
head and hope all things will pass
me by. I forget the promises You
have given me. Help me to hold my
head high so I can see the danger.
When I see the danger help me to
claim victory as You have promised
in Your Word the Bible.

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In Jesus Name
Amen

Thought for the Day

Having the master key is

great only if you use it to
unlock the door. Too often
we break the door or pout
and complain outside it.

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 P is for Partridge.
Readng
Jeremiah 17:7-14

Do you know what season we sing about a partridge?

Christmas!

We sing the 12 days of Christmas song and there is a partridge

in a pear tree. What is it doing in the pear tree?

Have you ever chased a partridge? You can do it. In bible

times they would chase it and then they would hit it with sticks.

The partridge is a funny bird. It does funny things. IT won’t fly

unless it has to. It will run as fast as it can and only fly if
surprised.

A missionary did catch one in real life.

In Jeremiah God condemns those who rely on man for things.

Or those who have got rich through using others.

We also find a great verse to memorize. Jeremiah 17:11

The partridge does something that may sound really silly. They
sit on eggs that aren’t theirs and they don’t hatch.

This is the same as the riches of those who used others.

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The partridge that really are useless. The one makes it easy to
catch, the other he spends his time waiting for something that
will never happen. That is to have little partridges.

We do the same things sometimes.

We depend on others to bring happiness and peace to our

hearts. We try hard to get salvation. We wait for something to
happen in our life.

God says that He brought the Israelites into captivity because

they had other gods and idols.

They had worshipped other gods hoping to get victory as a

nation. But they like the partridge waited for nothing.

We also like to run away when we have some trouble.

Where do we run when we have trouble? Maybe we run to our

parents and our parents run to their family and on and on.

Maybe we run to the pastor who can offer a prayer for us.

Maybe we run to our friends or to the bank.

When we run we find ourselves with too much stress and

frustration. We find we have a lot of anger and in the end too
tired to fight.

What do we wait for? We wait for blessings in our life. We wait

for direction and get lost. We sit on our eggs for nothing.

God has offered us an answer.

Run first to God. He is the first person we pray for and then we
run around trying to do it our way.

Run first to God. Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man who has
trusted in Jehovah. .. He will be like the tree planted by the
river. Peaceful and strong.

Run to God and relax.

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I don’t always go to God first. I pray a lot and I am sometimes
impatient. I run when I should let God protect me.

But if we run to God first, if we let God do His job, we find

ourselves in victory.

Where do you run first?

What are you waiting for?

Dear God,

Too often I depend on my wallet

and my plan to get me through. I
get stressed because I don’t depend
on you. Help me to run to You first
and then my understanding. Help
me to not wait but run to You
before trouble comes to my door.

In Jesus Name

85
Amen

Thought for the Day

There are more people who

die of overweight diseases
than starving. Complaining
is more often not our lack
of things but lack of
equality with our neighbor.

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 Q is for Quail
Reading
Exodus 16:11-18
Numbers 11:1-15 Read This one

If you could have one food for a month what would it be?

Only one food every day. You get it in the morning and if you
take too much it goes rotten.

This is where Israel found itself.

Quail is found in two places in the Bible. In this passage and in

Numbers 11. We find that the people complained about what
God had given them. They were in the desert. They
complained that they didn’t have enough.

In Numbers we find the people doing the same thing.

In Exodus they were in the wilderness of Sin. In Numbers they

were in the place called Graves of Lust.

Now the quail is a normal bird. It migrates with the season. But
when God sent them to Israel they came every day. There
were so many you could easily catch them.

In Korea you eat quail eggs. Just another small chicken egg.
But to God quail was sent to do two things.

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The first was to satisfy the people’s hunger.

The second was to demonstrate the terrible sin of complaining.

The first was soon after the miracle of escaping Egypt. The
people had given up all their good food and hard work to eat
manna.

They had their freedom and were going to the promised land.
But they didn’t like the road there.
The second was to give them THEIR desire and then

Then when they had eaten all they could eat it became a
disease to them.

What can we learn from the quail?

Well first of all we learn that Israel got quail because God cared
for them. He knew the road to the promised land would be hard
and dry sometimes.

In Numbers 11 we find that God was tired of His people

complaining and gave them so much they got sick.

In both places Sin and Graves of Lust. Aren’t they both sin?

Have you ever had too much of a good thing?

Sometimes we have so many blessings that we complain. God

gives us everything but we are not satisfied.

What would it take to satisfy you? What can God give you to
make you happy?

When we are in the wilderness we look at other people around

us. Their success and their bank account.

We forget about the goodness of God. About the promised

land that we are going to.

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Are you wandering around the wilderness? Complaining that
God doesn’t give you enough or do enough?

God wants to give you the desires of your heart. Psa 37:4 And
delight yourself in Jehovah, that He may give you your
heart's desire.

Let’s stop complaining let’s enjoy what God has brought us

looking at the Promised Land. The promise of Easter.

Dear God

I complain too much. I don’t see your

blessing in what you have given me.
I give my desire to You so that I
can enjoy the blessing You want to
give me.

In Jesus Name
Amen

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 Thought for the Day

We like to be tough. It is
our way of protecting
ourselves. When we are
Ram tough we let God
take care of us and not
hurt those around us.

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 R is for RAM
Reading

Genesis 22: 1-13

Ram is the father of Lamb. Do you remember what was

important about LAMB?

Lamb was a reference to Christ, the “LAMB of God” who takes

away the sin of the world”.

Ram is so different. Have you ever tried to wrestle with a

Lamb? It can be difficult but you can usually win.

A Ram on the other hand is much more mature. It is a symbol

of strength. Dodge, the American Truck Company likes to put it
on their trucks, to show how tough they are.

Rams were different than many other sacrifices. It is also

important that God provided a Ram not a Lamb for Abraham.

It is important because for Abraham the Ram was a sacrifice of

consecration.

That is a big word. Consecration means that there is a

commitment to something. A promise to be pure and holy. Not
only for a day or two but for the rest of your life.

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Of course we cannot keep our promise. But in the old
testament it was the Ram that was significant. A symbol of
power.

The bull sacrifice was for sin. The Ram was a sacrifice of purity.

Now imagine the word Ram as power. When Abraham was

putting Isaac on the altar, there may have been many
questions he had. He had the power to control Isaac’s behavior.
He could have had pride that he did what God had told him to
do.

But to Abraham and Israel as a nation the Ram was a symbol

of man’s power. Man’s will to become obedient to God.

This is why the sacrifice of a Ram was so important.

In the Old Testament the Ram was to have the priest’s hands
put on his head. A sign of acceptance by God. The priest
would look at the animal and see if it ok. Then there would be
the sacrifice and a commitment to be obedient.

As we look at the Bible we find this theme over and over again.
The Ram fights for his territory, but otherwise he is a gentle
guy. The Lamb didn’t fight at all. He was silent.

We are like the Ram very often. We fight for our rights. We
fight because we know best. We fight because we are proud.
We are stubborn. We like the power of the Ram.

In Daniel we also find a Ram. The Ram was talking about a

proud nation. But this nation would fall in the end.

In today’s world we find countries that are Rams. We find

ourselves being like Rams.

But there is one thing that we find hard to do. When we pray
we find it hard to put the ram on the altar.

We like to put the bull of sin offering on the altar. Confession

our sin is a great thing. It is cleansing.

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But the Ram is hard. It is the consecration sacrifice. A
commitment to set ourselves apart form the world and be
totally obedient to GOD. It is this sacrifice that we must work on.

When we pray it is a key to power. With purity we find blessing

for sure. With consecration we find total victory and protection.
Today I want to ask you and myself the same question.

Are we a consecrated people, or do we focus just on the sin

offering?

Is our commitment to Jesus 100% all the time. or do we say it

half heartedly?

Dear God

I give my tithe every month. I like

to keep some for myself. I know
that is selfish. I want to give You
ALL that I have so that you can
multiply it and bring glory to
Yourself through me.

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In Jesus Name

Amen

Thought for the Day

Each bad thing in our life

comes from an egg. The life
cycle of the egg is

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determined by us. We must
determine the nature of the
egg before we nurture it.

Serpent or Servant

Reading
Psalm 91:1-14

Snakes and serpents are always a little creepy. They are

dangerous and scary.

In the bible we find the serpent as Satan the fallen angel. The
deceiver in Genesis and Revelation. But they are not always
dangerous. Remember when Israel was in the desert and they
complained about the food.

We heard that story last Sunday. Well God sent serpents to

bite the people. But when they cried for help and forgiveness
God told Moses to put up a serpent which had the healing
power for them.

What can we know about snakes from the Bible?

First that they are poisonous and dangerous. This we find in

Numbers and in Acts when Paul was bit by one.

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Second that they deceive people. This is what happened to
Eve. But she was not the only one. The whole world was
deceived.

In John we find that the Serpent was a symbol of the Servant

Jesus Christ. Let’s read it together. The servant serpent
overcame the deceiver serpent.

John 3:14 And even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the

wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

I like this Psalm. (Psalm 91) The Book of Psalms is such a

great book to read and memorize. This Psalm is all about the
Serpent and the Servant. God’s protection of those who dwell
in His shelter. Imagine not having anything happen to you as
your friends struggle. Nobody would want this to happen but it
does. Many times we look for martyrs for our faith. We want to
sacrifice everything.

Easter season is about this sacrifice. It is about the deceiver

serpent who wanted to destroy the creation of God from the
beginning and about Jesus being in the shelter of His Father
God.

We look so often at only the sacrifice and forget about the

blessing of the shelter of God.

We look at the serpent who deceives and not the servant who
heals.

Let’s look at what the psalmist says about how powerful we are
when we focus on the servant not the serpent People will fall
around us and we won’t get hurt. We will see the wicked suffer.

We don’t have to be scared at night or when we can’t see any

light on our path. He will command His angels to protect you.
You will tread on the Lion and the Cobra.

Job thought that too. But in the end God doubled what Satan
had taken away. Today the question for us is what are we
looking at?

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Are we scared we are going to be bitten by the snake?
Deceived by the serpent?

The Apostle Paul was worried for the Christians. He knew that
many of them were weak. He knew many of them would be
tempted to go other directions. It is so easy to follow the
serpent. It is so easy to complain. But it is only when we are in
the shelter of the Almighty God that we are powerful.

It is only when we are focusing on the servant that we are

healed.

Let us look at the Servant this year.

Let us become powerful in our lives because we live in the

shadow and protection of God.

Dear God,

I am wrong so often in the eggs I

keep because I can not see inside. I
complain too easily. I want to be a
SERVANT for You, not a SERPENT
to those around me. I give my life
to You. Protect me form the

97
Serpent who wants to take Your joy
and power from me.

In Jesus Name

Amen

Thought for the Day

The guide in our life will

bring us to power. If we
choose to follow fashion it
will bring us attention for
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 a moment. If we choose the
Holy Spirit we will live a
life of honor and power
forever. It is our choice.

T is for Turtle Dove

Reading

Luke 2: 21-35

There are so many kinds of doves. But they are not always
nice. In the big city they can make your car dirty. They get
under your feet when you want to walk across the park where
everybody feeds them. But they were one of the two birds that
were allowed to be sacrificed.

But what is it about the dove that is so important?

The dove is gentle and soft. Have you ever held one in your
hand?

They also make a soft noise in the morning. We used to call

them mourning doves because of their sound.

Do you know who is like a Dove?

Think for a moment. There was a speaking dove in the Bible.

We use the dove to represent the Holy Spirit.

Let’s look at this idea for a moment.

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The Holy Spirit is a dove. What is Jesus?

Jesus is the Lamb!

What is God then? God is the King of Kings.

But each animal has its place. The role of the Holy Spirit is to
let us know when we are doing something bad.

We often think that the Spirit is just about sin and conviction of
sin. But really He does other things. HE makes us feel
uncomfortable if we are approaching danger to sin. He makes
us feel bad if we are going in the wrong direction when we
want to go in the right direction.
So the Holy Spirit is our spiritual guide.

How does He guide us?

First He guides us with gentleness. His job is not to force us to

do something. Rather He is a gentle guide. If we don’t listen to
Him we get lost.

When we get lost we don’t lose Him but His gentleness. We

find ourselves with short term happiness and emptiness.

We pray for help but refuse to listen. We ignore His gentleness

Doves represent Peace in our world today. It is the Peace that

we all want in life, the inner peace . So how can we apply turtle
dove to our life today.

Remember how we love to be Ram tough?

Well, in our spiritual life we need to be like a turtle dove. When

we are like a turtle dove we let the Holy Spirit control our life.
We allow the Lamb of God to keep us clean through His blood
which He shed for us.

When our friends get stressed we have PEACE.

So why are you not a turtle dove? Is there any good reason?

100
Dear God

I am slow to change. I know that

You want to make me a better
image of who You are to the world.
Change me into the image of Your
power and grace.

101
In Jesus Name
Amen

Thought for the Day

God made me different so

He could communicate with
me. I am special to Him. He

102
gave me the Holy Spirit so I
would never be alone.

U is for Unicorn

Reading

Psalm 22:12-25

Most of the time when we think of Unicorn we think of the

horse with the horn. It is from the myths of Greek.

In real life we find the unicorn as a narwhale. But in Bible times

the unicorn (as translated in the King James Version) is the
same as a wild bull.

A unicorn is a good animal for us. In the myth of Greek the

Horse with the horn and wings is so beautiful.

The narwhale is really an odd fish. In this Psalm we find a lot of

things which are similar to those found at the crucifixion of
Christ.

What happened at this important time in the life of Jesus?

Now this Psalm is written many years before Jesus came to

this world. But it is like a prophecy of this special time.

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Sometimes people wonder if Jesus feels like we feel. He was
perfect and we are not.

But the struggle from the beginning is the same. That is

obedience in the face of trouble. Jesus has to face this problem
from Satan when He first started Ministry. When He was
crucified He also struggled.

This Psalm shows us the feelings of this obedient act.

People accused Him.

People Spat at Him.
People made fun of Him.
People wanted Him to rescue Himself.
It was like nobody understood His problem or struggle.

Have you ever felt this way?

I have many times. But in this Psalm we find something very

fantastic. The Psalm writer writes “My praise shall be of You”.

The confidence that being obedient gives you. But not only for
me, it is also for other people. Our obedience in the face of
struggle gives us confidence in the power of our Salvation.

We are strong headed. We are stubborn as the wild ox. We

want to do our own thing like the Unicorn. But when we cut off
the horn and submit to Jesus we find that obedience will affect
not only us but all those around us.

We can change our world ONLY by being obedient to Jesus.

He sacrificed His life for you.

104
Dear God

Nobody really knows my heart. I hide

it from the world. I know only You
know it. . I am unique because You
made me different than all the rest.
Search my heart an cleanse me from
all my sin

105
In Jesus Name
Amen

Thought for the Day

For every mistake there is

someone to take advantage
of it. For every triumph
there are even more
complainers. To rise above
these we need to grasp life
with our heart and soul, of

106
 those who take advantage
are waiting for weakness to
show without any protection.
God promises to care for us
but not to do the work for
us all the time.
V is for Vulture
Reading

Isaiah 34:8:17

Have you ever seen a vulture?

We used to see turkey vultures in Africa. They are the ugliest

birds I think. In the encyclopedia you will find “vulture” has an
old meaning or a new meaning.

The old meaning is a general term for eagles and other birds.
The new term is for the ugly ones only.

In this chapter we have the word vulture. It is a chapter of

judgment against the nation of Edom and those who support it.

Vultures are a very important bird. But, there is something

different about such a big bird.
First it can’t kill anything. Such a big bird but it cant kill.

107
Second of all it is such a big bird it can’t move its wings fast
enough to get off the ground by itself. Yet it flies very high.

It uses the heat waves to fly, but vultures are like us many
times?

Does that mean that fat people are like vultures?

No!

Rather the vultures nature is to look for weak or dead animals.

This is what we often do. We look for the weak and then tease
and taunt them.

We look at the weak relationships and when they are dead we

swoop down and tear them apart. Vultures in this chapter grow
in numbers. They will wait until there is something to eat.

Many people believe that this chapter is about when Jesus

comes again. Some people are waiting and doing everything
the same. Some people are working hard to make sure all
people have a chance to go to heaven.

Vultures are waiting because when the last battle comes and
Jesus wins there will be lots of food for them.

Are you ready to be a part of the victory? Are you sure you are
a Christian today?

If you are not absolutely sure ask. It is simple but it will change
your life.

Are you ready to live for Christ? Or are you ready to be vulture
food?

108
Dear God

I am weak and the Vultures wait

for me. Everywhere I turn I see them.
Their shadows haunt me. Put Your

109
protection around me so that I can
rest and renew my strength.

In Jesus Name
Amen

Thought for the Day

Worms can be delicious if

you are hungry. They can
offer nutrition in a poor
diet. They can destroy
something good. Look at

110
your diet in life. Look at the
destruction one sin can do
in your life and diet. To get
rid of the worm we lose
half the apple. Let God take
care of the worm and gain
a second apple.
W is for Worm

Reading
Mark 9:40-48 reading

where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched."
Isa. 66:24

Do you like worms?

Especially worms in your apple or pear?

Last Saturday during baseball there was a caterpillar on the

ground. A little girl got very excited about it. She tried to kill it
but only cut it in half. I pushed it over the edge of the step and
into the water. But it just wouldn’t die.

Worms are good insects, and worms are bad insects.

111
The good is that worms give oxygen to plants. They make
fertilizer for the soil. The caterpillar is nice too. From the
caterpillar comes the butterfly and the moth.

The grub is good for food. But not all caterpillars are good. The
tent caterpillar makes a tent which kills the leaves of the trees
and then the tree because the tree can’t breath.

The cutworms that eat the roots of the crops that the farmer
plants ruining the field. There is even wormwood.

The worm in the Bible is not referred to as a positive. Worms

are slow to move. They like to eat dead things a lot. Or like
the apple they eat good things and make them bad.

Let us look at the scripture today. Worm is mentioned in the

same context of hell. Hell a place where there is no death just
hell.

Do you think of heaven and hell much?

Probably not.

Hell is not something any person likes to think about. Some

people don’t believe there is one. But let’s look at the worm
and how easy it is to kill it.

If you look at a plant and you get worms you can poison them
but it kills the plants.

You can use some old methods but its hard to destroy them
without hurting other things. You can cut the worm out of the
apple but then you don’t want to eat the apple.

We find the worm is referred to as you and I. We feel like

worms sometimes.

Ps 22: 6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and

despised of the people. 7 All they that see me laugh me to
scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 He
trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver
him, seeing he delighted in him.

112
Worms don’t get respect. As Christians we sometimes feel like
God doesn’t listen to us. We find our friends laughing at us
because we do things different. We trust in the Lord but we still
don’t do well on the test or our business.

Worms in Hell never die. Worms which go to heaven become

butterflies.

We do trust in God for everything as Christians. We feel like

worms sometimes. But God wants to make us butterflies. The
most beautiful peaceful, powerful, and confidence.

What kind of worm are you?

Dear God

I have a worm in my life. It is

eating at my heart and my soul. It
is destroying my life. Please take
this worm and make it into a life

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of beauty. Restore what has been
destroyed for Your glory.

In Jesus Name

Amen

Thought for the Day

We cherish old things

because of sentiment. We
worry about the things
around us but not those
things inside of us. When
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 the fire is out we think
they are extinct, only to be
rekindled. God makes our
sin extinct NEVER to be
remembered. Ask Him to do
this for you today.

X is for Xenarthra
Reaidng

Matthew 25:24-33

Family of Xenarthra This includes the sloth. X is also for extinct.

Now the work Xenarthra is not in the Bible. It is a family name
for the sloth and the anteater. Now there is something that is
interesting about the alphabet. Can you guess what it is?

Let me tell you what I have noticed. I noticed that the letters a
and B etc. are all about hard working animals.

The letters at the end of the alphabet are about the lazy and
negative things. Isn’t this interesting?

115
X is all about lazy people. In the bible we find the word
“slothful”, not “sloth”. But really they are the same root I think.
Now we haven’t been in the New Testament much but in the
Gospels we find Jesus tells a lot of stories.

These stories are called “Parables”. In this parable the story is

about some servants that the master had given some money.

Each servant was given different amounts. When the master

was gone they were to see how much could they increase what
they were given.

This sounds easy. Doesn’t it?

Well for some of them it went well. They doubled the money of
the master and He was very happy. Some even had 10 times
as much. But there was one who just couldn’t make up his
mind what to do.

He went to many hokwons to discover how to increase his

money. He listened to many good speakers.
Still the choices were so hard to make.

Finally he just put it in a secret place in his bedroom. At least

nobody would steal it. When the Master came back He asked
them all how much money they had made for Him.

The last servant had the smallest amount given to him. He had
tried hard to find out what to do. But, it was such a small
amount compared with the others that he just couldn’t be equal.

When asked what he had done he answered,” Master you are

always very angry and hard to your servants. I was scared so I
didn’t do anything.”

This is what the sloth does. The sloth animal hangs on to tree
branches and eats all day or curls up and sleeps all day. He
only has two or three toes. Not the same as other creatures his
size. So why should he work? He was too big for much, He
wasn’t an ant or a bee which could move fast. He didn’t have
the tool to do things. so he just became lazy.

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The slothful man in the story tried hard but it wasn’t fair that he
had so little while another got so much.

In God’s eyes we are all equal. If we have a little we are

responsible for little. If we have lots we are responsible for lots.
This can be applied to every part of our life.

Some can learn English easily some can’t. Some are rich and
some are poor. Some are healthy some struggle every day.

God sees the heart. God sees us differently than other people.
He knows what He can do in our life. All He wants is for us not
to be slothful. He wants us to use what we have and He will
give us more.

Even the smallest amount.

What are you doing with what God has given you? IS Jesus
going to say to you, ”My good and faithful servant“, when He
comes back? Or will He be angry and take it all away?

Dear God

I keep things in the attic of my

mind. Many things die but they
keep coming back. Please cleanse my
heart and life. Make my sin extinct

117
so that I never worry about them
coming back. Buy them where no
one can find them even Satan. Set
me free from this bondage.

In Jesus Name

Amen

Thought for the Day

Animals are great things.

They are created by God for
His glory.

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I am given the power to
rule over them but not
other people. I need to take
this responsibility seriously.
To take it too lightly
makes my life harder and
full of stress. To give God
control of my life makes it
easy and light.
YZ men

Reading
Ecclesiastes 7:19 - 24

Now this is not a word in any language maybe. But the

pronunciation is. It is not an animal either but it fits the end of
the alphabet.

It also has the y and the z.

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Through the alphabet we have seen ourselves in every animal.
God made the animals and He made us. But He made us in
His own image.

In the New Testament we find wise men. They were educated

people who tried to find the truth about a star.

A star that caught their curiosity.

Then there were the wise men of Egypt. They were powerful
and magical. But Moses and his God proved to be better.

There were the wise men of Babylon whom Daniel had to face.
The ones who tried to have him and his friends killed.

When Jesus was here many people thought He was strange.

He had disobeyed His parents at 12. He had done things
against all the culture He knew.

He was a wise man. But He was different. He chose only 12

guys. He ate with sinful people. He threw people out of their
church.

So there are many wise men.

But the question “Y” is always there. Why did He do what He

did? Why didn’t He escape and be the King when He was the
King of Kings.

The question why is what we all ask. They never seem to stop.
Especially children.

Now some of us today are children. Some of us are children

because of our age. Others of us are children in our spiritual
life.

It is nice to be a child. But it is better to be YZ (wise).

Wise is maturity. The wisdom of maturity to obey when we

can’t see the future. Wisdom to tell what is right from wrong.

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The road to be wise can be hard. You can experience failure
and depression.

Look at Christ. His chosen disciples left Him. He felt like God
had taken all His energy away. He was tempted to disobey, but
He showed His wisdom by obeying God Hid father,

Today we can review the animals and see how wise they are
because God made them. Today we can look at ourselves and
see how childish we are. Today we can see that having the
faith of a child is good but having the attitude of a YZ person.

If we are not YZ we know that God is ALL YZ. When we are

like a child we can depend on His wisdom and obey.

If we are childish we depend on OUR wisdom and become

frightened.

When you pray ask for His wisdom not yours. When there are
tough times, low grades, and disappointments, we know that
God’s wisdom comes from maturity and maturity comes from
trials.

Are you a YZ child of God or just childish?

Dear God

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I want to be wise but am so dumb.
I am selfish and proud. Animals
seem to be so wise. Make me a wise
child of the King of Kings. A child
that is free from slavery to my sin.
A child, who brings glory to their
Father.

In Jesus Name
Amen

Final Letter

What have you learned form the

animals? Did you find yourself

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closer to God or did you find
questions to be answered?

God is great. He wants so much to

give you life. A life free of slavery
to things. Free to have peace inside,
power outside, and confidence in
where you are going.

Will you take this free gift? Will

you let Him reset your life today?

Think on these things to live forever.

Dr. Paul R. Friesen

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