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¹ There is no black cloud of judgement for those who ride with Christ Jesus. ² Because you ride with him, the power of life he offers trumps the power of death sin offers. ³ No one could follow the code of Moses. The Code couldn't save us because we are sinners by nature and unable to follow the Code no matter how hard we try. God did for us what the Code could not. He sent his son to live a perfect life for us and then be sacrificed as the last and final sin offering. ⁴ Jesus followed the Code perfectly and then passed that perfection on to us. The Code was fulfilled for us. We now have a choice to ride in sin and death or ride in life with Jesus.

⁵ Do you think more about sin or the things that please the Holy Ghost? That's how you know which of these you ride for. ⁶ Letting sin fill your head like an overflowing water trough will be the end of you. But if you fill your mind with the Holy Ghost, you will find life and inner peace. ⁷ Our sinful nature is an enemy of God. ⁸ An enemy of God can never please him.

⁹ But that can't be you. You are not controlled by sin any longer. You are controlled by the Spirit of God. Those who are not controlled by the Spirit of Christ do not ride for him. ¹⁰ When you ride for Jesus, your body will die, but your spirit will live because you've been made right with God. ¹¹ The same power that raised Jesus from the grave will raise you on the last day.

¹² Listen cowboys, just because you think about sin doesn't mean you have to follow those sinful urges. ¹³ If you ride for sin, you'll die in it. But if you ride for the Lord, you will live. ¹⁴ Those who ride for God are children of God.

¹⁵ The spirit you've been given doesn't make scared slaves. The Spirit was given to you when he adopted you as one of his own kiddos. That's why we call him, "Abba, Daddy." ¹⁶ When his spirit ties hard and fast to ours, we know we are God's kids. ¹⁷ If we are his kids, then we are his heirs. Together with Jesus, we will inherit God's glory. But if you want the glory, you'll have to share in the suffering.

The Glory to Come

¹⁸ The suffering will seem like a lot, but only until we receive the glory . . . then it will all have been worth it. ¹⁹ Everything on earth burns with anticipation when God will open the book and read the names written in it. ²⁰ God has a tight rein on all of creation as everything waits for that hopeful day. ²¹ Even creation longs for the day when all of God's kids will join it, free from death and decay. ²² All of creation has been in pain like a mother awaiting the birth of a child. ²³ We who ride for God also suffer in pain as we wait for the future glory that is to come. We wait to be freed from sin and suffering. ²⁴ We long to be given our inheritance as children of God. We will have new bodies and a new life free of pain and suffering. Those who ride for him hold onto this hope since it was given to us when we saddled up for him. We need this hope because we don't have what God promised us yet. ²⁵ If we had it already, we wouldn't be waiting for it so calmly and patiently.

²⁶ When our feet slip in the stirrups, the Holy Ghost is there to help us. Think about this, we don't really even know what to pray for, but the Holy Ghost prays for us with words and sounds we don't understand. ²⁷ We may not understand it, but God does, and he likes it. ²⁸ We have no doubt God will take the reins and lead all us cowboys and cowgirls who have answered his call to green pastures. ²⁹ God knows who will ride for him. He chose them to ride for his Son and become like him. Jesus would be the firstborn of God's line of kids. ³⁰ Since he chose them, he calls them by name to come to him. When they answer, he made them right with himself. Since they have been made right with God, he gave them his glory.

Nothing Can Get in the Way of God's Love

³¹ So, what can we say about all of this good news? If God rides with us, who do we need to fear? ³² If God were willing to give his son as a sacrifice for you, do you think he would hold other things from us? ³³ Who thinks they can accuse one of God's kids? No one can. ³⁴ Jesus died for us and will raise us to life. He sits at the right hand of God pleading for us.

³⁵ Can we do anything to make Jesus throw rocks at us and run us off? Does it mean he has given up on us if we go through hard times, or we are hungry, or near death, or even threatened with death? ³⁶ Even the Good Book says, "For the sake of the brand, we ride in danger every single day. We are being butchered like sheep." ³⁷ But, despite all these things, victory is guaranteed for us who ride for the Lord.

³⁸ I'm plumb certain that neither livin' nor dyin', neither the angels from heaven nor the boogers from brush, neither the right now's nor the will be's, nor any force on earth or heaven can get in the way of God lovin' us. ³⁹ There ain't no fence, no gate, nor any mountain or problem that will be able to keep us from the love of God that is found in his only Son.