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No Longer Hired Hands

¹ Then Jesus said, "I am the Top Hand, and my Father is the ranch owner. He's the one who cares for everything on the ranch. ² He'll fire every cowboy who doesn't do what a real cowboy should do. As to those who do their jobs well, he will push them harder and harder to make them better and better. ³ Y'all are pretty good already because of my message that you have believed. ⁴ Stay with me, and I'll stay with you. You can't do what I've asked you to do with me. As a matter of fact, you can't do anything of value without me there with you.

⁵ "I am the Top Hand, and you are my cowboys. If you ride with me, then I will ride with you, and you'll do great things. Without me, you won't accomplish anything. ⁶ Anyone who rides without me will find himself in a box canyon during a brush fire. There will be no escape. ⁷ If you ride with me, and I ride with you, I'll help you with anything you ask. ⁸ You bring honor to my Father's outfit when you do great things for those less fortunate.

⁹ "I've loved you the way my Daddy loves me. My love is like a campfire on a cold night. Stay close and stay safe. ¹⁰ If you do what I tell you to do, you'll remain within my love. If you remain in my love, then you remain within God's love. ¹¹ I've told you these things so you might be overflowing with joy. These things are what your soul longs for, and the world tries to keep you away from. ¹² Take care of others like I am taking care of you. That is my command. ¹³ The greatest love is to die for your friends. ¹⁴ My friends are those who do the things I tell them to do. ¹⁵ I don't call y'all hired hands anymore. Hired hands don't know the ranch's business, but I've told y'all everything my Daddy told me. ¹⁶ Y'all didn't come and find me, I came and found you. I taught y'all how to make a difference in the world . . . a difference that will last. Anything y'all need will be given to you if you ask. ¹⁷ Don't forget what I've told you to do—love each other.

The World Hates Real Cowboys

¹⁸ "When people start hating you, remember that they hated me first. ¹⁹ The world loves only those who belong to it, but you no longer ride for the world. Y'all ride for me. I have called you to ride for me, and the world hates you for it. ²⁰ Remember when I told you 'a cow isn't greater than the cowboy'? If they attack me, they will attack you. If they would have listened to me, they would have listened to you. ²¹ They'll hate you because they hate me. They have rejected the one person who could save them. By rejecting me, they have rejected God too. ²² Ignorance isn't bad unless you've been told the truth. Now they are no longer ignorant, but they are now condemned because they do not believe the truth. They are out of excuses. ²³ If anyone hates me, they hate my Father. ²⁴ They saw everything I did and still chose to hate my Dad and me. ²⁵ The Good Book even said it would happen like this when it said, 'They hated me with no cause.'

²⁶ "But I will send the cowboy to you. He is the Spirit of Truth. He'll come from my Father and tell y'all the truth about me. ²⁷ And you must also tell others the truth about me because y'all have ridden with me since the beginning.