True Freedom: If you were as rich as billionaire Howard Hughes, you would enjoy great freedom. Wouldn't you?
"Howard Hughes was once one of the richest men in America. He made millions in the aircraft industry and designed, built and flew--once--the largest aircraft ever built. That was the Spruce Goose, a flying boat with eight engines and built mostly of birch plywood. The wingspan of a 747 jumbo jet is 195 feet--the Spruce Goose is 320 feet. "
Here it is with the Queen Mary.
"Some might think they would enjoy great freedom if they were as rich as Howard Hughes. They could do anything they wanted.
Hughes could do almost anything he wanted. He was staying at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas taking up the top two floors. He stayed so long the management asked him to leave. He was paying the rent just fine, but they don't make much money on the rent and he wasn't gambling in the casino. The Desert Inn wanted to rent the floors to high rollers. Hughes didn't want to leave, so he bought the Desert Inn for twice what it was worth.
But by this time Hughes was obsessed with many fears. He never talked to anyone on the telephone. Everything handed to him had to be wrapped in tissue. He lived the last 20 years of his life, and died, a wretched recluse, unable to really enjoy his great wealth or even the simple pleasures of life.
Most people, rich or poor, in nations that are relatively free or totalitarian, are much more limited in their freedom than they could be. In fact they aren't free at all. They are slaves.
Look at the young man in Matthew:19:16-26
[16] And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?[17]And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.[18]He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,[19]Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.[20]The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?[21]Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.[22]But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.[23]Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.[24]And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.[25]When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?[26]But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible..
He wanted eternal life--and he went to the source who could give it to him. He asked Jesus how to gain eternal life. Jesus told him there was only one thing holding him back from his goal: "Go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
If the young man had been truly free, he would have joyfully done as Jesus said. But he wasn't free--he was a slave: "But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."
This young man was a slave of his possessions--riches. Howard Hughes might have been far happier in later life if he had never been so rich. He probably wouldn't have developed his obsessions and fears. Why didn't the young man Jesus spoke to do as Jesus instructed? Perhaps he was afraid that if he gave away all his riches, he'd end up a beggar. He had become a slave to his riches, putting his trust and confidence in them, instead of God.
Paul, by contrast, had learned to be free whether he was in poverty or in plenty. When he prospered it didn't bother him that he might be poverty stricken next week.
What is true freedom and how can we have it?"
More at: http://www.ucg.org/christian-living/true-freedom/ Article by John Rutis
__________________
________________
Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover.
Seeing this fingerless girl, who would think that she is an accomplished pianist?
"A Chinese girl playing piano with no fingers on one hand. She had never seen a piano until 3 years ago, because she lives in a very small town. The video made me realize, how lucky we are. God bless her. Her name is GuiGui Zheng"
_________________
What does it mean to "judge," and why does the Bible say to "judge not"?
Christ said, "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1). What did He mean? Is all judging wrong?
Answer:
Jesus Christ said in His Sermon on the Mount: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" (Matthew:7:1-2[1]Judge not, that ye be not judged.[2]For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.).Therefore, many assume that it is wrong to pass judgment of any sort, and that all people should be allowed to do whatever they feel is right.
Strong's Concordance notes that the word translated "judge" in Matthew:7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged, can also mean "condemn." What Christ was saying was that, as we are incapable of seeing a person's heart or knowing his or her relationship with God, we are not to take the place of God in making judgments about someone's motives or eternal salvation. And we should be humble, knowing our own weaknesses and sins.
However, in other sections of the Bible, Christ says very clearly, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew:12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.) and "a tree is known by its fruits" (Matthew:12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.).
While we cannot see hearts, we can see—and judge—actions. There are times God calls on us to discern others' actions because of their effects on us. For example, the Bible tells us to avoid angry people and those whose sins may rub off on us.
(Proverbs:22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
and 1 Corinthians:5:11-12[11]But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.[12]For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?). Hebrews:5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
tells us that the spiritually mature are "those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
We are not to judge where a person stands with God, because we are simply incapable of doing so. But we must be able to "discern both good and evil" in the actions of ourselves as well as others in order to grow in wisdom and avoid falling into problems ourselves."
From: http://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/what-does-it-mean-judge-and-why-does-bible-say-judge-not
______________
Yesterday:
It was time for all my critters to have their monthly Revolution, www.revolutionpet.com/ so that they don't get fleas, ticks, mites, mange, heartworms, etc. There are other products on the market, but we use Revolution so we know that our critters don't have ear or mange mites when they are adopted.
The other foster mom who lives near me, took my kittens in to Conroe for Adoption Day. Prime saw me putting them in their carriers, so she hid. I wasn't going to crawl around and drag her out from under my bed. She just hides in a corner of the cage when she is on display during Adoption Day anyway. That doesn't show her normal character.
Maybe she just wanted some time with me without the kittens, but I fooled her, I went on a quick shopping trip to Conroe with Jay.
We started out at our favorite thrift shop, and I bought a white Broderie Anglaise, (French, "English Embroidery") blouse, another porcelain swan, and little airtight glass jar for keeping Misty's treats from drying out. It is to replace a plastic one. Jay bought a new camo winter jacket.
At one great big thrift shop we were looking around when there was a big applause… It was raining!! Really pouring down. People were so happy to see the downpour that some were dancing in it.
After getting soaked going back to the van, I carefully drove through the puddles on the newly slick streets to Kroger's, but the rain had slowed down when we arrived. By the time we had rounded up a few items, the rain had stopped.
On the way home, there were puddles on the side of the freeway, but the road's surface had dried up.
We were so disappointed to see no puddles as we got nearer to our subdivision. Once again, we had been left out.
While the foster mom was dropping off the kittens, a bunch of hummingbirds were hovering all around us in the front yard. I have never seen so many here all at once.
The kittens were glad to be home, but didn't like the noise of my juicer. I had bought organic celery, carrots and apples, and made myself some healthy juice. Two sticks of celery, two carrots and half an apple made a full glass. Apples are supposed to be the only fruit that you should mix with veggies, and apart from being good for you, they add the sweetness.
The machine isn't that difficult to clean, as long as you do it right away, soaking the dirty parts while drinking my delicious juice. Then I just rinsed them, and put them to drain.
In the early 90's, my son Kevin and I went to Houston to see Jay Kordich, "The Juiceman". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Kordich. My husband thought we were crazy.
It was there that I got my little book about the joys of juicing containing lots of recipes. I didn't buy my juicer there, but bought a cheaper brand locally, the same one I have now.
At the meeting, they spoke of juicing recipes to cure certain ailments. I wrote several of them down. One was for ulcers, which my husband had. I bought the ingredients, and he drank some. Each time his ulcers flared up, he would bring home some cabbage, parsley and an apple to be juiced, as it fixed him up right away. That changed his mind about juicing.
One of the best reasons for juicing.:
"Can bottled juices give us the same experience? "Everything in a can or bottle is sterile or dead, meaning the natural enzymes are gone, as they die through a process called oxidation.
At the present time, there is a federal law that prohibits manufacturers from selling fresh juices without having to go through a processor such as flash pasteurization or full pasteurization which kills all the benefits."
Fruit may be expensive, but what price is your health?
If you can't buy organic you can remove the pesticides,
"I have a recipe that some of you may have seen, that shows how to make your own solution for cleaning conventional produce in your own kitchen. It’s a very simple method and we use it all the time in our home:
- Fill your sink with cold water.
- Add four tablespoons of salt and the juice of one-half of a lemon (this makes a diluted form of hydrochloric acid).
- Soak fruits or vegetables for 5-10 minutes; 2-3 minutes for leafy greens; and 1-2 minutes for berries.
- Rinse well under cold water. That’s it, now continue to enjoy your freshly made juices on a daily basis and receive all the great health benefits! "
With juicing you are getting "live" food, not "dead' food, that is why you have to drink it just about right away, before it oxidizes. "
* Juices should not be stored for more than one hour. Naturally occurring plant enzymes die off and nutrients disappear as oxidation takes place. Also, bacteria builds up, so please do not store for more than a few hours, max."
-------------
If you are interested in the history of the powers that were prophesied in Daniel 10 and Revelation, and how it affects us today.
This is a preview of the 28 minute video:
http://youtu.be/mEv7dGgr0B4
That was the Bible Lesson on WGN for today.
No comments:
Post a Comment