Does freedom come riding on the wind? Or is it given by government? Maybe freedom comes at the end of a commitment? Or Is freedom like a bell in “let freedom ring”?
I say with certainty that freedom comes from the Creator God.
Legalists will tell you otherwise, but don’t be fooled. All creation was made to glorify God.
You were made to bring glory, honor and power to God.
It is our purpose to know God and to be known by God.
We call Him – Abba, Father.
He calls us friend.
We are free to worship Him with our mind, body, soul and spirit or not at all.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Those who refuse to believe in Him are condemned already.
The biblical account of Jesus begins in Genesis 1 and ends after Revelations in the maps.
Either it’s true (I believe it is) or Jesus had to be the worst Rabbi ever.
Think about it. Jesus was born in a manger not fit for a bed. He had no formal rabbinical training (no endorsement or certification from man) and yet as a child he could be found in the synagogue listening, reading from the scrolls and speaking as one with authority.
Jesus was a carpenter, a tradesman, someone who created, as his father before him.
His cousin John lived as a wild man heralding the coming of the chosen one. John baptized Jesus as the Lamb of God as the one he was not worthy of loosening his sandals.
John outed the king for marrying the wife of a man he sent to his certain and sudden death.
To begin his ministry Jesus went out and hand-picked his disciples, hardened fishermen, tax collectors and zealots. These were men whose language would make sailors blush.
Jesus simply said follow me.
During his short 3 years of ministry people were drawn to him. Jesus had compassion, healed many and raised the dead.
Religious leaders tried to trick him so he could be killed. They finally crucified him because he said he was God.
I’ll bet there was a huge victory party with all the demons of hell celebrating right up until Jesus snatched away the keys to death, hell and the grave.
Spoiler alert – Bummer!
On the third day Jesus rose from the grave just as he said he would.
Jesus made the way for sinful man to stand sinless before God the Father.
I tend to think of Jesus as the ultimate warrior doing battle against the forces of evil right out in plain sight.
King of Kings!
Lord of Lords!
Even though we are sinful men, Jesus died to make us free! – RTM
The world population is said to be 8.1 Billion people and I don’t know the demographics of how many live in abject poverty but I suspect it is literally in the billions.
Until you live among them , do as they do, eat when and what they eat and survive as they survive, complaining about having nothing to do just doesn’t cut it.
The good book tells us to love God and our neighbors (one another) as we love ourselves.
Where is YOUR love.
If your love is in money, places or things it is for nothing! If your love is not in God, you have no hope.
If one man (or woman) can make a difference- will you be that one man or woman?
If your life is a beacon – does it point to God or back to you?
Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the father except through me”. And no he didn’t say – except through you.
I’ve been to many places watched as people want to believe , but have misplaced their trust, their whole heart into a god, idol or ideal that has no value and brings no hope of eternity with God.
Going through life alone with nothing to show for it other than the clothes on your back is not the way God created you.
No man is an island.
I keep thinking back to Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get a long?”
If you’re not sure of my quotes just Google them.
And don’t let AI make you artificially intelligent. If it’s not in your brain, there is no gain. – RTM
The Bible is filled with ordinary men and women who walked reverently before and talked one-on-one with the God of the Bible.
Adam and Eve were the first. They lived in the garden, conversed with God daily right up and until they disobeyed the one command given them – “Don’t eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Then they decided to hide from their sin and gave this song and dance story that it was God’s fault since He had created them.
Sound familiar?
I could go on about Noah. You know that crazy old man who talks to God and is building a what, A BOAT? He keeps saying it’s gonna rain.
Crazy isn’t he?
What about David and his coat of many colors. His brothers thought he should just stuff it. So they sold him as a slave and told their father the wild animals got him.
Moses took off his sandals because the burning bush said the ground was holy ground.
Then God gave him a couple of huge stones with Commandments written on them. We’ve been breaking those commandments ever since.
Moses held up his arms and God parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could escape from Egypt. As God lead them through the desert, light by night, manna by day they complained all the time. They didn’t take God at His word when he told them to take possession of the land of milk and honey. So much complaining that they wondered around for 40 years until the entire doubting generation had passed away without entering the land promised by God.
Abram wrestled with God, was made the father of many nations. God called him Abraham.
When God sent his only begotten son Jesus the king tried to kill him. The people mocked him and crucified him. The very people he came to save from the sins of the world.
The world crucifies him daily while his followers look earnestly for his imminent return.
In modern times God placed a light on top of a hill for the world to see. It’s called America, the great experiment and gives hope of a better life in a world without hope.
People have sought to extinguish the light while others cling to the hope that it brings.
America God spread his grace on thee and crowned thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
Why is it so hard to believe that God has chosen a man for such a time as this? The world has raised its ugly head in resistance!
Evil hates God, what HE stands for and all creation.
God has a plan and nothing can stop it.
It is not God”s will that one soul should perish, but that all come to the salvation knowledge of God.
If you’re not for Him you are against Him.
The wages of sin is death (eternal separation from God).
Our life’s are intertwined with a series of family, acquaintances, co-workers, friends and of course enemies (those who haven’t become friends yet).
A wise man once said that in life you can’t always choose your friends, but you must always be able to identify your enemies.
A wise grandma cautioned her grandchild that not everyone who calls you friend is your friend.
The good book tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us. That could actually be a very long list in itself.
I’ve always been a military guy and there is no “X” in military. Friends, real friends usually lasted through out the assignment and were never seen again. It’s like they slipped into oblivion.
Once in a while they reappeared at a totally different duty station or some time after hanging up our uniforms.
Maybe a phone call or a knock on the door? True friends need no introduction. They just are – friends.
I don’t put stock in someone saying we’re just like brothers.
My brothers are nothing like those I call friends. My brothers- you know we argued, fought each other but nobody, I mean nobody messes with MY brothers.
Sisters, well coming from a family of all boys I wouldn’t know nuthin about sisters. However sisters-in-laws – WOW I have more than a few from both sides of my family tree. I wouldn’t want to mess with none of em!
SonsI have none, but daughters – yeah I have a couple and I’d advise against going up against those gals. They’d eat you up & spit you out – smiling the whole time – just like their mom.
Speaking of Mom, I sure do miss her and Dad – a lot! – RTM
No matter if it’s currency, swapping goods or pulling minerals from the earth when it comes to wealth (real or imagined) even the closest of family or friends having too little or having much is never enough.
Armies are gathered, wars are won or lost and people die over this thing called money.
As I travel around the globe those who are the happiest are the ones without a care in the world. Kids laugh, cry and play without giving thought to having a sizable bank account or one at all.
In fact having a friend or sibling to play with and face the day is more than enough.
Keeping up with societal norms and announcing that you have arrived is by having more bling bling, flashy toys and more stuff.
Soon all that stuff becomes more important than family, friendships and even replaces God. Life becomes meaningless, death becomes jaded and we wonder “what is the meaning of life”?
Yet the Bible tells us it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.
We are instructed to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
We must ask ourselves the really tough question – do we love ourself? Do we look in the mirror or seek the opinion of others to see if we measure up?
Or have we stored up treasure and worry about that thief in the night?
Jesus told the rich man to sell all he had and give it to the poor, pick up his cross and follow me.
Are we better than the rich man?
The world’s banking system is geared as a pyramid to filter ALL wealth to the top so that everyone is brought to a level playing field, while the one(s) at the top accumulate all the wealth and gain full and total control.
Rest assured that God alone is in control and nothing takes God by surprise.
Place your full trust and confidence in HIM and lean not on your understanding and He WILL lift you up.
Just remember that the streets of Heaven are paved with pure gold. – RTM
After stepping away from the flood of “Breaking News” headline stories I began reflecting on past political events.
Nixon & Watergate involved a break in at the DNC headquarters which provided a path to remove Nixon from office which ended with his resignation.
Obama caused a stir at the DNC when he eclipsed Hillary for the nomination and ultimately the election as president.
Don’t forget the white powder mailings to members of the media and congress with the FBI taking swift action to make the arrest of the “culprit” in the van.
Then there was the “threat” of an Obama assassination attempt from Somalian nationals from Minnesota that never really happened.
Trump & the DNC where switched tactics elected a Somalian in Minnesota to congress where she became known as one of “the squad” and led congressional resistance against Trump.
Jan 5th, 2021 a person was recorded placing a backpack or package outside the Capital Building & the DNC headquarters, but no search of or arrest has ever been made public.
The failed Biden presidency has brought shame, distrust and outright sorrow to voters who simply wanted anybody but Trump, and see the invasions of migrants bringing pestilence, diseases and drugs into our nation like never before, so much so that the incumbent president’s campaign headquarters has been shutdown by disgruntled protesters possibly of the DNC? It has been said that at the DNC convention Biden may not even get his own party nomination (remember Obama)? With the DNC anything is possible.
Americans are sick and tired of being sick and tired, but it appears a showdown is coming between Trump and whoever the DNC pulls out of their magic hat? Could it be……. we’ll have to wait and see? – RTM
As this story goes a man tells his wife he wants to be cremated. She asks should I make an appointment for next Tuesday? (published in a recent edition of DAV, Legion, or VFW magazine).
All joking aside for those who are in my age bracket of 70+ years young, have you given any real thought or taken steps for the handling your remains?
I’m reminded of a true story of a wonderful Japanese grandma who loved growing flowers. Everyone admired and praised her gift of a green thumb. At her memorial service everyone sent flowers to the funeral home. So many flowers came that near the end of the service folks were encouraged to take some flowers home. At long last after all had left family could not find the flower vase urn with her remains. Notices were sent out to everyone who signed the guestbook to please bring back grandma’s ashes.
True story.
My wife and I had settled this difficult question with a prepaid cremation policy for each of us letting family know up front how to handle our remains. Personally I like the “Bucket List” movie solution – put me in “Chock Full of Nuts” can and place me somewhere with a view. – RTM
During President Trumps administration we saw the rise in Social Media Fact Checkers who told us what was and what was not fact. So powerful they grew that they orchestrated the deletion of the social media account of the President of the United States on Twitter, citing that he tweeted too much. They even banned POTUS #45 permanently which sparked a rise in alternative social media sites and platforms that fully supprted President Trump’s right to tweet or not.
“Mr Tesla” even bought majority shares in Twitter and removed the Trump ban, however the damage had already been done and Trump’s popularity grew tremendously.
I say this because a recent news story mentioned the White House’s Democratic Fact Checkers had determined this or that (what really doesn’t matter) but it does reveal that Democratic Operatives are behind this misguided phenomenon of checking the facts, when clearly according to congressional Democrats FACTS DON’T MATTER.
I seem to have read that somewhere. Oh yeah, Saul Alinsky’s books Rules for Radicals (formerly about how to overthrow the government) which tells people to use their own words against them and failing that to make up stuff (facts don’t matter) or call them out accusing them of what you are doing. – very loosely paraphrased.
The point I’m about to make is that these democratic”fact checkers” are nothing more than propagandists (political operatives) attempting to insure everyone stays in their lane (don’t rock the boat) and failing that, they become fair game in this political game of hardball.
I’m not a baseball fan, but it seems to me that the next batter up needs to knock this “fact checking” hardball out of the park. – RTM
The Real Truckmaster 