Freedom and Prosperity... 

     Creates fertile ground for idolatry and covetousness. - Janie Cheaney

     "Credit scores sink and bankruptcy claims rise. Problem gamblers have a higher rate of suicide attempts than alcoholics or drug addicts. This is about coveting and misplaced love. 

     "In Exodus 20 the Lord pronounces the Ten Commandments in a voice of thunder that terrifies them - so the fear of the Lord will keep you from sinning. It appears to work. All that the Lord has spoken we will do. But we know how our promise worked out. 

     "Commandments Two through Nine address actions. Commandments One and Ten aim directly at the heart: 'You shall have no other gods before me' and 'You shall not covet (anything that belongs to your neighbor.)' 

     "Displacing God and desiring what is not lawfully mine are the heart of sin. 

     "Even for sincere Christians it's a continual struggle. Unlawful desires lurk in the byways. 'We will do everything the Lord has commanded,' people promise. Except the first thing and the last. 

     "Covetousness may be the chief problem of democracy, especially when a nation becomes wealthy and self-indulgent. Rule by and for the people often means that people get what they want.  Every generation of Americans had its idols and gimmes, rushing for fame and treasure over broken commandments. 

     "The U.S. is not uniquely sinful, but our system, so conducive to freedom and prosperity, was the first to make covetousness pay off. At least for some. Freedom and prosperity are good things, the very things God promised to his people if they keep his commandments. 

     "But if we don't guard our own hearts against idolatry and covetousness, who will?" 

   

Socialism's Salesman  

           A few words from an article on New York City's new mayor. 

     Zohran Mamdani had placed his hand on the Quran and taken the oath of office to become mayor of New York City.  

     The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have the perfect pitchman to sell its politics to a new generation of voters in New York and beyond. 

     Americans underestimate the dedication of DSA activists who devote nearly every free hour to advancing socialism. 

     Mamdani is very popular with immigrants, who played a huge part in getting him elected. 

     Americans are more positive toward capitalism than socialism, but the gap is shrinking, with only 54% viewing capitalism favorably - down from 60% in 2021. Meanwhile, the positive numbers for socialism are gradually climbing, from 36% in 2021 to 39% in 2025.  

WORLD magazine

The First Sinners...our examples   

     It was only fruit, but Adam and Eve ate from the tree God forbid. They failed his test, and we do the same today, far worse than apples.

     Our pastor says, "We try to cover shame with success, image, religion, busyness, or 'being a good person.' Not that those are wrong, but they can't restore relationship with God."  

     "On the night of Jesus' resurrection, the disciples were locked in a room, fearing Jewish leaders who wanted their status restored. Doors are shut. Dreams shattered. Their leader for three years has been crucified. Suddenly, Jesus stands before them. He doesn't need the door. He is the door."  

     "Peace be with you," he says. "Like in Genesis when God breathed into Adam and he became a living soul, Christ breathes into his followers and they become spiritually alive." 

     "Today we may feel locked in anxiety, shame, a painful past, or circumstances. Doors shut. But the risen Jesus doesn't need an open door to reach us. He steps into our room and says, 'Peace be with you.'" 

     "It's not patching ourselves with better fig leaves. It's Jesus giving us life. The Holy Spirit taking residence. Beginning to produce love, joy, peace, patience and more. You don't have to fix yourself first. You simply believe that he died and rose again, confess your sin, and receive the breath that starts it all." 

     John 20:22. "When he had said this, he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit." What to pray?

     "Jesus, I confess that my independence has left me empty. I lay down my self-effort, my pride, my attempts to fix myself. Breathe on me, and let your peace fill every locked room of my heart." 

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 What is TrumpRx? 

     Never heard of it? Me neither. While the war with Iran gets the headlines, the Trump administration is active in numerous ways to improve life and wellbeing. They are testing a strategy to lower prescription drug costs by linking U.S. prices to what other wealthy countries pay. 

     The theory is that Americans should not pay more for the same medication than patients in Europe or Canada. The TrumpRX website lists discounted cash prices for certain medications that foreign and domestic drug manufacturers have agreed to offer. 

     People without insurance or who need drugs that insurance does not cover are most likely to benefit. About 8% of Americans are uninsured. That's 28 million who might benefit from a cash-only option. 

     The 43 drugs currently available are all brand-name. Those most likely to benefit consumers are weight loss and fertility medications, the least likely to be covered by insurance. Consumers still need to shop. Most patients can also take a generic drug for a fraction of the cost of a brand name prescription. 

     Supporters and skeptics alike agree that more competition could benefit consumers, but they disagree on how many people TrumpRX will benefit.   

WORLD magazine

Jewish Man Seeks Safety...in Germany! 

     How history can rise again. Welsh billionaire Sir Michael Moritz, 71, is applying for German citizenship because the U.K. has become "an uncomfortable place" for Jews. 

     Anti-Semitic attacks spiked in the U.K. after an October synagogue attack. Germany - where millions of Jews died during World War II - is now more welcoming of Jews.

     Moritz's grandparents were killed in the Holocaust. German law allows descendants of those stripped of their German citizenship by the Nazis to return. 

Historic Session 

     First Lady Melania Trump presided over a United Nations Security Council meeting on March 2. 

     Really. It was the first time a sitting first lady took the gavel for the meeting. The U.S. held the rotating Security Council presidency for March. Normally the UN ambassador or a senior government official chair the meetings. 

     Mrs. Trump said, "The path to peace depends on us taking responsibility to empower our children through education and technology. Conflict arises from ignorance, but knowledge creates understanding - replacing fear with peace and unity." 

     Last year, her husband the President criticized the UN, that all it seems to do "is write a strongly worded letter, and then never follows that letter up." 

Do you see what we see? She speaks of "the path to peace" while her hubby was already starting a war. Both necessary for eventual peace.  

                Views 😉

 Jesus said:

     "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:20 

     "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul. Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? - Mark 8:34-37 

     "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you." - Luke 6:37-38

     "Everyone who drinks water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." - John 4:13-14

A Spiritual Battle

     Pastor Gary Hamrick continues: "In Romans 11, Paul writes, 'I say then, has God cast away his people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew.'" 

     "Christians have become the beneficiaries of the blessings of God, grafted into the vine. ...remember, you do not support the root, but the root supports you. Salvation is available to all," he writes. "For God does not show favoritism," Romans 2:11. "Israel has a unique place in world history." 

     'For you are a holy people to the Lord your God...chosen to be a people for himself, a special treasure above all the people on the face of the earth.' Deuteronomy 7:6.   

     "Make no mistake" - Hamrick writes - "This is a spiritual battle. Satan incites antisemitism, and antisemitism is satanic. And no one bears more responsibility in the fight against antisemitism than the church." 

     "God chose Israel for a sacred purpose. Because of this, we bless Israel, we honor the Jewish people, and we pray for the peace of Jerusalem" - Psalm 122:6. 

So, the U.S. military (some members Christian) and Israel have joined forces in conquering to some extent the satanic leadership of Iran. The Bible says that "there will be wars and rumors of wars."