Whether or not Q is real, whether or not the military will save us, it cannot change your actions today. You have control over what you control, and no control over what you cannot control. You will be held to account to God for how you decide to act within the realms where you have power to act. Thus, you must focus exclusively on what you can do and should do, and how best to execute on it.
At the top of the priority list should always be your devotion to God. God demands we worship him and him alone. This means you must study out who God is and how to properly worship him. This is not for the faint of heart -- even studying and practicing for a lifetime is not enough to understand what this means. Every thought must be directed to him. Every prayer to him. Every action to him. Every offering to him.
From here, all things branch out. The Two Great Commandments, available both in the Old and New Testaments, is to "Love God" and "Love your neighbor". How to love God? With all your heart, might, mind and strength. How to love your neighbor? As yourself. What does love mean? We in modern society think of love as a feeling, but it is an action, and act, something you do and not feel.
The Ten Commandments branch from these, and cover the most basic elements of proper actions. It is clear from these commandments that God values honesty, fidelity in marriage, family life, and property ownership. Of course, we can go through the Old and New Testaments and find multiple explicit commandments or punishments for disobedience. Again, a lifetime of study is not enough time to learn how to act rightly before God.
Let's bring this home to our modern times and our modern understanding.
- Get married, stay married, and practice sexual activity only in marriage. Any extra-marital sexual act is forbidden. That means no porn, no adultery, no pre-marital sex. No divorce! But on a higher level, this is a devotion to family life. No greater happiness exists than fulfilling your duty in your family. And the reverse, No greater sadness exists than failing your duty in your family. Bear lots of children, more than you can handle. No one ever said, "I wish I didn't have so many kids!" Spend all of your efforts teaching and raising your kids. No physical treasure compares to well-raised kids.
- Get rich. This isn't optional. How do you get rich? Write a budget. Spend less than you earn. Earn more. Build an emergency fund. Get out of debt. Acquire investments assets -- real estate being a major one. Become truly self-sufficient with a garden and animals you raise and eat. Dave Ramsay has a lot of advice on how to get rich and how to behave as a rich person.
- Get educated. The idea that the purpose of education is to learn "practical skills" is absurd. Real education is about developing the proper and right character and attributes. Real education starts with the Bible and a whole lot of time praying and seeking truth. Of course you are going to incorporate other methods and materials.
- Get strong. "Physical strength is the most important thing in life" as Rippetoe says. It doesn't matter what you have if you are physically incompetent and require a wheelchair or medicine just to cope with life. People bound to wheelchairs and who require medicine just to live know what a great gift it is to have a body that works -- so keep your body in the best physical condition you can get it!
When we have enough people living rightly, with strong families, personal and familial real wealth, and a true and real education, physically fit, then we can talk about become self-governing. Until that point, however, we are far to weak in one way or the other to matter, and easily manipulated or controlled.
The first goal is to learn to govern yourself, then to govern your family, then to govern your community and finally your nation. If you cannot govern yourself, you cannot govern your family. And so on.
Indeed there's a huge difference between greed and riches. Everyone here is already more rich then any kings through out history.
You have heat, lights, AC, bathroom so many food choices and most people never have to worry about food. Not to mention soo many other conveniences.
Now tell me the richest people through out history's past wouldn't give up most their wealth for these things?
I believe most people in USA are more rich then we even know. I just feel really bad for people living on like 2 dollars a day in other places. Or how about everyone in the poor neighborhoods still having i-phones, nikes and what ever else made by slaves in china. Those people are also rich they just think they're poor
We just have a very different world view to what we perceive is rich, and I just want people to know that you don't need all that stuff to follow Jesus
I think it’s easy to follow Jesus when you have nothing or when your world is collapsing.
It’s difficult when you’re rich because where is the motivation to admit your failings?
It is easier to follow Jesus when you have nothing. It is harder to follow Jesus when you're rich and I commend the people that can do both, it's also even harder to give everything to the poor.
When you gain riches from being poor, it's hard to give it up. You worked hard, you focused, put in more time then everyone else. But my guess is your riches will be crazy in Heaven if you gave it away to serve God's kingdom. At the end that's what it's about.
I wonder, at what point does giving it away constitute trying to buy salvation?
Jesus gave his life for our sins so we wouldn’t have to live like he did.
I believe we’re supposed to take care of ourselves and our family, to help those that would help themselves, be generous where justified and stingy where necessary.
Giving it all away or large sums away is another way to virtue signal. I think building a business, paying a better than average wage, ensuring the job security of those people, helping to build your community without seeking fame and attention is the right way to live for Jesus if you’re rich.
Jesus also said his followers would have to suffer sometimes. Which makes sense if you look through out history. Everyone who preaches truth is persecuted always. Jesus is the Truth.
To get rich most people need to focus most of their time and energy on to getting rich. Now factor in having a family. There's not a lot of time in the day for most people to give all their focus on multiple things. I know some can do it but most cannot.
Which takes away time and energy from worshiping, seeking Jesus
If you are indeed rich and do those things you have said I think is a very good thing. I just don't think it's sound advice to tell someone to seek getting rich and seeking Jesus. Seek Jesus, and then if your rich then great, if your poor then great.
IMO you should have no expectations to be rich or poor, just ask him to be comfortable, because after all rich and poor is only a perspective of the person.