Who is GOD?

Who Is God?
Who Does He Claim to Be?Who is God? He's been described as everything from an impersonal life-force to a benevolent, personal, almighty Creator. He has been called by many names, including: "Zeus," "Jupiter," "Brahma," "Allah," "Ra," "Odin," "Ashur," "Izanagi," "Viracocha," "Ahura Mazda," and "the Great Spirit" to name just a few. He's seen by some as "Mother Nature" and by others as "Father God." But who is He really? Who does He claim to be?

Who Is God - Father God or Mother Nature?
Who is God? What has He revealed about Himself? To begin with, whenever He refers to Himself in parental terms, He always addresses Himself as "Father," never "Mother." He calls Himself "a Father to Israel,"1 and in one instance, when His "children" were particularly disrespectful to Him, He said to them, "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence?" 2 His prophets acknowledged Him as Father by saying, "You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand,"3 and "do we not all have one Father? Has not one God created us?"4 Never once does God refer to Himself as "Mother" and never once is He called such by the prophets to whom He spoke. Calling God "Mother Nature" is comparable to calling your earthly father "Mom."

Who Is God - What Does God Care About?
Who is God in terms of moral attributes? What does God have to say about Himself in this regard? He says that He delights in justice and righteousness: "…Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight."5 "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity…"6 Justice and equity are very important to God. But so are grace and mercy. And so, while God will hold everyone accountable, each for their own lives, He extends His grace to the repentant sinner. He promises that, "'If the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live. Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,' declares the Lord GOD, 'rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?…I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,' declares the Lord GOD. 'Therefore, repent and live.'"7 By "death" God is not referring to the physical death which we might have in mind. Rather, God is referring to something which will happen in eternity, after our physical deaths. The Scriptures refer to this event as the "second death."8 The first death separates us from our bodies and takes us from this world. The second death is different. It also entails a separation, but it's the separation of one group of people from another: the righteous and the forgiven on one hand and the wicked and the unrepentant on the other. The two groups will be judged separately. The one group will be rewarded according to the good that they've done. Their evil deeds will be overlooked, forgiven by God. The other group will be judged according to the evil that they have done, and their good deeds will not keep them from their punishment. God says, "When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has committed he will die." But "when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. …Therefore, repent and live."9 In this way, God will see that justice ultimately prevails, but that mercy is given to the humble and the repentant. God has made a provision for those who want to repent, a provision to atone for the sins of those who want to be made right with Him. He sent a "Messiah," a Servant who willingly suffered and died a vicarious death in order to pay for the sins of those who would repent and trust in Him. The Scriptures say, "Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?…Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows…He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.…it was the LORD's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the LORD makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in His hand. After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.…he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." 10

Footnotes:
Jeremiah 31:9 (NKJV)
Malachi 1:6 (NIV)
Isaiah 64:8 (NKJV)
Malachi 2:10 (NASB); cf. Psalm 89:26; Jeremiah 31:9; Isaiah 9:6; 63:16
Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV)
Isaiah 61:8 (NIV)
Ezekiel 18:21-23, 32 (NASB)
Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8
Ezekiel 18:26-28, 32 (NASB)
Isaiah 53:1, 4-6, 10-12 (NIV); cf. Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Daniel 9:24-27

Tips for a Healthy Life for Women

Eat Healthy
An apple a day keeps the doctor away." There's more truth to this saying than we once thought. What you eat and drink and what you don't eat and drink can definitely make a difference to your health. Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day and less saturated fat can help improve your health and may reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Have a balanced diet, and watch how much you eat.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Obesity is at an all time high in the United States, and the epidemic may be getting worse. Those who are overweight or obese have increased risks for diseases and conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Eat better, get regular exercise, and see your health care provider about any health concerns to make sure you are on the right track to staying healthy.
Get Moving
More than 50 percent of American men and women do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits. For adults, thirty minutes of moderate physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week is recommended. It doesn't take a lot of time or money, but it does take commitment. Start slowly, work up to a satisfactory level, and don?t overdo it. You can develop one routine, or you can do something different every day. Find fun ways to stay in shape and feel good, such as dancing, gardening, cutting the grass, swimming, walking, or jogging.
Be Smoke-Free
Health concerns associated with smoking include cancer, lung disease, early menopause, infertility, and pregnancy complications. Smoking triples the risk of dying from heart disease among those who are middle-aged. Second-hand smoke - smoke that you inhale when others smoke - also affects your health. If you smoke, quit today! Helplines, counseling, medications, and other forms of support are available to help you quit.
Get Routine Exams and Screenings
Sometimes they're once a year. Other times they're more or less often. Based on your age, health history, lifestyle, and other important issues, you and your health care provider can determine how often you need to be examined and screened for certain diseases and conditions. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, and cancers of the skin, cervix, breast, and colon. When problems are found early, your chances for treatment and cure are better. Routine exams and screenings can help save lives.
Get Appropriate Vaccinations
They're not just for kids. Adults need them too. Some vaccinations are for everyone. Others are recommended if you work in certain jobs, have certain lifestyles, travel to certain places, or have certain health conditions. Protect yourself from illness and disease by keeping up with your vaccinations.
Manage Stress
Perhaps now more than ever before, job stress poses a threat to the health of workers and, in turn, to the health of organizations. Balancing obligations to your employer and your family can be challenging. What's your stress level today? Protect your mental and physical health by engaging in activities that help you manage your stress at work and at home.
Know Yourself and Your Risks
Your parents and ancestors help determine some of who you are. Your habits, work and home environments, and lifestyle also help to define your health and your risks. You may be at an increased risk for certain diseases or conditions because of what you do, where you work, and how you play. Being healthy means doing some homework, knowing yourself, and knowing what’s best for you... because you are one of a kind.
Be Safe - Protect Yourself
What comes to mind when you think about safety and protecting yourself? Is it fastening seat belts, applying sunscreen, wearing helmets, or having smoke detectors? It's all of these and more. It's everything from washing your hands to watching your relationships. Did you know that women at work die most frequently from homicides, motor vehicle incidents, falls, and machine-related injuries? Take steps to protect yourself and others wherever you are.
Be Good to Yourself
Health is not merely the absence of disease; it's a lifestyle. Whether it's getting enough sleep, relaxing after a stressful day, or enjoying a hobby, it's important to take time to be good to yourself. Take steps to balance work, home, and play. Pay attention to your health, and make healthy living a part of your life.

Tips for a Healthy Life for Men

Eat Healthy
An apple a day keeps the doctor away." There's more truth to this saying than we once thought. What you eat and drink and what you don't eat and drink can definitely make a difference to your health. Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day and less saturated fat can help improve your health and may reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Have a balanced diet, and watch how much you eat.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Obesity is at an all time high in the United States, and the epidemic may be getting worse. Those who are overweight or obese have increased risks for diseases and conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Eat better, get regular exercise, and see your health care provider about any health concerns to make sure you are on the right track to staying healthy.
Get Moving
More than 50 percent of American men and women do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits. For adults, thirty minutes of moderate physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week is recommended. It doesn't take a lot of time or money, but it does take commitment. Start slowly, work up to a satisfactory level, and don't overdo it. You can develop one routine, or you can do something different every day. Find fun ways to stay in shape and feel good, such as dancing, gardening, cutting the grass, swimming, walking, or jogging.
Be Smoke-Free
Health concerns associated with smoking include cancer and lung disease. Smoking triples the risk of dying from heart disease among those who are middle-aged. Second-hand smoke - smoke that you inhale when others smoke - also affects your health. If you smoke, quit today! Helplines, counseling, medications, and other forms of support are available to help you quit.
Get Routine Exams and Screenings
Sometimes they're once a year. Other times they're more or less often. Based on your age, health history, lifestyle, and other important issues, you and your health care provider can determine how often you need to be examined and screened for certain diseases and conditions. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, and cancers of the skin, prostate, and colon. When problems are found early, your chances for treatment and cure are better. Routine exams and screenings can help save lives.
Get Appropriate Vaccinations
They're not just for kids. Adults need them too. Some vaccinations are for everyone. Others are recommended if you work in certain jobs, have certain lifestyles, travel to certain places, or have certain health conditions. Protect yourself from illness and disease by keeping up with your vaccinations.
Manage Stress
Perhaps now more than ever before, job stress poses a threat to the health of workers and, in turn, to the health of organizations. Balancing obligations to your employer and your family can be challenging. What's your stress level today? Protect your mental and physical health by engaging in activities that help you manage your stress at work and at home.
Know Yourself and Your Risks
Your parents and ancestors help determine some of who you are. Your habits, work and home environments, and lifestyle also help to define your health and your risks. You may be at an increased risk for certain diseases or conditions because of what you do, where you work, and how you play. Being healthy means doing some homework, knowing yourself, and knowing what's best for you... because you are one of a kind.
Be Safe- Protect Yourself
What comes to mind when you think about safety and protecting yourself? Is it fastening seat belts, applying sunscreen, wearing helmets, or having smoke detectors? It's all of these and more. It's everything from washing your hands to watching your relationships. Did you know that men at work die most frequently from motor vehicle incidents, machine-related injuries, homicides, and falls? Take steps to protect yourself and others wherever you are.
Be Good to Yourself
Health is not merely the absence of disease; it's a lifestyle. Whether it's getting enough sleep, relaxing after a stressful day, or enjoying a hobby, it's important to take time to be good to yourself. Take steps to balance work, home, and play. Pay attention to your health, and make healthy living a part of your life.

The Six Secrets to a Rich Life

Wouldn't it be great if you could leave all your money worries and job stress behind? Well, you can. And you don't have to move into a cave to live a freer, happier, healthier life -- or choose between your work, your pleasures, your friends, and your family.
All it really takes is the right investment portfolio. A portfolio not just of stocks and bonds, but one that includes key investments that you make in yourself and in your family. Like any good portfolio, the best investments you can make in yourself are diversified, carefully managed, and geared to the long term.
That's the premise of Invest in Yourself: Six Secrets to a Rich Life, the new book Nancy and I wrote with our wonderful friend and colleague, credit expert Gerri Detweiler. In it, we explain that to create the portfolio that's right for you, you've got to invest time and energy in figuring out what you really want -- and what will get you there.
While there are no “one-size-fits-all” formulas for the good life, we're convinced that everyone, no matter how deep in debt, no matter how unhappy at home or at work, can change direction and make their dreams come true -- without being irresponsible or reckless. Sometimes all it takes is a bit of fine tuning. At other times, major modifications may be in order.
Some of the ideas in Invest in Yourself will be quite familiar to our longtime newsletter readers, but they'll also find a lot of new information and resources. For example, we finally tackle that thorny topic of how to pay for college. (You can breathe a sigh of relief. We'll show you how to get a top quality education for your kid without either one of you earning a doctorate in debt!)

We've organized our collective wisdom into six “secrets,” or if you will, rules to live by:
1. Make Your Own Lifestyle Decisions
2. Put Your Family First
3. Wherever You Work, Be in Business for Yourself
4. Make the Most of the Money You Bring Home
5. Turn Your Debts into Golden Investments
6. Map Out Your Own Financial Future
If you focus your time and energy in the pursuit of these six principles, I guarantee that you'll lead a richer life in many more ways than the sum total of the money in your stock and bond portfolio! But don't get me wrong. Invest in Yourself is not a rule book. What we're advocating is a self-designed life, where you spend your time and energy getting what you want, and doing what you believe in -- not wasting them on things you might not really want, but think you “should” have.
For some that may mean a simple life, for others it may mean Monte Carlo. It's your choice. But to get wherever you want to go, you have to be clear about what you really want. Then to create the life you want, you have to make honest choices based on the facts of your life: both the financial facts, and the way you feel.
Nancy and I wanted to share our Invest in Yourself ideas with you first -- as our work on these pages, as well as your letters to us and our responses, have had so much to do with helping us to articulate them. (The book's table of contents appears at the end of this article.)
1. Make Your Own Lifestyle Decisions
I gave up a lucrative, very demanding electrical contracting business for a simpler life. Nancy left a fast-track foundation job in New York City for country living. Gerri gave up a high profile position to go it on her own, as a writer, consultant, and speaker on consumer credit issues. We each made our major lifestyle decisions after a good deal of soul searching, along with some very practical “testing the waters” experiences.
While we firmly believe that the key to financial happiness is spending less than you earn, only you can determine what's really “right” when it comes to how you earn, invest, and spend your income. You can have piles of money, but if you're not living the life you want to live, you won't be able to buy enough things to make up for it.
Up until now, have you made your lifestyle decisions by default, or by consciously deciding what your priorities are? It's your choice from here on out.
In Invest in Yourself, as we have in this newsletter, we help you look at your lifestyle alternatives -- and the financial consequences of making major changes, like going from a dual income family to a one income household (so one spouse can stay home with the kids) or pulling up stakes and leaving the big city (or small town) behind. When done hastily, without a good deal of thought and planning, the emotional and financial consequences of adjusting to a new life -- perhaps without a job and the support of family and friends -- can turn a dream into a nightmare.
Of course, you don't have to give up your job or move cross country to change your lifestyle for the better. Small steps can make a world of difference. But we're convinced that first you need to consciously set priorities and figure out what makes the most sense -- for you and your family, which brings us to the book's next secret:
2. Put Your Family First
As a nation, we're working longer hours and spending less time with our families, leaving our kids by the wayside (or in front of the TV or Nintendo). Data show typical Americans spend hardly any time talking to their kids. It's easy to fall into this pattern -- and surprisingly easy to change it -- by putting yourself and your family first.
You know the project that's sitting on your desk? Chances are, it can wait until tomorrow (really!), but kids grow up all too quickly. Those school plays and Little League games you missed will be remembered, and regretted, for a lifetime. Family camping trips or treehouse construction will also be long remembered. Which kind of memories do you want your kids to have?
3. Wherever You Work, Be in Business for Yourself
The last decade has changed our notions of job security. These days, while you're expected to be creative, resourceful, on top of the latest innovations, and dedicated to the workplace, you can't even count on being employed come tomorrow. While your goal may be to improve your job satisfaction and financial well-being, you've got to be prepared for cutbacks, downsizings, and mergers -- in other words, the old heave-ho.
In Invest in Yourself, we present a host of strategies that'll help you get ahead on the job you're at now -- or help you move on to a new position. But if you've been reading this newsletter for awhile, you already know that our favorite game plan for hedging your bets is having an Ace in the Hole, a very small business (or two) that you start on the cheap. For some, it becomes the stepping stone to a new career, for others it's a sideline that offers both extra income and welcome tax deductions. Everyone we know who's got an Ace feels more secure for having it.
4. Make the Most of the Money You Bring Home
The further it goes, the less you need to earn. We're not talking about deprivation here -- or anywhere in Invest in Yourself. Practicing the fine art of penny pinching means you can have the things you really want -- without spending your life working for the almighty buck.
If you know us, you know what we think are the basics before you buy: Decide if you really want it -- then comparison shop, negotiate for the best prices, barter, and if possible, buy used. This section of Invest in Yourself could have easily been called “The Joy of Frugality,” or maybe we should bill it as the “how to” course on becoming The Millionaire Next Door. (The book's authors, Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko, make it clear that millionaires are a pretty frugal lot.)
5. Turn Your Debts into Golden Investments
If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times -- PAY DOWN THOSE DEBTS! It's a powerful antidote to the “payday to payday” blues.
Here's a hot tip in case you're just tuning in: If you're in the 28% tax bracket, paying off a typical 17% credit card balance is the same as earning 23.5% before taxes. But unlike the stock market, paying off those plastic monsters is risk-free, guaranteed, and tax-free. (It's tax-free because you don't have to pay taxes on money you save yourself -- even if it's at 17%!)
With their low minimum payments each month, credit card companies want you to think it doesn't really hurt you very much to owe them money. But the less you send in, the more you'll pay and the longer it'll take you to get out from under. Making minimum payments on a typical $3,500 card balance at 17% could cost you more than $7,500 in interest. Your total cost could be more than three times as much as you borrowed. And it could take you 35 years to pay it off. Was yesterday's lunch that good?
Beat those plastic purveyors at their own game, and pay off your balances as fast as possible. Even a few extra bucks a month will yield a big return. For example, just adding an extra $3 a month to the minimum payment on that $3,500 in charges will save you more than $1,860 and over 10 years of payments! If you can come up with $25 a month, that'll put $5,364 back in your assets column -- yes, more than you owed -- and save over 26 years of payments!
Here's the best long-term strategy: Stop charging items you can't pay for or don't need. Do you really want a new thingamabob that will wind up costing you three to four times as much as what you couldn't afford in the first place? Especially if your old thingamabob is still humming along, we hope you'll decide to pass.
If you become a pocket change investor (hey, that sounds like a catchy name for a newsletter!) in your home, car, or student loan you'll save a ton of money and be that much closer to financial freedom.
In addition to showing you how to whittle down those loan balances, we'll help you save money on big-ticket items, so you can keep future debts to a minimum, and future pleasures to a stress-reduced maximum.
6. Map Out Your Own Financial Future
Ever think, “If I had a million dollars, I'd ...”? Well, chances are you will have that much, and then some. As we've pointed out here before, over your working lives, you and your spouse will rake in over $2,000,000. And that's just if you make today's median family income ... and never get a raise! Of course, you won't get it all in one lump sum, but it's a bundle all the same. Managing it wisely will make all the difference for your future.
If the thought of budgets, asset allocation, and financial plans give you a headache, you can join the finance phobic crowd ... or check out Invest in Yourself. We'll help you figure when to do what -- and where to go to find sound financial advice.

* By Marc Eisenson