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Biblical villains: What can we learn from them?
'The Death of Jezebel' by Gustave Doré
“Eight of the Ten Commandments define God’s law by listing wrong actions and thinking we are to avoid. Lessons from the Bible’s villains can help us to learn how to apply God’s law. We can extract good lessons from bad examples.”
Rehoboam
“Rehoboam was the son of Solomon who initially ruled over the united kingdom of Israel in the north and Judah in the south (1 Kings 12). But when he came to power the northern 10 tribes of Israel were already restless and on the verge of seceding.
Rehoboam unwisely took the advice of his peers instead of listening to more experienced older advisors. He raised taxes, and the northern kingdom of Israel split away from the southern kingdom of Judah, resulting in the king losing far more income than all his taxes could have ever gained him. He chose poorly, and everyone suffered because of it.
The lesson to be learned from Rehoboam’s experience is to seek a multitude of counsel (Proverbs 11:14) when making important decisions, and to ask God for discernment.
Queen Jezebel
Queen Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab of the northern kingdom of Israel. She was the daughter of the king of the Phoenician city-state of Sidon and a priestess of the false god Baal (1 Kings 16:29-33), which gave her a great deal of power. She influenced Ahab to worship Baal, which often required human sacrifice, and fought against the true worship of God whenever she could, even calling for the assassination of the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 18:13; 19:2). She also schemed to have a wealthy vineyard owner murdered so that her husband could steal his land (1 Kings 21). Eventually Jezebel was thrown from a window and eaten by dogs after years of corrupting Israel and the king.
As a priestess of Baal, and trying over and over again to destroy the worship of the true God, she was attempting to hold on to and increase what she saw as her source of power. The lesson we can learn from this is not to trust in some other perceived source of power (false gods of our own making)—wealth, authority, weapons, position, etc.—in place of God. If we look to anything other than God for strength, it will ultimately fail.
Saul of Tarsus
There is also a biblical example of a man who was a villain, who then became a biblical hero teaching the truth of God for the rest of his life. His name was Saul of Tarsus, also known as the Apostle Paul. He was initially a fanatical pharisee who saw the teachings of Jesus as blasphemy and Christians as heretics. He had the authority to punish anyone he believed to be a heretic within the Jewish community, and would track them down and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law—resulting in their imprisonment and sometimes death. He even took part in the death of Stephen “And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul” (Acts 7:58), while they threw rocks at Stephen until he was bludgeoned to death.
Saul continued to harass the Church and was on his way to the Jewish community in Damascus to arrest members of the faith and send them back to Jerusalem when God intervened and struck him down. Blind and helpless, Saul finally realized he was wrong and that it was futile to fight God. After his spiritual conversion, he went on to preach the truth with the same vigour with which he had previously fought against it (Acts 9). Saul the persecutor became Paul the faithful.
The lesson we can learn from the life of the Apostle Paul is that when God reveals to us we are wrong, we need to humbly respond and make the 180 degree turnaround to do what’s right.”
Beyond Today Bible Commentary (See I Kings chapters 12, 16 and 21 for more information about Rehoboam and Jezebel)
From: https://www.ucg.org/vertical-thought/bible-villains-learning-from-scriptures-bad-examples
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What is the problem with plastic?
“Globally, we produce a massive amount of plastic – over 380 million tons every year. It’s everywhere in our daily lives and we’ve become dependent on it. Half of all plastic produced is single-use – meaning it’s thrown away after just one use. Think bottles, bags, straws, cups, and lids. Used for just a few moments, but forever on the planet.
Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated). We thought recycling was the answer but it’s not. Less than 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled!
What’s plastics impact?
When plastic enters the ocean, it impacts us all. It’s in the food and water we consume, it’s harming our animals and marine life, and of course, polluting our beautiful planet.
Once at sea, sunlight, wind, and wave action break down plastic waste into small particles, called microplastics. Microplastics have been found in every corner of the globe, from Mount Everest, the highest peak, to the Mariana Trench, the deepest trough. Plastic never fully biodegrades, it just breaks down into these small, toxic, pieces.
Because plastic is so prevalent, there are countless (overwhelming) statistics on its impact. Below are some key facts we feel are important to share – we encourage you to further research the plastic issue as the more aware we are of the problem, the more likely we are to become part of the solution!
Plastic By the Numbers
Millions of marine animals die each year from plastic waste alone.
Plastic pollutes at every step of its journey and it never disappears – breaking up into tiny pieces called microplastics.
Plastic is literally everywhere. It’s in our bloodstreams, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.
Today, more than 99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels.
Less than 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled.
What can you do?
Your individual actions, however small, make a difference.
Here are simple ways you can have an impact, starting today!
Say ‘No’ to Single-Use: By refusing to purchase single-use plastic you are showing the big corporations producing the plastic that you want change. Every purchase you make is a vote with your dollar.
Start Conversations: Talk with your friends, families, neighbors, and local businesses, about the plastic issue and how we all can be part of the solution.
Shop Sustainably: One of the biggest impacts you can have is to reduce the amount of plastic you use in your daily life. For almost every plastic product you use, there’s a plastic-free alternative. To help you get started, check out our sustainable products.
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The Kindest Diet Is Also The Healthiest.
“THE TRUTH IS THAT THE FLESH, MILK & EGGS OF ANY SPECIES IS NOT THE NATURAL FOOD FOR HUMANS, & HARMS THE ANIMALS WE TAKE IT FROM
...and it harms those that still consume animal products, so many have proven this
...an analysis of 79,468 North American Seventh-day Adventists in the Adventist Health Study-2 found that vegetarians had a 12% lower risk of all cancers combined
...and vegans had a 24% lower risk compared to flesh and dairy eaters, showing that dairy is also harmful to our health...the study tracked participants for almost eight years, matching cancer cases to state and provincial registries.
...it found that reduced risk was strongest for colorectal, stomach and lymphoproliferative cancers, with vegan diets showing notable protection against breast cancer in younger women.
...and dairy is also harmful to the mothers we steal it from, as the female cows that are constantly forcibly impregnated die 14 years early because of the abuse of their reproductive powers...and they cry for their babies taken from them so their milk can be stolen, leaving them heart broken.
...those babies are put alone in crates and force fed GMOed replacement and if they are male they are killed within weeks for vile veal.
...while the females are forced to become dairy slaves within months, and abused like their mothers were.
...THERE IS NO REASON TO BE CRUEL & STEAL THE FLESH, EGGS & MILK OF OTHER BEINGS, A PLANT BASED DIET IS THE ONE THAT IS NATURAL FOR US -- Animal Freedom Fighter
The China Study puts the vegan numbers way higher. Check it out!”
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“When the spies approached Jericho Rahab and the Canaanites had already heard stories of the Red Sea crossing 40 years before. The Israelites had also completely destroyed the Amorites just east of the Jordan (Joshua 2:10) and now they were camped on Jericho's doorstep.
