U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, entered the U.S. Senate race on the final day to file, pitting her against state Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock. The Austin American-Statesman reported the difference between the two is more of style than substance, with both raising the issues of income inequality, rising prices, corruption and polarization.
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.” Matthew 2:1 This is a group of men, not three as often pictured, that traveled most likely from Persia, or modern-day Iran, a distance of 800 to 900 miles to see the Christ child. They are from a Gentile country that worships the stars and other false God’s. Yet they read and believed God’s Word and sought the baby Jesus to worship Hm. In Matt 1:11 it says the wise men visited and worshipped Jesus in a house, not a stable. This indicates it was at least eight or more months after seeing the star that they found the baby Jesus. This could be the reason why wicked king Herod had all the babies two years of age and under killed. These men believed God’s Word, sought Jesus and humbled themselves to worship Him. They presented gold a symbol of royalty or kingship, frankincense a symbol of deity and frankincense a part of the special scent burned on the Altar on incense within the Holy Place of the Jewish temple. How many reading this devotion have believed God’s Word, humbled themselves, and sought Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God for the redemption of their souls?
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. Prov.9:9 It is difficult at times for us to receive instructions for walking through this life. At the start of life children lack the understanding of why the instructions may protect them from danger. The older person often looks back over life and determines they are past the age of instructions. The old saying is “been there and done that.” Notice the scripture does not give us an age limit on receiving the wisdom of God. All of us are in a learning process every day. The important question we must consistently seek an answer for is: Why is God allowing me to travel through this situation and what has been given me that will help draw me closer to Christ? Wisdom has no age limit or situation that may be small or great. God’s wisdom is always available if only we will seek it. All of life is a learning experience regardless of age. How often have we sought wisdom from God within the past ten days concerning things of eternal value?
Dear Rusty: You’ve said in the past that most people recoup their SS contributions within five years of starting benefits, thus Social Security “is an exceptionally good deal.” Your calculation is correct but misleading; if it were not, SS would have been insolvent long ago. I will, in fact, get “my” contributions back in about five years, but my employer’s contributions will take another five years, and that is money that my employer could have been paying me, so they are really “my” contributions. But even that ignores the time value of money. I did a calculation as if my contributions, along with those of my employer, were invested in an account earning 5% per year. That would provide me the equivalent of SS income for 24 years, approximately what my life expectancy was when I retired. So, it’s not a bad deal, but it is hardly exceptional. It is roughly the equivalent of me investing that money throughout my career and using the total to buy an annuity.