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-======  ... ======
+====== Ownership and Trust ... ======
-Monday, Jan 13, 2020.
+Monday, Jan 13, 2020. What things I own plays an important role for my life. Do I live in a
+rented flat or do I own a house. Can I afford to buy an expensive car? Do I have enough
+money to afford holidays and travel?
+There is the
+human struggle to earn enough to be able to buy food and water, clothing and shelter, and
+to afford some things which make life easy and enjoyable. Let us think about ownership and
+possessions ...
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-**  ... **
+** Important Social Principles ... **
+Ownership is an important social principle. We can possess things, land, or rights. We can even
+possess animals. In history, the principle has even been applied to humans, which have
+been possessed by others.
+Without ownership it is difficult to act. Ownership is an organization principle for our
+social interaction. When I put effort into something, when I build something, I can own it. Then,
+I can also sell it to others, who give me something which they own. Using the invention of
+money, values are converted into some type of currency, and we use money to efficiently
+organize our exchange of value and possessions.
+At the same time it is a basic question, in what sense possessions define myself. Do I own the
+possessions, or do my possessions own me? Our possessions interact with our psychological
+and mental dimension. Responsibility for my possessions is influencing my life. Fear or
+concern about my possessions can influence my well-being.
+The principle of Ownership has been questioned several times by social visions throughout
+history. Can we build a society without ownership, where everything belongs to everyone? In this
+case you need to find an alternative to decision making on how to use things, how to sell things,
+how to distribute money and value. Kommunism has tried to abolish ownership in some phases
+of its existence - not with much success. Motivation of humans is strongly linked to ownership.
+At the same time, also the biblical texts are putting ownership into a particular perspective.
+They do not question ownership itself, they acknowledge it as important principle and demand
+full truthfulness and reliability of humans with respect to ownership of things. At the same
+time the bible reminds us that all what exists is given to us. God is the ultimate owner of
+this world. We are just his children, created beings, given a place to live in and take care
+of. The sabbath year of the Old Testament gives a limit to ownership and the collection of
+wealth, which is a healthy boundary to human greed.
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-**  ... **
+** Jesus Temptation ... **
+It is interesting and exciting to read the discussion between Jesus and the devil in Matthew 4,
+where ownership is the main topic. Let us listen to this important passage:
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+Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
+Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
+</color> (Matthew 4, 8-10)
+There are several things in this little story, which can make you think. Does the devil own this
+world? Does he really have the right to give it to people? Where is the limit of this, it cannot
+be completely true! Is he just trying to cheat Jesus?
-</color> ()
+Also, what does it mean to fall down and worship him? To fall down means to acknowledge someone
+as the Lord, the king, as the person who can command and has power. Worship is an expression of
+personal dedication, it shows that I am astonished and that I admire and marvel someone or
+something. Only God deserves this central place in our life! Why should I give the devil this
+important role? Why should Jesus do so?
+How can it be that Jesus is challenged like this at all? Is it really a challenge? Did this take
+place for us, is it that Jesus hat do experience the thoughts and challenges and temptations which
+usually influence humans, who much less than him can see the majesty and magnificence of the
+eternal God and Lord?
+Here, ownership of things, of fame, of recognition and value is the core temptation under
+discussion. If ownership of anything in this world interfers with the role of God, the eternal
+creator, the beginning and ultimate purpose of all what is, we are in trouble. But it does
+not need to become like that. Living faith and trust in God through Jesus and the holy spirit
+can keep us save and sound, today and tomorrow.
 (Roland Potthast)