Saturday, June 23, 2012

God or no God; Purpose or Meaningless


God or no God? – If God does exist (and he does) then it stands to reason he made us for some reason and wants contact with us.  The evidence for this comes from history, archeaology, & Nature itself - not to mention that Gods' laws are written on all men's hearts.  If God does not exist then we must immediately assume everything came from nothing because logic dictates you cannot have an infinite number of causal agents - something must have created all that is and if you exclude God then all that is left is nothing created everything.  You must begin with an uncaused first cause.  I personally don't have enough faith to be an athiest.  In the grand scheme of things anyone who is an athiest must also concede that whether you lived a life like Hitler or like Jesus it doesn’t matter if there is no eternal reward or punishment for the way you choose to live your life.   Everything is ultimately Meaningless.  Any civilized culture punishes bad behavior and rewards good –  Everyone  clings to life and longs for more.  I enjoy movies the next person likes to skydive.  Some things we enjoy all our lives others change and some fade away.  We are all fickle to some degree.  If I know anything I know God has a sense of humor, is endless in mercy and love, but at the same time he is just and must punish sin or he would cease to be God.  What earthly father doesn’t teach his son and correct and discipline him when necessary.  If you don’t you are actually saying you hate the child by your disinterest. If God does exist then our actions echo throughout eternity.  If God doesn't exist then eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. 

Jesus -- just a man or God in the flesh? Answer carefully because your eternal destiny rest upon your answer and how you respond to that answer.
(Why the resurrection and why the cross  why did He claim to be born of a virgin?)
Why did all His disciples continue to defy Rome and Pharasees about speaking in Jesus name. Why did they run away scared before the cross; then die martyrs deaths and speak boldly in His name after the resurrection?  Something changed them inside; Men may die for a loved one or even a friend, but not a lie.  These men knew Jesus was God in the flesh and that eternity waited for them and they had nothing to fear except disobeying God. 

Faith in Christ & Repentance & publicly (why is eternal life free?)

Abel or Cain ( we all must choose the way of cain or the way of Abel)  The entire Bible is an unfolding story of redemption through Jesus.  An greatest rescue mission of all time.  Man fell into sin in the Garden of Eden and throughout the ages God sent his messangers to foretell of the Savior to come.  All the old testament is types and shadows of He who would come JESUS CHRIST.  Jesus fulfilled the types and shadows of the old testament.  In this present age we look back almost 2000 yrs and continue to put our trust in Jesus as its has been from the beginning.  Our hope is in the 2nd coming the time of which no one knows.  When God will setup a new heaven and new earth werein dwells righteousness.  It will be a physical universe but perfect in every way. And no chance of man falling into sinful ways again.  All that will stay in the past.  Those who chose their own path in this life loved darkness for their deeds were evil.  Those whose gave up their lives for Jesus sake will find a new life eternally with God.  What that will be like no one knows for sure, but God has said "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18

I think God leaves some details vague on purpose so we can concentrate on main point and not get caught up in details and manusha that are unimportant.  Bottom line is Cain and Abel both knew what was required and Abel came thru and Cain did not.  God confronted him and said directly if you do what is required will you not be accepted as well.  But he would not and thus suffered the consequences.  God has rules that are to be followed in this physical universe or punishment will come as sure as night follows day. 

Here are some great names of old that believed God:
Job, Noah
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph
Moses
Joshua
King David
Solomon
Daniel
12 Apostles; Andrew, James, John, Bartholomew; Judas, Simon, Thomas, Peter, Matthew, Philip, James the lessor; and Thaddeus.

Luthor
Pascal born 1623; French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal, though raised in the heyday of Enlightenment thought, found reason inadequate: "Reason's last step is the recognition that there are an infinite number of things which are beyond it." He concluded, "The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know at all"—a statement that soon became the chief critique of rationalism and the starting point for a defense of the Christian faith that still influences people today.
Catherine of Siena (1347)
She lived only 33 years, but her vibrant faith and writings were so influential she has been declared a Doctor of the Church.Following Christ’s instruction, Catherine believed it was her duty to reform the church, to evangelize, and to comfort the sick, poor, and condemned. She was an activist in an age when a woman’s religious vocation was supposed to be confined and apart from the world. Warmed by divine love from her intimate experience of God, Catherine proclaimed a personal faith in Jesus Christ that touches contemporary Christians with its conviction and immediacy.

Charles H. Spurgeon

D LMoody (1837)
Moody left home at age 17 and became a shoe salesman.
The first time he applied for church membership, it was denied him because he failed an oral examination on Christian doctrine. Moody ministered to soldiers in the American Civil War. Moody was personally acquainted with George Muller, the orphanage founder; Lord Shaftesbury, the great social reformer; and Charles H. Spurgeon, the prince of preachers. Most Americans today probably would fail even to identify Dwight Lyman Moody as a nineteenth-century evangelist. Yet during his day, he was internationally renowned. Moody often spoke to audiences of ten thousand to twenty thousand people. He presented the plan of Salvation, by voice or pen, to at least one hundred million people. D.L. Moody might well be considered the nineteenth century’s “Mr. Protestant.”

Candace queen of Etheopia She and her husband reigned c. 25–41 A.D.
Cecilia was a martyr of the 2nd century
Helena, a 4th-century Christian, is remembered for her influence in the life of her son Constantine, the first Christian ruler of the Roman Empire
Anthusa lived from c. 330 to 374 A.D. in Antioch. Widowed at the age of 20, she is remembered for her influence in the life of her son, John Chrysostom, one of the greatest preachers and leaders of the 4th-century church

Billy Sunday
William Ashley "Billy" Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was an American athlete who, after being a popular outfielder in baseball's National League during the 1880s, became the most celebrated and influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century.[1]
Born into poverty in Iowa, Sunday spent some years at the Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' Home before working at odd jobs and playing for local running and baseball teams. His speed and agility provided him the opportunity to play baseball in the major leagues for eight years, where he was an average hitter and a good fielder known for his base-running.
Converted to evangelical Christianity in the 1880s, Sunday left baseball for the Christian ministry. He gradually developed his skills as a pulpit evangelist in the Midwest and then, during the early 20th century, he became the nation's most famous evangelist with his colloquial sermons and frenetic delivery. Sunday held widely reported campaigns in America's largest cities, and he attracted the largest crowds of any evangelist before the advent of electronic sound systems. He also made a great deal of money and was welcomed into the homes of the wealthy and influential. Sunday was a strong supporter of Prohibition, and his preaching almost certainly played a significant role in the adoption of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919.

Billy Graham
CS Lewis
Paul Harvey radio broadcaster
George Washington quotes:
“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”
“The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained”
“Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
 “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” (this by no means indicates you cannot have nonChristian friends and acqaintances if we are to witness to a lost world we must have contact with them on some level - we simply must not do what they do but we must communicate and care for them all the while)
“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”
“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.”

 
Lincoln:
Quote -“If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.”
“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.” (note he is not saying he would stop praying and loving a friend that went astray he is simply saying not to stay close friends with someone who does evil and preaches wrong doctrine. We must separate ourselves and stand for right or we are no different than the world yet we must at the same time minister to the needy and those who are seeking truth always forgiving and embracing those who reach out for help)
“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my ax”
“The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly.” 

 There are great figures in history on both sides  - but one thing is clear everyone must choose for themselves.  The only exceptions are mentally ill and babies.  God will deal justly with them. But what about you?

How do you explain beauty if there is no God?

Why is there something rather than nothing?

Even if you have a big bang it doesn’t explain where the matter came from that exploded.
There must be a first cause that had no cause itself otherwise you end up with an infinite causal loop. Christians believe in supernatural God that transcends time and space and those who don’t believe in the supernatural have no answer or make up jibberish and try to sound smart but say nothing.

Three great questions of our time are Ressurection of Jesus; Origin of Cosmos;  & authenticity of Bible.

If God exists and he desired a relationship with us (he does) then he would reach out to us (prophets & Bible); If God exists and his word is true then its clear he made the universe things invisible and visible.  Archeology Nature and Ancient manuscripts all testify to the truth that the Bible is God's word to mankind and we dare not ignore its message.  Can the clay say to the potter why did you make me so?  We must respond to God as he reveals himself by his rules not our own.  How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. Hebrews 2:3 And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" 1 Peter 4:18





Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Jesus witnessing & a criminal being born again


Gospel of St. JOHN Chapter 3
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.a
4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spiritb gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘Youc must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.d 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.e
16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,f that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.g 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”h
John the Baptist’s Testimony About Jesus
22After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 24(This was before John was put in prison.) 25An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jewi over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
27To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christj but am sent ahead of him.’ 29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become greater; I must become less.
31“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for Godk gives the Spirit without limit. 35The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

LUKE Chapter 23 

EXAMPLE OF a man becoming saved IN SCRIPTURE

39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.f
43Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
 
(notice the criminal didn’t have time to get baptized or do any good deeds he simply repented in his heart realizing he needed a savior to forgive his sin and by faith asked Jesus to remember him – and if you do the same you can actually ask that man what it was like to die next to the Son of God at one of the most important moments in history once you get to heaven, if you don't accept Jesus please remember you are condemned already and have no hope after death - I pray all who read this will choose life in Christ as this criminal did)

Monday, June 18, 2012

The Complete Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition

The Complete Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition

The Complete Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition Ferengi are a species from StarTrek that was particularly highlighted in Deep Space 9. Their religion is commerce and their society is determined by profit.  Quark pictured left is my favorite character from the series though I don't hold to his philosophy he has made me laugh many times.

The Ferengi believe that the universe is held together by the Great Material Continuum, also known as the Great River (we know it's Jesus Christ). The Ferengi believe that each part of the universe has too much of one thing, but not enough of another, and it is through the continual flow of the Great River that wants and needs can be fulfilled, if one navigates the River with sufficient entrepreneurial skill. Christians believe no one can succeed apart from Christ though many have tried.  The greatest treasure is eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ apart from works.  Works follow salvation but do not earn it. Our purpose after accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is to walk with Him daily in the Spirit and follow His example outlined in the Bible.  Two rules sum up the entire Bible - worship God with all your being and love others as yourself  - on these two hang all the laws of the prophets.

The Complete Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition

1.  Once you have their money, never give it back
2.  You can't cheat an honest customer, but it never hurts to try
3.  Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to
4.  Sex and profit are the two things that never last long enough
5.  If you can't break a contract, bend it
6.  Never let family stand in the way of opportunity
7.  Always keep you ears open
8.  Keep count of your change
9.  Instinct plus opportunity equals profit
10.  A dead customer can't buy as much as a live one
11.  Latinum isn't the only thing that shines
12.  Anything worth selling is worth selling twice
13.  Anything worth doing is worth doing for money
14.  Anything stolen is pure profit
15.  Acting stupid is often smart
16.  A deal is a deal ... until a better one comes along
17.  A bargain usually isn't
18.  A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all
19.  Don't lie too soon after a promotion
20.  When the customer is sweating, turn up the heat
21.  Never place friend ship before profit
22.  Wise men can hear profit in the wind
23.  Never take the last coin, but be sure to get the rest
24.  Never ask when you can take
25.  Fear makes a good business partner
26.  The vast majority of the rich in this galaxy did not inherit their wealth; they stole it
27.  The most beautiful thing about a tree is what you do with it after you cut it down
28.  Morality is always defined by those in power
29.  When someone says "It's not the money," they're lying
30.  Talk is cheap; synthehol costs money
31.  Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother
32.  Be careful what you sell. It may do exactly what the customer expects
33.  It never hurts to suck up to the boss
34.  War is good for business
35.  Peace is good for business
36.  Too many Ferengi can't laugh at themselves anymore
37.  You can always buy back a lost reputation
38.  Free advertising is cheap
39.  Praise is cheap. Heap it generously on all customers
40.  If you see profit on a journey, take it
41.  Money talks, but having a lots of it gets more attention
42.  Only negotiate when you are certain to profit
43.  Caressing an ear is often more forceful than pointing a weapon
44.  Never argue with a loaded phaser
45.  Profit has limits. Loss has none
46.  Labor camps are full of people who trusted the wrong person
47.  Never trust a man wearing a better suit than you own
48.  The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife
49.  Old age and greed will always overcome youth and talent
50.  Never bluff a Klingon
51.  Never admit a mistake if there's someone else to blame
52.  Only Bugsy could have built Las Vegas
53.  Sell first; ask questions later
54.  Never buy anything you can't sell
55.  Always sell at the highest possible profit
56.  Pursue profit; women come later
57.  Good customers are almost as rare as Latinum - treasure them
58.  Friendship is seldom cheap
59.  Fee advice is never cheap
60.  Never use Latinum where your words will do
61.  Never buy what can be stolen
62.  The riskier the road, the greater the profit
63.  Power without profit is like a ship without an engine
64.  Don't talk shop; talk shopping
65.  Don't talk ship; talk shipping
66.  Anyone serving in a fleet who is crazy can be relieved, if they ask for it
67.  Enough is never enough
68.  Compassion is no substitute for a profit
69.  You could afford your ship without your government - if it weren't for your government
70.  Get the money first, then let the buyers worry about collecting the merchandise
71.  Gamble and trade have two things in common: risk and Latinum
72.  Never let the competition know, what you're thinking
73.  Never trust advice from a dying Ferengi; listen but don't trust
74.  A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all
75.  Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of Latinum
76.  Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies
77.  Go where no Ferengi has gone before; where there is no reputation there is profit
78.  There is a customer born every minute
79.  Beware of the Vulcan greed for knowledge
80.  If it works, sell it. If it works well, sell it for more. If it doesn't work, quadruple the price and sell it as an antique
81.  There's nothing more dangerous than an honest businessman
82.  A smart customer is not a good customer
83.  Revenge is profitless
84.  She can touch your ears but never your Latinum
85.  Death takes no bribes
86.  A wife is a luxury, a smart accountant a necessity
87.  Trust is the biggest liability of all
88.  When the boss comes to dinner, it never hurts to have the wife wear something
89.  Latinum lasts longer than lust
90.  Mine is better than ours
91.  He who drinks fast pays slow
92.  Never confuse wisdom with luck
93.  He's a fool who makes his doctor his heir
94.  Beware of small expenses: a small leak will kill a ship
95.  Important, more impotant, Latinum
96.  Faith moves mountains - of inventory
97.  If you would keep a secret from an enemy, don't tell it to a friend
98.  Profit is the better part of valor
99.  Never trust a wise man
100.  Everything that has no owner, needs one
101.  Never do something you can make someone do for you
102.  Nature decays, but Latinum lasts forever
103.  Sleep can interfere with opportunity
104.  Money is never made. It is merely won or lost
105.  Wise men don't lie, they just bend the truth
106.  There is no honor in poverty
107.  Win or lose, there's always Huyperian Beetle Snuff
108.  A woman wearing clothes is like a man without profit
109.  Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack
110.  Only a fool passes up a business opportunity
111.  Treat people in your debt like family ... exploit them
112.  Never sleep with the boss's wife unless you pay him first
113.  Never sleep with the boss's sister
114.  Small print lead to large risk
115.  Greed is eternal
116.  There's always a way out
117.  If the profit seems too good to be true, it usually is
118.  Never cheat a honest man offering a decent price
119.  Buy, sell, or get out of the way
120.  Even a blind man can recognize the glow of Latinum
121.  Everything is for sale, even friendship
122.  As the customers go, so goes the wise profiteer
123.  A friend is only a friend until you sell him something. Then he is a customer
124.  Friendship is temporary, profit is forever
125.  A lie isn't a lie until someone else knows the truth
126.  A lie isn't a lie, it's just the truth seen from a different point of view
127.  Gratitude can bring on generosity
128.  Ferengi are not responsible for the stupidity of other races
129.  Never trust your customers
130.  Never trust a beneficiary
131.  If it gets you profit, sell your own mother
132.  The flimsier the produce, the higher the price
133.  Never judge a customer by the size of his wallet ... sometimes good things come in small packages
134.  There's always a catch
135.  The only value of a collectible is what you can get somebody else to pay for it
136.  The sharp knife cuts quickly. Act without delay!
137.  Necessity is the mother of invention. Profit is the father
138.  Law makes everyone equal, but justice goes to the highest bidder
139.  Wives serve; brother inherit
140.  The answer to quick and easy profit is: buy for less, sell for more
141.  Competition and fair play are mutually exclusive. Fair play and financial loss go hand-in-hand
142.  A Ferengi waits to bid until his opponents have exhausted themselves
143.  The family of Fools is ancient
144.  There's nothing wrong with charity ... as long as it winds up in your pocket
145.  Always ask for the costs first
146.  If possible sell neither the sizzle nor the steak, but the Elphasian wheat germ
147.  New customers are like razor toothed gree worms. They can be succulent, but sometimes they bite back
148.  Opportunity waits for no one
149.  Females and finances don't mix
150.  Make your shop easy to find
151.  Sometimes, what you get free costs entirely too much
152.  Ask not what your profits can do for you; ask what you can do for your profits
153.  You can't free a fish from water
154.  The difference between manure and Latinum is commerece
155.  What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine too
156.  Even in the worst of times someone turns a profit
157.  You are surrounded by opportunities; you just have to know where to look
158.  Don't pay until you have the goods
159.  The customer is always right ... until you have their cash
160.  Respect is good, Latinum is better
161.  Never kill a customer, unless you make more profit out of his death than out of his life
162.  His money is only your's when he can't get it back
163.  A thirsty customer is good for profit, a drunk one isn't
164.  Never spend your own money when you can spend someone elses
165.  Never allow one's culture's law to get in the way of a universal goal: profit
166.  Never give away for free what can be sold
167.  If a deal is fairly and lawfully made, then seeking revenge especially unprofitable revenge, is illegal
168.  Beware of relatives bearing gifts
169.  If you're going to have to endure, make yourself comfortable
170.  Never gamble with an empath
171.  Time is Latinum. The early Ferengi get the Latinum
172.  If you can sell it, don't hsitate to steal it
173.  A piece of Latinum in the hand is worth two in a customer's pocket
174.  Share and perish
175.  When everything fails - run
176.  Ferengi's don't give promotional gifts!
177.  Know your enemies ... but do business with them always
178.  The world is a stage - don't forget to demand admission
179.  Whenever you think that things can't get worse, the FCA will be knocking on you door
180.  Never offer a confession when a bribe will do
181.  Even dishonesty can't tarnish the glow of Latinum
182.  Whenever you're being asked if you are god, the right answer is YES
183.  Genius without opportunity is like Latinum in the mine
184.  There are three things you must not talk to aliens: sex, religion and taxes
185.  If you want to ruin yourself there are three known ways: Gambling is the fastest, women are the sweetest, and banks are the most reliable way
186.  There are two things that will catch up with you for sure: death and taxes
187.  If your dancing partner wants to lead at all costs, let her have her own way and ask another one to dance
188.  Never bet on a race you haven't fixed
189.  Borrow on a handshake; lend in writing
190.  Drive your business or it will drive you
191.  Let other keep their reputation. You keep their money
192.  If the flushing isn't strong enough, use your brain and try the brush
193.  Klingon women don't dance tango
194.  It's always good business to know about new customers before they walk in your door
195.  Wounds heal, but debt is forever
196.  Only give money to people you know you can steal from
197.  Never trust your customers, especially if they are your relatives
198.  Employees are the rungs on your ladder to success - don't hesitate to step on them
199.  The secret of one person is another person's opportunity
200.  A madman with Latinum means profit without return
201.  The justification for profit is profit
202.  a)  A friend in need is a customer in the making
b)  A friend in need means three times the profit
203.  A Ferengi in need, will never do anything for free
204.  When the Grand Nagus arrives to offer you a business opportunity, it's time to leave town until he's gone
205.  When the customer dies, the money stops a-comin'
206.  Fighting with Klingons is like gambling with Cardassians - it's good to have a friend around when you lose
207.  Never trust a hardworking employee
208.  Give someone a fish, you feed him for one day.  Teach him how to fish, and you lose a steady customer
209.  Tell them what they want to hear
210.  A wife, who is able to clean, saves the cleaning lady
211.  In business deals, a disruptor can be almost as important as a calculator
212.  If they accept your first offer, you either asked too little or offered too much
213.  Stay neutral in conflicts so that you can sell supplies to both sides
214.  Never begin a business transaction on an empty stomach
215.  Instinct without opportunity is useless
216.  Never take hospitality from someone worse off than yourself
217.  Only pay for it, if you are confronted with loaded phaser
218.  Always know what you're buying
219.  A friend is not a friend if he asks for a discount
220.  Profit is like a bed of roses - a few thorns are inevitable
221.  Beware of any man who thinks with his lobes
222.  Knowledge is Latinum
223.  Rich men don't come to buy; they come to take
224.  Never throw anything away: It may be worht a lot of Latinum some Stardate
225.  Pride comes before a loss
226.  Don't take your family for granted, only their Latinum
227.  Loyalty can be bought ... and sold
228.  All things come to those who wait, even Latinum
229.  Beware the man who doesn't make time for oo-mox
230.  Manipulation may be a Ferengi's greatest tool, and liability
231.  If you steal it, make sure it has a warranty
232.  Life's no fair (How else would you turn a profit?)
233.  Every dark cloud has a Latinum lining
234.  Never deal with beggars; it's bad for profits
235.  Don't trust anyone who trusts you
236.  You can't buy fate
237.  There's a sucker born every minute.  Be sure you're the first to find each one
238.  The truth will cost
239.  Ambition knows no family
240.  The higher you bid, the more customers you drive away
241.  Never underestimate the inportance of the fist impression
242.  More is good, all is better
243.  If you got something nice to say, then SHOUT
244.  If you can't sell it, sit on it, but never give it away
245.  A warranty is valid only if they can find you
246.  He that speaks ill of the wares will buy them
247.  Never question luck
248.  Celebrate when you are paid, not, when you are promised
249.  Respect other culture's beliefs; they'll be more likely to give you money
250.  A dead vendor doesn't demand money
251.  Satisfaction is not guaranteed
252.  Let the buyer beware
253.  A contract without fine print is a fool's document
254.  Anyone who can't tell a fake doesn't deserve the real thing
255.  A warranty without loop-holes is a liability
256.  Synthehol is the lubricant of choice for a customer's stuck purse
257.  Only fools negotiate with their own money
258.  A Ferengi is only as important as the amount of Latinum he carries in his pockets
259.  A lie is a way to tell the truth to someone who doesn't know
260.  Gambling is like the way to power: The only way to win is to cheat, but don't get caught in the process
261.  A wealthy man can afford everything except a conscience
262.  No lobes, no profit
263.  Never let a female in clothes cloud your sense of profit
264.  It's not the size of your planet, but it's income, that matters
265.  The fear of loss may be your greatest enemy or your best friend - choose wisely
266.  A pair of good ears will ring dry a hundred tongues
267.  Wish not so much to live Long, as to live well
268.  a) When in doubt, lie
b) When in doubt, buy
c) When in doubt, demand more money
d) When in doubt, shoot them, take their money, run and blame someone else
269.  Never purchase anything that has been promised to be valuable or go up in value
270.  It's better to have gambled and lost than to never have gambled at all
271.  There's many witty men whose brains can't line their pockets
272.  The way to a Ferengi's heart is through his wallet
273.  Always count their Latinum before selling anything
274.  There is no profit in love; however, a strong heart is worth a few bars of Latinum on the open market. Keep it on ice
275.  Latinum can't buy happiness, but you can sure have a blast renting it
276.  If at first you don't succeed, try to acquire again
277.  Diamonds may be girl's best friend, but you can only buy the girl with Latinum
278.  It's better to swallow your pride than to lose your profit
279.  Never close a deal too soon after a female strokes your lobes
280.  An empty bag can not stand upright
281.  Blood is thicker than water, but harder to sell
282.  Business is like war; it's important to recognize the winner
283.  Rules are always subject to change
284.  Rules are always subject to interpretation
285.  No good deed ever goes unpunished
286.  When Morn leaves it is all over

The Complete Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition