From Gary... Super, Duper, Deluxe

I remember having a tricycle when I was small, but this is more than your ordinary bike.  It probably has some fancy name like "The Pirates of the Caribbean deluxe sport model" but I imagine to a six year old it will be just called "WOW"!!! And I admit, when I saw this, I sort of went "Wow" myself.  I wish I could remember who said "a thing of beauty is a joy forever" because that is appropriate with this picture, but I am sure someone out there will tell me.  Anyway, having nice things can be a pleasure, but when they become your "EVERYTHING", you have a serious problem.

Consider the following parable of Jesus...

Luke, Chapter 12

15 He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.” 

  16  He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly.   17  He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’   18  He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19  I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 

  20  “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’   21  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” 

  22  He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear.   23  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.   24  Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!   25  Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height?   26  If then you aren’t able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest?   27  Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.   28  But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith?   29  Don’t seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious.   30  For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things.   31  But seek God’s Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.   

Frankly, you may never be given tomorrow, so enjoy today; it may be all you have!!!  God will give your need, not your GREED, so be content with your blessings.  I encourage you to read this passage a couple of times - I did!!!  Do not misunderstand; I don't think its wrong to have possessions, but I DO think that spiritual matters should come FIRST!!!  Besides, having wonderful things can just have too many bells and whistles and confuse.  Does anyone know what that drum like contraption at the bike is?  A fire generator, a warp drive or perhaps a strobe light???  Anyway, the bike is beautiful and whatever fortunate kid gets this will be blessed.  Just don't make a special "barn" for it... that could lead to trouble.

From Jim McGuiggan... The Cosmic Patriots

The Cosmic Patriots

It's a great Story! There are no losers or useless among Christ's chosen. None at all! They're all on the walls keeping watch and playing their part. They come in different sizes, shapes, ages, degree of giftedness, particularity of giftedness, social status, physical and mental health—but they all serve!

They're not always "happy" because they're not always able to be "happy" due to their life’s circumstances but it isn't only the happy people that serve His gracious purposes. People in the world might "go down" despite their presence in it, but they won't go down without the chosen being on watch and just by their physical presence offering an alternative to "going down".

The walls they guard are not just the "church" walls. These "chosen in Christ" are not just "church patriots"—they’re "cosmic patriots" (to borrow Chesterton’s phrase). They maintain a presence in the world for the world! Their enemies are not flesh and blood as such. They are enemies of all that is an enemy of flesh and blood and all that insinuates itself into flesh and blood as a parasite and a destroyer of the human family.

These chosen ones have no sense of superiority, they are as sick and beaten-up as the peoples of the world around them. If you cut them they bleed, if you cheat them they feel betrayed, they weep at the graves of their dead ones and groan at a child that has gone astray or a marriage that has fallen apart. They have no personal charisma that the world should admire them but what they have (by God’s good and sustaining grace) is a Story and a place in that Story.

Poor souls might go down but they won’t go down unnoticed or unattended—not on their watch!

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... When Familiarity Breeds Contempt

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

                When Familiarity Breeds Contempt (6:1-6)

INTRODUCTION

1. You have likely heard the saying "familiarity breeds contempt", which
   means...
   a. The better we know people, the more likely we are to find fault
      with them. - The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
   b. If you know someone very well or experience something a lot, you
      stop respecting them. - The Free Dictionary
   c. The more you know something or someone, the more you start to find
      faults and dislike things about it or them. - UsingEnglish.com

2. We find an example of this in our text...
   a. When Jesus returned to His hometown - Mk 6:1-6
   b. The town of Nazareth, where He had been brought up - cf. Lk 4:16-24

[As illustrated in our text, allowing familiarity to breed contempt can
be to one's disadvantage.  For example, "When Familiarity Breeds
Contempt"...]

I. THE MESSAGE IS NOT RECEIVED

   A. JESUS' COUNTRYMEN TOOK OFFENSE...
      1. At first they were impressed by His teaching - Mk 6:2; cf. Lk 4:22
      2. The people of Nazareth knew Jesus as:
         a. A carpenter and the son of a carpenter - Mk 6:3; cf. Mt 13:55
         b. The son of Mary, with brothers and sisters - Mk 6:3
      3. But the moment He spoke critically, they took offense - Mk 6:3
         a. They became angry - cf. Lk 4:23-28
         b. They attempted to kill Him - cf. Lk 4:29-30
      4. Which led Jesus say: "A prophet is not without honor, except in
         his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household."
         - Mk 6:4
      -- Because of familiarity, they did not respect Him as a prophet

   B. JESUS LIMITED HIS TEACHING...
      1. Their offense led to His leaving and returning to Capernaum
         - cf. Lk 4:31
      2. Thus depriving themselves of further teaching by the Son of
         God!
      3. Remember what Jesus had told His disciples earlier? - cf. Mk 4:23-25
      -- Because of their contempt, they lost access to more learning of
         God's will!

   C. MIGHT WE BE GUILTY OF THE SAME...?
      1. We can easily develop familiarity today
         a. With those teaching the Word of God ("He no longer impresses
            me")
         b. With the message of the Word itself ("I've heard that many
            times before")
      2. Do we allow our familiarity to breed contempt?
         a. No longer respecting those we know well, taking them for
            granted?
         b. No longer appreciating the significance of the Word of God?
      -- If so, then we will cut ourselves off from its powerful
         message!

[Which leads to another disadvantage experienced "When Familiarity
Breeds Contempt"...]

II. THE BLESSINGS ARE NOT RECEIVED

   A. JESUS' COUNTRYMEN DID NOT BELIEVE...
      1. Which caused Jesus to marvel - Mk 6:6
      2. Remember, they even tried to kill Him - cf. Lk 4:28-30
      -- Because of familiarity they were unwilling to believe in Him

   B. JESUS LIMITED HIS MIRACLES...
      1. Mark states that "He could do no mighty work there..." - Mk 6:5
      2. Matthew says it was "because of their unbelief" - cf. Mt 13:58
      3. It wasn't that Jesus could not do miracles, for He healed a few
         - Mk 6:5
      4. Where people would not believe, He could not do a great work
         for them
      5. "Such unbelief as this has immense consequences for evil. It
         closes the channels of grace and mercy, so that only a trickle
         gets through to human lives in need." - J. G. Miller
      -- Because of their contempt, they lost access to receiving more
         blessings!

   C. MIGHT WE EXPERIENCE THE SAME...?
      1. We can easily develop familiarity and contempt toward such
         things as:
         a. Baptism, the Lord's Supper, the Word of God, prayer,
            assembling
         b. Even the blood of Christ, counting it as "a common thing"
            - cf. He 10:29
      2. Such contempt will "close the channels of grace and mercy", for
         we will not:
         a. Emphasize the importance of baptism for the remission of
            sins - Ac 2:38; 22:16
         b. Value the observance of the Lord Supper as a communion with
            Christ - 1Co 10:16
         c. Feed on the Word of God that we might grow thereby - 1Pe 2:2
         d. Utilize prayer in order to receive mercy, grace, peace - 

            He 4:14-16; Php 4:6-7
         e. Assemble as often as we can, to stir up love and good works
            - He 10:24-25
      -- Could contempt bred by familiarity explain our dull spiritual
         lives?

CONCLUSION

1. When the people of Nazareth allowed their familiarity with Jesus to
   breed contempt...
   a. They deprived themselves of a great opportunity
   b. Jesus chose to take His message and His blessings elsewhere - Mk 6:6

2. A similar tragedy can befall us...
   a. We can judge ourselves unworthy of eternal life
   b. And thus deprive ourselves of blessings we would otherwise receive
      - cf. Ac 13:46

The secret is to pay close attention to the words of Jesus and His
apostles, and any familiarity will produce only greater blessings and
not contempt (and prayer will certainly help)...

   Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same
   measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear,
   more will be given." - Mk 4:24

   Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.
                                                        - Psa 119:18

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011