4/6/14

From Gary... OSTENTATION



























Ostentation; a word that immediately came to my mind at first sight of this picture. 

Artha (one of Ubuntu's applications) defines it as:

ostentation ~ noun    uncommon
 1. a gaudy outward display
 2. lack of elegance as a consequence of being pompous and puffed up with vanity
 3. pretentious or showy or vulgar display

I like the way the Bible has a way of defining words that goes light-years beyond any simple definition from any dictionary...

Mark, Chapter 6
  1 He went out from there. He came into his own country, and his disciples followed him. 2 When the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things?” and, “What is the wisdom that is given to this man, that such mighty works come about by his hands? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They were offended at him. 

  4  Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.”   5 He could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people, and healed them.  6 He marveled because of their unbelief. 

He went around the villages teaching.  7 He called to himself the twelve, and began to send them out two by two; and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits.  8 He commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse,  9 but to wear sandals, and not put on two tunics.  10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter into a house, stay there until you depart from there.   11  Whoever will not receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony against them. Assuredly, I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” 

  12  They went out and preached that people should repent.  13 They cast out many demons, and anointed many with oil who were sick, and healed them.

 16 But Herod, when he heard this, said, “This is John, whom I beheaded. He has risen from the dead.”  17 For Herod himself had sent out and arrested John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for he had married her.  18 For John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”  19 Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him, but she couldn’t,  20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he did many things, and he heard him gladly. 

  21  Then a convenient day came, that Herod on his birthday made a supper for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  22 When the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and those sitting with him. The king said to the young lady, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.”  23 He swore to her, “Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 

  24  She went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” 

She said, “The head of John the Baptizer.” 

  25  She came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptizer on a platter.” 
  26  The king was exceedingly sorry, but for the sake of his oaths, and of his dinner guests, he didn’t wish to refuse her.  27 Immediately the king sent out a soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring John’s head, and he went and beheaded him in the prison,  28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the young lady; and the young lady gave it to her mother.

When you show off, you are headed for a fall.  People see right through you and use that to their advantage and your HURT!!!  Heroidias used Herod's OSTENTATION (and LUST) against him to seek revenge against JOHN THE BAPTIST, which is obvious from this passage.  So, be careful what kind of house you build (your physical AND spiritual house, that is) because someone may see a crack in it and bring you BOTH down. So much for OSTENTATION, THE OUTWARD EXPRESSION OF AN INWARD PRIDE!!!!

From Mark Copeland... The Christian & Temptations (James 1:12-18)

                         "THE EPISTLE OF JAMES"

                   The Christian & Temptations (1:12-18)
                                
INTRODUCTION

1. One of the greatest challenges of living the Christian life is dealing
   with "temptations"

2. This is especially true for new Christians:
   a. For it can be frustrating to know that your sins have been 
      forgiven...
   b. ...only to immediately find yourself bombarded by temptations to
      continue in your sins

3. In Jm 1:12-18, we find helpful words for the Christian in the form
   of:
   a. A PROMISE to those who endure temptations
   b. A CAUTION not to wrongfully impugn the source of those
      temptations
   c. AN UNDERSTANDING of how sin develops

[As we begin with verse 12, we notice...]

I. THE PROMISE (12)

   A. THE MAN WHO ENDURES TEMPTATION WILL BE "BLESSED"...
      1. The Greek word for "blessed" is "makarios"
      2. Which means "happy, blessed"
      3. The nature of the happiness enjoyed is described as the verse
         continues...

   B. FOR AFTER HE HAS BEEN "PROVED" HE WILL RECEIVE "THE CROWN OF
      LIFE"...
      1. The promise is that of "eternal life"
      2. The promise is given by Him Who cannot lie - cf. Tit 1:2
      3. The promise is given to those who "demonstrate" (prove) their
         love for God by their endurance of the temptations

[And so, to Christians facing temptations, first we have an ENCOURAGING 
word.  As we read on, though, we notice a word of CAUTION...]

II. THE CAUTION (13, 16-18)

   A. LET NO ONE SAY THEY ARE TEMPTED BY GOD! (13)
      1. That is, to blame God for their temptations
      2. For God is so HOLY:
         a. He cannot be tempted by evil
         b. Nor does He tempt anyone to do evil

   B. SO DON'T BE DECEIVED INTO SUCH THINKING (16-18)
      1. God is the source of GOOD, not evil!
      2. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him!
      3. As an example, it was of His Own Will that He brought us forth
         a. Which He did by the "word of truth" (the gospel) - cf. 1 Pe 1:22-23
         b. So we might be a kind of "firstfruits" (the "cream of the
            crop") of His creatures

[This being true, certainly God would not tempt us with evil!  In fact, 
through the words of James God gives us insight into the development of 
sin which can help us to overcome sin...]

III. THE UNDERSTANDING (14-15)

   A. HOW SIN DEVELOPS...
      1. The first stage is TEMPTATION (14)
         a. This stage involves two things:
            1) LUST (desires, NKJV) - a strong desire for something
            2) ENTICEMENT - an opportunity and encouragement to satisfy
               the desire
         b. Put into a mathematical formula:

                  Temptation = Desire + Opportunity

         c. E.g., a small boy is TEMPTED to steal some cookies when he
            WANTS them (desire) and has a good chance to get them and
            not be seen (opportunity)
         d. But remember, it is NOT a sin to be TEMPTED - cf. the example
            of Jesus, He 4:15
      2. The second stage in the development of sin is SIN ITSELF (15)
         a. Temptation leads to sin only when you yield and ACT upon it
         b. Sin therefore requires the added step of ACTION
         c. Putting it again in mathematical terms:

                  Sin = Desire + Opportunity + Action

      3. The final stage is the consequence of unforgiven sin: DEATH
         (15)
         a. This refers to spiritual separation from God, which is the
            "wages of sin" - Ro 6:23
         b. Ultimately such "death" involves eternal punishment - Re 21:8
         c. Putting it once more in the form of an equation:

         Desire + Opportunity + Action + No Forgiveness = Punishment!

   [Sin and Satan will have overcome if we receive this final punishment.
   But with this understanding of how sin develops, we are in a better
   position to overcome sin...]

   B. HOW TO OVERCOME SIN...

      1. CHANGE OUR "DESIRES"
         a. Since this is where the process of sin begins, it is the best
            place for us to begin
         b. Bear in mind that it is a part of Christian growth to change
            our desires - Ro 12:1-2; Ga 5:24
         c. How do we change our desires?
            1) Notice that the WORD OF GOD has always been instrumental
               in helping people overcome sin - Ps 119:11; Mt 4:3-10
            2) To see how the Word of God can change our desires...
               a) As we read of God's love, longsuffering and mercy, we
                  desire to serve Him - Ps 116:12-14
               b) As we read of sin and its damnable consequences, we
                  come to hate it! - Ps 119:104
         d. So the more we study God's Word, the less likely we will have
            the DESIRE to sin, thereby beginning to overcome sin by
            "nipping it in the bud"!

      [But changing our desires takes time; while engaged in the process
      of changing our desires, what else can we do?]

      2. LIMIT OUR "OPPORTUNITIES"
         a. Remember, we are tempted only when there is BOTH desire and
            opportunity
         b. So while we work on changing our desires, we should limit the
            opportunities to fulfill wrongful desires
         c. This can be done by ASKING FOR GOD'S PROVIDENTIAL HELP, as
            Jesus taught - Mt 6:13; 26:41
         d. We can cooperate with God by:
            1) Purposely avoiding situations that might excite wrongful
               desires
               a) Following the example of David - Ps 101:3-4
               b) And the example of Job - Job 31:1
            2) Avoiding those whose evil behavior encourages us to sin
               with them
               a) Again, David sets a good example - Ps 101:6-7
               b) Paul also adds his warning - 1Co 15:33

      [But we will unlikely remove EVERY desire and opportunity to sin in
      this life, what then?]

      3. EXERCISE "SELF-CONTROL"
         a. Remember, it becomes sin when we yield to ACTION in
            fulfilling our sinful desires
         b. If we can control ourselves so as to not yield, then we can
            overcome sin!
         c. How does the Christian exercise self-control?
            1) Self-control is but one aspect of the "fruit of the
               Spirit" - Ga 5:22-23
            2) When we become Christians, we receive the gift of the Holy
               Spirit in our lives - Ac 2:38; 5:32
            3) The Spirit is God's instrumental agent by which He imparts
               strength to us - Ep 3:16
            4) Strengthened by the Spirit, we are able to "put to death
               the deeds of the body" - Ro 8:12-13
            5) As Paul said:  "I can do all things through Him who
               strengthens me." - Php 4:13
         d. It is through faith in God's Word that the Christian believes
            that he has this divine help - Ep 3:20
            1) It is certainly proper to pray for it, as Paul did in
               behalf of the Ephesians - Ep 3:16
            2) But equally important, to act upon it, trusting that you
               are not alone as you try to do God's will - Php 2:12-13
            3) As an exercise commercial once said:  JUST DO IT!
         e. The Christian, then, has no excuse for yielding to a
            temptation - 1Co 10:13

      [But there may be times when we don't take advantage of the
      strength God provides through His Spirit, and we sin; what then?]

      4. OBTAIN "FORGIVENESS"
         a. Remember that sin is victorious when it results in punishment
         b. But if we obtain forgiveness through the blood of Christ, we
            can avoid that punishment and thereby still overcome sin!
            - 1Jn 2:1-2
         c. Yes, Christ is truly the "propitiation" for our sins!
            1) By His blood, we were forgiven of past sins when united
               with Him in BAPTISM - Ac 2:38; 22:16; Re 1:5
            2) By His blood, we can be forgiven of present sins when we
               REPENT, PRAY, and CONFESS our sins to God - Ac 8:22;
               1Jn 1:9
         d. At any time the Christian can overcome sins that were
            committed, by repenting and confessing them to God!

CONCLUSION

1. Indeed, we can overcome sin by stopping its development at ANY one
   of the four stages leading to the final punishment!

2. If you noticed carefully, you should have seen that at each of the
   four points in the development of sin, God is able and willing to help
   us overcome sin!
   a. God helps us to "control our desires" by providing His WORD to
      renew our minds
   b. God helps us to "limit the opportunities" through His PROVIDENCE
      as we pray for such
   c. God helps us to "exercise self-control" over our actions through
      His SPIRIT strengthening the inner man
   d. God helps us to "obtain forgiveness" through THE BLOOD OF HIS SON
      as we repent and pray

3. So how could anyone say that God would tempt us to sin?
   a. Certainly He is the giver of every good and perfect gift! - Jm 1:17
   b. Even as Paul wrote, in 2Th 3:3; 1Co 10:13

4. Have you taken advantage of God's way of escape for the sins you have
   committed?

If not, why not do so by obeying the gospel, the Word of Truth, and
become one of the "firstfruits of His creatures"?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011


From: Jim McGuiggan.... Books, critics and Snoopy


Books, critics and Snoopy

Dorothy Parker a syndicated columnist with a razor-sharp tongue had a column under the name of "Constant Reader". She read one of those syrupy romance books, the kind that simply drips with sugar and in reviewing it she wrote as if she had a lisp. "Twonstant weeda fwoed up." I know it's the wickedness in me, but I can’t help taking pleasure in that!

Of course, I’d hate to have been the author of that book she reviewed. Come to think of it, I have been the author of more than one book that’s been trashed by reviewers. My books just don’t sell. Still, if I could write as Dorothy Parker wrote I’d have no trouble.

Writers of all kinds offer themselves for target practice, don’t they? One poor poet wrote a two-liner and a critic remarked on it. "Quite good, but with long dry stretches."

The Irish playwright and conversationalist Oscar Wilde had a go at no less a figure than Charles Dickens. Of Dickens’ telling of the death of Little Nell, Wilde said something like, "You would have to have a heart of stone not to laugh out loud at the death of little Nell."

Pity the poor authors that take themselves too seriously.

But I think that’s one of the secrets of a happy life: to be able to make the best of and find pleasure in whatever the result is of...whatever.

Take the case of Snoopy in the Peanuts series. He keeps sending manuscripts off to publishing editors (obviously a lot of them must have gone to the same editor) and he continues to get rejections. One rejection note he’s reading has to be read in a voice that rises to a crescendo. It had something like: "Will you stop sending me your useless manuscripts. I hate them, they’re a waste of time, I’m sick and tired looking at them. Stop sending them!" Snoopy walks off grinning with ear-to-ear pleasure and says, "I just love to hear editors beg."

Atta boy, Snoop!

Then there was that caustic book review I read that said, "Professor ‘X’ has written his book again."

Ouch!

But there’s no accounting for taste, is there? What is ambrosia to some is sawdust to others. What to some is like a bowl of strawberries and ice-cream is like licking carpet to others. Oh well.
Think I’ll see if I can catch up with Snoopy.

From: Eric Lyons, M.Min. ... Who Makes the World’s Best Fliers?






http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=2229



Who Makes the World’s Best Fliers?

by  Eric Lyons, M.Min.

For more than seven years, Dr. Robert Wood and a team of researchers from Harvard University have been studying flies and attempting to build a life-size, flying robot that can mimic the flight of living flies. The government is hopeful that robotic flies might one day be used as spies in surveillance missions, as well as to detect toxic chemicals used by terrorists. On July 19, 2007, MIT’s Technology Review announced that Wood’s “robotic fly has taken flight at Harvard University” (Ross, 2007). Dr. Ron Fearing of the University of California, Berkeley has been studying the dynamics of insect flight for years. In fact, he is Wood’s former Ph.D. advisor. He called Wood’s robotic flying insect “a major breakthrough” (as quoted in Ross).
What do brilliant scientists have to show for their seven plus years of research on flies? What was the “major project milestone” reported in Technology Review? Why was Wood joyfully “jumping up and down in the lab” (Ross)? Answer: his life-size robotic fly took off. It cannot maneuver in the air. It is unable to be controlled. It cannot avoid obstacles. It cannot slow down and land on a specific target. It does not have its own power source (and even if it did, it could provide no more than five minutes of power to fly). “At the moment, Wood’s fly is limited by a tether that keeps it moving in a straight, upward direction” (Ross). Yet, since “a lot of people thought it would never be able to take off,” such a feat is considered remarkable.
Admittedly, Woods and his colleagues have done a superb job in building a life-size robotic fly that can move upward on a tether by flapping its synthetic wings. It takes extremely intelligent individuals to develop their own fabrication process and manufacture a tiny robot that resembles and mimics (to some degree) living flies. Yet, these same men advocate that real flies, which have “long puzzled scientists and bedazzled engineers” with their “magical,” “sophisticated,” “intricate maneuvers,” are the end result of mindless time and chance, i.e., evolution (Dye, 2007). Such a proposition defies common sense!
Were Woods and his team of researchers to leave hundreds of tiny carbon-polymer pieces lying around in a lab for 100 years (or one billion years!), no reasonable person would conclude that, eventually, time and chance would assemble a robotic fly, much less one that maneuvers as well as a real fly. It has taken intelligent, hardworking scientists more than seven years just to make a robotic fly lift off the ground.
Who made the often imitated, but never duplicated living fly that can “change the direction of its flight by 90 degrees in about 50 thousandths of a second” (Dye)? Who designed the fruit fly’s “spiffy neuron-circuitry” that allows it to rotate from north to west and then zip westward “in one-fifth the blink of a human eye” (Dye)? Who made the fly, its sesame-seed size brain, and its complicated flight dynamics that scientists have been unable to “figure out” fully even after several years of study? Did mere time and chance create the common fly, which Dr. Michael Dickinson of the California Institute of Technology said has “the fastest visual system” and “most powerful muscles on the planet” (as quoted in Dye)? Should we conclude, as did Dr. Wood, that “[n]ature makes the world’s best fliers” (as quoted in Ross)? Certainly not! Only a superior Intelligence outside and above nature’s time and chance logically explains the existence of intricate design. Indeed, God is the builder and maker of all things (Hebrews 3:4).

REFERENCES

Dye, Lee (2007), “Scientists Study the Amazing Flight of Flies,” ABC News, [On-line], URL: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97651&page=1.
Ross, Rachel (2007), “Robotic Insect Takes Off for the First Time,” Technology Review, [On-line], URL: http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19068/.