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<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Three Kinds of Givers</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">There are three kinds of givers: the
flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb. Which kind are you? To get anything from
the flint, you must hammer it. Yet, all you get are chips and sparks. The flint
gives nothing away if it can help it, and even then only with a great display.
To get anything from the sponge, you must squeeze it. It readily yields to
pressure and the more it is pressed, the more it gives. Still, one has to
squeeze it. To get anything from the honeycomb, however, one must only take what
freely flows from it. It gives its sweetness generously, dripping on all without
pressure, without begging or badgering. The honeycomb is a renewable resource.
Unlike the flint or the sponge, the honeycomb is connected to life; it is the
product of the ongoing work and creative energy of bees. If you share like a
honeycomb giver your life will be continually replenished and grow as you
give.<BR><BR>When we share we freely give and we acknowledge that all we have is
on loan and others have as much right to the things of God’s creation as we do.
<BR><BR>Keith Wagner, But, I Need
It!<BR>_______________________________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Forfeiting Freedom</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I was intrigued to read recently of a family that put up
a hummingbird feeder with four feeding stations (similar to one that hangs
outside our kitchen window). Almost immediately it became popular with the
hummingbirds that lived in the area. Two, three, or even four birds would feed
at one time. The feeder would be refilled at least once a day. <BR><BR>Suddenly
the usage decreased to almost nothing. The feeder needed filling only about once
a week. The reason for the decreased usage soon became apparent. A male bird had
taken over the feeder as his property. He was now the only hummingbird who used
it. He would feed and then sit in a nearby tree, rising to attack any bird that
approached his feeder. Guard duty occupied his every waking hour. He was an
effective guard. The only time another bird got to use the feeder was when the
self-appointed owner was momentarily gone to chase away an intruder.
<BR><BR>That hummingbird was teaching a valuable lesson. By choosing to assume
ownership of the feeder, he forfeited his freedom. He was no longer free to come
and go as he wished. He was tied to the work of guarding his feeder, his STUFF.
He was possessed by his possession</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">David E. Leininger, Collected Sermons,
www.eSermons.com</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_______________________________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><FONT size=4
face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Making the Situation Worse</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">When I was a kid, I was often ravaged by poison ivy. The
key to poison ivy, once you have it, is not to scratch. Restraining yourself is
hard, for your skin itches and you want relief. But scratching only makes poison
ivy worse. <BR> <BR>Avarice works the same way. We get infected, and we
want to scratch, although we know we shouldn't do so. Possessing more and more
promises relief, but only makes the situation worse. We keep scratching, but
it's no solution.<BR> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Jesus issues a warning, a warning inspired by a squabble
over inheritance, but one that all of us need to hear. He says: "Take care! Be
on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the
abundance of possessions."<BR> <BR>Clarence Jordan's translation of this
verse brings out its original earthiness. Here's what Jesus says according to
Jordan: "You all be careful and stay on your guard against all kinds of
greediness. For a person's life is not for the piling up of
possessions."<BR> <BR>In these few words, Jesus rejects much of what keeps
our society humming. He warns us against greed, avarice, the desire to possess
more than we need, more than we can use, more than we want.
<BR> <BR>Charles Hoffacker, Avarice: The Disease and Its Cure</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">________________________<BR><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The Dollars Are in the Way</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Henry Ford once asked an associate about his life goals.
The man replied that his goal was to make a million dollars. A few days later
Ford gave the man a pair of glasses made out of two silver dollars. He told the
man to put them on and asked what he could see. "Nothing," the man said. "The
dollars are in the way." Ford told him that he wanted to teach him a lesson: If
his only goal was dollars, he would miss a host of greater opportunities. He
should invest himself in serving others, not simply in making money.
</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">That's a great secret of life that far too few people
discover. Money is important. No question about that. But money is only a means
by which we reach higher goals. Service to others. Obedience to God. God comes
to the rich man and says, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded
from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" The answer was
clear. The rich man had put his trust in things. Now he was leaving these things
behind. <BR><BR>King Duncan, <A href="http://www.sermons.com/"><FONT
color=#800080>www.Sermons.com</FONT></A>, Collected Sermons</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_________________________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Rich in Things, Poor in Soul</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">This is how I see our situation today: We’re killing
ourselves on junk food – we watch mindless drivel on TV with vulgar displays of
sexuality and horrific scenes of violence; we listen to endless chatter on the
radio with never-ending conflict and criticism; we chase after every conceivable
form of entertainment and pleasure; all the while, coming up empty and,
ironically, craving for more.<BR> <BR>We’re like children in a video arcade
– no matter how many quarters or tokens you give them, when the last game’s
over, they always ask for “just one more.” There’s no end to it. In the words of
Harry Emerson Fosdick, we’re “<I>rich in things and poor in
soul.”</I><BR> <BR>What’s the answer? The answer is that we need to get
back to the basics and re-establish our priorities. In a word, we need to put
God first. We need to follow the Great Commandment, to <I>“love the Lord your
God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as</I>
<I>yourself.” (Mt. 22:37-39) </I>It’s as simple as that: <I>“Seek ye first the
kingdom of God and his</I> <I>righteousness, and all these things shall be added
unto you.” (Mt. 6:33)</I><BR> <BR>Philip W. McLarty, The Parable of the
Rich Fool</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><BR>_______________________________________<BR> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">How Wealthy Are We?</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">From the standpoint of material wealth, we Americans
have difficulty realizing how rich we are. Robert Heilbroner, who has written
dozens of books on the subject of the economy, suggest that we go through a
little mental exercise that will help us count our blessings. Imagine doing the
following, and you will see how daily life is for more than a billion people in
the world.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">1. Take out all the furniture in your home except for
one table and a couple of chairs. Use blanket and pads for beds.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">2. Take away all of your clothing except for your oldest
dress or suit, shirt or blouse. Leave only one pair of shoes.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">3. Empty the pantry and the refrigerator except for a
small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a few potatoes, some onions, and a dish
of dried beans.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">4. Dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water,
and remove all the electrical wiring in your house.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">5. Take away the house itself and move the family into
the tool shed.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">6. Place your "house" in a shantytown.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">7. Cancel all subscriptions to newspapers, magazines,
and book clubs. This is no great loss because now none of you can read
anyway.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">8. Leave only one radio for the whole
shantytown.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">9. Move the nearest hospital or clinic ten miles away
and put a midwife in charge instead of a doctor.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">10. Throw away your bankbooks, stock certificates,
pension plans, and insurance policies. Leave the family a cash hoard of ten
dollars.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">11. Give the head of the family a few acres to cultivate
on which he can raise a few hundred dollars of cash crops, of which one third
will go to the landlord and one tenth to the money lenders.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">12. Lop off twenty-five or more years in life
expectancy.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">By comparison how rich we are! And with our wealth comes
responsibility. We should use it wisely, not be wasteful, and help
others.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The list comes from economist Robert
Heilbroner</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">__________________ </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">If thou art rich, thou art poor, for like an ass whose
back with ingots bows, thou bearest thy heavy riches but a journey, and death
unloads thee.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">William Shakespeare.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Definition: Ingot - A lump of metal, esp. of gold,
silver or steel, cast in convenient form (usually oblong) for transport and
storage.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">___________________<BR><BR>Money Is Like Sea
Water</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Someone asked John D. Rockefeller (of all people) "How
much wealth does it take to satisfy a person?" He replied, "Just a little bit
more." The Romans had a proverb: "Money is like sea water; the more you drink,
the thirstier you become."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Carveth Mitchell, The Sign in the Subway, CSS Publishing
Company</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_______________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Covetousness</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Covetousness, or the desire to have more than one has
(not necessarily through envy of somebody else) not only leads to strife but
also expresses a fundamentally wrong philosophy of life, according to which
possessions are all that really matter. </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I.H. Marshall, New Bible Commentary, Revised (1970):
Luke, p. 908 </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">__________________________</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The Rich Man’s Reward</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">There is an old story about a very wealthy man who died
and went to heaven. An angel guided him on a tour of the celestial city. He came
to a magnificent home. "Who lives there?" asked the wealthy man. "Oh," the angel
answered, "on earth he was your gardener." The rich man got excited. If this was
the way gardeners live, just think of the kind of mansion in which he would
spend eternity. They came to an even more magnificent abode. "Whose is this?"
asked the rich man almost overwhelmed. The angel answered, "She spent her life
as a missionary." The rich man was really getting excited now…</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The conclusion to this illustration
and for many additional illustrations and sermons for the Proper 13 can be
accessed at <A title=http://www.sermons.com/
href="http://www.sermons.com/"><FONT
color=#800080>www.Sermons.com</FONT></A>.</SPAN></DIV>
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