INTRO.- A few quips and quotes
- Where you live makes a difference. The fellow known in the city as a dashing playboy is known in a small town as the town drunk. Could be!
- One possible reason why things aren’t going to plan is that there never was a plan.
- The best way to enjoy a beautiful, productive garden is to live next door to one and cultivate your neighbor.
- You have reached middle age when a night out is followed by a day in.
- It’s surprising how easy it is for a man to understand a woman when he’s not married to her.
- Some tasks have to be put off dozens of times before they will completely slip the mind.
- Parents are embarrassed when their children tell lies, but sometimes it’s even worse when they tell the truth.
- Some people who claim to be working their fingers to the bone are simply scratching their heads.
- It seems like some people can’t be happy unless they are unhappy.
- Courtship is that period during which the female decides whether or not she can do any better.
- Some doctors tell their patients the bad news man-to-man, others prefer to send the bill by mail.
- Be happy when your troubles are at their worst. It means that anything that happens will be an improvement.
- The most difficult of all musical instruments to learn to play is second fiddle.
- In middle age it’s sometimes difficult to decide what there’s most of – middle or age.
- The guy who invented the boomerang is probably the same one who invented the credit card.
- Man is never so hard of hearing as when his opinions are being challenged.
- Too many are prone to let George do it and then complain about how he did it.
- A back-seat driver never runs out of gas.
- You never have to take a dose of your own medicine if you know when to keep your mouth shut.
- The trouble with TV is that we sit watching the 30-inch screen so much that we develop a 30-inch bottom.
- If you have someone eating out of your hand, it’s still a good idea to count your fingers at intervals.
- The trouble with some after-dinner speakers is that they have a two-minute idea and a two-hour vocabulary.
- By the time a fellow realizes what a drip he’s been, it’s too late to fix the faucet.
Now to the book of Proverbs with a variety of subjects to consider.
I. LAZINESS
10:4 “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”
ILL.- An old mountaineer and his wife who were sitting in front of the fireplace one evening just wasting away the time. After a long silence, the wife said: "Jed, I think it’s raining. Get up and go outside and see."
The old mountaineer continued to gaze into the fire for a second, sighed, then said, "Aw, Ma, why don’t we just call in the dog and see if he’s wet."
ILL.- Doctor to patient: “To be quite honest with you, your trouble is just laziness.”
Patient: “Yes, doctor, I know, but what is a scientific name for it? I’ve got to report it to my wife.”
Laziness is a problem that we all face in life. It may come at different stages or ages, but it does come to most of us.
There are things that we don’t like to do so we tend to say, “I’ll do it later,” which may indicate either laziness or procrastination. And there probably isn’t much difference in the two. We all procrastinate when it comes to some things.
ILL.- I heard one time that if you have to swallow 10 frogs that you should start with the biggest one first. In other words, start with the hard stuff first and get it out of the way. This could help with our laziness problem.
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU HATE TO DO THE MOST? Household chores? Wash clothes? Iron clothes? (who irons these days?) Clean house? Cook meals? Take out the trash? Mow the grass? Or is it your every day work at work? Or perhaps pay bills? (who doesn’t hate to do that?)
Whatever that most difficult job is, perhaps that’s what we should do first. Then perhaps the rest will be a breeze, so to speak.
10:4 “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”
Laziness makes a man poor. It used to do that. Do you think it still does? It may depend on how much government help a person can get.
In days gone by, if a man didn’t work, he didn’t eat. No so today. It seems like there is always help available. And I don’t want to deny people help if they truly need it, but some people are just too lazy to work for minimum wage in order to feed themselves and their families.
I still happen to believe that here in America work is available if a person will look for it. It may be not what we want, or be the best kind of work, or pay the best, but work is available.
ILL.- Last week Jim Reed and I cut down some very big bushes (tree-like bushes) and hauled two loads to the landfill. It took several hours of bending, lifting and sweating. I told Jim that we could probably hire out to do this kind of work. But we probably won’t do it. Jim is retired and my back won’t take it. It’s not that we’re lazy or anything like that.
What we did was work and not many want to do it. But I’ll bet money that some people could make some money doing that kind of work. It’s hard work, but it would pay.
10:4 “Lazy hands make a man poor.”
ILL.- Mark Kennedy said, “All of the biggest technological inventions created by man - the airplane, the automobile, the computer - says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness.”
We have automobiles, but whatever happened to walking? We have computers for e-mail and internet searching, but whatever happened to writing letters and reading books?
ILL.- President Ronald Reagan once said, “It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?” This is the way many people think.
Laziness is not just a problem when it comes to work. It has also invaded the spiritual realm.
ILL.- A survey in England reveals that although 26 million persons are baptized Anglicans, only 2,887,671 are registered on church membership rolls.
In Latin America, long considered a Christian stronghold, 88 percent of the population are baptized Roman Catholics, yet Catholic authorities report that the “vast majority” seldom see the inside of a church.
What do these figures mean? They mean that many people profess Christianity but they are too lazy to go to church or do anything that demonstrates their Christianity.
In most of our churches about half (or only half) of the church membership shows up on any given Sunday. Why? A variety of reasons could be cited, but laziness is certainly one of them. It’s much easier to lie in bed on Sunday morning than to get up and go to church.
This is only one problem that we face. Many people don’t want to serve the Lord in the church or outside the church. All churches have problems getting people to serve in various ways. Why? It’s either lack of commitment and/or spiritual laziness.
ILL.- Someone said that our prayer should be: “Lord, do not only count me, but also count one me.” Can you be counted on to serve the Lord in some form? As someone said, “We’ve been saved to serve, told to tell and won to win.”
10:4 “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”
The way to gain wealth: financial or spiritual wealth is to work.
ILL.- Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t get wealthy and become the governor of California by not working at it. Billy Graham didn’t become one of America’s most favorite preachers and spiritual figures by doing nothing.
ILL.- Thomas a Kempis, the great German writer, (1380 - 1471) wrote: “Never be entirely idle; but either be reading, or writing, or praying or meditating or endeavoring something for the public good.”
II. MEMORIES
10:7 “The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.”
ILL.- MEMORIES
Mem’ries,
Like the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures,
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? could we?
Mem’ries, may be beautiful and yet
What’s too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it’s the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember...
The way we were...
The way we were...
Who sang this song? Barbra Striesand “The Way We Were.” I realize, of course, this is a love song, but in reality, life is all about loving people.
And when we love people in sincerity we will have memories of them and hopefully, beautiful memories, loving memories, lasting memories.
10:7 “The memory of the righteous will be a blessing.”
ILL.- I went to preach for the Church of Christ in Bayard, IA, in 1969. It was a small church of 50 people and the town was small as well; about 555 people. Farming was the main source of industry in the area. But in every church there will always be those people who will stand out and be more committed than most. Such were Otto and Elsie Murphy. They are gone from this life now, but not forgotten. The memory of the righteous will be a blessing.
Otto and Elsie were very serious about their Christianity. They never missed a service: morning, evening, midweek, music concert, revival, fellowship, calling night. You name it and they were there to listen, to participate, to help, to serve.
Both Otto and Elsie taught Sunday School classes because few people wanted to. Otto would occasionally offer to sing a solo. His voice wasn’t much, but his heart was good and everybody knew it. They were quiet people but they were willing workers.
Otto died of heart attack while going to pick up a blind man for church. Elsie ended up in a nursing home. I’m not sure what took her, other than old age. But what a good memory I have of those people. Today, I can say in praise, “Thank you, Lord, for Otto and Elsie. Thank you for their lives, for their faith, for their love.”
All us have memories of people who have blessed us in one way or another. Friends, family members, fellow church members, etc.
ILL.- Elmer Schilly. Always smiling, laughing, positive. The memory of the righteous will be a blessing.
ILL.- My mother Juanita Shepherd lived to be 82 years old and passed away on June 30, 2002. Mom’s colon died and the poison passed through her body quickly and took her life. I was called at 2:30 on a Sunday morning and we lived 420 miles away. I jumped in the car at 3 and flew to Joplin, MO. I got there 10 minutes late. Mom had passed on to glory.
Even though I was late that time and was sometimes late to attend to mom’s needs at times, I am not late in remembering her. Every time I go back through Webb City, MO, I stop at mom and dad’s grave and remember. I have some good memories.
I am most proud of the way mom acted while she was dying. The lady who was with mom said there was another lady in the same room and was crying out for help. Even though mom was dying and knew it, she said, “Jill, go over there and help that lady.” Good memories of a righteous deed.
ILL.- Fond Memories
We often feel your presence near,
Though God took you away,
And in the memories we have
You are with us every day.
And though you’ve been gone awhile,
And things have changed, it’s true,
Time can never change the love,
In every thought of you.
You brought us only happiness
But now that you are gone
The sunshine that you brought us
We’ll cherish all life long.
10:7 “The memory of the righteous will be a blessing.”
III. HATRED
10:12 “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.”
ILL.- An Englishman, on a tour of the Western United States, came to a desert filling station. Above the door was a sign: “Joe Bevins, 200% American.”
After the scowling and surly proprietor had filled the gas tank, the visitor asked a question: “Would you mind, Mr. Bevins, telling me just what is a 200% American?”
“Well,” said the filling-station man belligerently, “You heard of 100% Americans, I reckon—they hate all other nationalities. Me—well, I’m 200%—I hate everybody!”
There are some people who appear to hate very strongly. They have a terrible attitude and live a horrible life.
We do live in a very hate-filled society. We hear about it on the news, read about it in the newspaper and sometimes, witness it in public.
ILL.- Road rage. There was the case in Salt Lake City, where 75-year-old J. C. King--peeved that 41-year-old Larry Remm Jr. honked at him for blocking traffic--followed Remm when he pulled off the road, hurled his prescription bottle at him, and then, in a display of geriatric anger, smashed Remm’s knees with his ’92 Mercury.
In Potomac, Md., Robin Ficker--an attorney and ex-state legislator--knocked the glasses off a pregnant woman after she had the boldness to ask him why he bumped her Jeep.
10:12 “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.” Hatred stirs up dissension and also causes people to kill one another.
ILL.- An article stated that in 1995 almost 2 million drivers in Britain were "forced off the road" in road rage incidents, and 500,000 additional drivers were deliberately rammed. We’re being told that road rage is a worldwide epidemic. But researchers have concluded the UK is still the road rage capital of the world.
People’s hatred is not just seen in road rage. It’s seen almost everywhere.
ILL.- July 5, 2000. Ironically, the two fathers were fighting over the very fact that the practice was getting too rough. Thomas Junta, 42, of Reading, Mass., was watching his 10-year-old skate during a summer “stick practice”. Worried about the aggressive play, he called from the stands to Michael Costin, 40, of Lynnfield, Mass. who was on the ice coaching.
“That’s what hockey is all about,” Costin reportedly replied. Within minutes, the fathers’ fight spilled over into the hallway. The 6’ 1”, 275-pound Junta overpowered Costin, 6’ and 156 pounds.
With his knee on Costin’s chest, Junta punched Costin in the face repeatedly while his sons begged Junta to stop. Another adult broke up the fight, but it was too late. Some people call it “sport rage.” A Massachusetts judge sentenced Thomas Junta to six to 10 years in state prison for the beating death of Michael Costin, 40.
Brothers and sisters, how could this happen? What could make a father angry enough to beat to death another parent in front of children? Why are people so angry in our world?
ILL.- Archibald Macleish said, “A man who lives, not by what he loves but what he hates, is a sick man.”
The truth is this: people are sick. People are not controlled by the law of love. People are controled and/or motivated by an evil force in this world called Satan. When people are not connected to a loving God then they will be connected to something else or someone else!
ILL.- President George Bush said one time, “We need a kinder and gentler America.” And we do but these will not come by adopting some kind of political agenda. Kindness and gentleness can only come from the God of love.
ILL.- The movie of the PASSION OF THE CHRIST has done it again. These are from Changed Lives: Miracles of the Passion.
- A man confessed to killing his girlfriend-- although the death had been ruled a suicide by investigators-- after God used the movie as the catalyst to help him make the decision to come forward.
- Two brothers who assaulted a man, breaking his jaw, saw "The Passion" and overcome by Christ’s forgiveness for them, made peace with the man.
- An angry, self-proclaimed atheist who hated God and actively sought to undermine the faith of Christians took his daughter to see “The Passion” so he could tell her it was a fairy tale, but was supernaturally drawn to Christ, repented, and accepted the Lord as his personal savior.
Brothers and sisters, when people get converted to Christ and get connected to our all-loving God then they will stop doing hateful things!
II Cor. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
CONCLUSION------------------------------
Laziness is not good. Memories of good people and good deeds are very good. Hatred is very evil. And life is a constant battle or struggle, is it not?
The Lord told Paul in regard to his thorn in the flesh (II Cor. 12:9) “My grace is sufficient for thee.” God’s grace not only saves us, but also sustains us in life.
ILL.- I tried out a used 2004 Maxima car last week. It has a 265 horsepower V-6 engine. My Ford Taurus has a 155 horsepower V-6. Needless to say, that Maxima has a lot of kick to it!
All of us need some “kick” in life in order to function, survive, endure, and overcome. God’s grace is the kick we all need in order to live in hard world.
