Think on These Things
July 2000
1. Worldliness: Cares of this World
3. What is your alabaster box of ointment?
Worldliness: Cares of this World
Our
society is totally oriented toward the here and now.
We have developed, over the past half century or so, several media for
entertainment and information. These
have been dominated by those who would have us forget all about God and just
live for the moment. Their
philosophy seems to be the one that Paul described in 1 Cor 15:32: “If the
dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” It is clear that they wish us to believe that the dead are
not raised, for there are few, if any, considerations for eternity.
This even pervades many of the “religious” broadcasts that we
observe.
Contrast
this mind control with that of the central philosophy of Jesus (Matt 6:31-33):
"Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we
drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your
heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things
shall be added to you.” Not many
of us worry about where the next meal is coming from, as was certainly the case
in Jesus’ time. You would think
that this sense of security would enable us to be less concerned with the
physical and get on to the spiritual things that are the most important.
Instead, however, we have become even less dependent on God because we
feel we do not need Him in this age of affluence.
But this does not help our anxieties any.
Instead, many get second jobs, fail to serve God with their time and
giving, and sacrifice their families — not for the necessities of life, but to
get that new car, that bigger boat, or that home entertainment center. Our media has convinced us that these are the necessities of
the 21st century.
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The goal of this page is to promote morality and justice in our society (Prov. 14:23).
Commercials.
We cannot fault those who honestly advertise to convince us to purchase
the goods of this world. Even some
exaggeration might be acceptable when, in fact, it is obvious to all that it is
taking place. Many of the
commercials on TV have been humorously written to keep our attention and
entertain. Normal people do not
necessarily take everything said literally.
That
said, let us consider some of the devices that are employed that tend to push
our minds toward worldliness:
·
The
use of sex, often bordering on pornography, to market products with the
implication that the product will make one attractive to the opposite sex (which
is usually an outright lie).
·
The
degradation of fathers, making them look like buffoons and idiots to increase
the appeal to women and children.
·
The
promotion of a disrespect for authority (“just do it”).
·
Slogans
like “you only go around once in life,” implying that there is nothing other than then here and now.
·
The
use of animals, Muppet-like characters and sports celebrities that especially
appeal to children to promote alcoholic beverages.
·
The
use of risky behavior in promoting certain brands of vehicles.
·
The
glorification of “getting an edge” on our fellow man, and making ourselves
look good at his expense.
Then
there are the products that are sinful per se, such as the telephone sex ads and
those that promote the syndicated psychics.
Borderline are the get-rich-quick schemes that often require the taking
advantage of those who have lost everything in bankruptcy.
These appeal to the baser instincts of man — to get something for
nothing. Be attuned to these things
and be watching for them. If you can identify them, you will not be taken in by them.
If you deny that these influences exist, chances are you have already
fallen prey to them.
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What is Your Alabaster Box of Ointment?
Matt
26:6-13: “Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment,
and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what
purpose is this waste? For this
ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye
the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not
always. For in that she hath poured
this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be
preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done,
be told for a memorial of her.”
We
would hope that we qualify as preaching the gospel, and as you read, this story
is being told as a memorial to this un-named woman. We know one thing — she thought more of Jesus than she did
of her “alabaster box of ointment.” Its
value had to be significant, and this was a major sacrifice that she was making
to the Lord. So much so that the
disciples thought it sinful and excessive.
Women
at this time were not generally wealthy, and from Luke’s account, we see that
this particular woman was not regarded as one of wealth and standing.
There is no doubt that this sacrifice represented a major part of her
belongings.
The
comments of the disciples and the Pharisees are quite interesting.
The disciples were not asking for anything that was unlawful or sinful.
In fact, what could be more noble than to giving to the poor? Quite often we rationalize that the use of our material
possessions is according to God’s will because it is being used for something
that is good. The Pharisees used
such rationalization in Mt. 15:5 when they claimed that the money that should
have been going to honor their parents was being given to God.
This was, at best, self-deception. The
real question that we must answer goes back to Jesus’ command in Mt. 6:
Are you “putting His kingdom and His righteousness first?”
Or is there something that you are putting before the Lord?
What is your alabaster box of ointment?
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“I earned it, and it is
mine.”
but
Paul stated (Romans 12:1) ...
“I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Several
things are wrong with the “I earned it, it is mine” philosophy.
Among them:
Many
people who state this did not “earn it,” but acquired it through inheritance
or luck (being at the right place at the right time).
This is extremely hard for most wealthy people to admit.
Even
if you did “earn it,” it was by the gifts given to you by God. What skill or
talent do you have that was not given by God?
Since
all that is good and beneficial in our lives is the gift of God, all rightfully
belongs to Him.
Hence,
the apostle Paul states that the sacrifice to God of all that we are and all
that we have is our reasonable service. It
is that of a rational person who knows God and has grown up with respect to
salvation (1 Pet. 2:2). It is not
given out of superstition in an attempt to manipulate God and receive greater
blessings on this earth. Nor is it
the result of senseless idol-worship, where we surrender our rational being to
our emotions. Instead, it is a
recognition that God made us all that is good about us, and thus, all of the
glory must go to him. So, even our
bodies, including all the good that might come from them, will become a living
sacrifice unto God as we mature in Christ Jesus.
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