Synonyms: renounce, relinquish, dispense with, forswear, disclaim, disown, disavow, discard, wash one's hands of, give up, stop, cease, drop, forgo, desist from, have done with, abjure, abstain from, discontinue, break off, refrain from, set/lay aside, desert, leave, leave high and dry, turn one's back on, cast aside, break (up) with, vacate, quit, evacuate, withdraw from, surrender, cede, yield, indulge in, give way to, give oneself up to, yield to, lose oneself to/in, uninhibitedness, recklessness, lack of restraint, lack of inhibition, unruliness, wildness, impulsiveness, impetuosity, immoderation, wantonness
Antonyms: keep, claim, continue, stick by, self-control, power through, achieve, defend, bear, hope, acquire, quick visit, adopt, continue along, adhere, remain, pursue, support, take up, keep up, reuse, advocate, stay, persevere, cherish, keep going, carry on
Showing 2851 to 2875 of 4943 results
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
Almost everything began in the Garden of Eden. As Adam and Eve were leaving that paradise, driven from it because of their disobedience, Adam’s assessment of the situation was, honey, we live in a time of change. Prior to that, non-scriptural tradition has it that as Eve was coaxing Adam to eat of the apple, she asked, “Adam, do you love me?” His response was, “Who else?” The rest of you’ll get that in a minute. That was the beginning – the beginning of male-female relationships, the beginning of marriage ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
"Bishop Fitzgerald in his book How to be A Successful Failure tells a fascinating story about a young man (barely twenty years old) who was caught one day "stealing sheep." He was charged and convicted. As a penalty, the villagers decided to make an example out of him. They took a branding iron and branded his forehead with the letters "ST"...meaning of course, "Sheep Thief." The brand was permanent and a constant source of shame to the young man. Penitent, he turned to God. He asked God for forgiveness. ...
2853. Try to Be Nice
Philippians 4:2-9
Sermon
Mark Trotter
I remember a cartoon; it showed a middle-aged man, pot-belly, frown on his face, wearing a T-shirt. Across the T-shirt was the message, "Please don't ask me to have a nice day." I first saw that cartoon on our refrigerator door, placed there when our children were still living at home. They thought it captured their father. It probably did. I can identify with W. C. Fields, who said, "I start off each day with a smile, and get it over with." I confess I don't like clichés, especially clichés like "Have a ...
Sermon
King Duncan
The Rev. Miles Brandon of The Episcopal Student Center, Austin, TX notes that our culture is captivated with making lists. It all started in 1955 when Edgar Smith of Fortune suggested that the magazine publish a list of the largest U.S. companies. At that very moment, the Fortune 500 was born. Today Fortune not only prints up the 500 list, but “The Forty Richest People Under 40,” “The Fifty Most Powerful Women in Business,” “The 100 Best Companies to Work For,” “The 25 Most Powerful Lobbyists in Washington ...
Sermon
James Merritt
Where do you think is the best place to live in America, and where do you think is the worst place to live in America? You don't have to wonder because we now have the answer from Money magazine. Money magazine recently conducted a poll, using 41 factors ranging from a low crime rate, to future job growth, to clean air and water, and rated the best places in America to live, and the worst places in America to live. According to their scientific survey, the best place in America to live is Gainesville, ...
Sermon
James Merritt
Many of you will remember the name of a one-hit wonder called Milli Vanilli. From 1988 to 1989 they sold 30 million singles and 14 million albums. In January of 1990 they won a Grammy award for the album, "Girl, You Know It's True," and were recognized as the best new artist of that year. The only problem was it wasn't true. They had lip-synced the entire recording, and had to return the Grammy award. Jimmy Bowen, President of Capitol Records, their record company, said: You have to remember that music is ...
2857. The Most Exciting Moment of Your Life
1 Cor 5:1-13, Rev 21:1-27, Rev 6:1-17, Heb 12:14-29, Rev 22:7-21, Phil 1:12-30
Sermon
James Merritt
The great Bible teacher, John MacArthur, told the story of how recently his sister died of cancer, and went to be with the Lord. One of the last times John saw his sister was at the hospital. She was suffering terribly. They talked very candidly about the future. She looked up at him and said, "John, I am going to die very soon and be with the Lord." Dr. MacArthur looked at his sister and made this statement. He said, "Sis, just remember, the worst thing that can happen to a Christian is the best thing ...
Sermon
Bill Bouknight
Hear we are on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and I wonder if you feel very thankful. Some would reply, “Brother Bill, some of us are more thankful than others. It depends on one’s circumstances.” You know, it’s easy to celebrate Thanksgiving when your family is healthy, your income is ample, your stocks are ascending, your favorite team is headed to a bowl game, your sinuses have overcome the Memphis grunge, and your aches and pains are minimal. But that kind of thanksgiving can be awfully superficial. ...
Sermon
Donald Charles Lacy
It is not easy to promote someone else. Human nature rises up against it. If we believe in our self-worth and capabilities, why should we try to sell someone else? Yes, and why should we seek to gain acceptance of a religious leader, who will eventually cause us trouble. For example, Jesus for some was not only an irritant; he was an anathema as well. As usual, Saint Paul is not much interested in whether you like or accept him as a person. His driving mission is to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. He and ...
Sermon
Maurice A. Fetty
It is not easy to promote someone else. Human nature rises up against it. If we believe in our self-worth and capabilities, why should we try to sell someone else? Yes, and why should we seek to gain acceptance of a religious leader, who will eventually cause us trouble. For example, Jesus for some was not only an irritant; he was an anathema as well. As usual, Saint Paul is not much interested in whether you like or accept him as a person. His driving mission is to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. He and ...
2861. Sacred Pleasures
Romans 14:1--15:13
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
There is an old Hasidic tradition. You may have heard of it before. A large drop of honey is placed on the first page of the Torah the first time a Jewish child opens the Bible to read and study it. The child is instructed to lick the honey from the page, forever imprinting the young scholar with the memory-paste of pleasure, the conviction that the study of God’s “Word” is sweet. It is what we are calling a “sacred pleasure.” “Pleasure” in life is not something most of us immediately connect to the “ ...
2862. Etched in Stone
Exodus 20:1-21
Sermon
King Duncan
A mother and her two small boys were having a serious discussion about stealing and why it was wrong. “Tell me,” she said, “Why do you think stealing is wrong?” Five-year-old Luke said that stealing was against God’s laws. He had learned about the Ten Commandments in Sunday school. Mother asked the boys if they knew any of the other Ten Commandments. Luke remembered two others: “You shall not murder,” and “Honor your father and mother.” But the boys couldn’t think of any other commandments, until little ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
Every morning the early local newscast reports on how good or bad the “daily commute” is going. Strategically perched cameras and computer generated models show whether there is clear sailing or clogged arterials on the major commute-routes. Seattle is a city consistently in the Top 10 for its gelatinous traffic jams – the LA freeway is a breezeway compared to Seattle’s Route 5 most of the time. And the Seattle newscasters like to keep minute-by-minute track of how slow you can go. Now it takes 20 minutes ...
Sermon
James Merritt
[Have everyone take out either a dollar bill or a coin] This is the most recognizable currency and the most universally accepted currency in all of the world. On this currency are four words that is the official motto of the most powerful nation in history. The words of course are - In God We Trust. It is interesting to know where this motto came from and how it came to be put on our currency. During the Civil War, Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase received a letter from a pastor in Pennsylvania ...
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
Well here we are. I hope you've anticipated this sermon as much as I have. Somebody asked me why I do this? Why do I use the commercials and comment on them. That's a good question. I do it for a couple of reasons. First, it's kind of fun. But secondly and the main reason is that we live in a very multimedia, multi-sensory society. And the world's message is everywhere. It bombards us constantly. Commercials come as pop ups during you're favorite TV shows. They're on web sites, DVDs, email, they've even ...
2866. Living in The Spirit of Generosity
2 Corinthians 9:6-12, Galatians 5:22-25
Sermon
Billy D. Strayhorn
Did you know that at one time generosity was illegal in Santa Cruz, California? That's right. It was illegal for someone to put money in other people's parking meters without their permission. The practice called "plugging coins" was considered an illegal act by Santa Cruz municipal code. The fine for a parking violation was $12.00. The penalty "plugging" thirteen dollar. Mr. Twister whose real name is Cory McDonald, is a professional clown and balloon twister, who has spared many car owners in Santa Cruz ...
Sermon
J. Howard Olds
At the tender age of 18, I was appointed to my first church. On Saturday following my first Sunday there, the main man in that congregation, a husband, a father, a grand-father, a leader in the community was killed in a tragic farming accident. Without a single course in theology or pastoral care, I was confronted with the question, “Why do people suffer?” My simple answer as a teenager was “I don’t know.” The number one question people would ask God if they could be assured of an answer is “Why do people ...
2868. Magnificent Fools
1 Corinthians 3:1-23
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
During World War II a cartoon appeared in daily newspapers across the country which attracted much attention. It pictured a young soldier driving a jeep madly across the battlefield. Bullets whizzed past his head; shells burst in the air; bombs fell on every side. It seemed that he was going to become the object of one of them and meet death itself. Still he drove on madly, zig-zagging, trying to dodge death itself. To take one look at the picture you would think the young man was foolish for risking his ...
Sermon
Maxie Dunnam
Here again chapter divisions do not adequately communicate content and continuity. Verses 24—26 of Chapter 5 could easily be a part of this chapter because Paul is talking about how the Spirit governs our lives in our social relationships. As indicated in our commentary on Gal. 5:13—15, Paul calls us to be servants. This requires more than service when, where and to whom we choose; it is a style of life. We willfully become servants. The constraining force of Christ love replaces the binding force of law ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem. As he makes his way through the towns and villages, he pauses from time to time to teach those who have come out to see him and to listen to him. In the middle of this journey someone poses a question. We don’t know the identity of this questioner. Was he a scribe or Pharisee? Was he a Jew or a Samaritan? We don’t know? His question is an interesting one, though. “Lord,” he asks, “Are only a few people going to be saved?” We don’t know anything about this person, but I ...
2871. Center Stage
Matthew 1:18-25
Sermon
Charles L. Aaron
Now that Matthew has finished his genealogy, he starts his narrative. We would not have much of a Bible without the narratives, but sometimes the biblical authors frustrate us. We always want more details. We want to know where the characters come from, what happens to them as they walk off stage. Just as we are starting to identify with a character, she will disappear, never to return. Matthew is no different. Right in his second sentence, he does the thing that frustrates us. He presents a scene that ...
Sermon
Charles L. Aaron
Can a child pass up a tasty marshmallow? A researcher who wanted to know set up an experiment. He left a succession of four-year-olds alone in a room, seated at a table. On the table was a single marshmallow. The researcher told the children that they could eat the marshmallow when he left the room, or they could wait until he returned. If they waited, they would receive a second marshmallow. The children had a choice: one marshmallow now or two marshmallows if they were patient. The researcher then left ...
Sermon
Wayne Brouwer
One of my favorite courses to teach is "Introduction to Biblical Literature." It is a 200-level course, and therefore only open to upperclassmen. These are college students who have already been around the block once or twice, and they know the rules of the game for getting good grades. Because the course is a biblical survey, there is a lot of material to cover, and little that can be pursued in depth. Yet, I want my students to think theologically, so I place before the group every year one question that ...
Sermon
King Duncan
Pirates have been in the news over the past few years. Not the romanticized pirates of the Caribbean, but real life pirates in places like Somalia desperate, violent men who have garnered ransoms of millions of dollars by taking hostages from ships. If I were to ask you to name a famous pirate from history, who would it be? My guess is that many of you would come up with the name Blackbeard. Blackbeard was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American ...
Sermon
Frank Ramirez
It was over forty years ago, in the middle of December 1963, when my aging father retired from the Navy. He was only 37 years old at the time, but to a nine-year-old that sounded pretty old! He and mom packed us into the car and we moved from Nor­folk, Virginia, back to our native California, taking the old High­way 66, a two-lane highway that could really cause motion sick­ness at times! Dad made sure we stopped at important places from the sights of Washington DC to the austere majesty of mountainous ...
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