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 4301 to 4325 of 4957 results
Sermon
Nancy Kraft
... it means to be a Christian, I'd rather not be one. Then there are Christians who want to teach alternative theories of creation that have nothing to do with science at all, in science classes. There are Christians who condemn victims of natural disasters, claiming that they suffered the destruction of a hurricane as punishment for their sins. Many Christians are quick to tell you who is going to hell and who isn't. In the name of Christianity, people have been burned at the stake, lynched, herded into gas ...
4302. Bothered and Bewildered
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
Sermon
Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe
... midst of the racism in the church, Dr. Bottoms would not let them define him or the gospel. The world bothered him and bewildered him, but he would not lose his focus. He would not let the world tell him that he was inferior - he knew that he was claimed by God in the blood of Jesus. He did not believe that all white people were evil, even though they sought to crush him. He believed that white people, too, were children of God, also redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Even though the world around him told him ...
4303. A Higher Calling
Ephesians 4:1-16
Sermon
Thomas Lentz
... to live according to a higher calling. A few years ago, my daughter and her husband lived next door to a difficult family in Columbus. There was a large lot separating their two houses, which belonged to the neighbor. Although the neighbor was quick to claim the property and run off our grandchildren any time they ventured onto this side lot, he was, nevertheless, lax in taking care of it. Branches and fruit fell off the trees where it lay on the ground and rotted. The grass was rarely cut. I asked ...
4304. Yielding to Spiritual Maturity
Matthew 7:15-23, James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17
Sermon
Thomas Lentz
... fine clothes and say, ‘Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there' or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?" (James 2:3-5). How can you claim to be a Christian and yet discriminate against people? Easy! It happens all the time. We are all bombarded with messages from advertising, from peers, and from friends that persuade us that the more we have the better we are, the more important we are, and the ...
Sermon
Thomas Lentz
... Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise," writes Saint Paul, "making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15). Effective communication is an important key to success in life. Peter Drucker claims that 60% of all management problems are a result of faulty communication. A leading marriage counselor says that at least one half of all divorces result from faulty communication between spouses. Criminologists tell us that upward of 90% of all criminals ...
Sermon
Patrick J. Rooney
... to the fullness of life with God. Yet even this faith of ours is not something we do but rather it is that which we receive as a free gift from the Holy Spirit. I cannot boast and say that my life is better than that of another. I cannot claim that I am somewhat less sinful than this or that person, no matter how evil they appear to be. I cannot say that I have led a better life, that I have overcome my faults and failings or that I have pulled myself up by my own bootstraps and made ...
Sermon
Patrick J. Rooney
... will remember all those saints whom we have loved and who have now gone before us. The names of our loved ones will be spoken, the bell will toll, and we will remember them with both thankfulness and tears. For God created them in his own image and likeness, claimed them as his own in the same waters of baptism and in time brought them to rest with him until the day of resurrection. In that promise of a new heaven and earth, we therefore place our hope on this day of promise, the promise that in time, our ...
4308. Long Live The King
Revelation 1:4-8
Sermon
Patrick J. Rooney
... firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Christ is ruler of his kingdom. Christ now calls us now to be priests in that kingdom of God. Because Christ is our king, we are called to serve until he returns in glory to claim the kingdom that is his. In the endings and beginnings of our everyday lives — births, marriages, baptisms, and deaths, we mark the passing of the ages until the king returns. In such endings and beginnings of our lives, we are called to be faithful witnesses to a ...
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... ” advantage anymore. All Christian games are now “away games,” with the crowds cheering for anybody but the Christians. You might even call it an ABC world where ABC stands for Anybody But Christianity. But whatever court we are playing on, we can claim the “team spirit” advantage that the Holy Spirit brings and that a commitment to genuine “agape” love gives us. John Wesley said that the most important description of God in the whole Bible is this three word statement: “God is love.” When ...
4310. Romans 14:1-12
Romans 14:1--15:13
Sweet
Leonard Sweet
... or “belittle” (“exouthenein”) those who abstain. Their faith is not in some way superior to those who voluntarily refrain from meat. Likewise the vegetarians are not to “pass judgment upon” (“krinein”) the meat eaters. The vegetarian is not to claim any moral high ground over the meat eaters. Rather, Paul reminds both parties of their commonality — “God has welcomed them.” Paul then likens the faithful to servants (literally “house slaves”) of one master. The slave does not judge ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and claiming nearly 3,000 lives. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and ...
4312. Forgiveness: Where Ordinary Folks Struggle
Matthew 18:15-20
Illustration
Scott Hoezee
... are not regular church attenders. Still, three-quarters of the people surveyed had few doubts about God's penchant to let bygones be bygones. The picture was less bright, however, when it came to interpersonal relations. Only about half of the people surveyed claimed that they were certain that they had forgiven others. Most people admitted that whereas God may be a galaxy-class forgiver, ordinary folks struggle. It's difficult to forgive other people with whom you are angry. It's even difficult to forgive ...
4313. Philippians 3:4b-14
Philippians 3:1-11
Sermon
Leonard Sweet
... v.9 Paul offers a consolidated version of his “justification by faith” argument, as expanded and expounded in both Romans and Galatians. By “knowing” Christ Paul now finds he is “in him.” It is that relationship which gives the apostle a new claim to “righteousness.” This “righteousness” is not made possible by adhering to the Law. It is made possible by adhering to the person of Jesus Christ. There is some debate over whether Paul speaks here of “faith in Christ” (Paul’s faith) or ...
4314. No, I’m Just Seasick
Mark 10:13-16
Illustration
Bill Bouknight
The writer Bill Henderson recalls meeting a man aboard a cruise ship who claimed to be an expert in guessing professions. "See that man over there," he said. "He is a physician." Bill checked and sure enough that was right. "How could you tell?" he asked the man. "Well," he said, "I saw the caring lines on his forehead and could tell he was ...
Drama
Arley K. Fadness
... Asher: Now listen carefully to this, because this is the strange part. Shepherds from the fields surrounding Bethlehem came seeking the child. They said an angel had appeared to them and told them that their Savior was born in Bethlehem. Imagine! There we were claiming that the baby in a manger in our stable was the Messiah! (Shepherds exit.) Asher: The young family stayed in Bethlehem for a while after the census and then they fled from the city one dark night. (Mary and Joseph exit hastily.) Asher: Some ...
Sermon
King Duncan
... a scandalous way. She was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and supposedly she made her famous ride through the town of Coventry in exchange for her husband promising to cut taxes. (1) Let’s hope that our representatives in congress, who make extravagant claims about cutting taxes, don’t follow Lady Godiva’s example. One of my favorite IRS stories is told by Donna Bell, an IRS employee. She says that she was working at her desk close to tax day, April 15, one year when an elderly woman approached ...
Sermon
Richard Gribble
... . George Shuster, managing editor of The Commonweal, another Catholic weekly published in New York, had sent this man, Peter Maurin, a French émigré to the United States, via Canada, to her front door. Maurin had a new vision for the world, one which he claimed would be its salvation. His plan had three parts: The first was to engage the mind through round-table discussions on the important social issues of the day, led by some recognized expert in the field. The second part was to establish houses of ...
Sermon
Ken Lentz
A group of American tourists once listened to a story told by their Jewish guide. The guide, Moshe, claimed that his story would explain why the commandments were published on two tablets of stone. Moses came down from the mountain with a tablet of stone listing some of the commandments. He first met a group of Kenites. "Do you want the commandments of God?" he asked. "What do they ...
Sermon
Ken Lentz
... about Jesus. Luke witnessed to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and then related some of the appearances of Jesus to his disciples. But there had to be some closure. Without Luke's steps to "tidy things up," there might still be people claiming that they saw Jesus down at the supermarket or on the No. 5 bus to Coney Island. The account of the ascension also, especially in Acts, documents the explanation of the fulfillment of the scriptures by Jesus to all of the disciples following the explanation ...
4320. Small Sin, Large Grace
2 Samuel 11:26-27, 12:1-13a
Sermon
Donna Schaper
... . I just know that songs don't die and New Orleans doesn't die and Chicago doesn't die and that the blues aren't dead yet. If the blues aren't dead, I can stay standing here telling you about the blues not being dead yet. I can also claim some hope for the likes of David and the likes of you and me. That is important news. Even more important is the news about David. He gets a second chance. He rises from the grave of his lust. We, too, can have a second chance, no matter where our ...
Sermon
Donna Schaper
... pain. Very few have heard in Mexico about the atonement being passé theologically. Simultaneously, there is a level of thought that makes our understandings of post-colonialism very minor. Consider Mexico Profundo, the name Guillermo Bonfil Batalla gives to freedom he claims, "One world where many worlds are possible." The people of pain and punishment want one theory for just about everything. They love universalism. What we may do instead is love relationship — and that means a lot of different ways of ...
Sermon
Robert A. Hausman
... God to be found. Such an inaccessible God seems strange for us who have been nourished on the idea of the availability of God. God is very near to us, Paul says, for in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). People have always claimed to find God present in the created world (natural theology), in the common ordering of societies (natural law), or in the hidden recesses of the soul. In America, we are particularly fond of the image of God as our buddy, who, "though it makes him sad to see the ...
Sermon
Robert A. Hausman
... . We are all familiar with Job's plea for a "redeemer" and for a time when, in his own flesh, he should see God, "whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another" (Job 19:27). Finally, Job gets to see! Certainly Job's claim of "having seen God" suggests a powerful encounter with God. To "see" God is rare in Israelite tradition (see Exodus 24:9-11) and to use that verb to describe his insight makes us take note. The result of this seeing is introduced by "therefore," after which we get ...
4324. Are You a King?
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Sermon
Robert A. Hausman
... not talking here about best sport, or Miss Congeniality — we are talking kings! When Alexander the Great was the greatest king of the then-known world, he decided to conquer all of Asia Minor. Darius, the King of Persia, the only other ruler that could claim super-power status, sued for peace, saying to Alexander: "Let's you and me just divide up Asia together." To which Alexander replied, "Just as the earth can stand only one sun, so the world can have only one ruler!" Alexander promptly crushed Darius ...
4325. Barely Born
Illustration
Charles McCarry can claim a varied career. In addition to being the author of The Tears of Autumn and The Last Supper, he served as assistant to the Secretary of Labor in the Eisenhower cabinet and did two stints in the CIA. But he almost wasn't born. Says McCarry, "My mother became pregnant ...
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