10 of the Most Overrated Things of All Time -- FPC sermon excerpt
Some things look good at first. But then, when you dig a little deeper, you realize that they are terribly overrated.
The website called AskMen.com has a list of “Nine of the Most Overrated Things of All Time.”
Number One: Cats. According to the website, they’re lazy, disobedient, flea-ridden, hairball-coughing ingrates. Sorry about that … cat-lovers.
Two: The NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Problem is, the NBA limits the event to pros who have been in the league for three years or less, which knocks out most the true stars.
Three: The Winter Olympics. Biathlon and bobsled events appeal to virtually no one outside Estonia.
Four: Ben Affleck. He’s more celebrity than actor.
Five: The Home Run Race of 1998. A riveting race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire, ruined by the steroid scandal.
Six: The Miss Universe Pageant. Donald Trump, Miss USA, big drinking scandal, blah, blah, blah.
Seven: People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People. Most of these selections are determined by upcoming film and TV projects — not by beauty alone.
Eight: Starbucks. Hardly worth the price — it’s just beans with hot water.
And Nine: Sliced bread. Sure, it was a wonderful innovation in its day, according to AskMen.com, but that was before TiVo and squeezable Cheese Whiz. Today, it’s definitely overrated.
That’s it: Nine of the most overrated things of all time.
If this list were expanded to Ten, Jesus might add another overrated thing: Practicing your piety before others. Today, you can hardly flip through your cable channels without coming across a preacher or a politician talking about his faith. Not that there is anything wrong with piety, defined as religious devotion and reverence to God. What Jesus objects to is the way that it is displayed. Jesus is annoyed when people practice their piety in order to be seen by others … to be praised by others … and to show others how holy they are.
They are “hypocrites,” announces Jesus, a Greek word which literally means “stage actors” (Matthew 6:2). They are putting on a show with their public prayers, their fasting, and their giving of offerings.
The website called AskMen.com has a list of “Nine of the Most Overrated Things of All Time.”
Number One: Cats. According to the website, they’re lazy, disobedient, flea-ridden, hairball-coughing ingrates. Sorry about that … cat-lovers.
Two: The NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Problem is, the NBA limits the event to pros who have been in the league for three years or less, which knocks out most the true stars.
Three: The Winter Olympics. Biathlon and bobsled events appeal to virtually no one outside Estonia.
Four: Ben Affleck. He’s more celebrity than actor.
Five: The Home Run Race of 1998. A riveting race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire, ruined by the steroid scandal.
Six: The Miss Universe Pageant. Donald Trump, Miss USA, big drinking scandal, blah, blah, blah.
Seven: People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People. Most of these selections are determined by upcoming film and TV projects — not by beauty alone.
Eight: Starbucks. Hardly worth the price — it’s just beans with hot water.
And Nine: Sliced bread. Sure, it was a wonderful innovation in its day, according to AskMen.com, but that was before TiVo and squeezable Cheese Whiz. Today, it’s definitely overrated.
That’s it: Nine of the most overrated things of all time.
If this list were expanded to Ten, Jesus might add another overrated thing: Practicing your piety before others. Today, you can hardly flip through your cable channels without coming across a preacher or a politician talking about his faith. Not that there is anything wrong with piety, defined as religious devotion and reverence to God. What Jesus objects to is the way that it is displayed. Jesus is annoyed when people practice their piety in order to be seen by others … to be praised by others … and to show others how holy they are.
They are “hypocrites,” announces Jesus, a Greek word which literally means “stage actors” (Matthew 6:2). They are putting on a show with their public prayers, their fasting, and their giving of offerings.
posted by Henry Brinton | 6:43 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home