The Greatest Con on Earth :: Part 1 :: Right Before Your Very Eyes | Ryan Howell :: September 18, 2022

What’s the Issue Anyway?FOMO is a real thing!Progress is the great ILLUSIONIST of our day.Most of progress has dealt with the PHYSICAL or COGNITIVE world.Most of our pain is in the SPIRITUAL (Social/Emotional) world.The greatest con on earth is that with progress our limits DISAPPEAR.When we live without limits, we experience the pain of STRESS and OVERLOAD. Something inside us BREAKS.RELATIONSHIPS will disappear right before your very eyes.What Wisdom does Scripture offer us?One of the PRIMORDIAL lies: We can have NO LIMITS. (John 8:44; Genesis 3:4-5) On the seventh day God created MARGIN. (Genesis 2:1-3)Don’t Miss This!Margin EXPOSES the CON of progress.How can I live this out in my everyday, normal life?Redefine progress in terms of VIRTUE not wealth.How does this make me a better person and the world a better place?Relationships FLOURISH in the margins. Margin brings a holistic sense of PEACE.What is God inviting you into today?Attend each week in this series with an open heart.Read (reread) the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 this week.I am at my limit and would like to talk with a care minister.Thought-provoking questions:Where have you experienced the proverbial “brick wall” or complete “burnout?” How did that experience effect your relationships?As you think about the Jewish creation myth, what are some of the big, primordial human shortcomings represented in this story?Where might you be at risk of overload in your life?Where could a bit of margin bring health to your relationships? How would your friends, partner, coworkers, children answer that question for you?What are some success indicators in our world? Which of these are consistent with Jesus’ definition of success found in the Sermon on the Mount? Are any of these antithetical to the peacemaking path of Jesus?What relationship would you like to see strengthened over the next 6 weeks as you try to add margin into your life?