BEAUTY OF GOD’S WORD

There is on record a conversation between Daniel Webster & some of his illustrious compeers. Somebody raised the question as to the finest & most beautiful passage in the Bible.

One argued for the Creation story, another for the Sermon on the Mount, a third for the description of the redeemed in Revelation.

Webster slowly quoted the exquisite words: 

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Hab 3:17-18)

- (moreillustrations.com)

“When you cannot rejoice in feelings, circumstances or conditions, rejoice in the Lord.” -  A.B. Simpson.

“The Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him.” -  D.L. Moody.

SALVATION IS GOD’S GIFT

Bishop Taylor Smith, the evangelical stalwart, was one day sitting in a barber's shop having a shave. When he spoke to the barber about being right with God, the barber replied, “I do my best & that's good enough for me.”

When the Bishop's shave was completed & the next man had taken his place, he asked, “May I shave this customer?”

“Oh no!” replied the barber firmly.

“But I would do my best,” said the Bishop.

“So you might”, replied the barber, “but your best would not be good enough for this customer.”

“No & neither is yours good enough for God,” was the Bishop's reply.

You are saved by letting God do His best for you & He did that at Calvary.

Isa 64:6 (CEV): “We are unfit to worship you; each of our good deeds is merely a filthy rag…”

- Selwyn Hughes (moreillustrations.com)

“The best duties of unbelievers are but white lies.” -  John Owen.

Ep 2:8-9 (NIRV): “God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift.  It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it.”

SMOKING/BOOZING/CHEWING TOBACCO (Gutka/Manickchand)

The late Dr. John Roach Stratton, valiant defender of the faith, gave this testimony:

"I wish to bear my own personal testimony that I did not overcome the habit of smoking until the truth of the return of our Lord came home clearly to my mind & heart.

When I did thus believe that Jesus Christ is surely coming back to this world again, even as He plainly promised, and that His coming for His church - the redeemed - may be at any moment, I found grace to throw pipes & cigars away completely, never to take them up again.

I did not want Jesus to come back & find me with a breath that was offensive, or presenting the sorry spectacle of a preacher with a pipe or cigar in the corner of his mouth!"

- Sunday School Times.           

It is a medically proved fact that smoking, boozing or chewing tobacco destroys health.

1Co 3:16-17 (GW) says: “Don't you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him because God's temple is holy. You are that holy temple!”

Paul said: “I am able to do all things through him who gives me strength.” (Phil 4:13 BBE)

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” - Edmund Hillary.

ACKNOWLEDGING THE LORD

A Japanese schoolboy once showed his courage in a way that puts many of us to shame.

He belonged to a school in Nagasaki containing 150 boys & he was the only Christian among them all. He brought his luncheon to school as he lived at a distance & he dared to fold his hands & ask a blessing every day before he ate.

Some boys went to the headmaster of the school & accused him of "doing something in the way of magic." The headmaster thereupon called the lad before the school & asked him what he had been doing.

The little fellow spoke up bravely, explaining that he was a Christian & that he had been thanking God & asking Him to bless the food.

At once the master burst into tears, putting his head down on the desk. "My boy," he said, "I, too, am a Christian; but I did not dare let men know that I was one. Now, please God, I will try to live as a Christian ought to live."

- Late Amos R. Wells, in Christian Herald. (moreillustrations.com)              

Lord Jesus said: “Whoever acknowledges me in the presence of others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels.  But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before God’s angels.” (Luke 12:8-9 CJB)

“Prayer honors God, acknowledges His being, exalts His power, adores His providence and secures His aid.” - E.M. Bounds.

YIELDING TO GOD

“Why am I not happy?” inquired a wealthy lady as she stood beside the missionary, Dr. Goforth of China, in her home.

“Have you surrendered all?” enquired the man of God, quietly.

“Yes, as far as I know, I have surrendered all,” responded the woman.

“Are you sure?” insisted Dr. Goforth, “that your all is on the altar?”

“My all is on the altar, I believe,” answered the woman again.

“And you are willing for God to take your little girl here & send her to China?” asked the missionary, placing his hand on her head.

“God take my daughter & make her a missionary in China! I should say not. I want her with me,” exclaimed the mother.

“And yet you tell me you have yielded all & you haven't even given your own child to God. How can you expect God's blessing & peace & joy? You stand as it were between God & His will for your daughter & you say to Him, ‘Thus far shall Thou come & no farther. You can have my home, my money, me, but - don't touch my daughter.’ Madam, do you call that surrender?”

- (moreillustrations.com)

Lord Jesus said: “If you love your father or mother or even your sons and daughters more than me, you are not fit to be my disciples.” (Mat 10:37 CEV).

THE PROBLEM WITHIN

A story is told of old Thomas K. Beecher, who could not bear deceit in any form. Finding that a clock in his church was habitually too fast or too slow, he hung a placard on the wall above it, reading in large letters: "Don't blame my hands - the trouble lies deeper."

That is where the trouble lies with us when our hands do wrong, or our feet, or our lips, or even our thoughts. The trouble lies so deep that only God's miracle power can deal with it.

- Christian Witness. (moreillustrations.com)

Mk 7:21-23 (GNT): “For from the inside, from your heart, come the evil ideas which lead you to do immoral things, to rob, kill, commit adultery, be greedy, and do all sorts of evil things; deceit, indecency, jealousy, slander, pride, and folly - all these evil things come from inside you and make you unclean.”

We cannot cure a disease by attacking the symptoms. For example, pouring cold water over a person having fever won't work, (in fact, it aggravates the problem) medicine has to be taken internally.

The only way the sin-problem within can be treated is by crying out to the Lord Jesus: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” (Ps 51:10 RSV).

THE LIFE WORD

E. L. Langston in one of his splendid books says: "There is a strange plant in Jamaica, called the 'life plant.' It is called this because it is almost impossible to kill or destroy any portion of it.

When a leaf is cut off & hung by a string, instead of shriveling up & dying like any other leaf, it sends gut white threadlike roots & thus gathers moisture from the air & begins to grow new leaves.

The Bible," says Mr. Langston, "is the Life Plant of the moral & spiritual world. Circulate the Bible or portions of it anywhere and it will soon take root in the affections & heart of mankind & send out tendrils of life.

In the heart of Africa, or among the aborigines of South America, or among the Eskimos of the Arctic Circle, it has the same quickening power which no climate or heathenism has the power to kill."

- The Wonderful Word (moreillustrations.com)  

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” – Paul (Acts 20:32 ESV)

“Study the Bible to be wise, believe it to be safe and practice it to be holy.” – Unknown.

BE FOCUSED

The 23 years old Sakshi Malik of Haryana became the first Indian female wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics.  In her own words, her bronze was won at Rio after 12 years of hard work, patience & sacrifices - some of which includes giving up her favorite things to eat.

How sacrificially focused are we on the Lord’s work?

Someone is reported to have asked a concert violinist in New York’s Carnegie Hall how she became so skilled. She said that it was by “planned neglect.”  She planned to neglect everything that was not related to her goal.  

1 Cor 15:58 (GNT): “So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord's service is ever useless.”

DETERMINATION

An old proverb: “No gain without pain” pops-up in anybody’s mind when they make note of just one of the sacrifices made by the much talked-about, 21-year-old Sindhu, who won India's first silver at Rio Olympics - was leaving home every day at 3:30 a.m. for training from Marredpally to Gopichand’s Academy at Gachibowli  (30 km)  for close to 12 years. Determination made the difference.

Read about two determined-brothers:

Two brothers were discussing their life goals after Sunday school. The first brother’s goal was to be rich and famous. The second brother’s goal was to follow Christ to the fullest.

The second brother went on to reach his goal. His name was David Livingstone, the renowned medical missionary and explorer of Africa.

The first went on to be rich, but his fame came from another. The epitaph on his tombstone reads: “Here lies the brother of David Livingstone.” (ccbiblestudy.org)

“Never forget that life is not about you! You exist for God's purposes, not vice versa.” -  Rick Warren.

1 Cor 9:24 (CEB): “Don’t you know that all the runners in the stadium run, but only one gets the prize? So run to win.”

GOD LOVES YOU TOO MUCH

An atheist, blaspheming in a certain market-place, challenged God to show His power by striking him dead within 5 minutes. The 5 minutes elapsed & following the tense delay, the man spoke to his audience, saying, “What did I tell you?"

An old lady standing by said, "Sir, have you any children?"

"Why?"

"Well," said the lady, "If one of your children handed you a knife & said, `Kill me, Daddy,' would you do it?"

"Why, no," replied the astonished man, "I love them too much."

"That is exactly why God did not strike you dead," said the lady, "He loves you too much."

- Moody Monthly (moreillustrations.com)

John 3:16 (WE): “God loved the world so very, very much that he gave his only Son. Because he did that, everyone who believes in him will not lose his life, but will live forever.”

“By the cross we know the gravity of sin and the greatness of God's love toward us.” -  John Chrysostom.

QUOTES ON FREEDOM

“There are two freedoms - the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought.” -  Charles Kingsley.

Lord Jesus Christ said: “If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

“If you want to be free, just start doing what God wants you to do, one step at a time, and you'll eventually walk out of your messes.” -  Joyce Meyer.

The Bible says: “… Where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom.” (2 Cor 3:17)

“To serve God, to love God, to enjoy God, is the sweetest freedom in the world.” - Thomas Watson.

A STRONG FOUNDATION

The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, rises more than 2,700 feet - over half a mile tall. It has 160 floors & is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City.

It is home to the world’s fastest elevator that travels at 40 miles per hour. The Burj Khalifa also hosts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck (on the 124th floor) and the world’s highest swimming pool (on the 76th floor).

But the secret to the stability of this massive building is found underground. Before construction began to rise up, workers spent a year digging & pouring the massive foundation that supports the building.

The foundation contains some 58,900 cubic yards of concrete weighing more than 110,000 tons. The building is safe because the foundation is solid.

Godly & righteous living is important as a matter of obedience, but there are also many wonderful benefits that follow as a result. When we live according to God’s principles of wisdom, we receive His blessing, but we also establish a firm foundation for our lives & our families.

Source: ‘Buildings and Structures’ - Andrew Solway (ministry127.com)

Lord Jesus said: “I will show you what everyone who comes to me, hears what I say, and obeys it is like. He is like a person who dug down to bedrock to lay the foundation of his home. When a flood came, the floodwaters pushed against that house. But the house couldn’t be washed away because it had a good foundation.” (Luke 6:47-48 GW)

BIBLE – THE BOOK OF INSTRUCTIONS

Two proud young parents were showing the minister their firstborn. Very thoughtfully the young mother said, "I don't know whether I know enough about Baby to raise him or not."

The young husband laughed, "She says that about Baby because she didn't get a book of instructions with him."

He was thinking of the books of instruction that had come with the sewing machine, the electric sweeper, and the refrigerator when they bought their household furniture some fifteen months before. Of course he was mistaken.

There is a book of instructions with each baby given to the home. God's Book, the Bible, is the book of instructions that should be studied as never before when a little child comes.

- United Presbyterian. (moreillustrations.com)

2 Tim 3:16 (RSV): “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

“A family is a place where principles are hammered and honed on the anvil of everyday living.” -  Chuck Swindoll.

“If an ass goes traveling he will not come home a horse.” -  Thomas Fuller.

THE FAMILY ALTAR

A returned missionary, shocked at conditions in America, noted the fall of the family altar as one of the chief changes in American life:

"My father gathered his family together each morning & commended us to God's keeping before we separated for the duties of the day.

On my return from India I found that he had given up the practice of family prayer entirely & that my younger brothers & sisters were individualists who cared nothing for the moral & religious influence of the home.

What is true of my father's household is true of many homes throughout the length & breadth of the land. The home is no longer a unit; family life, with its spiritual & moral training is very largely a thing of the past.

This in my judgment is the explanation of the lack of moral earnestness & disregard for the rights of others so strikingly apparent to me after an absence of a comparatively few years."

- (moreillustrations.com)

Acts 10:2 (NIRV) says: “Cornelius and all his family were faithful and worshiped God…”

“If therefore our houses be houses of the Lord, we shall for that reason love home, reckoning our daily devotion the sweetest of our daily delights; and our family-worship the most valuable of our family-comforts.  A church in the house will be a good inheritance to be left to your children after you.” -  Matthew Henry.

LAZINESS

"How's times?" inquired a tourist.

"Oh, pretty tolerable," responded the old native who was sitting on a stump. "I had some trees to cut down, but a cyclone came along & saved me the trouble."

"Fine."

"Yes & then the lightning set fire to the brush pile & saved me the trouble of burning it."

"Remarkable. But what are you going to do now?"

"Oh! Nothing much. Just waiting for an earthquake to come along & shake the potatoes out of the ground."

- (moreillustrations.com)

“The most likely man to go to hell is the man who has nothing to do on earth. Idle people tempt the devil to tempt them.” -  Charles Spurgeon.

Ecc 10:18 (CEV): “Some people are too lazy to fix a leaky roof — then the house falls in.”

GOD IS FAITHFUL

The man appeared daily at the noon hour at the Brooklyn city hall, New York,  holding to the rails of the iron fence with hope & expectation in his face, looking up toward the clock in the tower as it struck the hour.

Then he would wait - 10, 20, 30 minutes. Then the light of hope & joy faded from his face. He became an old, beaten man & shuffled off in dejection. It was the tragedy of a broken promise.

He had been a man of affairs in the city & in a time of financial difficulty a friend had promised to meet him at the city hall & hand him a large sum of money. But the friend did not keep his promise.

Disappointment broke the man's heart & upset his reason. Every day after that he came & looked wistfully at the clock, waiting for it to strike & looking in vain for the friend who promised he would come.

But we have a Friend who always keeps His promise. "He is faithful that promised." (Heb. 10:23.)

- (moreillustrations.com)

“As I look back over fifty years of ministry, I recall innumerable tests, trials and times of crushing pain. But through it all, the Lord has proven faithful, loving, and totally true to all His promises.” - David Wilkerson.

FRIEND OF GOD

The youthful Ian Maclaren, visiting his uncle in the Highlands, looked with wistful admiration on a white-haired elder in the church who passed the sacred cup at Communion.

When he saw him the next day breaking stone on the road, he was amazed, and asked his uncle how it was that the bearer of high office yesterday today should be laboring on the highway.

His uncle told him that James was an elder in the church because he knew more about God than any other man in the village. He was a friend of God.

- (moreillustrations.com)

Js 2:23 (GW): The Scripture passage came true. It says, “Abraham believed God, and that faith was regarded as the basis of Abraham’s approval by God.” So Abraham was called God’s friend.        

“The higher a man is in grace, the lower he will be in his own esteem.” - Charles Spurgeon.

GRACE OF GOD

(A Hymn)

He gives more grace when the burdens grow greater,

He sends more strength when labors increase.

To added affliction He adds His mercy,

To multiplied trials-His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,

When our strength has failed ere the day is half-done,

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,

Our Father's full giving is only begun.

His love has no limit; His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men,

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,

He gives and gives and gives again.
 
-  Annie Johnson Flint (1866-1932)

2 Cor 9:8 (NET): “And God is able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good work.”

- (moreillustrations.com)

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And that which I can do, by the grace of God, I will do.” - D.L. Moody.

PREACHING BOLDLY

In the 16th century, there was a great preacher of his day in England by the name of Hugh Latimer.

Once he found that he was to preach before the King Henry VIII of England. As he thought about his great responsibility to bring a message before the king he realized that the message that God laid on his heart was not the message that the king would want to hear.

Before preaching he said to himself, “Latimer! Latimer! Do you remember that you are speaking before the mighty King Henry VIII; who has power to command you to be sent to prison, & who can have your head cut off, if it pleases him? Will you not take care to say nothing that will offend royal ears?”

He then paused & continued, “Latimer! Latimer! Do you not remember that you are speaking before the King of kings & Lord of lords; before Him, at whose throne Henry VIII will stand; before Him, to whom one day you will have to give account yourself? Latimer! Latimer! Be faithful to your Master & declare all of God’s Word.”

Latimer faced the choice: would he preach what man wanted to hear or would he preach what Christ would have him preach.

He did take his stand for truth & preached boldly. Eventually, he was martyred by Henry’s daughter Queen Mary.

Source: ‘Not Corrupting the Word’ a sermon by J. C. Ryle (ministry127.com)

Mark 12:14 (GNT): They came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we know that you tell the truth, without worrying about what people think. You pay no attention to anyone's status, but teach the truth about God's will for people…”