SELF-CONTROL

Peter the Great made a law in 1722 that if any nobleman beat or ill-treat his slaves he should be looked upon as insane and a guard should be appointed to take care of his person & his estate.
 
This great monarch once struck his gardener, who being a man of great sensibility took to his bed & died in a few days.
 
Peter, hearing of this, exclaimed, with tears in his eyes:
 
"Alas! I have civilized my own subjects; I have conquered other nations; yet I have not been able to civilize or conquer myself."
 
- (moreillustrations.com)
 
2 Tim 1:7 (ERV): “The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.”
 
“He, who angers you, conquers you.” - Author Unknown.
  

RESPECTING EACH OTHER

A mother heard her son crying near where the father was building a dog house. 
 
"What's wrong?" she asked.
 
"Daddy hit his thumb with the hammer," he sobbed.
 
"That's nothing for you to cry about," she said. "You should laugh."
 
"That's why I'm crying.  I did."
 
- (moreillustrations.com)
 
The Bible says: “Be devoted to each other like a loving family. Excel in showing respect for each other.” (Rom 12:10 GW)
 
“A family is a place where principles are hammered and honed on the anvil of everyday living.” -  Chuck Swindoll.
 

CLEMENCY

Alphonsus, King of Naples & Sicily, so celebrated in history for his clemency, was once asked why he was so forgiving to all men, even to those most notoriously wicked?

"Because," answered he, "good men are won by justice; the bad by clemency."

When some of his ministers complained to him on another occasion of his lenience,

"What, then," exclaimed he, "would you have lions & tigers to reign over you? It is for wild beasts to scourge; but for man to forgive."

- (moreillustrations.com)

“So long as we are full of self we are shocked at the faults of others. Let us think often of our own sin, and we shall be lenient to the sins of others.” -  Francois Fenelon.

John 8:7 (ICB): They continued to ask Jesus their question. So he stood up and said, “Is there anyone here who has never sinned? The person without sin can throw the first stone at this woman.”

JOY IN TRUSTING

Ps 34:22 (BBE): “The Lord will be the savior of the souls of his servants, and no one who has faith in him will be put to shame.”

What a vast portion of our lives is spent in anxious & useless forecast concerning the future, either our own or that of our dear ones!

Present joys, present blessings, slip by & we miss half their sweet flavor & all for want of faith in Him who provides for the tiniest insect in the sunbeam.

Oh, when shall we learn the sweet trust in God our little children teach us every day by their confiding faith in us?

We, who are so mutable, so faulty, so irritable, so unjust: and He who is so watchful, so pitiful, so loving, so forgiving!

Why cannot we, slipping our hand into His each day, walk trustingly over that day's appointed path, knowing that evening will bring us sleep & peace?

- Phillips Brooks. (moreillustrations.com)

“Faith, which is trust, and fear are opposite poles. If a man has the one, he can scarcely have the other in vigorous operation. He that has his trust set upon God does not need to dread anything except the weakening or the paralyzing of that trust.” -  Alexander MacLaren.

  

A BITTER REAPING

He was a tenant farmer. From time to time he renewed his lease. He had worked long hours, year after year & had made the farm a model of its kind.

One day the agent mentioned to him that the owner would require the farm for his son, who was about to be married. The farmer was greatly upset & made a number of offers in hopes that his terms would affect the owner's decision. It was in vain.

The day drew near when he had to vacate the home & then he did something he had decided upon in weeks of angry brooding. He gathered seeds of all the pests of the farmer & when it was dark, moved up & down over that fertile, clean soil, casting into it this rubbish.

Next morning, bright & early, the agent rode up to the door & informed him that the owner's plan had fallen through & he would be glad to renew the lease. He did not understand the farmer's "My God, what a fool I've been!"

-War Cry. (moreillustrations.com)

Gal 6:7 (GW): “Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you’ll harvest.”

“The Lord made it very plain in the New Testament that believers cannot escape reaping the kind of harvest they sow.  We cannot hide our sin; we will not get away with it. The secrets of the night are not hidden from God.” -  Theodore Epp.

 

PROBLEMS

Problems in the Church are not uncommon, but when the pastor & choir director get into it, stand aside.

One week our preacher preached on commitment & how we should dedicate ourselves to service. The director then led the choir in singing, 'I Shall Not Be Moved.'

The next Sunday, the preacher preached on giving & how we should gladly give to the work of the Lord. The choir director then led the song, 'Jesus Paid It All.'

The next Sunday, the preacher preached on gossiping & how we should watch our tongues. The hymn was 'I Love To Tell The Story.'

The preacher became disgusted over the situation & the next Sunday he told the congregation he was considering resigning. The choir then sang 'Oh, Why Not Tonight.'

When the preacher resigned the next week he told the church that Jesus had led him there & Jesus was taking him away. The choir then sang, 'What A Friend We Have in Jesus.'

- (aksermonillustrations.blogspot.com)

“I am afraid that when I get there I will find you different from what I would like you to be and you will find me different from what you would like me to be. I am afraid that I will find quarreling and jealousy, hot tempers and selfishness, insults and gossip, pride and disorder.” – Paul (2 Cor 12:20 GNT)

“So you have problems. Are they man made? Most are - and if men can create problems, surely they can solve them.” – Detroiter.

AN UNFORGIVING SPIRIT

Nothing will hinder prevailing prayer more than an unforgiving spirit.

A child was walking along a street & a large dog came out barking. She stood terrified.

Soon a stranger came to her & said: "Come on, little girl, the dog has stopped barking."

"Yes, she said, "but the bark is on the inside." She saw in the eyes of the dog an unfriendly spirit.

We Christians are too civilized today to quarrel outwardly, but is there not sometimes a bark inside - an unforgiving spirit?

- Robert P. Wilder, in 'Christ and the Student World'. (moreillustrations.com)

Mat 6:15 (ERV): “But if you don’t forgive others, then your Father in heaven will not forgive the wrongs you do.”

“Do you have a prayer that needs answered - then forgive.” -  Rod Parsley.

KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM

One of the ladies assembled at the club was describing the wedding she had just attended:

"And then, just as Frank & the widow started up the aisle to the altar, every light in the church went out."

The listeners exclaimed over the catastrophe.

"And what did the couple do then?" someone questioned.

"Kept on going. The widow knew the way."

- (moreillustrations.com)

John 18:2 (ISV): “Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples.”

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” -  Charles Spurgeon.

“If you lack knowledge, go to school. If you lack wisdom, get on your knees! Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge.” -  Vance Havner.

WARNINGS!

From the steeple of St. Mary's Church in Cracow, Poland, a bugle has been sounded every day for the last 700 years. The last note on the bugle is always muted & broken, as if some disaster had befallen the bugler.

This 700-year commemoration is in memory of a heroic trumpeter who one night sounded a blast on his trumpet & summoned the people to defend their city against the hordes of the invading Tartars.

As he was sounding the last blast on his trumpet, an arrow from one of the Tartars struck him & killed him.

Hence the muffled note at the end.

- (moreillustrations.com)

Eze 3:17 (CEV): “Ezekiel, son of man, I have appointed you to stand watch for the people of Israel. So listen to what I say, then warn them for me.”

“It would have been well for the church of Christ, if the warnings of the Gospel had been as much studied as its promises.” -  J.C. Ryle.

ANSWERABLE FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE

A young skeptic in the congregation once interrupted Billy Sunday with the question:

"Who was Cain's wife?"

The Evangelist answered in all seriousness:

"I honor every seeker after knowledge of the truth. But I have a word of warning for this questioner. Don't risk losing salvation by too much inquiring after other men's wives."

- (moreillustrations.com)

Pro 26:5 (TPT): “If you’re asked a silly question, answer it with words of wisdom so the fool doesn’t think he’s so clever.”

“We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe.” -  John Henry Newman.

SEEKING GOD!

Sir James Falshaw, formerly Chairman of the North British Railway Company, a personal friend of Queen Victoria and a most successful business man, was asked, during the progress of a banquet given in his honor when he was 80 years of age:

“In the interests of the young men present, who are anxious to make the most of life, I wish to ask one question, Sir James. Is there anything in your life, any one factor, upon which you can lay your finger as the secret of your wonderful prosperity?”

The old man rose up & said:

“I can answer that question without much difficulty. Whatever prosperity, success & honor have attended my life, I attribute to the fact that when I was 15 years of age, I gave my heart to God.”

- (moreillustrations.com)

Mat 6:33 (HCSB): “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”

“An honest heart seeks to please God in all things and offend Him in none.” -  A.W. Pink.

“The most important qualification for a servant of God is that he does not seek his own.” -  Zac Poonen.

A SHABBY THING – YET NOT HOPELESS

In my university days at Edinburgh there was a young medical student named Macfarlane. He was one of our finest athletes & everybody liked him.

One day he was stricken with typhoid, which proved fatal. Macfarlane in his days of boisterous health had neglected his Lord & when one of his friends, visiting him in his sickness, led his thoughts to the Savior, he turned & said:

"But wouldn't it be a shabby thing to turn to Christ now?"

"Yes," replied his friend, "it will be a shabby thing, but it will be shabbier not to turn to Him at all!"

And I believe that poor Macfarlane turned his shame-filled soul to the Lord.

But it is shabby to offer our Lord the mere dregs of life's cup when the storms of passion have carried its serviceableness away.

Let me offer Him my best, my finest equipment, my youth!

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth." (Ecc 12:1)

- J. H. Jowett. (moreillustrations.com)

PROPER USE OF TIME

One day an Oxford undergraduate, after a night of dissipation, was lying on his bed in his chambers when one of his own set of idlers came into his room & said to him:

"You are a fool. You are wasting your time & your chance. Your way of going on is silly & senseless. Why not wake up & do something worthy?"

That very moment the young man, who had been letting youth's precious moments pass by unused, came to himself & resolved to change his way. He ordered his servant to lay the fire the next morning at five o'clock.

Thus he began to pursue that course of study & application which in time made him one of the noted men of his day through his celebrated books, like Paley's Evidences - a great defender of the Christian faith.

- (moreillustrations.com)

“Oh, how precious is time, and how it pains me to see it slide away, while I do so little to any good purpose.” -  David Brainerd.

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.”

TALKATIVENESS

You can always tell when a man's a fool by his chatter. You can always know when a man is wise by the things he does not say.
 
- Sunshine Magazine (moreillustrations.com)
 
Pro 17:27 (GNT): “Those who are sure of themselves do not talk all the time. People who stay calm have real insight.”
 
Pro 13:3 (ERV): “People who are careful about what they say will save their lives, but those who speak without thinking will be destroyed.”
 
“Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.” -  C.S. Lewis.
 

HIS FOOTPRINTS

"How do you know," a Christian Arab was asked, "that there is a God?"

"In the same way," he replied, "that I know, on looking at the sand, when a man or a beast has crossed the desert - by His footprints in the world around me."

- Canon Liddon.

“As you walk through the valley of the unknown, you will find the footprints of Jesus both in front of you and beside you.” -  Charles Stanley.

2 Cor 4:6 (EHV): For the God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” is the same one who made light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

LEADERSHIP

The strong leader can be popular in a general way but he has few, if any, really close friends. He understands his subordinates but cannot be clearly understood by them. His position tends to isolate him.

In general he is a "father image" to his subordinates and they admire, respect, fear or hate him as dictated by their childhood patterns.

- Jack S. Staehle (moreillustrations.com)

Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.” (Luke 22:25-26 NLT).

“Stay one step ahead of your people and you are called a leader. Stay ten steps ahead of your people and you are called a martyr.” – Author unknown.

SEEING GOD!

The little boy was found by his mother with pencil & paper, making a sketch. When asked what he was doing, he answered promptly & with considerable pride:

"I'm drawing a picture of God."

"But," gasped the shocked mother, "you cannot do that. No one has seen God. No one knows how God looks."

"Well," the little boy replied, complacently, "when I get through they will."

- (moreillustrations.com)

1 John 4:12 (ERV): “No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us. If we love each other, God’s love has reached its goal - it is made perfect in us.”

“As the sun can be seen only by its own light, so Christ can be known only by His own Spirit.” -  Robert Leighton.

CONSCIENCE

Dr. David James Burrell once told this story to illustrate conscience:

An Indian had bought a package of supplies at a trading post & on opening it found a silver coin inside. Something troubled him. He came back to the trading post & handed the coin to the trader.

The trader laughed at his sensitivity, but the Indian insisted, saying:

"I got a good man & a bad man in my heart. The good man say, `It is not yours'; the bad man say, 'Nobody will know'; the good man say, 'Take it back'; the bad man say, `Never mind'; so I think I go asleep, but the good man & the bad man talk all night & trouble me."

The distressed Indian had developed a conscience. Perhaps some missionary had taught him an ideal of honesty & his conscience sensitized his ideal so that he was compelled to return the coin in order to have peace of mind.

This is what conscience accomplishes; it brings peace of mind.

-Westminster Teacher. (moreillustrations.com)

“Conscience is the voice of God in the soul.” -  James H. Aughey.

“And so I do my best always to have a clear conscience before God and people.” – Paul (Acts 24:16 GNT)

“If any speak ill of thee, fly home to thy own conscience and examine thy heart. If thou art guilty, it is a just correction; if not guilty, it is a fair instruction.” -  George Herbert.

HIDDEN MOTIVES

“Any desire for promotion, pleasure, riches, or fame will quickly make one a servant of The Beast. And, I'm afraid, that is exactly what many of today's pastors and preachers have become.” -  Chuck Baldwin.

Pro 16:2 (GNT): “You may think everything you do is right, but the Lord judges your motives.”

“Many people live righteously for selfish or misguided reasons. If you are striving to please God, examine your motives today.” -  Paul Chappell.

Mat 23:12 (GNV): “For whosoever will exalt himself, shall be brought low: and whosoever will humble himself, shall be exalted.”

“We are too much haunted by ourselves, projecting the central shadow of self on everything around us. And then comes the Gospel to rescue us from this selfishness. Redemption is this, to forget self in God.” -  Frederick W. Robertson.

SEEKING GOD

The richest man in the world, Croesus, once asked the wisest man in the world, Thales, What is God?

The philosopher asked for a day in which to deliberate & then for another & then for another & another  - and at length confessed that he was not able to answer, that the longer he deliberated, the more difficult it was for him to frame an answer.

The fiery Tertullian, the early Church Father, eagerly seized upon this incident & said it was an example of the world's ignorance of God outside of Christ.

"There," he exclaimed, "is the wisest man in the world & he cannot tell you who God is. But the most ignorant mechanic among the Christians knows God and is able to make Him known unto others."

- (moreillustrations.com)

Jer 29:13 (NIV): “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

“If you're sincerely seeking God, God will make His existence evident to you.” -  William Lane Craig.

IN HIS TIME

“Cast not away your confidence because God defers His performances. That which does not come in your time, will be hastened in His time, which is always the more convenient season. God will work when He pleases, how He pleases, and by what means He pleases. He is not bound to keep our time, but He will perform His word, honor our faith, and reward them that diligently seek Him.”

-  Matthew Henry (moreillustrations.com)

“God gives us hopes and dreams for certain things to happen in our lives, but He doesn't always allow us to see the exact timing of His plan.” - Joyce Meyer.

Ecc 3:11 (JUB): “He has made everything beautiful in his time…”               

“In His time, God gives us rest from every test.” -  Woodrow Kroll.

1 Pet 5:6 (GNT): “Humble yourselves, then, under God's mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time.”

                                            

EFFECTS OF TIME

When as a child I laughed and wept, Time crept;

When as a youth I dreamt and talked, Time walked;

When I became a full-grown man, Time ran;

When older still I daily grew, Time flew;

Soon shall I find in travelling on, Time gone;

And face eternity begun, Time done.

- Selection (moreillustrations.com)

“Truth has no special time of its own. Its hour is now - always.” -  Albert Schweitzer.

Heb 3:15 (GNT): This is what the scripture says: “If you hear God's voice today, do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God.”

REDEEMING THE TIME

The great French Chancellor D'Aguesseau carefully employed every moment of his time.

Observing that Madame D'Aguesseau always delayed 10 or 12 minutes before she came down to dinner, he began to compose a work to which he intended to devote these few minutes, which would otherwise have been lost.

 
The result was, at the end of 15 years, a work in three large quarto volumes, which went through several editions.

- (moreillustrations.com)

Ep 5:16 (ESV): “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

“To have no time for philosophy is to be a true philosopher.” -  Blaise Pascal.

HAPPINESS IN THE LORD

Pascal, author of the celebrated Thoughts, has a profound thought when he says that happiness is not in us but in God.

There are, indeed, by-streams of happiness, such as affection for others & from others, doing good to others, doing creative work, entertaining hope for the future, sitting in the sunlight of pleasant memories of the past. But these are only by-springs.

The real fountain & source of happiness is a state of life & soul that is right with God & therefore, right with man.

- (moreillustrations.com)

Ps 37:4 (GNT): “Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desire.”

“Happiness is not our being's end and aim. The Christian's aim is perfection, not happiness; and every one of the sons of God must have something of that spirit which marked his Master.” - F. W. Robertson.

GANDHI & THE ‘CHRISTIANS'

When Mahatma Gandhi was attending university in London, he became almost convinced of the validity of Christianity, seeing it as possibly the one true supernatural religion.

After graduation, he continued to seek evidence that would persuade him to become a committed Christian.

When he accepted employment in East Africa & lived with a family who were members of an evangelical Christian church, he believed this would be his greatest source of evidence for the Christian faith.

Gandhi lived with this family for 7 months, but after seeing their casual attitude towards God & hearing them complain about making sacrifices for Christ, he became disillusioned.

"No," he concluded, "Christianity is not the one true, supernatural religion I had hoped to find; a good religion, but just one more of the many religions in the world."

- Dick Innes (aksermonillustrations.blogspot.com)

“You are the only Bible some unbelievers will ever read, and your life is under scrutiny every day. What do others learn from you? Do they see an accurate picture of your God?” -  John MacArthur.

“Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who obey my Father in heaven will get in.”- Lord Jesus (Mat 7:21 CEV).