MAKING A DREAM COME TRUE

A Scotch boy by the name of Alexander Duff had a dream in which, in a chariot of great glory, God drew near to him where he lay meditating on a hillside & calling to him said:

"Come up, hither; I have work for thee to do."

That vision never faded from his memory. He went to Grammar school & to St. Andrews University, where a missionary society was formed among the students, Duff becoming its first librarian.

In 1829, he went out to India as the first missionary from the Scottish church. He was a real pioneer. He opened a school in Calcutta & later helped to establish a medical college there.

If you have a dream of doing great service for God, try to make it come true as Alexander Duff made his dream come true.

- (moreillustrations.com)

Job 33:15 (GNT): “At night when people are asleep, God speaks in dreams and visions.”

“The vision of the Divine Presence ever takes the form which our circumstances most require.” -  Alexander MacLaren.

FENCES!

On June 28, 2008, Asia LeeShawn Ferguson went over two fences & entered a restricted area in Six Flags Over Georgia. The 17 yr-old was hit & killed by the Batman roller coaster.

It is not known why Ferguson climbed the fences & his father said, “Nobody knows but my son & the Lord.”

Many people try to climb the fences their authority has placed around them, and they enter forbidden territory. It should not be a surprise to them when they get hurt.

Source: Chicago Tribune (ministry127.com)

Job 1:10 (GW): “Haven’t you put a protective fence around him, his home, and everything he has?”

Ecc 10:8 (TLV): “whoever breaks through a fence may be bitten by a snake.”

“These days its not just that the line between right and wrong has been made unclear, today Christians are being asked by our culture today to erase the lines and move the fences, and if that were not bad enough, we are being asked to join in the celebration cry by those who have thrown off the restraints religion had imposed upon them. It is not just that they ask we accept, but they now demand of us to celebrate it too.” -  Ravi Zacharias.

HEAVENLY VISION

In his book The Wilson Era, Josephus Daniels, secretary of the navy under Wilson, relates how he once asked Andrew Carnegie what was the secret of his remarkable success.

Carnegie replied, "I owe it all to my flashes."

Mystified, Daniels said, "What do you mean by 'flashes'?"

"All my life," replied Carnegie, "I woke up early in the morning & always there came into my mind with the waking a flash telling me what to do that day & if I followed those flashes, I always succeeded."

"You mean," said Daniels, "that you have heavenly visions & like the man in the Scriptures you were not disobedient to your visions?"

"Call it that if you like," answered Carnegie, "or call it flashes; but it was the following of those silent directions which brought me the success you say I have achieved."

Whatever may be said about the flashes, when they come, happy is the man who, like Paul, is obedient to the heavenly vision.

- (moreillustrations.com)

Pro 29:1 (MEV): “Where there is no vision, the people perish;”

ARE YOU A LEADER OR A BOSS?

The boss drives his men; the leader coaches them.

The boss depends upon authority; the leader on good will.

The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm.

The boss says “I;” the leader, “We.”

The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown.

The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how.

The boss says “Go;” the leader says “Let’s go!”

- H. Gordon Selfridge (ministry127.com)

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” - John C. Maxwell.

“The chief occupational hazard of leadership is pride.” -  John Stott.

Tit 1:7 (GNT): “For since a church leader is in charge of God's work, he should be without fault. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered, or a drunkard or violent or greedy for money.”

CROSS OF CHRIST

Winston Churchill paid a great tribute to the young men of the Royal Air Force, who mounted up with wings as eagles and with their sheltering wings guarded the land they love.

He said, "Never in the history of mankind have so many owed so much to so few."

But when we think of the cross of Christ, and Him who died on it, what we say is this: "Never in the history of the universe has mankind owed so much to one."

- (moreillustrations.com)

Col 2: 14 (ICB):  “We owed a debt because we broke God’s laws. That debt listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us that debt. He took away that debt and nailed it to the cross.”

“He came to pay a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay.” – Author Unknown.

ATTITUDE TOWARDS MONEY

A man once came to visit Robert Hall, the famous English preacher, to take some exception to a statement the preacher had made in his sermon. Hall saw that the man was in the bondage of love of money.

Hall took a half sovereign (coin) out of his pocket & opening the Bible, pointed to the word "God."

"Can you see that word?" he said to the man.

"Certainly, I can see it."

Then Hall laid the half sovereign over the word. "Can you see it now?" he asked.

There was no need for the man to answer. It was an unforgettable sermon:

Money, the love of it, can hide from the soul of man even the face of God.

- (moreillustrations.com)

“To be clever enough to get all that money, one must be stupid enough to want it.” -  G.K. Chesterton.

Heb 13:5 (NIV): Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

“If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.” -  Billy Graham.

HELPING OTHERS

A man was making his way over the mountains through a terrible snow storm. He gradually got weaker & weaker, until at last he stumbled & fell.

He said to himself, "This is the end. I shall never be found!" He was too weak to rise, but as he fell, his hand struck the body of another man who had fallen in the same place.

This first man was unconscious & the man who had just fallen rose to his knees & bending over began to rub his hands & face, until by & by the man's eyes opened.

He had saved another's life, but he had also saved himself, for the exercise had kept the life in his own body.

Thus, when you have a passion for souls, when you go seeking the lost, when you lift the burdens of others, your own vision of Jesus is clearer, your own hope of eternity is stronger, your own assurance of salvation is greater.

- J. Wilbur Chapman. (moreillustrations.com)

“In helping others, we help ourselves.” -  Woodrow Kroll.

Pro 11:25 (GNT): “Be generous, and you will be prosperous. Help others, and you will be helped.”

Do You Believe the Gospel?

Some time ago an 18-year-old girl from Washington state attended a worship service. For the first time in her life she heard the gospel message. The following Tuesday the members of the church received a letter from her. It read:

Dear Church Members:
 
Last Sunday I attended your church & I heard the preacher. In the sermon the preacher said that all men have sinned & rebelled against God. Because of their rebellion & disobedience they all face eternal damnation & separation from God.
 
But then he also said God loves man & sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to redeem men from their sins & that all those who believe in Him would go to Heaven & live with God eternally.
 
My parents recently died in rapid succession. I know they did not believe in Jesus Christ, whom you call the Savior of the world. If what you believe is true, they are damned.
 
You compel me to believe that either the message is true, that you yourself don't believe this message, or that you don't care. You see, we live only three blocks from your church & no one ever told us.
 
- (ministry127.com)
 
Lord Jesus said: “He who puts his trust in Me and is baptized will be saved from the punishment of sin. But he who does not put his trust in Me is guilty and will be punished forever.” (Mk 16:16 NLV)
 
“Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that.” -  Charles Spurgeon.

8 Contributors to Peace of Mind

Duke University did a study on “peace of mind.” Factors found to contribute greatly to emotional & mental stability are:

1. The absence of suspicion & resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.

2. Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes & failures leads to depression.

3. Not wasting time & energy fighting conditions you cannot change. Cooperate with life, instead of trying to run away from it.

4. Force yourself to stay involved with the living world. Resist the temptation to withdraw & become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.

5. Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow & misfortune.

6. Cultivate the old-fashioned virtues - love, humor, compassion & loyalty.

7. Do not expect too much of yourself. When there is too wide a gap between self-expectation & your ability to meet the goals you have set, feelings of inadequacy are inevitable.

8. Find something bigger than yourself to believe in. Self-centered egotistical people score lowest on any test for measuring happiness.

- (ministry127.com)

Ps 119:165 (CEV): “You give peace of mind to all who love your Law. Nothing can make them fall.”

“Is the peace of God in the soul disturbed by things down here? No, never! If waters break in stormy currents against a rock, the rock is unmoved; it is only the waters that are disturbed.” - G.V. Wigram.

BEARING THE NAME OF SOMEONE GREAT

Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire known world with his vast army.

One night during a campaign, he couldn't sleep & left his tent to walk around the campgrounds. As he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty - a serious offense.

The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was, in some cases, instant death; the commanding officer sometimes poured kerosene on the sleeping soldier & lit it.

The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life.

"Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?" Alexander the Great asked the soldier.

"Yes sir," the soldier responded in a quivering voice.

"Soldier, what's your name?" demanded Alexander the Great.

"Alexander, sir."

Alexander the Great repeated the question: "What is your name?"

"My name is Alexander, sir," the soldier repeated.

A third time & more loudly Alexander the Great asked, "What is your name?"

A third time the soldier meekly said, "My name is Alexander, sir."

Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye."Soldier," he said with intensity, "either change your name or change your conduct."

We who carry the name of Christ & call ourselves Christian must live up to the name. We are ambassadors for Christ, reconciling the world with God. Let's represent Him!

- Dr. Guy & Ilke Peh (aksermonillustrations.blogspot.com)

2 Cor 5:20 (CEB): So we are ambassadors who represent Christ. God is negotiating with you through us. We beg you as Christ’s representatives, “Be reconciled to God!”

ANGER

A great man injured by anger was Moses. When the people murmured & asked for water, Moses was commanded to strike the rock at Horeb.

Out of all patience with the people & their waywardness, Moses struck the rock twice, crying out as he did so, "Hear, ye rebels!"

This burst of rage cost Moses the Promised Land, because it was for this transgression that Moses  - in spite of his grand service & his pathetic pleading at the end of Israel's long wandering -  was not permitted to go into the land of Canaan.

That was not the first nor the last time that a land of promise & of happiness was lost through anger.

- (moreillustrations.com)

Js 1:20 (ICB): “Anger will not help you live a good life as God wants.”

“No matter how just your words may be, you ruin everything when you speak with anger.” -  John Chrysostom.

 “Is it any merit to abstain from wine if one is intoxicated with anger?” -  Augustine.

APPLAUSE

Dr. Ernest Mellor wrote how he & his wife: "Sat charmed at an outdoor performance by young Suzuki violin students. After the concert, an instructor spoke briefly on how children as young as 2, 3 & 4 years old are taught to play violin.

The first thing the children learn, he said, is a proper standing posture. And the second thing the children learn - even before they pick up the violin - is how to take a bow.

'If the children just play the violin & stop, people may forget to show their appreciation,' the instructor said. 'But when the children bow, the audience invariably applauds. And applause is the best motivator we've found to make children feel good about performing & want to do it well.'”

Adults love applause too. Being affirmed makes us feel wonderful.

Meaningful applause - whether by hand clapping or with our words - is one the most effective & easiest ways to encourage one another.

1 Thess 5:11 (TLB): “So encourage each other to build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

- Ps Dick Innes (aksermonillustrations.blogspot.com)

“Let the lips of the poor be the trumpet of thy gift, lest in seeking applause, thou lose thy reward.” -  Francis Quarles.

JEALOUSY

Hawthorne, in his tale "The Bosom Serpent" illustrates the power of jealousy to destroy a soul.

The man, who had been separated from his wife because of jealous suspicions, would sometimes hold his hand to his chest & exclaim:

"It nibbling! It’s chewing!"

For this reason he was known to the people in the town as the man with the snake in his breast.

Sometimes he would create great alarm when he stopped other men on the street & asked them how their serpent was.

At length, after all kinds of remedies had been tried, his wife appeared & pleaded with him to forget himself & show his love for her. At that the man fell on the ground & there was the sound like the passing of a serpent through the grass.

Thus the man was cured of the bosom serpent of jealousy.

What about the serpent in thy breast? Oh, beware of the bosom serpent of jealousy!

- (moreillustrations.com)

“You are still not spiritual. You have jealousy and arguing among you. This shows that you are not spiritual. You are acting like people of the world.” 1 Cor 3:3 (ICB)

“Too often we think of being tempted as being enticed to do big things like stealing, murdering or committing adultery. But most often we're tempted to be impatient, stingy, jealous, greedy or any number of other things that we consider lesser sins.” -  Joyce Meyer.