LET’S NOT CONCEAL IT!

A kind uncle who had just returned from Paris brought his little niece a fine French doll.

"Did you thank Uncle for the beautiful present?" asked her mother, as the little girl rushed into the house all aglow with enthusiasm over the new toy.

"Yes, Mamma, but I didn't tell him so."

This is the way with much of our gratitude. If you are thankful to God, tell him so. If you are grateful for the kindness of a friend express it, that the friend & you may be the better for it.

- Record of Christian Work. (moreillustrations.com)

“The Bible tells us that whenever we come before God, whatever our purpose or prayer request, we are always to come with a thankful heart.” -  David Jeremiah.

Lk 16-17 (TLB): He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus, face downward in the dust, thanking him for what he had done… Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the nine?”

“No matter what our circumstance, we can find a reason to be thankful.” - David Jeremiah.

 

HOLY SPIRIT

“When the Spirit came to Moses, the plagues came upon Egypt & he had power to destroy men's lives.

When the Spirit came upon Elijah, fire came down from Heaven.

When the Spirit came upon Joshua, he moved around the city of Jericho & the whole city fell into his hands.

But when the Spirit came upon the Son of Man, He gave His life, He healed the broken-hearted.”

- D. L. Moody

When the Spirit comes into the believer, He makes Christ dearer, Heaven nearer & the Word of God clearer.

- (moreillustrations.com)

“Trying to do the Lord's work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.” - Corrie Ten Boom.

Rom 8: 8-9 (GNT):  “Those who obey their human nature cannot please God. But you do not live as your human nature tells you to; instead, you live as the Spirit tells you to - if, in fact, God's Spirit lives in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

TOMORROW HAS TWO HANDLES

The following story is told of the Rev. John Wilkinson & the ‘Mildmay Mission to the Jews’:

On one occasion two American gentlemen sat at Mr. Wilkinson's breakfast table & noted his opening of letters which brought God's supply for the day.

"This is all very well so far," said one, "but what would you do, Mr. Wilkinson, if one morning the expected supply did not come?"

He answered: "That can only happen, sir, when God dies."

- Christian Herald. (moreillustrations.com)

“If God was faithful to you yesterday, you have reason to trust him for tomorrow.” - Woodrow Kroll.

Mat 6:34 (ICB): “So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.”

“Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.” - Henry Ward Beecher.

“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” -  Charles Spurgeon.

FIGHTING BATTLES

“Battles are fought in our minds every day. When we begin to feel the battle is just too difficult & want to give up, we must choose to resist negative thoughts & be determined to rise above our problems.

We must decide that we're not going to quit. When we're bombarded with doubts & fears, we must take a stand & say: 'I willl never give up! God's on my side. He loves me & He's helping me! I'm going to make it!'” - Joyce Meyer.

1 Pet 1:13-14 (GNT): “So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant.”

“You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him.” -  A.W. Tozer.

PERFECT FREEDOM BY FOLLOWING

When the British Government sent word to Jamaica that slavery was at an end; that was an act of a government speaking for a nation. Every slave had the right to go free.

I doubt not there were slaves who did not believe it & went on with their slavery. Those who did believe it got rid of their shackles & were free.

I am here to say that every man & every woman & every child is redeemed. Is every man, woman & child saved?

That depends upon your attitude toward the finished work. Redemption is a work of God, but in order to have salvation the individual must exercise faith in what is accomplished.

- 'Grace and Truth' by W. Graham Scroggie. (moreillustrations.com)

Ps 119:45 (CEV): “I have gained perfect freedom by following your teachings.”

“The greatest privilege God gives to you is the freedom to approach Him at any time.” -  Wesley L. Duewel.

PERSECUTION

Lord Jesus said: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mat 5:11-12 NIV)

“If you take care of yourself and walk with integrity, you may be confident that God will deal with those who sin against you. Above all, don't give birth to sin yourself; rather, pray for those who persecute you. God will one day turn your persecution into praise.” - Warren Wiersbe.

2 Tim 3:12 (NIV): “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”      

THE GOSPEL

An old preacher once advised his younger brethren to preach:

“A full Gospel - Christ & nothing less;

A plain gospel - Christ & nothing more;

A pure gospel - Christ & nothing else.”

- A. P. Gibbs (moreillustrations.com)

Mk 16:16 (NCV): “Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved, but anyone who does not believe will be punished.”

“A gospel that does not confront sin is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.” -  John MacArthur.

2 Cor 4:3 (CEB):  “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are on the road to destruction.”

“In contradistinction to the Gospel of Christ, the gospel of Satan teaches salvation by works.” -  A.W. Pink.

IN THE SAME PLACE

When Jesus told the disciples to launch out into the deep & let down the nets, Peter said, "Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing." (Luke 5:5.) 

Yet it was in those same waters that they made the great haul of fish.

We are sometimes inclined to think that if we could have a different line or net, get into a different place, have a new environment; all would be different with us.

But remember what Jesus said to those disciples, in the same waters, with the same burdens, the same temptations, the same occupation, and the same trials— there or nowhere must be our victory.

- (moreillustrations.com)

“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” - Harriet Beecher Stowe.

BE FULLY SURRENDERED TO GOD

When D.L. Moody was just starting in the ministry, he heard a preacher make this statement, “the world has yet to see what God can do with one man fully surrendered to Him.”

Moody that night said, “By God’s grace, I’ll be that man!”

- From ‘Living Beyond Your Capacity’ by Paul Chappell (ministry127.com)

Rom 12:1 (TLV): “I urge you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice - holy, acceptable to God - which is your spiritual service.”

“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon Earth.” -  John Wesley.

THANKING GOD …

“The Bible tells us that whenever we come before God, whatever our purpose or prayer request, we are always to come with a thankful heart.” - David Jeremiah.

Phil 4:6 (TLV): “Do not be anxious about anything - but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

“Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow.” - Henry Ward Beecher.

1 Thes 5:18 (KJV): “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

“In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” - Albert Schweitzer.

SHARE THE GOSPEL

Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), the world-famous violinist, earned a fortune with his concerts & compositions, but he generously gave most of it away. So, when he discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips, he wasn’t able to buy it.

Later, having raised enough money to meet the asking price, he returned to the seller, hoping to purchase the beautiful instrument. But to his great dismay it had been sold to a collector.

Kreisler made his way to the new owner’s home & offered to buy the violin. The collector said it had become his prized possession & he would not sell it. Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea.

“Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?” he asked.

Permission was granted & the great virtuoso filled the room with such heart-moving music that the collector’s emotions were deeply stirred.

“I have no right to keep that to myself,” he exclaimed. “It’s yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world & let people hear it.”

The Christian has no right to keep the Gospel to himself. He must share it with those around him.

- Our Daily Bread (ministry127.com)

2 Kings 7:9 (GNT): But then they said to each other, “We shouldn't be doing this! We have good news, and we shouldn't keep it to ourselves…”

I remember one who spoke on the missionary question one day saying, "The great question is not, 'Will not the heathen be saved if we do not send them the gospel?' but 'Are we saved ourselves if we do not send them the gospel?'” - Charles Spurgeon.

BEATING AROUND THE BUSH

Frank wasn't known for his patience & he had absolutely no use for negative conversation.

When he got a call from his wife during a busy day at work, she talked slowly & didn't seem very cheerful. Frank interrupted her & exhorted her to be brief & positive.

She paused for a moment & then cheerfully replied, "I discovered the airbags in our new BMW work great!"

- (ministry127.com)

Mat 5:37 (ESV): “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

Pro 10:19 (GNT): “The more you talk, the more likely you are to sin. If you are wise, you will keep quiet.”

“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.

 

PROPER TEACHING

In a Sunday school class the lesson was about lying. 

A young girl put this proposition to her teacher, "My mother is `old-fashioned' and thinks it is wrong to dance, so when I want to go to a dance I tell her that I am going to stay with a girl friend. Is it wrong to tell that kind of lie?"

The teacher replied, "No, if your mother is such a `back number' as that, it is all right to lie to her."

Another child in the class, reporting the incident to his parents, was removed from that Sunday school, and sent to a sound one.

- The Voice. (moreillustrations.com)       

“A child of five, if properly instructed, can as truly believe and be regenerated as an adult.” -  Charles Spurgeon.

Pro 22:6 (GNT): “Teach children how they should live and they will remember it all their life.”

ALWAYS GET UP!

The story is told that Andrew Jackson’s boyhood friends just couldn’t understand how he became a famous general & then the President of the US. They knew of other men who had greater talent but who never succeeded.

One of Jackson’s friends said, “Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the pike from Jackson, was not only smarter but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match. But look where Andy is now.”

Another friend responded, “How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn’t they usually say three times & out?”

“Sure, they were supposed to, but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat - he would never stay ‘throwed.’ Jim Brown would get tired & on the fourth try Andrew Jackson would throw him & be the winner.”

Picking up on that idea, someone has said, “The thing that counts is not how many times you are ‘throwed,’ but whether you are willing to stay ‘throwed.’”

The Christian life is a battle. Pro 24:16 (NIRV) says: “Even if godly people fall down seven times, they always get up. But those who are evil trip and fall when trouble comes.”

- (ministry127.com)

HONESTY

Ex-District Attorney Jerome, at a dinner in New York, told a story about honesty.

"There was a man," he said, "who applied for a position in a dry-goods house. His appearance wasn't prepossessing & references were demanded.

After some hesitation, he gave the name of a driver in the firm's employ. This driver, he thought, would vouch for him. A clerk sought out the driver & asked him if the applicant was honest.

'Honest?' the driver said. 'Why, his honesty's been proved again & again. To my certain knowledge he's been arrested nine times for stealing & every time he was acquitted.'"

- (moreillustrations.com)

Pro 11:4 (GNT): “Riches will do you no good on the day you face death, but honesty can save your life.”

“Friends, if we be honest with ourselves, we shall be honest with each other.” -  George Macdonald.

               

HE KNOWS WHAT IS BEST

A Persian legend runs that a certain king needed a faithful servant & two men were candidates for the office. He took both at fixed wages & his first order was to fill a basket with water from a neighboring well, saying that he would come in the evening & see their work.

After putting in one or two bucketfuls, one man said, "What is the good of doing this useless work? As soon as we put the water in one side it runs out the other."

The other answered, "But we have our wages, haven't we? The use is the master's business, not ours."

"I am not going to do such fool's work," replied the other. Throwing down his bucket, he went away.

The other man continued until he had exhausted the well; looking down into it he saw something shining - a diamond ring. "Now I see the use of pouring water into a basket," he cried. "Even if the bucket had brought up the ring before the well was emptied, it would have been found in the basket. Our work was not useless."

Christians must believe that their divine Master knows what is best, and obey His commands, and in due time they will know and understand.

- Christian Herald. (moreillustrations.com)           

Jn 2:5 (CEB): His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he (Jesus) tells you.”

“Just as a servant knows that he must first obey his master in all things, so the surrender to an implicit and unquestionable obedience must become the essential characteristic of our lives.” -  Andrew Murray.

“It is possible to miss God's perfect will for our lives through carelessness or disobedience.” -  Zac Poonen.

FACING TRIALS

The steel that has suffered most is the best steel. It has been in the furnace, on the anvil, in the jaws of the vice.

It has been heated & hammered & filed until it does not know itself & it comes out a splendid knife.

Misfortunes are God's best blessings, molding influences which give shapeliness & edge & durability & power.

- Henry Ward Beecher (moreillustrations.com)

Js 1:2-4 (GNT): “My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure. Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

“Life's trials are not easy. But in God's will, each has a purpose. Often He uses them to enlarge you.” - Warren Wiersbe.

MERCY

A mother sought the pardon of her son from Napoleon. The emperor said it was his second offense & justice demanded his death.

"I don't ask for justice," said his mother, "I plead for mercy."

"But," said the emperor, "he does not deserve mercy."

"Sir," cried the mother, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it & mercy is all I ask for."

"Well, then," said the emperor, "I will have mercy." And her son was saved.

- Good Company. (moreillustrations.com)

Ep 2:8 (CEV): “You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God’s gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own.”

When Thomas Hooker was dying, one present said to him, "You are going to receive the reward of your labors." He replied, "I am going to receive mercy."

THE JUDGE PAID

In the town of Wishaw there lived an earnest Christian who became a magistrate. One morning there appeared before him in the court a friend of his youth, who had strayed from the paths of righteousness & had committed an offense against the law of the land.

Those who knew the relationship between the two men expected the magistrate to deal with the man mercifully & they were very much surprised when they heard that the sentence was a heavy fine.

But they were more surprised when the magistrate went to the officer of the court & took from his own pocket the money to pay the fine.

He did his duty as a magistrate & upheld the law, but he also showed something of the mercy of God for his friend when he paid the penalty for his friend.

There is little wonder that the law-breaker was broken-hearted in his repentance.

Jesus gave Himself for you. Have you given yourself to Him?

- Peniel Herald.(moreillustrations.com)

Rom 12:1 (GNT): “So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.”

GRUDGE

“The state of your heart dictates whether you harbor a grudge or give grace, seek self-pity or seek Christ, drink human misery or taste God’s mercy.” – Max Lucado.

Ecc 7:9 (GNT): “Keep your temper under control; it is foolish to harbor a grudge.”

“To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee.” – William H Walton.

Mat 6:14-15 (GNT):  “If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done.”

COMFORT

John was a gardener to a Christian gentleman. He had lost his lovely little daughter & was bitter & rebellious against God for taking her from the home.

One morning he found that a special rose he was training for the local Flower Show was gone. He was very angry & turning to the maid, said, “Who did this?”

“It was the master,” she replied.

Just then the master himself came on the scene. “John!” he said, “these flowers belong to me. Have I not a right to pluck any of them as I please?”

John learnt the lesson. The darling daughter he had lost belonged to the Lord, and He had taken the lovely bud to blossom in His Paradise above. John was comforted.

-(moreillustrations.com)

Job 1:21 (GNT): He said, “I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name be praised!”

“One way to get comfort is to plead the promise of God in prayer, show Him His handwriting; God is tender of His Word.” - Thomas Manton.

Sayings on SHAME

“It is a shame for a person to have been a Christian for years but not to have advanced beyond the knowledge of his salvation.” - Theodore Epp.

Pro 18:3 (GNT): “Sin and shame go together…”

“It is a shame when the church itself is a cemetery, where the living sleep above the ground, as the dead do beneath.” - Thomas Fuller.

Rom 10:11 (ISV): The Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will never be ashamed.”

“Once in seven years, I burn all my sermons; for it is a shame, if I cannot write better sermons now than I did seven years ago.” - John Wesley.

ONE STEP AT A TIME

Ten of us met in New York to sail. We were faith missionaries, with no board to take care of us. There was no home ready for us to go to as far as we knew. No one was pledged to send us money.

None of these things troubled me at first. I must have been half way across the Atlantic before I began seriously to wonder where I would go when I finally reached India. But it did come to me at last & then I began to pray about it.

Then God gave me a dream. I saw myself standing on a tiny little plank which was floating in a vast ocean; absolutely nothing in front of me or behind me or at the sides. But, as I lifted my foot as if to step, another little board appeared just in front, ready for me to step on it.

So God comforted me & seemed to be telling me that I was to trust Him for one step at a time. And so I went happily on, ‘always finding a plank in front ready to be stepped on when needed’.

- From My Life, by Mrs. W. K. Norton, of the Pilgrim's Mission, Benares, India. (moreillustrations.com)

Deu 7:21-22 (GNT): “So do not be afraid of these people. The Lord your God is with you; he is a great God and one to be feared. Little by little he will drive out these nations as you advance…”

FOCUSED ON JESUS

In the early days in the West, the circuit-riding preachers had to swim their horses across the rivers.

They tell us that when they were crossing swollen & overflowing rivers if they fixed their gaze upon the swirling waters around them they were likely to become dizzy & falling from their seat, be swept away by the flood.

But if they fixed their eye upon the trunk of a great tree on the bank, or upon some mighty rock, or upon the summit of a hill or mountain, they rode through in safety.

In the storms of life faith gives us balance & calm & safety, for we fix our eye, not upon the shifting scene about us, but upon the eternal God.

- (moreillustrations.com)              

Mat 14:29-30 (ICB):  Jesus said, “Come.” And Peter left the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. But when Peter saw the wind and the waves, he became afraid and began to sink. He shouted, “Lord, save me!”

“The more you trust Jesus and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life you'll have. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. So stop trying to figure out everything, and let God be God in your life.” -  Joyce Meyer.

PREPARE FOR JUDGMENT!

Justice Gray of the Supreme Court once said to a man who had appeared before him in one of the lower courts & had escaped conviction by some technicality:

"I know that you are guilty & you know it, and I wish you to remember that one day you will stand before a better & wiser Judge, and that there you will be dealt with according to justice & not according to law."

- (moreillustrations.com)

Pro 21:2 (GNT): "You may think that everything you do is right, but remember that the Lord judges your motives.”

“Put your nose into the Bible every day. It is your spiritual food. And then share it. Make a vow not to be a lukewarm Christian.” -  Kirk Cameron.

GOD’S PROMISES ARE FACTS

When G. Campbell Morgan was a young man he visited two elderly ladies each week to read the Bible to them.

When he read Matthew 28:20, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”  He said, “Isn’t that a wonderful promise?”

One of the ladies quickly replied, “Young man! That is not a promise. It is a fact!”

All of God’s promises are fact.

- The Wiersbe Bible Commentary  (ministry127.com)

“If you are a child of God, know that every promise in the Bible is yours. The Bible is a gold mine, waiting for someone to take out its riches.” -  Lee Roberson.

“Enter into the promises of God. It is your inheritance. You will do more in one year if you are really filled with the Holy Ghost than you could do in fifty years apart from Him.” - Smith Wigglesworth.