FOR RICHER OR POORER

Here's a story that will really make you think about what's most important in life.

The wives who lived within the walls of the Weinsberg Castle in Germany were well aware of the riches it held: gold, silver, jewels & wealth beyond belief.

Then the day came in 1141 A. D. when all their treasure was threatened.

And enemy army had surrounded the castle & demanded the fortress, the fortune & the lives of the men within. There was nothing to do but surrender.

Although the conquering commander had set a condition for the safe release of all the women & children, the wives of Weinsberg refused to leave without having one of their own conditions met, as well.

They demanded that they be allowed to fill their arms with as many possessions as they could carry out with them. Knowing that the women couldn't possibly carry much compared to the massive fortune in the castle, their request was honored.

When the castle gates opened, the army outside was brought to tears.

Each woman had carried out her husband.

The wives of Weinsberg, indeed, were well aware of the real riches the castle held.

- (aksermonillustrations.blogspot.in)

Pro 12:4 (ISV): “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband, but a wife who puts him to shame is like bone cancer.”

“Try praising your wife, even if it does frighten her at first.” -  Billy Sunday.

SELF-PAT

One time the newspaper cartoonist H. T. Webster amused himself by sending telegrams to 20 of his acquaintances, selected at random.

Each message contained just one word: "Congratulations."

So far as Webster knew, not one of them had done anything in particular on which he might be congratulated.

But each of the 20 took the message as a matter of course & wrote him a letter of thanks.

Each had assumed he had done something worthy of a congratulatory telegram.

- Sunshine Magazine. (moreillustrations.com)

Pro 27:2 (ICB): “Don’t praise yourself.  Let someone else do it. Let the praise come from a stranger and not from your own mouth.”

“He who pats himself on the back may dislocate his shoulder.” - Ernest Legouve.

GOODWILL OFFERING

During the last Sunday service that the visiting pastor was to spend at the church he served for some months, his hat was passed around for a goodwill offering.

When it returned to the pastor, it was empty. The pastor didn't shy.

He raised the hat to Heaven and prayed:

"Lord, I thank you that at least I got my hat back from this congregation."

- (aksermonillustrations.blogspot.in)

“Babies by nature are completely selfish. They think only of themselves and their own needs. They are incapable of giving; they can only receive. That is immature thinking. Unfortunately, many people never grow beyond that kind of thinking.” -  Rick Warren.

Pro 11:24 (EXB): “Some people give much but get back even more. Others don’t give what they should and end up poor.”

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

SELF-LOVE & SELF-ESTEEM

It has been my experience that when you really come to the Lord, He never sends you away empty unless you come to Him stuffed full of yourself.

- Prophecy Monthly. (moreillustrations.com)

“The sad truth among today's evangelicals is that, it is not loving and esteeming God, but self-love and self-esteem that are presented as the pressing need!” -  Dave Hunt.

Gal 6:3 (GNT): “If you think you are something when you really are nothing, you are only deceiving yourself.”

SELF-EXALTATION

If you wish to be miserable, think about yourself; about what you want, what you like; what respect people ought to pay you; and then to you nothing will be pure. You will spoil everything you touch; you will make misery for yourself out of everything good; you will be as wretched as you choose.

- Chas. Kingsley. (moreillustrations.com)

“We have within us a self that has its poison from Satan - from hell - and yet we cherish and nourish it. What do we not do to please self and nourish self - and we make the devil within us strong. Look at your own life. What are the works of hell? They are chiefly these three: self-will, self-trust, and self-exaltation.” -  Andrew Murray.

Luke 14:11 (ESV): “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

HYPOCRISY

Jesus answered them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. (Mark 7:6 GNT)

“It is not the being seen of men that is wrong, but doing these things for the purpose of being seen of men. The problem with the hypocrite is his motivation. He does not want to be holy; he only wants to seem to be holy. He is more concerned with his reputation for righteousness than about actually becoming righteous. The approval of men matters more to him than the approval of God.” -  Augustine.

“Those that boast most of the religion may be suspected of partiality and hypocrisy in it.” -  Matthew Henry.

“A Pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself.” - A.W. Tozer.

REBUKING

2 Tim 4:2 (NIV): “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction.”

“A committed Christian arouses opposition because he is a standing rebuke to the selfishness and sin of those around him.” -  John Hagee.

1 Tim 5:20 (NET): “Those guilty of sin must be rebuked before all, as a warning to the rest.”

“A winner rebukes and forgives; a loser is too timid to rebuke and too slack to forgive.” – Sydney J Harris.

Pro 28:23 (NIV): “Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue.”

“Next to a sincere compliment, I think I like a well-deserved and honest rebuke.” – William Feather.

CHOOSING WISELY

There are poisons that look like crystal spring water. A glass of such poison, placed next to a glass of clear water will fool the eye; the two look exactly alike.

But one has death in it, the other life. You have to discover by other means than drinking the true nature of the two liquids.

In the same way there are many things in life that are deadly, but have the seeming appearance of goodness.

This is why, when you must make a choice about some pleasure, amusement, or action, you must not come to your decision on the basis of appearances.

Source: ‘Let Me Illustrate’, Donald Barnhouse. (ministry127.com)

Pro 14:12 (GW): “There is a way that seems right to a person, but eventually it ends in death.”

Pro 22:3 (GNT): “Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later.”

“No man is uneducated who knows the Bible, and no one is wise who is ignorant of its teachings.” -  Samuel Chadwick.

THE BIBLE

Two cows were grazing in a pasture when they saw a milk truck pass. On the side of the truck were the words:

“Pasteurized, homogenized, standardized, vitamin A added.”

One cow sighed & said to the other, “Makes you feel sort of inadequate, doesn’t it?”

People try to improve on milk, but one thing you will never be able to improve on is the Word of God. It does not need any pasteurizing, standardizing, or homogenizing.

- (ministry127.com)

“The best evidence of the Bible being the Word of God is to be found between its covers. It proves itself.” -  Charles Hodge.

“Once we know the Word of God, we have a responsibility to be obedient to it.” -  Joyce Meyer.

2 Tim 3:16 (GNT): “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living.”

ARE YOU FAITHFUL TO YOUR CALLING?

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me.” (Mat 16:24 CEV)

“The motto of every missionary; whether preacher, printer, or schoolmaster, ought to be ‘Devoted for life.’” -  Adoniram Judson.

“Your greatest ministry will most likely come out of your greatest hurt.” -  Rick Warren.

“Had I cared for the comments of people, I should never have been a missionary.” - C.T. Studd.

“Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.” -  Charles Spurgeon.

“Today Christians spend more money on dog food than missions.” -  Leonard Ravenhill.

“I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares for you.  Others are interested only in their own lives. 

They don’t care about the work of Christ Jesus.” – Paul (Phil 2:20-21 ERV).

LACK OF ENTHUSIASM

A man got up to leave early from a church service & the pastor asked him where he was going.
 
Joe: To get a haircut.   
 
Pastor: Why didn’t you get one before the service?
 
Joe: I didn’t need one then!
 
Joe was later heard to remark that his pastor was just like Pharaoh - he wouldn’t let the people go.
 
- (ministry127.com)
 
Acts 18:25 (NET): “He (Apollos) had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm he spoke and taught accurately the facts about Jesus…”
 
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
 
“Some preachers ought to put more fire into their sermons or more sermons into the fire.” -  Vance Havner.

MINISTERING BOLDLY

Hugh Latimer was the Bishop of Worcester during the reign of King Henry VIII. It was the custom of those days for each of the bishops to make presents to the King on New Year’s Day.

Latimer went with the rest to make the usual gifting. Instead of a purse of gold, as was the custom, he presented the King with a New Testament, in which pages were folded to this passage, “Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” (Heb 13:4).

Eventually, Latimer was martyred by King’s daughter, Queen Mary.

(The King wanted to divorce his wife and marry his mistress. He did that anyway.)

- An extraction.

Mk 6:18&20 (GNT): “John the Baptist kept telling Herod, “It isn’t right for you to marry your brother’s wife!” Herod liked to listen to him, even though he became greatly disturbed every time he heard him.”

“The task of the preacher is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” -  Vance Havner.

A LUKEWARM CHRISTIAN

Recently I talked to a man I will call Mr. Luke Warm, for he is neither cold nor hot. He says he is a Christian but seldom attends church.

“I am under a great deal of tension where I work,” he explained, “and often go fishing on weekends for relaxation. Church is all right, but a person can’t do everything, you know.”

Mr. Luke Warm also had an uneasy conscience about his giving, for he continued:

“I put a dollar or two in the offering plate whenever I go & I think that’s all God can expect of me. If I gave a tenth of my income, it would amount to more than $2000. You just don’t know how expensive it is for me to maintain my cabin at the lake & pay dues to keep my membership at the country club. Anyway, churches put too much emphasis on money.” 

Source: 'Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations', Paul Lee Tan (ministry127.com)

Rev 3:15-16 (CJB):  “I know what you are doing: you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth!”

“When you become consumed by God's call on your life, everything will take on new meaning and significance. You will begin to see every aspect of your life - including your pain - as a means through which God can work to bring others to Himself.” -  Charles Stanley.

WHOLEHEARTEDNESS

When D. L. Moody visited New Haven in 1878, R. A. Torrey was a student in the University there.

He said: “The ripest scholar in the University at the time, if not the ripest in America, was President Wolsey, Ex-President of Yale University. 

One night a young man went up to hear Mr. Moody preach & President Wolsey sat on the platform & when they sang the old Gospel hymns, President Wolsey, himself a gray-haired scholar, joined in singing the hymns with all his heart.

That young man said, ‘Well, if one of the greatest scholars in America can sing those hymns in that way, there certainly must be something in it,’ and he was saved, not through Mr. Moody’s preaching, but through President Wolsey’s singing.”

Source: 'Anecdotes and Illustrations', R. A. Torrey (ministry127.com)

Mat 22:37 (TLB): Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.”

Ep 6:7 (NIV): “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.”

“A divided heart loses both worlds.” -  A.B. Simpson.

SALVATION

The story is told of a young girl who accepted Christ as her Savior and applied for membership in a local church.

“Were you a sinner before you received the Lord Jesus into your life?” inquired an old deacon.

“Yes, sir,” she replied.

“Well, are you still a sinner?”

“To tell you the truth, I feel I’m a greater sinner than ever.”

“Then what real change have you experienced?”

“I don’t quite know how to explain it,” she said, “except I used to be a sinner running after sin, but now that I am saved. I’m a sinner running from sin!”

She was received into the fellowship of the church & she proved by her consistent life that she was truly saved.

Source: Our Daily Bread (ministry127.com)

“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.” – Lord Jesus Christ. (Mk 16:16 NLV)

“There's a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. When you truly know God, you have energy to serve Him, boldness to share Him and contentment in Him.” -  J.I. Packer.

The Story of “AWFUL GARDNER”

One of the most notoriously bad characters that ever lived in New York was Orville Gardner. He was the trainer of prize-fighters & companion of all sorts of bad characters. His reputation was so thoroughly bad that he was called “Awful Gardner.”

He had a little boy whom he dearly loved & this boy died. A short time after his boy’s death, he was standing in a New York bar, surrounded by a number of his companions.

The night was very warm & he stepped outside the bar to get a little fresh air. As he stood out there & looked up between the high buildings at the sky above his head, a bright star was shining down upon him, and as he stood looking at the star, he said to himself, “I wonder where my little boy is tonight?”

Then the thought came to him quick as a flash, “Wherever he is, you will never see him again unless you change your life.”

Touched by the Spirit of God, he hurried from the bar to the room where he knew his godly mother was. He went in & asked her to pray for him. She did pray for him & led him to Christ. God gave him perfect deliverance from liquor.

He became a mighty preacher of the gospel. It was through listening to him preach that Jerry McAuley (a convict turned preacher & founder of the McAuley Water Street Mission) was set to thinking that led to his salvation.

Source: 'Anecdotes and Illustrations', R. A. Torrey (ministry127.com)

1 Cor 6:9-10: “Don’t fool yourselves. Those who live immoral lives, who are idol worshipers, adulterers or homosexuals - will have no share in his Kingdom. Neither will thieves or greedy people, drunkards, slanderers, or robbers.”

SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY

In March 2001, Sujo John & his wife Mary left their native India to work in New York City. One day, Sujo remembers reflecting on his life:

“I made my way to my office & as I sat on my chair I started reflecting on God’s goodness on our lives. He had blessed us with good jobs & now we were expecting our first child. Everything seemed to be going well. However, I began to feel a deep sense of emptiness in my life.

I knew there was a call of God upon my life but I was not doing anything about it. I decided to write an email to a friend at my church telling him how I felt & how I was looking for purpose in life. I let go of that email at 8:05 am from my office. Little did I know how the next few moments would change us forever.”

That day was September 11, 2001.

Sujo worked on the North Tower of the World Trade Center & Mary worked on the South Tower. Miraculously, the Lord spared both Sujo & Mary that day as they called out to Him.

Since that fateful day, Sujo & Mary have traveled the world sharing their incredible story of survival.  They have a full-time ministry of evangelism, compassion & church planting.

"God has taken us to more than 400 cities around the world where I've traveled with the greatest story ever told for God who offers His unconditional for His people," said Sujo.

By Peter Kennedy, (aksermonillustrations.blogspot.in)

Mk 5:19 (ICB): …  Jesus said, “Go home to your family and friends. Tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.”

ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE IN CHRIST?

On the morning of one of the great battles of the Civil War a soldier awoke hearing the intense firing of the pickets & there came to him the conviction that there was going to be a great battle & he was not ready in his soul or in his heart for what the battle might bring.

He therefore knelt down, confessed his sins & committed his soul to the keeping of God, realizing that if it was well with his soul it mattered little what happened to his body.

And that is exactly what Christ said in connection with the verse:

"Fear not them which kill the body" (Matt. 10:28).

Now that the soldier had committed his soul to God & left his body to the incidents & laws of the battlefield, all fear & anxiety left him.

- (moreillustrations.com)

“If any man is not sure that he is in Christ, he ought not to be easy one moment until he is sure. Dear friend, without the fullest confidence as to your saved condition, you have no right to be at ease, and I pray you may never be so. This is a matter too important to be left undecided.” -  Charles Spurgeon.

BORN AGAIN

Jesus answered: “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot be in God’s kingdom.” (John 3:3 NCV)

“To be born again is, as it were, to enter upon a new existence, to have a new mind, a new heart, new views, new principles, new tastes, new affections, new likings, new disliking, new fears, new joys, new sorrows, new love to things once hated, new hatred to things once loved, new thoughts of God, and ourselves, and the world, and the life to come, and salvation.” -  J.C. Ryle.

“I believe that a great number of people are going to die and go to hell because they're counting on their religiosity in the church instead of their relationship with Jesus to get them to heaven. They give lip service to repentance and faith, but they've never been born again.” -  Adrian Rogers.

Peter answered them: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38 EHV)

SACRIFICIAL LIFESTYLE

My dear old friend, Evangelist James McKendrick, I found among the third-class passengers, just recovering from a serious operation.
 
When asked why he was traveling third-class, he replied: "Because there is no fourth-class."
 
He & his good wife live in the most frugal manner in order to have more to give to the Lord's cause. What he saved in travel money, he gave to foreign missions, though he wouldn't tell it.
 
- E. J. Pace's Travel Letter. (moreillustrations.com)
 
2 Cor 9:6 (ISV): “Remember this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.”
 
“Since my money is God's money, every spending decision I make is a spiritual decision.” -  John Hagee.

ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS ON THE MOON

Apollo 15 astronaut James Irwin had an encounter with God on the moon he would never forget. Irwin was the eighth man to walk on the moon.

At one point, Irwin had trouble with a planned experiment. “He was erecting an experiment that wouldn’t erect.” Mary, his wife recalls.

Frustrated in his attempts to get the experiment to work, Irwin decided he would pray - he was a nominal Christian at this stage of his life.

But he really needed wisdom due to this problem & he said, “God I need your help right now.”

Suddenly Irwin experienced the presence of Jesus Christ in a remarkable way, unlike anything he ever felt on earth. “The Lord showed him the solution to the problem,” Mary says.

“He was so overwhelmed at seeing & feeling God’s presence so close,” she says. “At one point he turned around & looked over his shoulder as if He was standing there.”

This unusual encounter with Jesus – changed Irwin’s life forever.

After his return from the moon, God dropped it in his heart that he had a responsibility to mankind to share Jesus with everyone.

Within a year of Irwin’s return from space, he resigned from NASA & formed High Flight Foundation - an interdenominational evangelical organization.

“As I travel around I tell people the answer is Jesus Christ; that Jesus walking on the earth is more important than man walking on the moon,” he said.

By Mark Ellis (Abridged) (blog.godreports.com)

Ps 50:15 (ERV): God says, “Call me when trouble comes. I will help you, and you will honor me.”

CELEBRITY OR SERVANT?

From July 26 to August 7, 1971, the eyes of millions of Americans were on the Apollo 15 moon mission.

You may remember the astronauts David R. Scott & James B. Irwin, who landed on the moon & spent 18 of their 66 hours there outside the spacecraft. 

They covered over 17 miles of the surface in a specialized vehicle people dubbed the “moon buggy.”

Upon returning to earth, James Irwin, a professed Christian believer, declared:

“As I was returning, I realized that I am not a celebrity but a servant. So I am here as God’s servant on Planet Earth to share what I have experienced, that others may know the glory of God.”

Most of us may never attain the status of a James B Irwin, but all of us can have the spirit he possessed - the spirit of a servant.

Source: 'Preaching that Pleases God', Tom Farrell (ministry127.com)

“Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.” – Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 26:16 NIV)

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

WALK BY FAITH

I have heard Dr. Fred Moffitt, who was born in Scotland; say that as a boy he stammered so terribly that he was the laughingstock of the neighbors.

Soon after being saved, he attended a testimony meeting. He wanted to testify as to what the Lord had done for him, but the thought of his stammering tongue held him back.

The call to testify became so insistent that he promised the Lord that if a girl sitting near him testified he would, too. Soon the girl arose & gave her testimony & Fred Moffitt kept his promise.

Not only did the Lord help him to give this testimony but his stammering tongue has given him no further trouble from that day to this. He is pastor of the great First Baptist Church of Frankfort, Ky.

- Sunday School Times. (moreillustrations.com)

Luke 17: 11-14 (ICB): Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. Traveling from Galilee to Samaria, he came into a small town. Ten men met him there. These men did not come close to Jesus, because they all had a harmful skin disease.  But they called to him, “Jesus! Master! Please help us!”  When Jesus saw the men, he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” While the ten men were going, they were healed.

‘Faith is not a leap in the dark. Faith is not a "hope so."  Faith is substance and evidence - substance for a scientific mind and evidence for a legal mind.’ - J. Vernon McGee.

CHEATING

A story is told about a not-too-honest judge who was trying a case involving two railroads. When he received the briefs from the two lawyers, they both contained bribes.

The first lawyer had sent a check for $10,000. The second lawyer’s check was for $15,000. The judge looked at the two checks, thought a moment, and then called his secretary.

“Make out a check for $5,000 and send it to the second lawyer,” he said. “We’re going to decide this case on its own merits.”

Source: ‘WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING’ - Pastor Steven J. Cole. (fcfonline.org)

Pro 13:11 (ERV): “Money gained by cheating others will soon be gone. Money earned through hard work will grow and grow.”

“Cheaters never win and winners never cheat.” – Andrew Keane.

“He that's cheated twice by the same man is an accomplice with the cheater.” -  Thomas Fuller.

THE RESURRECTION

A man was once conversing with a heathen priest, and he asked: “Could you say, ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life?’”
 
“Yes,” replied the priest, “I could say that.”
 
“But could you make any one believe it?”
 
Christ proved His superiority right there. His character & His actions were back of His words. He exhibited His divine power to silence His opponents.
 
Source: Moody’s Stories, (ministry127.com)
 
Jesus told her: “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” (John 11:25 NLT)
 
“Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection.” -  Watchman Nee.