“Do not forget, thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap” (II Corinthians 9:6). Years ago, Chinese farmers decided they would eat the good big potatoes and just use the…
Sermon Illustrations
“Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain” (I Corinthians 15:58). There is a Charlie Brown cartoon strip in which little Lucy asks, “Why…
“Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves” (Romans 14:22). Once, when our good friend Charlie Brown was going away for a couple of days, Linus says to him, “I guess…
Remember Lewis Carroll’s “Through The Looking Glass”? When Alice meets the White Knight, he is carrying all kinds of objects he imagines will somehow contribute to his happiness. He has a mousetrap to protect him…
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). Our happiness lies within ourselves because within ourselves lies and dwells the Holy Spirit of God. All of this is expressed most beautifully…
“...yes, with You is the fountain of life, by Your light we see the light” (Psalms 36:9). One day a preacher began his Sunday Sermon by telling the congregation that he was going to invent…
“Set your heart on his Kingdom first, and on righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well ” (Mt. 6:33). The United States Constitution affirms the people’s right to freely engage themselves…
“I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). In the words of one of the world’s great psychologists, “Whoever insists on…
“Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). A parable: Once upon a time a man was told that he had an incurable illness. The news filled him with great sadness for…
”There is one thing more you must do“ (Mk. 10:21). The ancient philosopher, Aristotle, declared that ”Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” Yet it has…
“For the Son of Man Himself did not come to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45). There is a wonderful fable about an orphan girl who had no family and no one to love…
“You will rebuild the ancient ruins, build up the old foundations” (Isaiah 58:12). Most of us have experienced what happens to motorists when one of those huge graders goes to work on a highway repair…
“Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). A very learned philosophy professor had earned not one, not two, but three post-graduate degrees. His head was crammed full of just about everything philosophers…
“. . . and lifting up His hands, He blessed them” (Luke 24:50). In one of Rembrandt’s etchings, there is no halo around the Lord’s head, but there is one around His hand. Over the…
“God, your praise, like your name, reaches for the ends of the world, Your right hand holds the victory” (Psalm 48:10). The French Sculptor, Rodin, fashioned two small statues as companion pieces. One is of…
“He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up” (Mark 1:31). There is a scene in a novel called “My Lady of the Chimney Corner” in which “the lady” has gone…
“Lord, when my brother wrongs me, how often must I forgive him?” (Matthew 18:21). An Oklahoma woman tells us how she learned a lesson from her old kitchen stove on how to get rid of…
“Why are you in despair, O my soul?” (Psalm 45:5). “Runaway Train” is the title of a music video by a group called “Soul Asylum.” In the lyric, a runaway teenager laments the mess she…
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 6:12). Elie Wiesel, a great humanitarian and distinguished author, makes a powerful statement on human growth in his book, “Souls On Fire.”…
A popular author of inspirational books and tapes writes: To Whom It May Concern: If you find me stumbling and falling, I may be trying something new — I may be learning. If you find…