A man by the name of J.H. Crowell went to work on a sailing
vessel at the age of 16. He was the only Christian among a crew of 12. Before
leaving home, he had promised his mother he would continue his devotions and
pray three times a day. When the other sailors discovered his piety, they
taunted him and poured buckets of water upon his head, but they could not put
out the fire in his soul!
One day they bound him to the mast and beat him with 39
stripes, but still he prayed. Finally they tied a rope around his waist and
threw him overboard. Realizing he might drown, he asked God to forgive his
tormenters, and pleaded with them to send his body home to his mother.
"Tell her I was faithful and died for Jesus!" he said.
When they thought he was dead, they pulled him back on deck,
but to their surprise he regained consciousness. Conviction from the Holy
Spirit came upon some of the sailors, and two of them were gloriously saved.
Later the captain and several others were also converted. This unusual
experience highlights the wonderful power of faithfulness. —http://www.preaching.com/sermon-illustrations/11544381/,
accessed July 17, 2013.
A young Oriental student decided to
mock his elderly teacher. He caught a small bird and cupped it in his hands
behind his back. He then approached the sage with this plan in mind. He would
ask the old man what he had in his hand. If he answered correctly, he would
then ask the teacher if the bird was alive or dead. If the old man said,
"Alive," he would crush the bird. If he answered, "Dead,"
he would release the bird.
Upon approaching the teacher, the
young student said, "What do I have in my hand, old man? The man
responded, "A bird, my son." "Is he alive or dead, old
man?" the boy prodded. The sage replied, "The answer to that
question, my son, is in your hands."
—http://www.creekwoodcc.org/lw_In%20Your%20Hands.htm,
accessed July 17, 2013.
Likewise, the answer to your dreams is in your hands. Will
you allow the difficulties, the detractors to keep you from pursuing your
dreams? Or will you be true to your convictions and allow God to
bring your dreams to reality?
THINK ABOUT IT.
No comments:
Post a Comment