Faith
Looking Past Circumstances
Faith is
the ability to look past adverse circumstances and see God’s hand at work.
(Kent
Crockett, I Once Was Blind But Now I Squint, Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers,
2004, 148)
Believing in What You Cannot See
Through
faith we can believe in things that we can’t see, based upon God’s revelation
that they do indeed exist. (Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity,
Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, p. 37)
Faith, Doubt, and Unbelief
When Peter
saw by faith he actually could walk on water, he made a commitment with both of
his feet to step over the rim. Unbelief keeps both feet inside the boat. Doubt
takes one step out of the boat and keeps one foot in. But faith steps completely
out of the boat. (Kent Crockett, The 911 Handbook, Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 2003, 71)
Overcoming the Giants
"God put giants in the
Promised Land to keep unbelievers out." --Jimmy Evans
Kent Crockett's Sermon Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
Faith Knows and Doesn't Know
Faith doesn't necessarily
know where it's going, but it does know Who's leading.
Kent Crockett's Sermon Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
Faithfulness
If You Want a Promotion
George
Boldt worked faithfully for years at the front desk in a small hotel. One day an
elderly couple came into the lobby and asked for a place to stay. Every room in
the hotel—and every hotel in town—was occupied. Realizing that the elderly
couple had nowhere to sleep, Boldt offered them his own room. Although they were
reluctant to accept his offer, they eventually did so because George insisted.
The next
morning when the couple was checking out, the elderly man said to George,
"You're the kind of man who should be managing the best hotel in the country.
Some day I'm going to build that hotel and let you manage it."
Several
years later, Boldt received a letter in the mail. It contained a round-trip
ticket and a note from the man to whom he had given his room years before. The
man invited George to visit him in New York City.
When Boldt
arrived in New York, the gentleman took him to a downtown corner where a huge
building stood. “George, this is the hotel I built for you to manage."
Boldt
stared in amazement at the glorious structure. The hotel was the
Waldorf-Astoria! The elderly man was William Waldorf Astor, one of the
wealthiest men in the country. Boldt’s faithfulness in managing a small hotel
had prepared him to manage one of the most magnificent hotels this country has
ever seen.
On judgment day, God will examine how well we managed our lives on earth. If we were faithful in fulfilling our responsibilities in this life, He will assign us better things to manage in the next life. (Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, pp. 50-51)
Famous or Faithful?
God isn’t interested in us being famous in the world’s eyes, but in us being faithful in His eyes. (Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, p. 142.)
Dynamite and Firecrackers
How we manage little things indicates what we would do if we had more. Why would God give dynamite to someone who can’t handle a firecracker? (Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, p. 150)
If You Cannot Keep a Little House Clean . . .
A friend of
mine once told me that his wife wanted to move to a larger house. She had a
problem keeping their smaller house clean but promised him if they bought a
larger house she would keep it spotless.
He lovingly
told her, “Honey, if you can’t keep a little house clean, how do you expect to
keep a big house clean?”
Our earthly
duties are the “little house” to prepare us for eternity (Luke 16:10).
(Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, p. 150-151)
Fathers
Bill Cosby on Fathers
Some years
back Bill Cosby wrote a book simply entitled Fatherhood. He writes:
Now that my
father is a grandfather, he just can't wait to give money to my kids. But when I
was his kid and I asked him for fifty cents, he would tell me the story of his
life. How he got up at 4 AM when he was 7 years old and walked 23 miles to milk
ninety cows. All for 5 cents a month. The result was that I never got my 50
cents.
But now he
tells my children every time he comes into the house:
Well, let's
see how much money old Granddad has got for his wonderful kids." And the minute
they take money out of his hands I call them over to me and I snatch it away
from them. Because that is MY money.
Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com, adapted from Bill Cosby's Fatherhood.
Perfect obedience by children
"Father's Day is that one time of the year when I get complete obedience from every member of my family. I tell them not to spend a lot of money on me--and they don't." --Pat Williams, Winning With One-Liners
Fear
The Meaning of Fear
Dean Martin once said, "Show me a man who doesn't know the meaning of the word fear, and I'll show you a dummy who gets beat up a lot." (Kent Crockett, The 911 Handbook, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003, 118)
Doing What You Are Afraid to Do
Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. --Eddie Rickenbacker, aviator
Fellowship
Definition of Loneliness
"Loneliness is that emptiness you feel when you've chosen to separate yourself from fellowship." --Kent Crockett
The Poison of Non-Fellowship
"The poison of non-fellowship kills so slowly you don't realize it." --Peter Lord
Fishing
Literally Fishing for Men
In July 2008, Bob Greene of Hallowell,
Maine was having his morning coffee when he thought he heard someone calling for
help. The cry of distress came for a man bobbing in the Kennebec River. Greene
called 911, where the dispatcher told him to throw something to the man. He
grabbed his fishing pole, cast out a line, and snagged the man's shirt with a
fishing lure. He reeled him safely to shore, where the rescued man was
immediately taken to a Portland hospital for further care.
Jesus said, "Follow Me, and I will make
you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). If you aren't fishing, you aren't following.
Just as Bob Greene fished for a man, we can follow his example.
First, be sensitive enough to hear the cry
of people who need to be saved. Greene could have ignored the voice he heard.
Second, respond to the call for help.
Change your priorities. Lay down your coffee cup and grab your fishing pole.
Third, throw out a line. Find a way to
explain the gospel in a way the person will understand it.
Fourth, reel him in. Lead the person in
prayer to receive Jesus Christ.
Fifth, provide proper follow-up. The
rescued man wasn't left on the shore, but checked into a hospital. Help the
saved person to get involved in Christian fellowship.
Kent Crockett's Sermon Illustrations,
www.kentcrockett.com
Fools
Completely Foolproof?
"A common mistake people
make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate
the ingenuity of comple fools." --Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhikers's
Guide to the Galaxy
Kent Crockett's Sermon Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
Forgetting
Ageing Doesn't Affect Memory
"Age hasn't affected my
memory a bit. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I forgot something."
--John W. Moore
Kent Crockett's Sermon Illustrations, www.kentcrockett.com
Wisdom Beyond His Years
At the age 7, Joey lived
with his grandparents in Early Branch, South Carolina. The older couple didn't
realize how much they had influenced their grandson until he bombed a math
assignment.
When the second-grade teacher asked Joey why he had done so poorly, he replied, "I must have been having a senior moment." Mature Living, September 2006