6280<\/b> Moody\u2019s Monopoly<\/b><\/p>\n
A committee of ministers in a certain city was discussing the possibility of having D. L. Moody to serve as the evangelist during a city-wide evangelistic campaign. <\/p>\n
Finally, one young minister who did not want to invite Moody stood up and said: \u201cWhy Moody? Does he have a monopoly of the Holy Spirit?\u201d<\/p>\n
There was silence. Then an old, godly minister spoke up: \u201cNo, he does not have a monopoly of the Holy Spirit; but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly of D. L. Moody.\u201d<\/p>\n
6281<\/b> \u201cMay God Curse Your Studies\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
The Reformation had started. It got involved in military operations in Europe. Calvin had to make a detour from Paris on his way to Strasbourg and found himself in Geneva. He was going to stay only one night. Another reformer, William Farel, found him there. <\/p>\n
Farel urged him to remain in Geneva. Calvin refused. Argument availed nothing. Farel finally jumped up and shouted at the brilliant young scholar. \u201cYou are simply following your own wishes; and I declare in the name of Almighty God that if you refuse to take part in the Lord\u2019s task in this city, God will curse the quiet life you want for your study.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calvin was thoroughly puzzled and shaken. Later he wrote, \u201cI felt as if God in Heaven had laid his mighty hand on me to stop me from my course. I did not continue my journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
6282<\/b> Not Constitutional But Absolute<\/b><\/p>\n
I remember at one of our testimony meetings a man stood up and said he had received a great blessing at Keswick. He was asked, \u201cWhat can you say about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d he replied, \u201cI can say this: I was a Christian before I came to Keswick, Christ was my king, but I am afraid He was a constitutional sovereign and I was a prime minister. Now He is absolute Lord, and that has made all the difference in my life and brought a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014E. W. Moore<\/p>\n
6283<\/b> Let Go\u2014Let God<\/b><\/p>\n
A young man, who was struggling to let the Lord have His way in his life, knelt to pray. He had been advised to \u201cLet God do the work for him.\u201d But as he was kneeling, he cried, \u201cI want to let God have His way, but I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
The day before he had cut out of pasteboard the letters \u201cLET GOD\u201d and tacked them on the wall. He rose from his knees and with a feeling of defeat and despair, he left the room and slammed the door with a bang, saying, \u201cI can\u2019t \u201cLET GOD.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
On his return to his room, he was startled to note that the slam of the door had loosened the letter D on the word GOD, causing it to fall to the floor, and changing the motto to \u201cLET GO.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will, I will, Lord Jesus,\u201d he cried and threw himself on his knees at the side of his bed. \u201cI will \u201cLet go,\u201d and \u201cLet God,\u201d\u201d and he did. <\/p>\n
\u2014Gospel for the Youth<\/i><\/p>\n
6284<\/b> Jacob\u2019s Thigh<\/b><\/p>\n
We said to a physician friend one day, \u201cDoctor, what is the exact significance of God\u2019s touching Jacob upon the sinew of his thigh?\u201d<\/p>\n
He replied, \u201cThe sinew of the thigh is the strongest in the human body. A horse could scarcely tear it apart.\u201d God had to break us down at the strongest part of our self-life before He can have His own way of blessing with us. <\/p>\n
\u2014J. H. McConkey<\/p>\n
6285<\/b> Christ As Live-In<\/b><\/p>\n
When Queen Victoria reigned in England, she occasionally would visit some of the humble cottages of her subjects. One time she entered the home of a widow and stayed to enjoy a brief period of Christian fellowship. <\/p>\n
Later on, the poor woman was taunted by her worldly neighbors. \u201cGranny,\u201d they said, \u201cwho\u2019s the most honored guest you\u2019ve ever entertained in your home?\u201d They expected her to say it was Jesus, for despite their constant ridicule of her Christian witness, they recognized her deep spirituality. But to their surprise she answered, \u201cThe most honored guest I\u2019ve entertained is Her Majesty the Queen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you say the Queen? Ah, we caught you this time! How about this Jesus you\u2019re always talking about? Isn\u2019t He your most honored guest?\u201d Her answer was definite and scriptural, \u201cNO, indeed! He\u2019s not a guest. HE LIVES HERE!\u201d Her hecklers were put to silence. <\/p>\n
\u2014Our Daily Bread<\/i><\/p>\n
6286<\/b> Soldier Adrian\u2019s Decision<\/b><\/p>\n
A young Roman by the name of Adrian, a Praetorian Guard, under Emperor Galerius Maximian, had been a fanatic persecutor of the Christians. But the calmness and courage of those he put to the torture impressed him. Adrian, brave himself, admired bravery. In these Christians he saw heroism greater than any he had seen in battle. <\/p>\n
It was the year 280 and Adrian was twenty-eight years old. His skill and daring had led to one promotion after another. Yet, he could not get over his admiration for these followers of Christ. <\/p>\n
One day he asked one of the Christians being tortured:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat gives you such strength and joy in the midst of your sufferings?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we believe,\u201d the martyr replied. <\/p>\n
In a flash Adrian made an important decision. He stepped to the heathen judge and declared: \u201cPut down my name among those to be tortured. I also shall become a Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n
For twenty-three years after his conversion Adrian suffered much, but he never flinched from his loyalty to Christ. In 303 he was killed at Nicomedia. For seventeen centuries since he was the patron-saint of soldiers. <\/p>\n
\u201cPut down my name,\u201d was said with true Christian courage. <\/p>\n
\u2014Selected<\/p>\n
6287<\/b> The Potter\u2019s House<\/b><\/p>\n
To the Potter\u2019s house I went down one day, <\/p>\n
And watched Him while moulding the vessels of clay, <\/p>\n
And many a wonderful lesson I drew, <\/p>\n
As I noted the process the clay went thro\u2019<\/p>\n
Trampled and broken, downtrodden and rolled, <\/p>\n
To render more plastic and fit for the mould, <\/p>\n
How like the clay that is human, I thought, <\/p>\n
When in Heavenly hands to perfection brought, <\/p>\n
For self must be cast as the dust at His feet. <\/p>\n
Before it is ready for service made meet. <\/p>\n
And pride must be broken, and self-will lost\u2014<\/p>\n
All laid on the altar, whatever the cost;<\/p>\n
But lo! by and by, a delicate vase<\/p>\n
Of wonderful beauty and exquisite grace. <\/p>\n
Was it once the vile clay? Ah, yes; yet how strange, <\/p>\n
The Potter has wrought so marvelous a change! <\/p>\n
Not a trace of the earth, nor mark of the clay, <\/p>\n
The fires of the furnace have burned them away. <\/p>\n
Wondrous skill of the Potter\u2014the praise is His due, <\/p>\n
In whose hands to perfection and beauty it grew;<\/p>\n
Thus with souls lying still, content in God\u2019s hand, <\/p>\n
That do not His power of working withstand. <\/p>\n
They are moulded and fitted, a treasure to hold;<\/p>\n
Vile clay now transformed into purest of gold. <\/p>\n
\u2014Selected<\/p>\n
6288<\/b> Secret Of Swimming<\/b><\/p>\n
I learned to swim in boyhood, but it was only this summer that I achieved complete mastery of myself in the water. For 30 years I had assumed that I must constantly struggle to keep from sinking. <\/p>\n
One day an expert swimmer watched me for a few minutes and then cried: \u201cStop fighting the water and trust it to hold you up. Use your strength and get somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under his direction a few moments suffficed to convince me he was right. I lay flat in the water without moving hands or feet and to my delight, it held me up. Then I struck out, using my strength to forge ahead. What a revelation! Why did not someone tell me that years ago? <\/p>\n
So many constantly struggle to be Christians, when if they would only trust Christ they would be kept. <\/p>\n
6289<\/b> Lesson From Stone Cutter<\/b><\/p>\n
We were visiting the stone cutter in a great granite shed the other day and learned a lesson from this wise workman. The great block of polished granite was painted over with a thin coating of some rubber combination. The design for the engraving was penciled on the rubber and the workman was cutting away the rubber, leaving the stone exposed. <\/p>\n
As we watched the worker our curiosity got the better of us and we began to ask questions. It seems that marked progress has been made in the working of granite since the days of our boyhood when we stood beside the stone cutter in the monument works watching him chisel the design and the lettering. It is now done with compressed air and sand. With the rubber cut away and the granite exposed, the sand was blown on the granite until the design was perfectly etched in the stone. But the rubber was untouched. <\/p>\n
Then we learned our lesson. The workman told us that the sand could be blown upon the rubber for an hour without effect, but that when blown upon the stone it would cut a hole through the hardest granite. His explanation was easy\u2014the stone resists stubbornly and is worn away, but the rubber is resilient and receives the shock without damage. Then said the worker, \u201cThat\u2019s a good deal like life. The man who is always resisting is the man who is worn out first. The one who is always looking for trouble is always finding it. The stubborn man is always getting harder knocks than the one who accepts his troubles with resiliency of temper. The hot-headed man has a harder time of it than the flexible man.\u201d<\/p>\n
We took our lesson from the stone cutter. We purposed by the grace of God never to allow the flint to enter our souls. <\/p>\n
\u2014Northwestern Christian Advocate<\/i><\/p>\n
6290<\/b> Crab\u2019s Released Arms<\/b><\/p>\n
Did you ever see a \u201cfiddler crab\u201d? It is a small creature, less than an inch long, found abundantly on the Atlantic coast of southern United States. It is excellent bait for certain fishes, and so we were gathering a quantity for that purpose. This little crab has a long arm with a powerful claw at the end which it holds upright like a fiddle, hence the name \u201cfiddler crab.\u201d It has one striking peculiarity. If you grasp this pair of pincers in trying to hold the crab, it immediately releases the arm from its body. <\/p>\n
\u2014Mr. R. De Haan<\/p>\n
6291<\/b> Finger In Animal Trap<\/b><\/p>\n
A young man who lives on Chapline River, Kentucky, was out setting traps one evening for coons, when, by an accident, he got his finger caught in his own trap. It was an ingenious trap, made by a hole bored into a large log and nails driven in so that if the animal put his paw in for the bait, he would catch on them, and the more he tried to get away the worse he would be off. The boy caught his own finger, and found it impossible to get it out. <\/p>\n
He stayed all night on the log, and to his horror found the next morning that the water was rising in the river, and that he would soon be swept out on that log, and that would mean drowning. So he took his knife in the other hand and cut off his finger to save his life. <\/p>\n
\u2014Current Anecdote<\/p>\n
6292<\/b> Precise Wording Among Pilots<\/b><\/p>\n
Precise communication becomes vitally important. To reduce the risk of misunderstanding between tower and cockpit, a controller is forbidden to tell a pilot to \u201chold for takeoff.\u201d The mere mention of \u201ctakeoff\u201d could trigger a response in the mind of the pilot and cause him to throw the throttles open prematurely. The correct command: \u201cTaxi into position and hold.\u201d<\/p>\n
6293<\/b> Give Sword First! <\/b><\/p>\n
This incident in the life of Nelson: In time of war, a French officer was once brought into his presence. He went boldly up to the great admiral, and held out his hand. Nelson drew back. \u201cGive me your sword,\u201d said he, \u201cand then I will take your hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Foster<\/p>\n
6294<\/b> Montezuma\u2019s Question<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was it ever heard that a crown prince, like myself, voluntarily left his own palace to become a prisoner in the hands of strangers?\u201d So responded Montezuma, Monarch of Mexico, when urged by Cortes to leave his palace as an evidence of good will toward the Spanish soldiers. <\/p>\n
6295<\/b> Reed And Olive Tree<\/b><\/p>\n
A reed and an olive tree were disputing about their strength and their powers of quiet endurance. When the reed was reproached by the olive with being weak and easily bent by every wind, it answered not a word. Soon afterwards a strong wind began to blow. The reed, by letting itself be tossed about and bent by the gusts, weathered the storm without difficulty; but the olive, which resisted it, was broken by its violence. <\/p>\n
\u2014Fables of Aesop<\/i><\/p>\n
6296<\/b> Epigram On Surrender<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 When Sir Harry Lauder\u2019s only son was killed in World War I, he said to a friend: \u201cWhen a man comes to a thing like this, there are just three ways out of it\u2014there is drink, there is despair, and there is God. By His grace, the last is for me!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 A gentleman, travelling on a misty morning, asked a shepherd what weather it will be. \u201cIt will be,\u201d said the shepherd, \u201cwhat weather pleaseth me.\u201d Asked to explain, the shepherd said: \u201cSir, it shall be what weather pleases God; and what weather pleases God also pleases me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Foster<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
6280 Moody\u2019s Monopoly A committee of ministers in a certain city was discussing the possibility of having D. L. Moody to serve as the evangelist during a city-wide evangelistic campaign. Finally, one young minister who did not want to invite Moody stood up and said: \u201cWhy Moody? Does he have a monopoly of the Holy … Continue reading “SURRENDER”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5320\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}