154 Sermon Illustrations on Trust

Girl comes in late after talking in driveway. Father angry with her. "Don't you trust me?" "Yes, to an extent. But I was young once and know the pressures you are under, and want to protect you." ....

Allyson had an adoptive brother, Brad. Very close. In college he found out he had a natural sister. He called his mother, who was subdued, and she told "Lally" about his "real" sister. This ticked her off. Brad brought sister home. Grandpa had taught Allyson to trust God when facing things that were too big, and she did. She pushed Brad's sister in pool to make her feel accepted. Brad told her in private, "Lally, she can't take one minute of what we have 'cause we spent a lifetime getting there."

#518

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Seven Tips for Defeating Jealousy

1. Figure out the source of your jealousy. Have you been hurt? Cheated on? Dig deep down into your soul to find out why you might be jealous.

2. Communicate with your partner. Share your feelings of insecurity and isolation with him/her. Work together to end your jealous feelings.

3. Accept your partner for who s/he is. Don’t place unreal expectations on your partner.

4. Be positive and confident. Believe your partner when they tell you they love you, and realize YOU are worthy of love and affection.

5. Stay away from situations that trigger your jealousy.

6. Build your own separate support system of friends.

7. Consider talking to a professional to help you sort out your feelings.

We should believe great things.

Founder of modern missionary movement, William Carey:

Was an impoverished English shoemaker.

Converted and became a Baptist lay preacher.

Wrote a book on missions.

(Most Christians thought missions was only for Apostles.)

(God would do it in his own good time.)

Carey preached a moving sermon before a group of pastors:

"Attempt great things for God,

Expect great things from God."

One year later, 1793, Carey and his family sailed for India.

In five years he had translated the NT into Bengali.

By the end of his career he translated the whole Bible into

3 languages and founded a college that exists today.

Great difficulties:

No converts for 7 years.

His wife died of insanity.

A warehouse fire destroyed 30 years of translation work.

Through it all he never gave up the faith.

His secret for accomplishing great things?

"I can plod. I can persevere in any definite task. To this

I owe everything."

What can we accomplish if we set our faith to it?

Also see "From Jerusalem to Iraian Jaya" by Ruth Tucker, p. 114.

[see also 1114]

#1110

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Abraham Lincoln on devotion to God, to a delegation of Presbyterians from Baltimore on October 24, 1863:

"I have often wished that I was a more devout man than I am. Nevertheless, amid the greatest difficulties of my Administration, when I could not see any other resort, I would place my whole reliance in God, knowing that all would go well, and that He would decide for the right."

Paul Stanley: As an infantry company commander in Vietnam in 1967, I saw Viet Cong soldiers surrender many times.

As they were placed in custody, marched away, and briefly interrogated, their body language and facial expressions always caught my attention. Most hung their heads in shame, staring at the ground, unwilling to look their captors in the eye. But some stood erect, staring defiantly at those around them, resisting any attempt by our men to control them. They had surrendered physically but not mentally.

On one occasion after the enemy had withdrawn, I came upon several soldiers surrounding a wounded Viet Cong. Shot through the lower leg, he was hostile and frightened, yet helpless. He threw mud and kicked with his one good leg when anyone came near him.

When I joined the circle around the wounded enemy, one soldier asked me, “Sir what do we do? He’s losing blood fast and needs medical attention.” I looked down at the struggling Viet Cong and saw the face of a 16- or 17-year-old boy.

I unbuckled my pistol belt and hand grenades so he could not grab them. Then, speaking gently, I moved toward him. He stared fearfully at me as I knelt down but he allowed me to slide my arms under him and pick him up.

As I walked with him toward a waiting helicopter, he began to cry and hold me tight. He kept looking at me and squeezing me tighter. We climbed into the helicopter and took off.

During the ride, our young captive sat on the floor, clinging to my leg. Never having ridden in a helicopter, he looked out with panic as we gained altitude and flew over the trees. He fixed his eyes back on me, and I smiled reassuringly and put my hand on his shoulder.

After landing, I picked him up and walked toward the medical tent. As we crossed the field, I felt the tenseness leave his body and his tight grasp loosen. His eyes softened, and his head leaned against my chest. The fear and resistance were gone — he had finally surrendered.

The God to whom we surrender is not our enemy. He heals and cares for everyone he takes captive.

#2174

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Sermon on "God's hands." John 10:24-29

==========================

CAN YOU TRUST GOD'S HANDS?

==========================

I. It began with a touch.

A. What does it mean to leave something in God's hands?

B. What kind of place is God's hands?

II. God's hands are a place of majesty and power.

A. To say that God has hands, is to say he can act with power.

B. Can a God with such awesome power save a bad marriage?

III. God's hands are a place of loving intervention.

A. God's hands have a power he wants to use.

B. God's hands are tender and take the initiative.

C. Our children can never go beyond the reach of a loving God.

IV. God's hands are a place of discipline.

A. You don't want God's hand to be "against" you. Acts 13:11

B. Ultimately, God disciplines us to save us.

C. Not all trouble is discipline from God.

V. God's hands are a place of fulfillment.

A. Acknowledge our helplessness and dependence on God.

B. Whatever we commit to God's hands are in safe keeping.

#2895

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Rather than burying our feelings, the Lament Psalms teach that it is okay to

be honest with God.

Principle 1: Recount your pain.

Principle 2: Recall God's character.

Recognizing denial.

Principle 3: Resolve to trust God.

Learning to lament.

Christian financial adviser Gary Moore spent more than 15 years keeping pace with the daily fluctuations of Wall Street. But after the stock market crash in the fall of 1987, he came to realize money, upward mobility and other elements of the “American Dream” were unable to provide security and happiness.

That sent Moore on a biblical quest for insight which resulted in “The Christian’s Guide to Wise Investing.” One of the most important things he discovered in researching the Scriptures, he said, was God didn’t want 10 percent of his money — he wanted 100 percent.

“I also discovered that I could have avoided 90 percent of my investing mistakes over the years if I had spent a little more of my time reading Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Luke and James,” he wrote in his book. “Proverbs and Ecclesiastes not only provide wise, perceptive, assuring and frank guidelines on the subject, but also prove that God addressed the subject of money and security very early in the history of the faith.” Among the verses he cites are Proverbs 1:33, 15:6, 20:21 and 28:20, and Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 and 11:1-2.

The author of these two books, Solomon, compares the pursuit of wealth to chasing the wind, he said, something proven by a survey of wealthy individuals. Although respondents had an average income of $194,000 and assets of $750,000, two-thirds felt guilty about being affluent and 40 percent did not feel financially secure. That is why it is so important for Christians to bring their lives, including financial planning, into conformity with biblical principles, Moore said.

“Most of the problems investors face can be attributed to one thing: self-centeredness,” he said. “Two hundred years ago, Adam Smith, the father of modern economics and a professor of moral philosophy, said that self-interest could be good for all of a society if it was enlightened by moral values. If not, self-interest could destroy a society.”

Christ wants people to place their trust in him, Moore added, not in savings, investments, institutions or governments. However, since God gave his children a role in cultivating his resources, he said, Christians should be concerned with earning financial returns that can benefit the Lord’s work.

For believers who want to multiply resources, he outlined these seven investment principles, which he said will keep use of money prudent but productive:

1) All investments involve risk.

The higher the promised return the greater the risk, including certificates of deposit and bonds. “Advertising, media listings, banks and brokers have successfully trained modern Americans to seek the greatest promises. Far, far too few of these mention little or anything about the risks involved.”

2) If it looks too good to be true, it is.

The largest single obstacle to investing success today, he said, is that there are too many ways to make average investments look very attractive; the best returns usually don’t come from the top of the lists offering the highest promised returns.

3) Be skeptical but not cynical.

While greed and corruption exist in the worlds of insider trading, junk bonds, penny stocks and commodity pits, most of these are far removed from the domain of conservative investors, he said. If investors stick to productive, conservative areas, Moore said, they will be safe.

4) What goes up will assuredly come down, at least for awhile.

Successful investors combine a faith in the future with a respect for, and acceptance of, the downs along the way, according to Moore. Thus, he said, those who spend time trying to predict the future would do better evaluating why successful investors make money year after year.

5) Fear and greed may drive Wall Street, but they shouldn’t motivate Christians.

“Scripture teaches that we are to free ourselves from fear of the future and from greediness,” he said. “We should be productive and prudent with money. Our investing will benefit greatly by remaining confident yet conservative.”

6) If everyone is doing it, it’s wrong.

“The hardest thing to learn about investing is that following the crowd never works,” Moore said. Christians have always been called upon to be different from the world and “faith will help you practice this principle, and your investing will benefit.”

7) Keeping faith with others is good business.

“Socially responsible investing should be the cornerstone for any Christian who handles money,” he said. Moore noted a national study showed over a 30-year period that investing in companies with a written code of principles returned nine times more than a composite of Dow Jones stocks.

__________

Copyright (c) 1995 Baptist Press

RNbp5A19mrjB5A19e5A23

What happens when we leave our lives in God's hands.

1. God's hands are a place of majesty and power.

2. God's hands are a place of loving intervention.

3. God's hands are a place of safety.

4. God's hands are a place of discipline.

5. God's hands are a place of fulfillment.

Further development of article (basis of 11/2/97 sermon):

I. "Leave it in God's hands now." Trite advice?

A. We are driven by a need to DO something.

B. What does it mean to leave something in God's hands?

1) Do we ever really do it?

2) What kind of place is God's hands?

II. God's hands are a place of majesty and power.

A. Bible passages.

1) Habakkuk - rays flash from his hand.

2) Isaiah - his hands spread out the heavens.

3) Exodus - his hands shattered the enemy.

B. Can a God with such awesome power save a bad marriage?

1) Author's husband was in a mental hospital last 5 years.

2) Our lives may change, but Christ does not.

a) His grace is still sufficient for our weaknesses, ALL

of them.

III. God's hands are a place of loving intervention.

A. God's hand is outstretched toward us.

1) Themes of rescue.

B. Our children can never go beyond the reach of a loving God.

1) What if they don't want to be held onto?

2) Like a good parent, God still doesn't let go.

C. God takes the initiative.

1) He makes the first move.

2) Even when we are not looking for help.

IV. God's hands are a place of safety. [goes with above?...]

A. We can trust our loved ones' safety to a caring God.

V. God's hands are a place of discipline.

A. Harm can still befall us. Bad things do happen to good people.

1) God censors trouble.

2) Everything ultimately happens for our good.

B. Troubles can be an indication of God's hand on us.

1) He is shaping us, like a potter shapes clay.

VI. God's hands are a place of fulfillment.

A. We often experience unfulfillment. (rejected book)

1) Questions arise.

a) Are God's hands a graveyard of broken dreams?

b) When we leave something in God's hands, don't we have

to take ours off?

c) Can we trust God to do what is best?

2) Acknowledging God is not shrugging off responsibility.

B. Acknowledge our helplessness and dependence on God.

1) When we are in the right frame of mind, God can guide us

into the appropriate action, at the appropriate time.

2) A calm attitude, greater understanding, and courage results.

C. Whatever we commit to God's hands are in safe keeping.

Faith that pleases God is not judged by its measure but by its focus.

1. The exalted order of [grunting faith].

2. The question of quantity.

3. Focusing on the unseen.

4. The Lord of Creation.

5. The Lord of Justice.

6. The Lord of Faithfulness.

7. The Lord of Salvation.

8. The Lord of Stability.

9. The Lord of Resurrection.

10. The thrill of victory, the victory of defeat.

[see #3845 for first portion, word-for-word]

I read about a photographer for a national magazine who was assigned to "shoot" one of those big Western forest fires. He was told that a small plane would be waiting to fly him over the fire.

When he got to the airport, sure enough, he found a little Cessna waiting. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, "Let's go!" The pilot, the plane, and the photographer were soon in the air.

"Fly over the north side of the fire and make several low passes," the photographer shouted.

"Why?" the nervous pilot asked.

"Because I'm going to take pictures! I'm a photographer, and photographers take pictures," was the reply.

After a long pause, the pilot tensely asked, "You mean, you're not the instructor?"

The pilot and the photographer both trusted someone to do something they could not do. Luckily, in this case, thanks to communication by the air traffic control, they were able to get back to the airport.

In life, trust is often put in places, people, and things that are not worthy of such trust. People have entrusted friends, advise columnists, talk shows, spouses, organizations, and a host of other people and things - even their own feelings - to direct them. Unfortunately, many people do not learn until it is too late that their trust has been misguided and misplaced. Many decisions lead not to safety but to destruction!

Jesus warned, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matt 7:15) and "if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch" (Matt 15:14).

Our authority should be in God and His Word and not in preachers, friends, relatives and others. People can knowingly or unknowingly deceive others. God's word is the only safe guide.

#4109

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Do you ever get impatient? Ever find yourself frustrated by the way things are going -- or not going? Ever feel dissatisfied with your circumstances and wish they were better? Ever feel there’s not enough time in the day? Not enough energy to do it all? Not enough money at month’s end? Not enough of you to go around? If so, then welcome to the club. The club of discontented people.

For many of us, impatience, frustration, and dissatisfaction are part of our daily routines. We want control, so we demand that our surroundings adjust to us, rather than vice versa. What we don’t like, we change. We change the channel. We change jobs. We change churches. We change friends. We know we “should” be content, but we’re not. We think that if our circumstances change (for the better, of course) then we will be satisfied and content. Then we will have enough.

Contentment, I’m learning, is a state of the heart, not a state of affairs. It is available to everyone -- no matter what the circumstances.

Paul deals head on with the topic of contentment in Phil. 4:11-13. Let’s look at the key phrases in this passage.

“FOR I HAVE LEARNED...”

Contentment is learned. It isn’t natural. We’re not born with it. Our tendency is to look for things that will make us content, rather than putting forth the discipline it takes to learn how to be content. The first time we took our kids skiing, my one daughter made it clear that she didn’t want to “learn.” She just wanted to ski like the rest of the people on the slope. Skiing isn’t like that, and neither is life. It takes willingness and effort to learn anything. We can’t just wish things into existence. Contentment is no different. It, too, must be learned.

“TO BE CONTENT...”

Contentment is internal. It’s being satisfied, having an ease of mind. Contentment means detachment from anxious concerns over the externals of life. It’s a calm acceptance of whatever life brings -- an attitude of “it’s okay.” The person who is content has internal sufficiency regardless of outward circumstances. Paul, even with his hands in chains, accommodated himself to his situation.

In their book Life 101, John-Roger and Peter McWilliams state it this way: “Until we truly accept everything, we cannot see clearly.” They go on to explain that accepting is not condoning, giving consent, agreeing with, or even liking what is. Acceptance is an internal conclusion that the way things are is the way things are. That these exact circumstances are allowed by God and, right now, it’s enough.

Several years ago I was directing a winter program for The Navigators’ Eagle Lake Camp. The plan for the day was to cross-country ski to a place called Kite Lake. It was supposed to be a pleasant trek, with nice snow and nice weather. What we experienced was Antarctica! The route was icy and rocky. The weather was frigid, with blowing snow. As the guide, I was upset and disappointed. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I remained stuck in my misery until a camper smiled and said, “You know, it just doesn’t get any better than this!” My tension broke and I laughed. My focus shifted from what wasn’t going right to an internal voice that said, “It’s okay. This is a real adventure!” The weather hadn’t changed, our food was still frozen, but I accepted the circumstances and was able to relax. I was amazed at the sense of contentment I enjoyed for the rest of the day.

“WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES...”

Contentment is surrender. Paul could be content, he could be patient, because he had given up any right or demand on the people and circumstances around him. For us, when life goes wrong, our impatience shouts, “It’s not my way, not my timing, not my outcome!” Contentment, on the other hand, holds out open hands before a holy God and says, “God, Your way, Your timing, Your outcome.”

But surrender cuts against our grain. We want control, choice, and to be treated fairly. The paradox is this: Contentment is gained only when we give up control and accept whatever comes. Viktor Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist who survived the Nazi concentration camps of World War II, put it like this: “The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the sufferings it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity -- even under the most difficult circumstances -- to add a deeper meaning to life.”

The notion of surrender first began its journey into my heart many years ago on a train trip back from Mexico City. The train derailed. As I waited for it to be fixed, I began to worry about my wife, who was supposed to meet me at the station on the Mexico-Arizona border. I was more than 12 hours late, and she was alone. I felt helpless -- I could do absolutely nothing to keep her safe. I couldn’t even contact her. It was then that God’s truth whispered in my ear, “Give up trying to control the circumstances, Tim. Let Me be the One in control. Surrender.” I had no choice. I had to surrender her safety into God’s hands alone. At that moment I felt at peace. I had begun my journey of surrender.

Since that time, other difficult circumstances have come into my life, but the conversation has remained similar. Time and again I hear God’s voice saying, “Tim, let Me be in control. Surrender. Accept My way, My timing, My outcome. Trust Me alone.” Continued surrender comes more easily when I sit silently before God and let Him do the talking.

“THE SECRET...”

Paul was familiar with need. He was familiar with plenty. They were his “friends,” that’s how well he knew them. He was intimately aware of what it was like to be well fed and to be hungry. He also knew what it was like to be beaten, stoned, hunted, shipwrecked, and imprisoned. But something internal sustained him through life’s ebb and flow. He had learned something during his rough-and-tumble life that allowed him to have peace. What he found was not easily understood, then or now. It was hidden from the casual observer -- he calls it a secret. Like Paul, we can be content wherever we find ourselves if we know the same secret -- a secret found when we make these three truths an active part of our daily walk.

1. Remember the cross. “For to me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). The cornerstone of contentment is the cross. Remember what it has done in your life. Because of the cross you are freed from the chains of sin. Because of the cross, your salvation is secure. Because of the cross, your friendship with God is open. Because of the cross, your future is heaven. Isn’t that enough? What else really matters? The really big things of your life are taken care of!

Much of my time as a Christian counselor is spent sharing these truths with my clients. God has extended grace and mercy to anyone who will believe. That grace is enough! Do you need to be afraid of others’ opinions of you? No. Do you need to defend yourself after being defrauded by a friend? No. Will it hurt? Probably. “The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1).

Do I need to get an ulcer over my financial uncertainties? Ouch! God always hits close to home, but the answer is still no. I remind myself of these truths every time I can. I write scriptures in my journal as a visual reminder to myself. I picture myself kneeling beside the cross every time I pray.

Contentment comes when we believe (not just pretend) that nothing else matters. That can happen only as we “turn our eyes upon Jesus” and let “the things of earth grow strangely dim.” Everything looks important until we place it next to the cross. Then, only the cross remains important.

2. Let go of the past. “Forgetting what is behind...” (Phil. 3:13). We cannot hope to ever gain contentment while holding on to past failures and mistakes -- ours or others’. There’s a difference between ignoring past wrongs and forgetting them. Forgetting means that you work through the process of forgiving others and allowing God’s forgiveness to cover you. We need to let go of “I should have” or “If only” or “If they hadn’t.”

True forgiveness requires that we see the wrongs clearly (sometimes the hardest part of the process), articulate them, release them to God, and then walk away from them. This process may take a moment, a month, or even longer. It may require the assistance of a friend, pastor, or professional counselor. Don’t put it off. Without forgiveness you will never have a contented heart.

3. Take one day at a time. “And my God will meet all your needs...” (Phil. 4:19). The final element of Paul’s secret is to wait on God. We need to surrender our timetable and future to Him.

Anxiety builds inside our minds when we look into the future, when we try to manage more days than today. Let me illustrate. I enjoy rock climbing. When I’m climbing, I’m not afraid of climbing. I’m afraid of falling, which is in the future -- and may or may not happen. If I fall -- and while I’m falling -- I’m not afraid of the fall (it’s a rush!), I’m afraid of the stop at the bottom. This time it’s a guaranteed future, but still in the future. I will stop, but what kind of stop is still unknown. Will I hit the ground or will the rope catch me first? I don’t know ... yet. You see, if I’m going to climb well, I must keep my focus on the present moment only. If I allow my thinking to wander to “Oh no, what if I fall?” I only increase my chances of disaster.

Likewise, contentment requires our focus to be in the present. Much of our frustration, tension, and worry would be dissolved if we would practice the words of Jesus: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Mt. 6:34). We must live one day at a time, one moment at a time.

“I CAN DO EVERYTHING...”

If we have learned this kind of contentment, we can “do” hunger, adversity, disappointment, and hardship. We can “do” plenty, comfort, and success. It’s an attitude of the heart.

When it is time for action, we act out of obedience to God, not out of a need to control or change our surroundings. We act with confidence because we don’t need to worry about the outcome. We’ve already put that in God’s hands, and He can do with it what He wills. Regardless of what we do, win or lose, we remain content, whatever the circumstances (see Heb. 11:39). How can we do this?

“THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH.”

There’s no breath between these last two phrases. The sentence literally reads, “All things I can do in the (One) empowering me, Christ.” The punch line of the entire thought is Christ. When His powerful presence is consuming us, we can do all things. Though our humanity may falter, our souls remain unshakable through the living power that’s a result of total abandonment to Him. Without surrender to Christ’s control, we can do nothing of lasting value (Jn. 15:5). There must come a holocaust to our will. Otherwise the pain, failure, injustice, and suffering that comes with this life will destroy us. We may still look good outwardly, but our souls secretly become inebriated with bitterness, doubt, and a need to pretend. My human determination helped me endure the wind, ice, and frozen food of that ski trip. My emotional toughness will get me through my present job loss. But only Christ can generate a contented spirit in me amidst it all.

I am continually moved by the old hymn “It Is Well with My Soul,” written by Horatio G. Spafford. He penned these words as he looked out over the same waters where, just a few weeks earlier, his four daughters had drowned during a transAtlantic voyage.

When sorrows like sea-billows roll;

Whatever my lot,

Thou hast taught me to say,

“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

I love my two daughters dearly. Could I write these words? Could I surrender my heart to God’s way, God’s timing, God’s outcome? Could I tell God with an honest face, “It’s okay, I accept, I have enough”? My eyes tear as I write this. But back to the present. The hospital where I’ve been working “reorganized,” and I’m out of a job right now. I’m having to surrender my financial security to God today. I’m challenged to believe that “whatever my lot” I have enough right now. I’m learning to take a deep breath and say, “It’s okay” (even when I don’t have to look good for anyone). Having things well with my checkbook is not a prerequisite to having things well with my soul.

The Apostle Paul knew injustice and hard times. Frankl knew pain and suffering. Spafford knew sorrow and loss. Yet in the midst of chaos they also knew contentment. How about you? Is life giving you enough? Or do you think you need more?

When both your mind and soul are surrendered to the sovereign Lord of the Universe, you can do -- and accept -- all things that He allows into your life. You can learn the secret of being content, whatever the circumstances. The cross can be all that matters to you. Your heart can begin to whisper, “It is well with my soul” and live like it. It’s not an easy road, but through Christ we have the strength to take that journey -- the only journey that will bring true contentment and peace.

•-----------------

TIM SANFORD is a psychotherapist in private practice. He also works with adolescents at Rapha Christian Psychiatric Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Tim and his wife, Becky, also assist with an InterVarsity chapter at the United States Air Force Academy.

[See #4240 for quiz on contentment from this article]

After the potluck supper Jesus decided that the disciples needed a boat ride. So he sent them on ahead to cross the lake while he stayed behind to pray.

Bear in mind that the disciples were experienced fishermen. No doubt many of them had grown up in a boat. Crossing the lake, they were in their element. The test came at the point of their greatest confidence and competence!

The potluck supper had ended in the late afternoon, so they departed with plenty of time to cross the 4.5 mile lake with time to spare before sunset. The weather had something in store that they had not anticipated. When we pick up the story at verse 24, it was already 3 a.m. in the morning.

Exhausted, wet, cold and hungry -- they were a sorry lot. Then somehow through the gloom they saw Jesus walking toward them over the water. The storm itself was no cause for fear -- they’d been in storms before. The rough waters didn’t frighten them -- they’d navigated worse. But just at the point of their greatest confidence they were faced with something they’d never seen before. A man, walking on the water.

You remember the rest of the story. Peter gets out, begins walking on the water, grows fearful when he looks around and sinks. We read the story as if Peter were the loser. But Peter was the winner. He learned that when you step out of the boat in obedience to the LORD’s command, he’ll rescue you if you sink. Peter was the first human ever to walk on the water; such a thing had never happened before.

The losers were those who stayed in the boat! Sure, Peter was chastized for having little faith (v. 31), but he alone had the courage to trust the LORD, to venture out of the boat and learn that you can always rely upon Jesus to rescue when you’re about to sink.

What’s your boat, Christian? Where do you need to step out, risk sinking, and rely totally upon Jesus?

Go ahead, swing that leg up over the rail.

________

Adapted from an article by Larry McCracken, General Director of the Nortwest CBA.

Horror gripped the heart of the World War I soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into the "No Man's Land" between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back.

"You can go," said the Lieutenant, "but I don't think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your own life away." The Lieutenant's words didn't matter, and the soldier went anyway.

Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder, and bring him back to their company's trench. As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, then looked kindly at his friend. "I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Your friend is dead, and you are mortally wounded."

"It was worth it, though, sir," the soldier said.

"How do you mean, 'worth it?'" responded the Lieutenant. "Your friend is dead!"

"Yes sir," the private answered. "But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive, and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say, 'Jim, I knew you'd come.'"

________

From This Little Light of Mine, from A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Barry Spilchuk

===============

Another version by Max Lucado:

Once, two friends were fighting together in a war. The combat was ferocious, and many lives were being taken. When one of the two young soldiers was injured and could not get back to the trenches, the other went out to get him against his officer's orders. He returned mortally wounded, and his friend, whom he carried on his back, was dead.

The officer looked at the dying soldier, shook his head, and said, “It wasn't worth it.”

The young boy, overhearing the remark, smiled and said, “But it {was} worth it, sir, because when I got to him he said, 'Jim, I knew you'd come.'“

________

Max Lucado, On the Anvil (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishing Inc. 1985), 127

His employees tended to revere John D. Rockefeller, Sr., and vied to please him. As one said, "I have never heard of his equal in getting together a lot of the very best men in one team and inspiring each man to do his best for the enterprise.... He was so big, so broad, so patient; I don't believe a man like him comes to this world oftener than one in five or six hundred years."

Rockefeller worked by subtle hints, doling out praise sparingly to employees and nudging them along. At first, he tested them exhaustively, yet once he trusted them, he bestowed enormous power upon them and didn't intrude unless something radically misfired. "Often the best way to develop workers - when you are sure they have character and think they have ability - is to take them to a deep place, throw them in and make them sink or swim," he observed, recalling a method that Big Bill [his ne'er-do-well father] had used with his sons on Owasco Lake. "They will not fail."

A preacher once told of two young brothers who were playing one afternoon. As the sun set, one said, "Look how fast the sun has moved. When we came out to play, the sun was high up in the sky and now it has moved until it is going out of sight." His brother said, "Yes, but remember: It's not the sun that has moved. It is the earth that has moved. Daddy told us that." The first boy said, "I know better. I have been standing here on the earth the whole time and I know what I see with my own eyes. The sun is what moved. " The preacher then made the application: This is the way mankind is divided. One group believes what the Father says. The others believe only what they can detect with their own senses, however misleading they may be, accepting nothing by faith in a loving Father. "For we walk by faith and not by sight," (2 Corinthians 5:7).

A man named Jack was walking along a steep cliff one day when he

accidentally got too close to the edge and fell. On the way down he

grabbed a branch, which temporarily stopped his fall. He looked down

and to his horror saw that the canyon fell straight down for more

than a thousand feet. He couldn't hang onto the branch forever, and

there was no way for him to climb up the steep wall of the cliff. So

Jack began yelling for help, hoping that someone passing by would

hear him and lower a rope or something.

"HELP! HELP! Is anyone up there? HELP!" He yelled for a long time,

but no one heard him. He was about to give up when he heard a voice.

"Jack, Jack. Can you hear me?"

"Yes, yes! I can hear you. I'm down here!"

"I can see you, Jack. Are you all right?"

"Yes, but who are you, and where are you?"

"I am the Lord, Jack. I'm everywhere."

"The Lord? You mean, GOD?"

"That's Me."

"God, please help me! I promise if You'll get me down from here, I'll

stop sinning. I'll be a really good person. I'll serve You for the

rest of my life."

"Easy on the promises, Jack. Let's just get you down from there; then

we can talk. Now, here's what I want you to do. Listen carefully."

"I'll do anything, Lord. Just tell me what to do."

"Okay. Let go of the branch."

"What?"

"I said, let go of the branch. Just trust Me. Let go."

There was a long silence. Finally Jack yelled, "HELP! HELP! IS

ANYONE ELSE UP THERE?"

Have you ever felt like Jack? We say that we want to know the will of

God, but when we find out what it is, we can't handle it. Sounds too

scary, too difficult. We decide to look elsewhere. When He says,

"Let go of the things that stand between you and Me, and trust Me

with your life," it sounds pretty scary. But when we let go, we find

freedom and safety in His hands."

Isaac Rankin says that just outside his window is a large wire which carries a heavy current of electricity for light and power. It is carefully insulated at every pole and is out of common reach. "However," he says, "if I could lean out far enough to grasp it, death would be as swift as a lightning stroke. Yet the doves in my

neighborhood suffer no harm when they perch on it. They fly from my windowsill, where I sometimes feed them, and preen in safety and contentment on the cables. The secret is that when they contact that

wire, they touch nothing else. My danger would be that should I attempt to reach out and do so, the walls of my house would act as a ground, and the current would turn my body into a channel through which the electricity would flow in damaging power. Because they rest wholly upon the wire, they are unharmed. So God would have us seek our safety in complete surrender to His power and love. It is when we reach one hand to Him while still holding fast to some forbidden thing with the other that we are in danger."

Imagine a ship filled with people crossing the Atlantic. In the middle

of the ocean there is an explosion. The ship is severely damaged and

slowly sinking. Most are dead, and the rest are rushing for the

lifeboats. Now suppose one man doesn't know about the lifeboat, so he

does not get aboard. He doesn't have knowledge, so he is not saved.

Suppose another man knows about the lifeboat and believes it will save

his life, but he is grief-stricken over seeing his wife killed, so he

chooses not to get aboard and dies with his wife. He has knowledge and

mental assent, but he is not saved. Others beleive the lifeboat will

save them, and they get into the boat. They are saved by faith, that

is they have knowledge, mental assent, and trust. However, it is not

their faith that saves them--no matter how much they have. It is the

boat. Saving faith trusts Christ, and Christ saves. Evangelism, A

Biblical Approach, M. Cocoris, Moody, 1984, p. 77

One night a big, hungry tiger caught a woman in the woods by her

house. He threw her down to the ground and was going to have a feast.

She could feel his hot breath in her face.

Something seemed to tell her to sing. She began to sing hymns, as

she was lying under the"' strong body of the great beast. This seemed

to charm him. He did not go away, but he did not hurt her. He just

stood over her and listened. But she did not dare to stop singing, or

he might have eaten her up. She kept on singing till her husband

returned home in the morning, for he had been off to work, and shot

the fierce animal.

This woman believed her life had been saved because she sang

praises to the Lord Jesus. She obeyed His voice when she felt that He

told her to sing, and He caused the songs to save her life. How

sweetly the Lord takes care of His children when they trust and obey

Him.

By William Moses Tidwell, "Effective Illustrations."

Here is a story of the first Napoleon: The great battle was

impending. The commander was inspecting his troops. Turning from a

mass of undisciplined, inexperienced men before him, he said to one of

his generals, "These men I know nothing about." Then, as his eye ran

over a body of men who had been with him for a short time and knew

something of march, bivouac, and battlefield, he said: "These men I

think I can trust. Finally he turned to a division of troops who had

been with him in all his campaigns. They were the veterans of his

army. They had been baptized in blood and fire in many a fierce and

deadly struggle. As they stood before him with set lips and stern

countenances, ready and waiting for the onset of the coming battle,

the great commander turned from them with a heart pulsating with pride

and confidence, and said quietly to his officers, "These men I know I

can trust."

How shall we become men and women whom God can trust?

By William Moses Tidwell, "Effective Illustrations."

A Parable of Life

Life is like another parable from another land. A blind Indian beggar sat beside a road, fingering the rice in his little bowl. Wearing only a loin cloth, he sat in poverty beside a road that stretched into nowhere both ways. The scarce travelers occasionally gave him a little rice. One day he heard the thunder of a chariot in the distance. It was the grand entourage of the maharajah. This was a moment that had never come before. Surely the great one would stop and give him baskets of rice.

Indeed, the golden chariot of the maharajah stopped before the poor beggar. The great one stepped down and the beggar fell before him. Then the sky seemed to fall in. "Give me your rice," said the great one. A fearful, hateful, scowl masked the face of the beggar. He reached into his bowl and thrust one grain of rice toward the maharajah. "Is that all? said the great one. The beggar spat on the ground, cursed, and threw him one more grain of rice. The great one turned, entered his chariot, and was gone.

The beggar--angry, empty, and crushed--fingered the remaining rice he had hoarded in his bowl. He felt something hard, different from the rice. He pulled it out. It was one grain of gold. He poured out his rice, caring nothing for it now. He found one other grain of gold. Had he trusted the great one, he could have had a grain of gold for every grain of rice. -- Joel Gregory

"In God We Trust" This became our official motto by a joint

resolution of the Congress, on July 20, 1956.

- PULPIT HELPS, July, 1991

At a dangerous front, the Army chaplain was conducting worship services. "I thank Thee, Lord," he prayed, "that Thine holy angels do surround us with their protection and love..."

Suddenly an artillery explosion was heard nearby. The chaplain paused in mid-sentence and raised his voice: "Is that OUTGOING or INCOMING?"

Together the soldiers answered: "OUTGOING, Sir."

"All right," said the chaplain, "now where was I? We thank Thee, Lord,

that Thine holy angels..."