In Sermon Illustrations: "gifts encouragement" showing 1,501-1,520 of 2,702

Meaningless Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 6, 2008

Meaningless Life Mark Twain expressed thoughts about the meaningless of life in view of man’s inevitable death. Shortly before his death, he wrote, "A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle;...they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:1-18

Tags: Death Nearness

Could Be Worse  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

COULD BE WORSE It was a few days before Christmas on the Oregon coast. Two men whose families lived next door to each other opted to go sailing while their wives went Christmas shopping. An unexpected storm surprised the weekend sailors. Before long, the sea became angry, and the two had a ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Materialism, Shopping

Someone Tells The Story Of A Boy Who Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Dana Chau on Jun 24, 2003

Someone tells the story of a boy who was rebelling against his dad constantly. This boy was destroying his own life by his rebellion, but he refuse to heed his father’s words. One day, the dad said to the boy, "I want to show you what you’re doing to your life. I’m going to put a wooden post ...read more

Tags: Sin Wages Of, God's Provision

Denomination: *other

Leaders Are Born And Made

Contributed by Tim White on May 7, 2011

LEADERS ARE BORN AND MADE J. Oswald Sanders in his classic “Spiritual Leadership” believes that leaders are both born and made. “While conversion does not normally make leaders of people who would never become such otherwise, Church history teaches that in the hour of full surrender the Holy ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Baptist

It Is Not Good...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2011

IT IS NOT GOOD... God made a woman to keep him company and to be his companion. The fact is we men don't do too well without such a companion. Researchers from the Universities of Utah and South Carolina recently collected data from 148 different studies, conducted over three decades, involving ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:18

Tags: Marriage General

Pastoral ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Pastoral Appreciation Pastors are very thankful to the Lord for every worker that God has given to the church of Jesus Christ. There is no greater blessing than to see obedient Christians exercise their gifts under the guidance of agape love. Whether it be the gift of helps, administration, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:11

Tags: Pastors

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Parable Of The Fig Tree  PRO

Contributed by Ty Tamasaka on Jul 26, 2011

THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE 6 "Then Jesus told this story: 'A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7 Finally, he said to his gardener, 'I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:6-9

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Other

Maybe You Heard The Story About A Little ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Mar 13, 2001

ILL. Maybe you heard the story about a little girl named Sandra who was raised in an adobe house in a rural area of New Mexico, without electricity & running water. In fact, her mother & father had to drive to El Paso, 200 miles away, so that her mother could be in the hospital when Sandra was ...read more

Tags: Children, Parenting

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

In The Fall Of 2000 And Winter Of 2001, Any Time ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 16, 2002

In the Fall of 2000 and winter of 2001, any time you would turn on the news, you would constantly hear about the Presidential election and what one side was accusing the other of doing and vice versa. Through all the jokes and news coverage, something did occur to me as I listened while I looked ...read more

Tags: Character

We Live By Faith: But The Symbols Of Bread And ...  PRO

Contributed by Ronald Keller on Apr 6, 2003

We live by faith: But the symbols of bread and wine give us some insight into the life and sufferings of Jesus. He gave his all to give us all eternal life.(Illustration: This past week, I have had opportunity to have two lunches with fellow pastors, John and Juan. About two years ago, one of ...read more

Tags: Lord's Supper

Denomination: Nazarene

Happy To Be Alive  PRO

Contributed by James O. Davis on Oct 28, 2003

HAPPY TO BE ALIVE Bob Leland is a man who really encouraged me several years ago. You may have seen him on television. He has a healthy dose of enthusiasm for life. You may remember, he ran the New York marathon in 98 hours, 47 minutes, and 17 seconds. That’s not bad for someone who has no ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Human Body, Endurance

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Have You Ever Waited For Someone For Any Length ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Christian on Dec 8, 2003

Have you ever waited for someone for any length of time? I don’t mean waiting for someone to show up when they are 15 minutes late. I mean really waited for someone. I think of the women who waited back home when their husbands and fiancés went off to war. Some of you may have experienced such ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:4

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Charles Spurgeon Frequently Visited Monaco Which ...  PRO

Contributed by Lou Nicholes on Jan 25, 2005

Charles Spurgeon frequently visited Monaco which had been a gambling resort for years. Spurgeon, of course, was not a gambler, but he enjoyed visiting the grounds of the Casino of Monte Carlo and walking through its lavish gardens. Spurgeon thought the gardens were some of the most beautiful in the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 8:1-6

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Baptist

There Is No Fear Of God Before Their Eyes  PRO

Contributed by Bob Hicks on Nov 22, 2005

There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:10-18 (NIV) “Don’t you fear God?” is a great question. It’s a question that I don’t think we hear much anymore. And if we’re not careful, the next generation will miss entirely this all important characteristic of God. That’s why ...read more

Tags: Narnia

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Take A Break: The World Health Organization ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 16, 2006

Take A Break: The World health Organization reports that by ’20 clinical depression is expected to outrank cancer and follow only heart disease in causes of death and disability worldwide. 28% of U.S. adults feel overworked or overwhelmed by work often or very often. These feelings take a toll on ...read more

Tags: Emotions

Four Key Reasons Kids Become More Committed To ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

Four Key Reasons kids become more committed to Christ. (1) Parents: 36% of youth report parents are their top influence (or at least 2nd or 3rd influence) when it comes to helping them grow in Christ. (2) Struggles: 1 in 7 kids claim a difficult struggle stimulated spiritual growth. Another 10% ...read more

Tags: Youth Leaders, Evangelism How To

The Little Girl And The Piano

Contributed by Shane Hart on Apr 27, 2006

The Little Girl and the Piano A little girl wanted to become a great pianist, but all she could play on the piano was the simple little tune, "Chopsticks." No matter how hard she tried, that was the best she could do. Her parents decided after some time to arrange for a great maestro to teach her ...read more

Tags: God The Father

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Story Is Told About A Farmer Who Caught A ...

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Jan 19, 2007

The story is told about a farmer who caught a young eagle and placed it with his chickens. The eaglet ate with them and soon adopted itself to their ways. One day a friend was visiting the farm and noticed the eagle with the chickens in the barnyard. He said to the farmer, “What’s that eagle ...read more

Denomination: Wesleyan

Everyone Needs This List To ...

Contributed by Tony Abram on Aug 20, 2009

Everyone Needs this List to Live. * The most destructive habit: Worry, * The greatest Joy: Giving, * The greatest loss: Loss of self-respect, * The most satisfying work: Helping others, * The ugliest personality trait: Selfishness, * The most endangered species: Dedicated ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

This Story Broke This Week From The United ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Dec 14, 2009

This story broke this week from the United Kingdom: " LONDON (Reuters) – Gone are the days of shepherds in tea towels and tinsel-clad angels. Britain’s competitive parents are forking out on luxury pashmina shawls and velour dressing gowns to make their child the star of the annual nativity ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Independent/Bible