In Sermon Illustrations: "Personal Chat"

The Power Of Daily Scripture Reading

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

ian Hardin tells the story of traveling a lot for work with his friend Bobby. As they travelled, he’d read the Bible aloud to him. But he wasn’t reading the Bible to gain deep insights… or to solve theological quandaries. He was just reading it… yet even then, it often said something that got stuck ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:1-9

Tags: Scripture, Scripture Reading

Denomination: Methodist

A Bag With Holes

Contributed by James Dina on Dec 1, 2020

A BAG WITH HOLES “You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” (Haggai 1:6) There are many rich people in the ...read more

Scripture: Haggai 1:6

Tags: Defense, Holes

Denomination: Pentecostal

From Godly To Rebellion?

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Nov 25, 2022

Genesis 10 – 11:9…. Look again at verses 10:5, 20, 31…. and 11:1…. What do you think is the explanation for this? – v32 gives the answer; all came from Noah (with his language, but the 3 sons went to all different areas of the world) The second half of Genesis 11 speaks of Abraham, from the line ...read more

Tags: Evil, God's Love, Rebellion, Godly, Mankind  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Herod The Great

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 15, 2023

"In modern research on Herod, the most discussed issue concerns the impact of his reign on his Jewish subjects. Opinions vary. Some scholars paint a picture of a cruel tyrant, even a maniac suffering from a personality disorder, who introduced the ancient version of a Gestapo state with an ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-13

Tags: Christmas, Herod The Great, King Herod, Wisemen, Wiseman  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Motives For Meditation

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 25, 2024

Dietrich Bonhoeffer required his seminarians to give half an hour each morning to scripture meditation. Many of the students struggled with this task, so he wrote these instructions to help them understand the importance of meditation and to help them learn how to meditate on God’s Word. Why do I ...read more

Tags: Meditation, Quiet Time, Spiritual Discipline, Devotionals, Bible, Prayer, Word Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Leave Behind The Past, Reach For The Future

Contributed by Saumiman Saud on Feb 18, 2025

LEAVE BEHIND THE PAST, REACH FOR THE FUTURE Heavenly Father, I thank You for giving me the opportunity to enter a new year. May I love and serve You diligently, Father. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Philippians 3:13-14 "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:13-14

Tags: Future, Past

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Unrecognised Riches

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

In the late nineteenth Century in South Africa, an old man was digging for gold in a river bed. He had been at it for many years. Every now and then he found a little bit of gold, not enough to make him rich – but just enough to maintain his interest. The part of river in which he was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:21

Tags: Riches, Diamonds

Denomination: Anglican

What Emperor Napoleon Said About Jesus

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

Emperor Napoleon I of France (1769-1821), was one of the greatest military commanders of all time. He conquered the larger part of Europe and did much to modernize the nations he ruled. What did Napoleon say about Jesus? "I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 5:1-15

Tags: Jesus, Napoleon

Denomination: Anglican

Are You Conected To The Power Source?

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Nov 25, 2025

A missionary named Herbert Jackson ... was a given car when he arrived on ... the mission field. It had one problem... it would not start ... without a push. After pondering his problem, ... he devised a plan. He went to the local school near his home, ... and received permission to take a few ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:13, Ephesians 3:16, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John 4:4

Tags: Power, Force, Overflow, Connected, Beliver, Missionary, Spirit, Holy Spirit  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

[256]. A Message From A Poem – The Bride’s Song

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 8, 2026

[256]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE BRIDE’S SONG The Bride of Christ is the Church. It is also The Pearl of Greatest Price. Those who belong to Christ are members of the Church of the Bride. Not all who are in a church belong to the Church universal. Those redeemed members – truly saved – ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:20, 1 John 4:19, Revelation 19:7-8

Tags: The Church Is The Bride, The Song Of The Bride, Sing, The Bride Of Christ, Christian Poetry, Sing Praises, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[258]. A Message From A Poem – The Christian’s Life The Christian’s Hope

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 8, 2026

[258]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE CHRISTIAN’S LIFE THE CHRISTIAN’S HOPE Nothing is more meaningful than being a Christian who knows he/she has passed from death into life. It is a precious position that those in the world do not know; nor do they care. {{1 John 3:14 “We know that we have ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 4:1, 1 John 3:14, 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Tags: Expectation, Life In Jesus, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, World, Hope, Difficult, Church Members  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

37,000 Species Of Fish And 400,000 Species Of Beetles!

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Apr 9, 2026

We all need to accept and value one another, in all of our glorious variety, and not try to fit people into a mold or expect them to be just like us. Because it is an undeniable fact that God loves variety. Consider the natural world, for example. In this world that God designed and created, ...read more

Tags: Spiritual Gifts, Uniqueness, Valuing One Another

Denomination: Baptist

The Ring In Witness Protection

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

Have you ever had one of those moments where, as the words are leaving your mouth, you know you're making a terrible mistake? I had one of those back in 2014. I had just started my first real job at an advertising agency, and I was so excited that I went straight from work and bought an ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:2-3, Isaiah 40:3

Tags: God's Timing, Waiting

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

It All Happened On A Subway

Contributed by Dr. Bradford Reaves on Mar 10, 2022

Marcel Sternberger was a methodical man of nearly 50, with bushy white hair, guileless brown eyes, and the bouncing enthusiasm of a czardas dancer of his native Hungary. He always took the 9:09 Long Island Railroad train from his suburban home to Woodside, N.Y.., where he caught a subway into the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:10

Tags: Grace, Mercy, Salvation, Chance, Divine Appointments  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Brethren

Remarks By President Bush  PRO

Contributed by Warren Lamb on Nov 11, 2006

Remarks by President Bush At Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Day Commemoration Arlington National Cemetery May 31, 2004 This morning I had the honor of placing a wreath before the Tomb of the Unknowns. This custom is observed every Memorial Day on behalf of the American people as a mark of ...read more

Tags: Memorial Day, Separation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Building A Relationship With God (Running The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 19, 2009

Building a Relationship with God (Running the Race) It was the summer before my Senior year at Jamestown College. I had taken up riding my bike several times a week and had gotten up to riding 10-20 miles in a single go. Needless to say… I was feeling pretty good about myself. So when school ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Tags: Sports

What's In A Name, Anyway?

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 16, 2019

I cannot express how ecstatic I was when someone gave me a coupon for a free donut. Normally, I am not overly excited about “free.” All I had to do was fill out a little survey online and they would send me a code that would guarantee me a free donut. In my “daily diary diet,” I have a whole ...read more

Scripture: John 8:32

Tags: Freedom, Choice

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Did I Just Call Myself?

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 8, 2020

I am old enough to remember those days when there was nothing like cell phones. Oh, those quiet, golden silent days. At the time, I did not realize just how wonderful that time was. Every time you needed to make a phone call, you had to go to where a phone was. Those were the days of the telephone ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 116:2

Tags: Superman, Pnone, Telemarketers

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Not Everything Is As It Seems

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 25, 2020

For the last five days, I have not been able to sleep nor close my eyes at night. It’s been a nightmare. During the last four weeks, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and Yours Truly have been sequestered in our home and loving it. I cannot remember a time in our marriage that we have spent ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 6:4

Tags: Humor, Relationship

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

It Was A Week That Was Shot To Pieces

Contributed by James Snyder on Jun 27, 2020

I only made one mistake last week, which is something of a record for me. I try limiting mistakes to one at a time, but not always in sequential order. I once tried to make my mistakes in a logical order, but it turned out to be a mistake. The one faux pas I made was taking Monday off. I proposed ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:9

Tags: Humor, Plans

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance