In Sermon Illustrations: "Personal"

Wikipedia Adds This ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Dec 15, 2008

Wikipedia adds this insight: "Humility, or being humble, is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others. The opposite of humility is pride. The term "humility" is derived from the Latin word ...read more

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Independent/Bible

What Are We Worth?

Contributed by Sean Harder on Jun 25, 2009

WHAT ARE WE WORTH? It is estimated that the chemical components of a normal 150-pound human are worth about 12 bucks. The rest is water and is free. When we think about the electrical power we generate, it is figured that we would produce about 11,400,000 kilowatts per pound if it could be ...read more

Tags: Human Life

Three Things

Contributed by Tony Abram on Aug 20, 2009

THREE THINGS Three things in life that, once gone, never come back 1. Time 2. Words 3. Opportunity Three things in life that can destroy a person 1. Anger 2. Pride 3. Unforgiveness Three things in life that you should never lose 1. Hope 2. Peace 3. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2, Matthew 18:35

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Cost Of Coveting Beauty

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jul 6, 2010

COST OF COVETING BEAUTY Venus lingers around every time an ad promotes personal beauty as something to be coveted above all else. I read recently that, if current trends continue, today’s 10-year-old girl, by the time she reaches 50, will have spent $450,000.00 on hair, make-up, ...read more

Tags: Idolatry

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Christians Aren't Any Different

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 5, 2016

CHRISTIANS AREN’T ANY DIFFERENT “We find there is very little difference in ethical behavior between churchgoers and those who are not active religiously. The levels of lying, cheating, and stealing are similar in both groups. Eight out of ten Americans consider themselves Christians, Gallup ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:15-16

Tags: Morality, Ten Commandments, Church In America

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Counterfeit Fruit Of The Spirit

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 12, 2023

"It is possible for the old nature to counterfeit some of the fruit of the Spirit, but the flesh can never produce the fruit of the Spirit. One difference is this: when the Spirit produces fruit, God gets the glory and the Christian is not conscious of his spirituality; but when the flesh is ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Holy Spirit, Fruit, Flesh, Fruit Of The Spirit, Works Of The Flesh, Spirit Filled Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Pride

Contributed by Shine Thomas on Nov 9, 2018

Muhammad Ali, the great wrestler was never known for being a kind person. Once he was on an airplane and he often said, “I'm the greatest.” The airhostesses looked at him and saw he didn't have his seatbelt fastened. She said to him, “Mr. Ali, you'll have to fasten your seatbelt.” Ali ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:29, Philippians 2:3

Tags: Pride, Pride Destroys, Pride And Humility

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Seminary Students Who Would Not Stop To Help

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 20, 2022

In her book Kindness: Reaching Out to Others, Phyllis J. Le Peau relates this story: “Some seminary students were asked to preach on the story of the Good Samaritan. When the hour arrived for their sermon, each one was deliberately delayed en route to class. As the students raced across campus, ...read more

Tags: Levite, Good Samaritan, Jerusalem, Jericho, Priest, Parables, Hypocrisy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Devastating Power Of Criticism

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 25, 2014

"Go where you’re celebrated, not where you’re tolerated." - Author Unknown I know a number of people whose lives have been profoundly affected by the criticism of others. For some, it was being cruelly taunted at school by their peers, for others, a close family member who criticized or ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:15

Tags: Criticism, Judgemental, Evil Tongue

Denomination: Charismatic

Heaven, An Inheritance  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Heaven, an Inheritance Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6, Romans 10:9

Tags: Heaven, New Creature

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Good To Great: The Level 5 ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2009

GOOD TO GREAT: THE LEVEL 5 LEADER One of the books I read recently was Jim Collins’ bestselling management book, "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap, and Others Don’t." The phenomenal bestseller came out seven years ago, and yet it still sells over 300,000 copies a year. It showcased ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

I Don't Understand The ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

“I Don’t Understand the Bible...” Three types of people are described in 1 Corinthians 2 and 3: the natural man, the spiritual man, and the carnal man. The natural or unsaved person is spiritually dead and blind. He cannot understand the things of God. “The god of this age has blinded the minds ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:4

Tags: Satan

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

James Dobson, New Man, October, ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Aug 9, 2002

[illustration, James Dobson, New Man, October, 1994, p. 36.] This is an exert from an article that James Dobson wrote in 1994 about Stephen Hawking, whom I believe has since died… Stephen Hawking is an astrophysicist at Cambridge University and perhaps the most intelligent man on earth. He has ...read more

Tags: Contentment, Fulfillment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Chasing A Wagging Tail  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jun 17, 2004

CHASING A WAGGING TAIL Stephen Hawking is an astrophysicist at Cambridge University and perhaps the most intelligent man on earth. He has advanced the general theory of relativity farther than any person since Albert Einstein. Unfortunately, Hawking is afflicted with ALS Syndrome (Lou Gehrig’s ...read more

Tags: Faith, Joy

Denomination: Lutheran

Three Views On Civil Disobedience By Believers

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 29, 2023

There are at least three general positions on the matter of civil disobedience. The anarchist view says that a person can choose to disobey the government whenever he likes and whenever he feels he is personally justified in doing so. Such a stance has no biblical support whatsoever, as evidenced ...read more

Tags: Leaders, Civil Disobedience, Patriotism, Persecution, America, Submission, Government, Authority  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Before I Discovered That My Cell Phone Had A ...  PRO

Contributed by Josh Mcdowell on Mar 9, 2005

Before I discovered that my cell phone had a lock screen button I would often accidentally dial the last number in my cell phone’s registry. The biggest problem was that I never realized that it had happened. I would go on with normal life and my cell phone would be on for an extended period of ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Baptist

One Of The Most Dramatic Examples Of The Bible's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2005

One of the most dramatic examples of the Bible’s divine ability to transform men and women involved the famous mutiny on the “Bounty.” Following their rebellion against the notorious Captain Bligh, nine mutineers, along with the Tahatian men and women who accompanied them, found their way to ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

A Few Years Ago Psychologist Ruth W. Berenda And ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2005

A few years ago psychologist Ruth W. Berenda and her associates carried out an interesting experiment with teenagers designed to show how a person handled group pressure. The plan was simple. They brought groups of ten adolescents into a room for a test. Subsequently, each group of ten was ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:14

Tags: Basics Of Christianity

What Purpose Drives Americans? With Over 20 ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

What Purpose Drives Americans? With over 20 million having read Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life, The Barna Group polled Americans on the question, “What do Americans perceive their purpose in life to be?” Priorities differed according to faith commitments. Evangelicals were the only segment ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

I Have Come To The Conclusion That It Is ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to have a moral community or nation without faith in God, because without it everything rapidly comes down to "me," and "me" alone is meaningless. Today Americans have stopped acting in terms of their own moral, ethical and religious beliefs and ...read more

Tags: Wisdom