In Sermon Illustrations: "Putting God First"

Finding God In Hardship

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Jan 19, 2009

Finding God in Hardship A dear friend of mine has been out of regular work for a couple of years. She has found enough temporary work to stay a float, but it has sometimes been a week-to-week challenge to pay the bills. As we were talking the other day, she said to me, "I am walking through my ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

God's "Random" Provision

Contributed by Timothy Darling on Jan 21, 2009

God's "Random" Provision Charles Cowman and his wife were missionaries to Asia. He became fatally ill and they returned to their homeland. For six years he battled his illness. Mrs. Cowman says, "... each time when the testings had reached their utmost limit, God would illumine some old and ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Mennonite

What Is The Will Of God For Me?

Contributed by Tony Abram on Feb 8, 2009

WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR ME? I have said many times over the past 50 years of international ministry to God's people when asked, "What is the Will of God for me? and how can I know it and do it?" I have said that, in a nutshell, the Will of God is the Word of God--and the Word of God is the ...read more

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Spoiled Child Of God

Contributed by Paul Carlson on Feb 11, 2009

SPOILED CHILD OF GOD Have you ever noticed a parent spoiling his child by allowing him to freely roam, disobey, be out late at night without accountability, talk back to him, etc? At times, parents are fearful of losing their child’s love if they restrict their activity or don’t give in to their ...read more

Tags: Christian Love

Denomination: Baptist

Loyalty To God Or Ourselves?

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 19, 2009

LOYALTY TO GOD OR OURSELVES? When I was in seminary, I had some conversations with some fellow students, with a good mentor and friend Ron Mabry, with a Dr. Stafford and the credentialing team in Indiana. Through these interactions God was speaking to me and asking me where my loyalties to lie? Is ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Church Of God

What God Has ...

Contributed by Paul Carlson on Feb 20, 2009

What God Has Promised God hath not promised Skies always blue Flower-strewn pathways All our lives through. God hath not promised Sun without rain Joy without sorrow Peace without pain. But God hath promise Strength for the day Rest for the labor Light for the way; ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God

Denomination: Baptist

What Other Gods?

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 2, 2009

WHAT OTHER GODS? What other gods could we have besides the Lord? Plenty. For Israel there were the Canaanite Baals, those jolly nature gods whose worship was a rampage of gluttony, drunkenness, and ritual prostitution. For us there are still the great gods Sex, Shekels, and Stomach (an unholy ...read more

Tags: Idolatry

Denomination: Other

Hide And Seek With God  PRO

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Mar 7, 2009

HIDE AND SEEK WITH GOD This week I have been hammered by the immensity of what it means to "abandon," "forsake," or "leave alone" the omnipresent God, God who is everywhere. How is that possible? It is ONLY possible if God allows us to leave, allows us to turn our back upon God Himself. Yes, it ...read more

Tags: God's Omniscience

Denomination: *other

Spurgeon On Trusting God  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 17, 2009

SPURGEON ON TRUSTING GOD Charles Spurgeon writes: "There is One who cares for you. His eye is fixed on you, His heart beats with pity for your woe, and His omnipotent hand shall bring you the needed help. The darkest cloud shall scatter itself in showers of mercy. He, if you are one of His ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 40:4

Tags: Grace, Trust, Anxiety, Surrender, Struggles, Trial  (view more)  (view less)

Deprived Of God's Light

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 17, 2009

DEPRIVED OF GOD’S LIGHT I was reading in one of the CIA espionage or spy books I love to read, and the writer was discussing the strange effects we suffer when we are deprived of sunlight during the winter months. Drs. Michael Terman and Jamie Rifkin wrote: "During the cold war with Russia, B-52 ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Connected To God's Love

Contributed by Stephen Smarowsky on Apr 10, 2009

CONNECTED TO GOD'S LOVE A water pipe was designed to carry water. I have learned that when you hook the pipe to the water, and turn on the water, the water flows through the pipe and out of the other end. When ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Baptist

Your God Is Too ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2009

YOUR GOD IS TOO SAFE The words that Mark Buchanan wrote of his own experience in his book entitled "Your God Is Too Safe." He wrote that when he was saved, "I hit the ground running. Immediately, I volunteered for everything, anything, that I felt vaguely interested in and marginally qualified ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:41-45

Tags: Zeal

Jesus: The Image Of God

Contributed by Jim Blevins on May 2, 2009

JESUS: THE IMAGE OF GOD If you are old enough to remember, or watch the old series Dragnet on the Nickelodeon channel, you will see at the end a greasy hand come out with a hammer and a die. The hammer hits the die, and when the hammer and die leave, the mark ’VII’ is left in the stone. Although ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God

Denomination: Independent/Bible

God's Love Is With You

Contributed by Richard Francis on May 10, 2009

GOD'S LOVE IS WITH YOU God’s promise is not that we will not suffer or have grief, pain and trouble; his promise is more amazing than that. It is that he will be with us in all of those moments, he will never leave us and forsake us. God loves us too much to leave us to face these moments alone. ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dad, Are You God?

Contributed by Bruce Howell on May 20, 2009

DAD, ARE YOU GOD? One day after church, the pastor asked his little boy what he learned in Sunday school. The lad said, "I learned that God loves me more than anything else in the whole world." "What else did you learn?" asked his dad. "I learned that when I’m bad, He spanks real hard." "What ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Wesleyan

Good God Almighty

Contributed by Louis Pantelis on May 21, 2009

GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY I am reminded of the story of the fellow that always fell asleep during the pastor’s sermon. The wife had decided to keep him awake - so she took a large hair pin with the intention of sticking him with it when he nodded off. Sure enough, right in the middle of the pastor’s ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 10:1-19

Tags: God The Father

Denomination: Church Of God

With God, There Is No P.s.

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Jun 9, 2009

WITH GOD, THERE IS NO P.S. Nothing can stop the love of God. In a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, is a grave on which was placed a huge slab of granite and then a slab of marble was cemented on top. The rocks were fastened with heavy steel clamps. It belonged to a woman who did not believe in the ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Higher Standard Of God

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jul 6, 2009

HIGHER STANDARD OF GOD Paul very much emphasized that we are responsible to others. Not responsible for them but to them. We are held to a high standard (at least we should be) by our own conscience, by others, and by God. Too often we make excuses such as not knowing that something was ...read more

Tags: Ignorance

Denomination: Church Of God

Fruitfulness As God's Work  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2009

FRUITFULNESS AS GOD’S WORK A few years ago, the Associated Press released a study done by an agricultural school in Iowa. It reported that production of 100 bushels of corn from one acre of land, in addition to the many hours of the farmer’s labor, required 4,000,000 pounds of water, 6,800 pounds ...read more

Scripture: John 15:5

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit

Mother, Is The Moon God's ...

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Jul 28, 2009

“Mother, Is the Moon God’s Light?” A mother and her little four-year-old daughter were preparing to retire for the night. The child was afraid of the night. The child was afraid of the dark, and the mother, alone with the child, felt fearful also. When the light was out, the child caught a ...read more

Tags: Trust, Trust God

Denomination: Christian Church