How Did I Get Here?

HOW DID I GET HERE? DON’T STAY HERE!

GOD HAS SOME NEW THINGS FOR YOU!

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

I. CATCH THE MORAL OF THE STORY?

In 1995 several young men decided to go to Kenya, Africa on a SAFARI. They studied ahead of time and had prepared their minds with information so to make the most out of their journey. They spent several days on a wild life reservation.

One day they hiked for hours to see ELEPHANTS in their native surroundings. After hiking for hours the tour guide led the young men to a heavy bush area,

and right before them were a huge herd of elephants. They watched a baby feed from it’s mother.

They were all amazed as they watched the elephants using their trunks to gather food. The tour guide explained that elephants in the wild are hard to manage and control, they can be very dangerous.

One daring young man got nearer and nearer. His pictures were going to be the best. As the young man got real close to a young bull elephant, the elephant got closer and closer to him. The man just froze and was amazed how close the elephant was to him. He just kept snapping pictures.

Finally the big bull elephant turned and backed up to the man. The elephant raised up his hind leg, and the young man could see a rock embedded in the elephant’s foot and infection was invested around the rock.

The young man took some pictures of the deep wound, and then quietly backed away from the animal in distress. The young man refused to help the limping

elephant, he feared the elephant might mistake his efforts as causing pain.

The elephant turned and placed his trunk in the air and made a loud trumpet sound.

After a face to face encounter with the huge mammal, the man ran to the waiting vehicle and could not wait to leave and have his pictures developed.

Years passed by, and the young man had shown the pictures to all his friends of the day he spent close to the herd of elephants.

12 years later the man was with several friends at a huge zoo. The man remembered his experience and avoiding the wounded elephant.

While at the ELEPHANT AREA the man noticed this huge bull elephant looking at him. The bull elephant would reach his trunk toward the young man like he

remembered him.

The man turned away and the bull elephant started trumpeting very loud toward the man.

The young man thought, this can’t be that same elephant that I spent time with in the wild? What are the chances of us meeting again in the zoo?

The elephant trumpeted loudly and turned his rear foot toward the man.

The elephant stomped it’s foot at the man.

So the man got real brave and jumped over the fence to be reunited with his old friend from the wild in Africa. He was absolutely convinced this was the same

elephant.

The man approached the elephant slowly. The elephant backed toward him.

Then suddenly the elephant turned, wrapped his trunk around the young man and threw the man to the ground several times. The elephant pulled water into it’s

trunk and blew water into the man’s face. In great anger the elephant stepped on the man a few times. The man was hurt, bruised and battered.

The man remembered not helping the elephant’s wounded foot, and he was so sorry.

THE MAN LOOKED INTO THE ELEPHANTS EYES AND SAID, I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT HELPING YOU WHEN I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY.

The elephant spit water into the man’s face again. When the gate keeper got the door opened and rescued the man. The man had learned a valuable lesson about helping when you have the opportunity.

WHAT IS THE MORAL OF THIS STORY?

Could it have been the same elephant? NO! NO WAY!

BUT THAT IS NOT THE MORAL OF THE STORY ---

THE MORAL OF THE STORY: GETTING HERE WAS NOT THE SMARTEST THING YOU EVER ACHIEVED. THE MORAL IS SIMPLE: DON’T CLIMB INTO WILD ANIMALS’ CAGES.

YOU WILL ALWAYS FACE THE TERRIBLE CHANCE OF GETTING HURT.

HOW DID I GET IN THIS ELEPHANT’S CAGE?

II. THERE IS MORE THAN A SHOUT! HOW DOES A PERSON LOSE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING? THERE IS MORE THAN EXTERNAL FORMS IN REAL WORSHIP.

A. I have this line I first heard in Haiti.

THE MAIN THING IS TO KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING.

That is true --- WHAT IS THE MAIN THING?

B. Just having religion is never enough.

James warns us of :

2 Tim. 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

III. ELI --- HOW DID YOU GET HERE? HOPHNI AND PHINEHAS HOW DID YOU GET HERE?