Remembering People (Memorial Day)

REMEMBERING PEOPLE (Memorial Day)

Phil. 2:3-4

INTRO.- ILL.- There’s a story about a city fellow who was visiting relatives on a farm and the farmer gave a whistle and his dog herded the cattle into the corral, then latched the gate with her paw.

"Wow, that’s some dog. What’s her name?" The forgetful farmer thought a minute, then asked, "What do you call that red flower that smells good and has thorns on the stem?" "A rose?" "That’s it!" The farmer turned to his wife. "Hey Rose, what do we call this dog?"

There are times when we humans can we be quite forgetful. Been there, done that, haven’t you?

What is your worst happening of forgetfulness? Did you ever get in your car, reach for your keys and didn’t have them? Or you couldn’t remember your own phone number or house number? Or the street where you lived? Or the names of some of your children?!

If we were put in the right situation at the right time, we all can be quite forgetful.

ILL.- One day after Albert Einstein had moved to his home at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, the telephone rang in the office of the Dean of the Princeton Graduate School. The voice at the other end inquired: "May I speak with Dr. Einstein, please?"

Advised that he was not in, the voice continued: "perhaps then you will tell me where Dr. Einstein lives." The secretary replied that she could not do this, since Dr. Einstein wished to have his privacy respected. The voice on the telephone dropped to a near whisper: "Please do not tell anybody, but I am Dr. Einstein. I am on my way home, and have forgotten where my house is!"

That would be pretty bad, wouldn’t it?

ILL.- At a commuter train station a policeman noticed a woman driver with her head bowed over the steering wheel in obvious discomfort. The police officer asked her, "Is there anything wrong?"

Half crying and half laughing, she said, "For ten years I have been driving my husband to this station every morning to catch this train. THIS MORNING I FORGOT HIM!"

Brothers and sisters, the worst forgetfulness of all is to forget people! One of the biggest lessons that we need to learn is that God didn’t put us here for us! God put us here for others!

II Cor. 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, WHO COMFORTS US IN ALL OUR TROUBLES, SO THAT WE CAN COMFORT THOSE IN ANY TROUBLE..."

Did you hear God speaking to you? God comforts us so that we can comfort others. God ministers to us so that we can minister to others! God loves us so we can love others! GOD PUT US HERE FOR OTHERS!

Phil. 2:3 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."

We live in a very self-centered society. It’s every man, woman and child for themselves. And I’m taking care of myself. But in humility we are to consider others better than ourselves.

ILL.- Did you hear what Bob Morton said about Chris Thornton? You didn’t! You want to know? Bob said, "He’s a good father. He’s very good with his children." Bob was saying, "He’s a better father than I was..." No, he was saying, "Chris is a better father than Steve Shepherd was/is."

No, Bob didn’t say those last words, but I am saying them! From what I have seen/witnessed/perceived, I think Chris Thornton is a great father. A better father than I was when my children were at home and that makes him a better man than I am! AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE IT!

Brothers and sisters, you need to look around and see the good in others, that good which may well exceed your good.

ILL.- I KNOW SOMETHING GOOD ABOUT YOU

Wouldn’t this old world be better

If the folks we met would say,

"I know something good about you!"

And then treat us just that way?

Wouldn’t it be fine and dandy,

If each handclasp, warm and true,

Carried with it this assurance,

"I know something good about you?"

Wouldn’t life be lots more happy,

If the good that’s in us all

Were the only thing about us

That folks bothered to recall?

Wouldn’t life be lots more happy,

If we praised the good we see?

For there’s such a lot of goodness

In the worst of you and me.

Wouldn’t it be nice to practice

That fine way of thinking, too,

You know something good about me,

I know something good about you?

Brothers and sisters, there is something good in us all and we need to look for that good. We need to praise that good. We need to realize that good in others may be better than the good in us!