July, 2007

Little Bits

What Spills Out?

Carl Lundquist in Silent Issues of the Church, writes:

Henry Wingblade used to say that Christian personality is hidden deep inside us. It is unseen, like the soup carried in a tureen high over a waiter's head. No one knows what's inside - unless the waiter is bumped and trips!

Just so, people don't know what's inside us until we've been bumped. But if Christ is living inside, what spills out is the fruit of the Spirit.

From 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers. Craig Brian Larson and Leadership Journal, 2007 Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Page 50.

Bending the Standard

“No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation” (1 Pet. 1:20).

The story is told of a small village that had a clock in the town square. At some time in the past, the glass had been broken out of the face of the clock, and now the villagers took it upon themselves to set the clock according to their own watches. Consequently, the hands of the great clock were constantly being changed, and no one really knew what the correct time was.

An even greater error is made when men bend the Scriptures to agree with their own opinions. Scripture must be compared with Scripture, and accepted as the final word of God; otherwise confusion will prevail and men will be led astray.

From Book Three - Bible Illustrations, Practical Bible Illustrations from Yesterday and Today - Richard A. Steele, Jr. and Evelyn Stoner, AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN, 1998, Page 174.