| Back to Home Page | Back to
Book Index |
Humility
【Humility】The
story is told of two brothers who grew up on a farm. One went away to college
earned a law degree
and became a partner in a prominent law firm in the state
capital. The other brother stayed on the family farm. One day the lawyer came
and visited his brother
the farmer. He asked
“Why don’t you go out and make a
name for yourself and hold you head up high in the world like me?” The brother
pointed and said
“See that field of wheat over there? Look closely. Only the
empty heads stand up. Those that are well filled always bow low.”
Said differently
“The branch that
bears the most fruit is bent the lowest to the ground. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Humility
Humility is like a slippery watermelon
seed. Once you get it under your finger and you think you have it
it slips
away from your grasp. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Humility
”When a certain rhetorician was asked
what was the chief rule of eloquence he replied. ‘Delivery.’ What was the
second rule
‘Delivery.’ What was the third rule
‘Delivery.’ So if you ask me
concerning the precepts of the Christian religion
first
second
third
and
always I would answer: ‘Humility.’”— Augustine
Humility
An ardent music lover unexpectedly met
the great Johannes Brahms. On recognizing the composer the man asked: “Master
would you please write here a small portion of a masterpiece and sign it so I
can have a precious memory of this fortunate encounter?”
Brahms took the pencil and paper
scribbled the initial bars of The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss and
signed: “Unfortunately not by me
Johannes Brahms.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Humility
There is an old ditty that goes: “It
needs more skill than I can tell / To play the second fiddle well.”
In a similar vein
Leonard Bernstein
was once asked which instrument was the most difficult to play. He thought for
a moment and then replied
“The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first
violinists
but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with
enthusiasm-that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddle
we have no
harmony.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Humility
Dr. H. A. Ironside felt that he was
not as humble as he thought he ought to be. Showing his concern
he asked an
elder friend what he could do about it. His friend replied
“Make a sandwich
board with the plan of salvation in Scripture on it and wear it
then walk
through the business and shopping area of downtown
Ironside followed his friend’s advice.
Upon completion of this humiliating experience
he returned to his apartment.
As he took off the sandwich board
he caught himself thinking
“There’s not
another person in
Humility
A well-known incident in the life of
Robert E. Lee occurred while that southern gentleman was riding on a train to
Being a Christian
General Lee knew
that good manners and humility demand consideration for people in all walks of
life
not merely for those of high social ranking like himself. ── Michael P.
Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Humility
We have plenty of people nowadays who
could not kill a mouse without publishing it in the Gospel Gazette.
Samson killed a lion and said nothing about it: the Holy Spirit finds modesty
so rare that He takes care to record it. Say much of what the Lord has done for
you
but say little of what you have done for the Lord. Do not utter a
self-glorifying sentence! – C. H. Spurgeon
Humility
Corrie ten Boom was once asked if it
was difficult for her to remain humble. Her reply was simple. “When Jesus rode
into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey
and everyone was waving
palm branches and throwing garments on the road
and singing praises
do you
think that for one moment it ever entered the head of that donkey that any of
that was for him?”
She continued
“If I can be the donkey
on which Jesus Christ rides in His glory
I give him all the praise and all the
honor.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Definition of Humility
Andrew Murray gave a near-perfect
definition of humility:
“Humility is perfect quietness of
heart. It is to expect nothing
to wonder at nothing that is done to me
to
feel nothing done against me. It is to be rest when nobody praises me
and when
I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord
where I can
go in and shut the door
and kneel to my Father in secret
and am at peace as
in a deep sea of calmness
when all around and above is trouble.
The humble person is not one who
thinks meanly of himself
he simply does not think of himself at all.” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Knowledge and Humility
”Never seem more learned than the
people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocketwatch and keep it hidden.
Do not pull it out to count the hours
but give the time when you are asked.”— Lord
Chesterfield
Letters to His Son
Test of Humility
”The true way to be humble is not to
stoop until you are smaller than yourself
but to stand at your real height
against some higher nature that will show you what the real smallness of your
greatness is.”— Phillips Brooks
Test of Humility
The Navigators are well known for
their emphasis on having a servant attitude. A businessman once asked Lorne
Sanny
president of the Navigators
how he could know when he had a servant
attitude. The reply: “By how you act when you are treated like one.” ── Michael
P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Pride
A life that is wrapped up in itself
makes a very small package. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Pride
Pride is like a beard. It just keeps
growing. The solution? Shave it every day. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Pride
A minister
a Boy Scout
and a
computer expert were the only passengers on a small plane. The pilot came back
to the cabin and said that the plane was going down but there were only three
parachutes and four people. The pilot added
“I should have one of the
parachutes because I have a wife and three small children.” So he took one and
jumped.
The computer whiz said
“I should have
one of the parachutes because I am the smartest man in the world and everyone
needs me.” So he took one and jumped.
The minister turned to the Boy Scout
and with a sad smile said
“You are young and I have lived a rich life
so you
take the remaining parachute
and I’ll go down with plane.”
The boy Scout said
“Relax
Reverend
the smartest man in the world just picked up my knapsack and jumped out!” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Pride
Many Christians are like the woodpecker
who was pecking on the trunk of a dead tree. Suddenly lightning struck the tree
and splintered it. The woodpecker flew away unharmed. Looking back to where the
dead tree had stood
the proud bird exclaimed
“Look what I did!” ── Michael P.
Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Pride
Pride is the only disease known to man
that makes everyone sick except the one who has it. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Pride
A conceited person is someone who does
a crossword puzzle with a ballpoint pen. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Pride
An article titled “The Art of being a
big Shot” was written by a very prominent Christian businessman named Howard
Butt. Among many other insightful things he said were these words:
“It is my pride that makes me
independent of God. It’s appealing to me to feel that I am the master of my
fate
that I run my own life
call my own shots
go it alone. But that feeling
is my basic dishonesty. I can’t go it alone. I have to get help from other
people
and I can’t ultimately rely on myself. I’m dependent on God for my next
breath. It is dishonest of me to pretend that I’m anything but a man-small
weak
and limited. So
living independent of God is self-delusion. It is not just
a matter of pride being an unfortunate little trait and humility being an
attractive little virtue; it’s my inner psychological integrity that’s at
stake. When I am conceited
I am lying to myself about what I am. I am
pretending to be God
and not man. My pride is the idolatrous worship of
myself. And that is the national religion of Hell! (from an undocumented
source.) ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Pride
A rich man once invited many honored
guests for a feast. His own chair
richly decorated
was placed at one end of
the long table. While he was away
each guest seated himself according to his
own esteem of his position in sight of the master. When time came and all were
seated
the master moved his chair to the other end of the table! ── Michael P.
Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Pride
Many Christians have wrongly concluded
that sexual sins are the worst kind of sin. But that is not true. Sexual sins
are not the worst kind of sins. C.S. Lewis has caught this fact very
accurately. In a paragraph from his book Mere Christianity (New York:
Macmillan
1986)
Lewis says:
“If anyone thinks that Christians
regard unchastity as the supreme vice
he is quite wrong. The sins of the flesh
are bad
but they are the least of putting other people in the wrong
of
bossing and patronizing and spoiling sport
and backbiting; the pleasures of
power
of hated. For there are two things inside me competing with the human
self which I must try to become; they are the animal self
and the diabolical
self; and the diabolical self is the worst of the two. That is why a cold
self-righteous prig
who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell
than a prostitute. But
of course
it’s better to be neither.” ── Michael P.
Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Pride
According to Life magazine
Muhammed
Ali spoke of himself before his 1971 fight with Joe Frazier thus:
“There seems to some confusion. We’re
gonna clear this confusion up on March 8. We’re gonna decide once and for all
who is king! There’s not a man alive who can whup me. (He jabs the air half a
dozen blinding lefts.)
I’m too smart. (He taps his head.)
I’m too pretty. (He lifts his head
high in profile
turning as a bust on a pedestal.)
I AM the greatest. I AM the king! I
should be a postage stamp-that’s the only way I could get licked!”
P.S. Ali lost to Frazier!
── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Pride
When the nineteenth-century American
evangelist Asahel Nettleton was asked what he considered the best safeguard
against spiritual pride
he replied: “I know of nothing better than to keep my
eye on my great sinfulness.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Pride
In Charles Colson’s book Born Again
which details his experiences related to Watergate
Colson shares one of
President Nixon’s problems-he could never admit he was wrong in anything. In
fact
Colson says
even when Nixon obviously had a cold-nose running
face red
sneezing
all the symptoms-he would never admit it. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Pride
When circus acrobat Philippe Petit was
rehearsing in Bayfront Auditorium in St.
Pride
The story is told of a laborer who was
a mature Christian and gave a solid testimony before all who knew him. His boss
came to him one day and said
“You know
whatever you’ve got
I want. You have
such peace and joy and contentment. How can I get this?”
The laborer said
“Go to your home
put on your best suit
come down here
and work in the mud with the rest of
us-and you can have it.”
“What are you talking about? I could
never do that. I’m the boss
you’re the worker. I can’t do that. That’s beneath
my dignity.” The boss came back a couple of months later and said
“I ask you
again
what is it that you have and how can I get it?”
“I told you
go put on your best suit
come down and work in the mud with us
and you can have it.” Again the boss
became furious and walked off.
Finally
in desperation he came back
to the laborer and said
“I don’t care what it takes! I’ll do anything.” The
laborer said
“Will you put on your best suit and comedown and work in the
mud?” The boss agreed that he would do even that. Then the laborer said
“You
don’t have to.”
Do you see the point? The laborer knew
what was standing between the boss and Christ-pride and self. ── Michael P.
Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Spiritual Pride
There was a godly Christian woman who
startled her friends by saying
“There isn’t a sin of which I am not capable. I
could be a prostitute; I could murder
I could embezzle.”
Most of her friends were not impressed
with her frankness. Instead they thought that she was displaying a false
humility. Then she added
“You don’t really believe what I just said. I mean
it-because I realize that any particular sin that crops up in someone else’s
life expresses itself in me
but in different ways. Until I accept that
I am
self-righteous
proud
and arrogant.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
In 1969
in Pass
Christian
Mississippi
a group of people were preparing to have a
"hurricane party" in the face of a storm named Camille. Were they
ignorant of the dangers? Could they have been overconfident? Did they let their
egos and pride influence their decision? We'll never know.
What we do know is that
the wind was howling outside the posh Richelieu Apartments when Police Chief
Jerry Peralta pulled up sometime after dark. Facing the Beach less than 250
feet from the surf
the apartments were directly in the line of danger. A man
with a drink in his hand came out to the second-floor balcony and waved.
Peralta yelled up
"You all need to clear out of here as quickly as you can.
The storm's getting worse." But as others joined the man on the balcony
they just laughed at Peralta's order to leave. "This is my land
" one
of them yelled back. "If you want me off
you'll have to arrest me."
Peralta didn't arrest
anyone
but he wasn't able to persuade them to leave either. He wrote down the
names of the next of kin of the twenty or so people who gathered there to party
through the storm. They laughed as he took their names. They had been warned
but they had no intention of leaving.
It was 10:15 p.m. when the
front wall of the storm came ashore. Scientists clocked Camille's wind speed at
more than 205 miles-per-hour
the strongest on record. Raindrops hit with the
force of bullets
and waves off the Gulf Coast crested between twenty-two and
twenty-eight feet high.
News reports later showed
that the worst damage came at the little settlement of motels
go-go bars
and
gambling houses known as Pass Christian
Mississippi
where some twenty people
were killed at a hurricane party in the Richelieu Apartments. Nothing was left
of that three-story structure but the foundation; the only survivor was a
five-year-old boy found clinging to a mattress the following day. ── Christian Values Qs Quarterly
Spring/Summer 1994
p. 10.
Humility
The story is told of two
brothers who grew up on a farm. One went away to college
earned a law degree
and became a partner in a prominent law firm in the state capital. The other
brother stayed on the family farm. One day the lawyer came and visited his
brother
the farmer. He asked
“Why don’t you go out and make a name for
yourself and hold you head up high in the world like me?” The brother pointed
and said
“See that field of wheat over there? Look closely. Only the empty
heads stand up. Those that are well filled always bow low.”
Said
differently
“The branch that bears the most fruit is bent the lowest to the
ground.
Humility
Humility is like a slippery
watermelon seed. Once you get it under your finger and you think you have it
it slips away from your grasp.
Humility
”When a certain rhetorician
was asked what was the chief rule of eloquence he replied. ‘Delivery.’ What was
the second rule
‘Delivery.’ What was the third rule
‘Delivery.’ So if you ask
me concerning the precepts of the Christian religion
first
second
third
and
always I would answer: ‘Humility.’”—Augustine
Humility
An ardent music lover
unexpectedly met the great Johannes Brahms. On recognizing the composer the man
asked: “Master
would you please write here a small portion of a masterpiece
and sign it so I can have a precious memory of this fortunate encounter?”
Brahms
took the pencil and paper
scribbled the initial bars of The Blue Danube
by Johann Strauss and signed: “Unfortunately not by me
Johannes Brahms.”
Humility
There is an old ditty that
goes: “It needs more skill than I can tell / To play the second fiddle well.”
In
a similar vein
Leonard Bernstein was once asked which instrument was the most
difficult to play. He thought for a moment and then replied
“The second fiddle.
I can get plenty of first violinists
but to find someone who can play the
second fiddle with enthusiasm-that’s a problem. And if we have no second
fiddle
we have no harmony.”
Humility
Dr. H. A. Ironside felt
that he was not as humble as he thought he ought to be. Showing his concern
he
asked an elder friend what he could do about it. His friend replied
“Make a
sandwich board with the plan of salvation in Scripture on it and wear it
then
walk through the business and shopping area of downtown
Ironside
followed his friend’s advice. Upon completion of this humiliating experience
he returned to his apartment. As he took off the sandwich board
he caught
himself thinking
“There’s not another person in
Humility
A well-known incident in
the life of Robert E. Lee occurred while that southern gentleman was riding on
a train to
Being
a Christian
General Lee knew that good manners and humility demand
consideration for people in all walks of life
not merely for those of high
social ranking like himself.
Humility
We have plenty of people
nowadays who could not kill a mouse without publishing it in the Gospel
Gazette. Samson killed a lion and said nothing about it: the Holy Spirit
finds modesty so rare that He takes care to record it. Say much of what the
Lord has done for you
but say little of what you have done for the Lord. Do
not utter a self-glorifying sentence! –C. H. Spurgeon
Humility
Corrie ten Boom was once
asked if it was difficult for her to remain humble. Her reply was simple. “When
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey
and everyone
was waving palm branches and throwing garments on the road
and singing
praises
do you think that for one moment it ever entered the head of that
donkey that any of that was for him?”
She
continued
“If I can be the donkey on which Jesus Christ rides in His glory
I
give him all the praise and all the honor.”
Definition of Humility
Andrew Murray gave a
near-perfect definition of humility:
“Humility
is perfect quietness of heart. It is to expect nothing
to wonder at nothing
that is done to me
to feel nothing done against me. It is to be rest when
nobody praises me
and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed
home in the Lord
where I can go in and shut the door
and kneel to my Father
in secret
and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness
when all around and
above is trouble.
The
humble person is not one who thinks meanly of himself
he simply does not think
of himself at all.”
Knowledge and Humility
”Never seem more learned
than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocketwatch and keep it
hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours
but give the time when you are
asked.”—Lord Chesterfield
Letters to His Son
Test of Humility
”The true way to be humble
is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself
but to stand at your real
height against some higher nature that will show you what the real smallness of
your greatness is.”—Phillips Brooks
Test of Humility
The Navigators are well
known for their emphasis on having a servant attitude. A businessman once asked
Lorne Sanny
president of the Navigators
how he could know when he had a
servant attitude. The reply: “By how you act when you are treated like one.”
Pride
A life that is wrapped up
in itself makes a very small package.
Pride
Pride is like a beard. It
just keeps growing. The solution? Shave it every day.
Pride
A minister
a Boy Scout
and a computer expert were the only passengers on a small plane. The pilot came
back to the cabin and said that the plane was going down but there were only
three parachutes and four people. The pilot added
“I should have one of the
parachutes because I have a wife and three small children.” So he took one and
jumped.
The
computer whiz said
“I should have one of the parachutes because I am the
smartest man in the world and everyone needs me.” So he took one and jumped.
The
minister turned to the Boy Scout and with a sad smile said
“You are young and
I have lived a rich life
so you take the remaining parachute
and I’ll go down
with plane.”
The
boy Scout said
“Relax
Reverend
the smartest man in the world just picked up
my knapsack and jumped out!”
Pride
Many Christians are like
the woodpecker who was pecking on the trunk of a dead tree. Suddenly lightning
struck the tree and splintered it. The woodpecker flew away unharmed. Looking
back to where the dead tree had stood
the proud bird exclaimed
“Look what I
did!”
Pride
Pride is the only disease
known to man that makes everyone sick except the one who has it.
Pride
A conceited person is
someone who does a crossword puzzle with a ballpoint pen.
Pride
An article titled “The Art
of being a big Shot” was written by a very prominent Christian businessman named
Howard Butt. Among many other insightful things he said were these words:
“It
is my pride that makes me independent of God. It’s appealing to me to feel that
I am the master of my fate
that I run my own life
call my own shots
go it
alone. But that feeling is my basic dishonesty. I can’t go it alone. I have to
get help from other people
and I can’t ultimately rely on myself. I’m
dependent on God for my next breath. It is dishonest of me to pretend that I’m
anything but a man-small
weak
and limited. So
living independent of God is
self-delusion. It is not just a matter of pride being an unfortunate little
trait and humility being an attractive little virtue; it’s my inner
psychological integrity that’s at stake. When I am conceited
I am lying to myself
about what I am. I am pretending to be God
and not man. My pride is the
idolatrous worship of myself. And that is the national religion of Hell! (from
an undocumented source.)
Pride
Albert Einstein once said
regarding pride of accomplishment: “The only way to escape the personal
corruption of praise is to go on working. One is tempted to stop and listen to
it. The only thing is to turn away and go on working. Work. There is nothing
else.”
Pride
A rich man once invited
many honored guests for a feast. His own chair
richly decorated
was placed at
one end of the long table. While he was away
each guest seated himself
according to his own esteem of his position in sight of the master. When time
came and all were seated
the master moved his chair to the other end of the
table!
Pride
Many Christians have
wrongly concluded that sexual sins are the worst kind of sin. But that is not
true. Sexual sins are not the worst kind of sins. C.S. Lewis has caught this
fact very accurately. In a paragraph from his book Mere Christianity
(New York: Macmillan
1986)
Lewis says:
“If
anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice
he is
quite wrong. The sins of the flesh are bad
but they are the least of putting
other people in the wrong
of bossing and patronizing and spoiling sport
and
backbiting; the pleasures of power
of hated. For there are two things inside
me competing with the human self which I must try to become; they are the
animal self
and the diabolical self; and the diabolical self is the worst of
the two. That is why a cold
self-righteous prig
who goes regularly to church
may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But
of course
it’s better to be
neither.”
Pride
According to Life magazine
Muhammed Ali spoke of himself before his 1971 fight with Joe Frazier thus:
“There
seems to some confusion. We’re gonna clear this confusion up on March 8. We’re
gonna decide once and for all who is king! There’s not a man alive who can whup
me. (He jabs the air half a dozen blinding lefts.)
I’m
too smart. (He taps his head.)
I’m
too pretty. (He lifts his head high in profile
turning as a bust on a
pedestal.)
I
AM the greatest. I AM the king! I should be a postage stamp-that’s the only way
I could get licked!”
P.S.
Ali lost to Frazier!
Pride
When the nineteenth-century
American evangelist Asahel Nettleton was asked what he considered the best
safeguard against spiritual pride
he replied: “I know of nothing better than
to keep my eye on my great sinfulness.”
Pride
In Charles Colson’s book
Born Again
which details his experiences related to Watergate
Colson shares
one of President Nixon’s problems-he could never admit he was wrong in
anything. In fact
Colson says
even when Nixon obviously had a cold-nose
running
face red
sneezing
all the symptoms-he would never admit it.
Pride
When circus acrobat
Philippe Petit was rehearsing in Bayfront Auditorium in St.
【Pride】The story is told of a
laborer who was a mature Christian and gave a solid testimony before all who
knew him. His boss came to him one day and said
“You know
whatever you’ve
got
I want. You have such peace and joy and contentment. How can I get this?”
The
laborer said
“Go to your home
put on your best suit
come down here
and work
in the mud with the rest of us-and you can have it.”
“What
are you talking about? I could never do that. I’m the boss
you’re the worker.
I can’t do that. That’s beneath my dignity.” The boss came back a couple of
months later and said
“I ask you again
what is it that you have and how can I
get it?”
“I
told you
go put on your best suit
come down and work in the mud with us
and
you can have it.” Again the boss became furious and walked off.
Finally
in desperation he came back to the laborer and said
“I don’t care what it
takes! I’ll do anything.” The laborer said
“Will you put on your best suit and
comedown and work in the mud?” The boss agreed that he would do even that. Then
the laborer said
“You don’t have to.”
Do
you see the point? The laborer knew what was standing between the boss and
Christ-pride and self.
Spiritual Pride
There was a godly Christian
woman who startled her friends by saying
“There isn’t a sin of which I am not
capable. I could be a prostitute; I could murder
I could embezzle.”
Most
of her friends were not impressed with her frankness. Instead they thought that
she was displaying a false humility. Then she added
“You don’t really believe
what I just said. I mean it-because I realize that any particular sin that
crops up in someone else’s life expresses itself in me
but in different ways.
Until I accept that
I am self-righteous
proud
and arrogant.”
Pride
Albert Einstein once said
regarding
pride of accomplishment: “The only way to escape the personal corruption of
praise is to go on working. One is tempted to stop and listen to it. The only
thing is to turn away and go on working. Work. There is nothing else.” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
A truly humble man is hard
to find
yet God delights to honor such selfless people. Booker T. Washington
the renowned black educator
was an outstanding example of this truth. Shortly
after he took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama
he was
walking in an exclusive section of town when he was stopped by a wealthy white
woman. Not knowing the famous Mr. Washington by sight
she asked if he would
like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her. Because he had no pressing
business at the moment
Professor Washington smiled
rolled up his sleeves
and
proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished
he
carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. A little
girl recognized him and later revealed his identity to the lady.
The next morning the
embarrassed woman went to see Mr. Washington in his office at the Institute and
apologized profusely. "It's perfectly all right
Madam
" he replied.
"Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides
it's always a
delight to do something for a friend." She shook his hand warmly and
assured him that his meek and gracious attitude had endeared him and his work
to her heart. Not long afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some
wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating thousands of dollars to the
Tuskegee Institute.
Our Daily Bread.
Wakefield tells the story
of the famous inventor Samuel Morse who was once asked if he ever encountered
situations where he didn't know what to do. Morse responded
"More than
once
and whenever I could not see my way clearly
I knelt down and prayed to
God for light and understanding."
Morse received many honors
from his invention of the telegraph but felt undeserving: "I have made a
valuable application of electricity not because I was superior to other men but
solely because God
who meant it for mankind
must reveal it to someone and He
was pleased to reveal it to me."
Tim Hansel
Eating
Problems for Breakfast
Word Publishing
1988
pp. 33-34.
It was John Riskin who
said
"I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I do
not mean by humility
doubt of his own power
or hesitation in speaking his
opinion. But really great men have a ... feeling that the greatness is not in
them but through them; that they could not do or be anything else than God made
them." Andrew Murray said
"The humble man feels no jealousy or envy.
He can praose God when others are preferred and blessed before him. He can bear
to hear others praised while he is forgotten because ... he has received the
spirit of Jesus
who pleased not Himself
and who sought not His own honor.
Therefore
in putting on the Lord Jesus Christ he has put on the heart of
compassion
kindness
meekness
longsuffering
and humility." M.R. De Haan
used to say
"Humility is something we should constantly pray for
yet
never thank God that we have."
Henry Augustus Rowland
professor of physics at Johns Hopkins University
was once called as an expert
witness at a trial. During cross-examination a lawyer demanded
"What are
your qualifications as an expert witness in this case?"
The normally modest and
retiring professor replied quietly
"I am the greatest living expert on
the subject under discussion." Later a friend well acquainted with
Rowland's disposition expressed surprise at the professor's uncharacteristic
answer. Rowland answered
"Well
what did you expect me to do? I was under
oath."
Today in the Word
August 5
1993.
I am the least of the
apostles. 1 Corinthians 15:9
I am the very least of all
the saints. Ephesians 3:8
I am the foremost of
sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15
Humility and a passion for
praise are a pair of characteristics which together indicate growth in grace.
The Bible is full of self-humbling (man bowing down before God) and doxology
(man giving praise to God). The healthy heart is one that bows down in humility
and rises in praise and adoration. The Psalms strike both these notes again and
again. So too
Paul in his letters both articulates humility and breaks into
doxology. Look at his three descriptions of himself quoted above
dating
respectively from around A.D. 59
63
and 64. As the years pass he goes lower;
he grows downward! And as his self-esteem sinks
so his rapture of praise and
adoration for the God who so wonderfully saved him rises.
Undoubtedly
learning to
praise God at all times for all that is good is a mark that we are growing in
grace. One of my predecessors in my first parochial appointment died exceedingly
painfully of cancer. But between fearful bouts of agony
in which he had to
stuff his mouth with bedclothes to avoid biting his tongue
he would say aloud
over and over again: "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall
continually be in my mouth" (Ps. 34:1). That was a passion for praise
asserting itself in the most poignant extremity imaginable.
Cultivate humility and a
passion for praise if you want to grow in grace.
James Packer
Your
Father Loves You
Harold Shaw Publishers
1986.
Although George Whitefield
disagreed with John Wesley on some theological matters
he was careful not to
create problems in public that could be used to hinder the preaching of the
gospel. When someone asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven
Whitefield replied
"I fear not
for he will be so near the eternal throne
and we at such a distance
we shall hardly get sight of him."
W. Wiersbe
Wycliffe
Handbook of Preaching and Preachers
Moody Press
1984
p. 255.
American poet and Pulitzer
Prize-winner Edwin Arlington Robinson used to spend his summers at the
MacDowell Colony near Peterborough
New Hampshire. Arriving at breakfast one
morning
he found the writer Nancy Byrd Turner and a new member of the colony
already seated at his table. "This is Mr. Robinson
" said Turner to
her companion.
"Robinson! Not E.A.
Robinson -- not the Mr. Robinson?" gushed the other woman.
There followed a long
uncomfortable pause
then Robinson replied
"A Mr. Robinson."
Today in the Word
December 21
1992.
"Humility does not
mean thinking less of yourself than of other people
nor does it mean having a
low opinion of your own gifts. I means freedom from thinking about yourself one
way or the other at all." William Temple
"Christ in His Church"
At a reception honoring
musician Sir Robert Mayer on his 100th birthday
elderly British socialite Lady
Diana Cooper fell into conversation with a friendly woman who seemed to know
her well. Lady Diana's failing eyesight prevented her from recognizing her fellow
guest
until she peered more closely at the magnificent diamonds and realized
she was talking to Queen Elizabeth! Overcome with embarrassment
Lady Diana
curtsied and stammered
"Ma'am
oh
ma'am
I'm sorry ma'am. I didn't
recognize you without your crown!"
"It was so much Sir
Robert's evening
" the queen replied
"that I decided to leave it
behind."
Today in the Word
April 3
1992.
On a visit to the
Beethoven museum in Bonn
a young American student became fascinated by the
piano on which Beethoven had composed some of his greatest works. She asked the
museum guard if she could play a few bars on it; she accompanied the request
with a lavish tip
and the guard agreed. The girl went to the piano and tinkled
out the opening of the Moonlight Sonata. As she was leaving she said to the
guard
"I suppose all the great pianist who come here want to play on that
piano."
The guard shook his head.
"Padarewski [the famed Polish pianist] was here a few years ago and he
said he wasn't worthy to touch it."
Source Unknown.
Hudson Taylor was
scheduled to speak at a Large Presbyterian church in Melbourne
Australia. The
moderator of the service introduced the missionary in eloquent and glowing
terms. He told the large congregation all that Taylor had accomplished in China
and then presented him as "our illustrious guest." Taylor stood
quietly for a moment
and then opened his message by saying
"Dear
friends
I am the little servant of an illustrious Master."
W. Wiersbe
Wycliffe
Handbook of Preaching and Preachers
p. 243.
The concert impresario
Sol Hurok
liked to say that Marian Anderson hadn't simply grown great
she'd
grown great simply. He says: "A few years ago a reporter interviewed
Marian and asked her to name the greatest moment in her life. I was in her dressing
room at the time and was curious to hear the answer. I knew she had many big
moments to choose from. There was the night Toscanini told her that hers was
the finest voice of the century. There was the private concert she gave at the
White House for the Roosevelts and the King and Queen of England. She had
received the $10
000 Bok Award as the person who had done the most for her home
town
Philadelphia. To top it all
there was that Easter Sunday in Washington
when she stood beneath the Lincoln statue and sang for a crowd of 75
000
which
included Cabinet members
Supreme Court Justices
and most members of Congress.
Which of those big moments did she choose? "None of them
" said
Hurok. "Miss Anderson told the reporter that the greatest moment of her
life was the day she went home and told her mother she wouldn't have to take in
washing anymore."
Alan Loy McGinnis in The
Friendship Factor
p. 30.
In the summer of 1986
two
ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia. Hundreds of passengers
died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. News of the disaster was
further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It
wasn't a technology problem like radar malfunction--or even thick fog. The
cause was human stubbornness. Each captain was aware of the other ship's
presence nearby. Both could have steered clear
but according to news reports
neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield
first. By the time they came to their senses
it was too late.
Closer Walk
December
1991.
The door of life is a door
of mystery. It becomes slightly shorter than the one who wishes to enter it.
And thus only he who bows in humility can cross its threshold.
The Handbook of
Magazine Article Writing contains this illustration by Philip Barry
Osborne; "Alex Haley
the author of Roots
has a picture in his
office
showing a turtle sitting atop a fence. The picture is there to remind
him of a lesson he learned long ago: 'If you see a turtle on a fence post
you
know he had some help.'
"Says Alex
'Any time
I start thinking
WOW
ISN'T THIS MARVELOUS WHAT I'VE DONE! I look at that
picture and remember how this turtle--me--got up on that post.'"
Sandy Reynolds.
Lincoln once got caught up
in a situation where he wanted to please a politician
so he issued a command
to transfer certain regiments. When the secretary of war
Edwin Stanton
received the order
he refused to carry it out. He said that the President was
a fool. Lincoln was told what Stanton had said
and he replied
"If
Stanton said I'm a fool
then I must be
for he is nearly always right. I'll
see for myself." As the two men talked
the President quickly realized
that his decision was a serious mistake
and without hesitation he withdrew it.
Source Unknown.
Be humble or you'll
stumble.
D.L. Moody.
Never be haughty to the
humble. Never be humble to the haughty.
Jefferson Davis.
Did you hear about the
minister who said he had a wonderful sermon on humility but was waiting for a
large crowd before preaching it?
Many years ago
Christian
professor Stuart Blackie of the University of Edinburgh was listening to his
students as they presented oral readings. When one young man rose to begin his
recitation
he held his book in the wrong hand. The professor thundered
"Take your book in your right hand
and be seated!" At this harsh
rebuke
the student held up his right arm. He didn't have a right hand! The
other students shifted uneasily in their chairs. For a moment the professor
hesitated. Then he made his way to the student
put his arm around him
and
with tears streaming from his eyes
said
"I never knew about it. Please
will you forgive me?" His humble apology made a lasting impact on that
young man. This story was told some time later in a large gathering of
believers. At the close of the meeting a man came forward
turned to the crowd
and raised his right arm. It ended at the wrist. He said
"I was that
student. Professor Blackie led me to Christ. But he never could have done it if
he had not made the wrong right."
Source Unknown.
For many years Sir Walter
Scott was the leading literary figure in the British Empire. No one could write
as well as he. Then the works of Lord Byron began to appear
and their
greatness was immediately evident. Soon an anonymous critic praised his poems
in a London paper. He declared that in the presence of these brilliant works of
poetic genius
Scott could no longer be considered the leading poet of England.
It was later discovered that the unnamed reviewer had been none other than Sir
Walter Scott himself!
Source Unknown.
"They that know God
will be humble
" John Flavel has said
' and they that know themselves
cannot be proud."
quoted in MBI's Today
In The Word
November
1989
p.20.
Walter Cronkite recalls
the following incident: Sailing back down the Mystic River in Connecticut and
following the channel's tricky turns through an expanse of shallow water
I am
reminded of the time a boatload of young people sped past us here
its
occupants shouting and waving their arms. I waved back a cheery greeting and my
wife said
"Do you know what they were shouting?" "Why
it was
'Hello
Walter
'" I replied. "No
" she said. "They were
shouting
"Low water
Low water.'" Such are the pitfalls of fame's
egotism.
Ray Ellis and Walter
Cronkite
North by Northeast.
George Washington Carver
the scientist who developed hundreds of useful products from the peanut:
"When I was young
I said to God
'God
tell me the mystery of the
universe.' But God answered
'That knowledge is reserved for me alone.' So I
said
'God
tell me the mystery of the peanut.' Then God said
'Well
George
that's more nearly your size.' And he told me."
Adapted from Rackham Holt
George Washington Carver.
It had been a long day on
Capitol Hill for Senator John Stennis. He was looking forward to a bit of
relaxation when he got home. After parking the car
he began to walk toward his
front door. Then it happened. Two people came out of the darkness
robbed him
and shot him twice. News of the shooting of Senator Stennis
the chairman of
the powerful Armed Forces Committee
shocked Washington and the nation. For
nearly seven hours
Senator Stennis was on the operating table at Walter Reed
Hospital. Less than two hours later
another politician was driving home when
he heard about the shooting. He turned his car around and drove directly to the
hospital.
In the hospital
he
noticed that the staff was swamped and could not keep up with the incoming
calls about the Senator's condition. He spotted an unattended switchboard
sat
down
and voluntarily went to work. He continued taking calls until daylight.
Sometime during that next day
he stood up
stretched
put on his overcoat
and
just before leaving
he introduced himself quietly to the other operator
"I'm Mark Hatfield. Happy to help out." Then Senator Mark Hatfield
unobtrusively walked out. The press could hardly handle that story. There
seemed to be no way for a conservative Republican to give a liberal Democrat a
tip of the hat
let alone spend hours doing a menial task and be "happy to
help out."
Knofel Stanton
Heaven
Bound Living
Standard
1989
p. 35.
When I saw Sadhu Sundar
Singh in Europe
he had completed a tour around the world. People asked him
Doesn't it do harm
your getting so much honor?" The Sadhu's answer was:
"No. The donkey went into Jerusalem
and they put garments on the ground
before him. He was not proud. He knew it was not done to honor him
but for
Jesus
who was sitting on his back. When people honor me
I know it is not me
but the Lord
who does the job."
Corrie Ten Boom
Each
New Day.
Humility is perfect
quietness of heart. It is for me to have no trouble; never to be fretted or
vexed or irritated or sore or disappointed. It is to expect nothing
to wonder
at nothing that is done to me
to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at
rest when nobody praises me and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a
blessed home in the Lord where I can go in and shut the door and kneel to my
Father in secret and be at peace as in a deep sea of calmness when all around
is trouble. It is the fruit of the Lord Jesus Christ's redemptive work on
Calvary's cross
manifested in those of His own who are definitely subject to
the Holy Spirit.
Andrew Murray.
Dr. Harry Ironside was
once convicted about his lack of humility. A friend recommended as a remedy
that he march through the streets of Chicago wearing a sandwich board
shouting
the scripture verses on the board for all to hear. Dr. Ironside agreed to this
venture and when he returned to his study and removed the board
he said
"I'll bet there's not another man in town who would do that."
Donald Campbell
Daniel
Decoder of Dreams
p. 22.
Winston Churchill was once
asked
"Doesn't it thrill you to know that every time you make a speech
the hall is packed to overflowing?" "It's quite flattering
"
replied Sir Winston. "But whenever I feel that way
I always remember that
if instead of making a political speech I was being hanged
the crowd would be
twice as big."
Norman McGowan
My
Years With Winston Churchill
Souvenir Press
London.
William Barclay tells the
story of Paedaretos who lived in Sparta in ancient Greece. A group of 300 men
were to be chosen to govern Sparta. Though Paedaretos was a candidate
his name
was not on the final list. Some of his friends sought to console him
but he
simply replied
"I am glad that in Sparta there are 300 men better than I
am." He became a legend because of his willingness to stand aside while
others took the places of glory and honor.
Source Unknown.
Phillip Brooks made an apt
comment when he said
"The true way to be humble is not to stoop until you
are smaller than yourself
but to stand at your real height against some higher
nature that will show you what the real smallness of your greatness
is."
quoted in Burning out
for God
E. Skoglund
p. 11.
Sportscaster and former
baseball great Ralph Kiner tells the following story: After the season in which
I hit 37 home runs
I asked Pittsburgh Pirate general manager Branch Rickey for
a raise. He refused. "I led the league in homers
" I reminded him.
"Where did we finish?" Rickey asked me. "Last
" I replied.
"Well
" Rickey said
"We can finish last without you."
Source Unknown.
William Beebe
the
naturalist
used to tell this story about Teddy Roosevelt. At Sagamore Hill
after an evening of talk
the two would go out on the lawn and search the skies
for a certain spot of star-like light near the lower left-hand corner of the
Great Square of Pegasus. Then Roosevelt would recite: "That is
the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda. It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a
hundred million galaxies. It consists of one hundred billion suns
each larger
than our sun."
Then Roosevelt would grin
and say
"Now I think we are small enough! Let's go to bed."
Source Unknown.
Average number of laughs a
person has in a day: 17
Charis Conn
Editor
What
Counts: The Complete Harper's Index.
The following was
submitted for amusement by a person who wishes to remain anonymous.
Montana Daughter to
Carolina Mother--
Dear Mother:
"I'm writing this
slow 'cause I know you can't read fast. We don't live where we did when you
left. My hubby read in the paper where the most accidents happened within
twenty miles of home
so we moved. I won't know the address for awhile yet as
the last Montana family that lived here took the numbers with them for their
next house so they won't have to change their address.
This place we're rentin'
has a washin' machine. The first day I put four new shirts in it
pulled the
chain
and I haven't seen 'em since. It only rained twice this week: three days
the first time and four days the second time.
The coat you wanted me to
send that you forgot here was too heavy to send in the mail. So we cut off the
big buttons and put them in the pockets.
We got a bill from the
funeral home
said if we didn't make the last payment on Aunty's funeral bill
up she comes.
I heard that Sis had a
baby this morning but I haven't been over there yet to find out if it's a boy
or a girl so I don't know if I'm and Aunt of an Uncle.
Our neighbor up the road
fell in the whisky vat. Some men tried to pull him out
but he fought them off
playfully
so he drowned. We cremated him and he burned for three days.
Three local kids from
DeBorgia went off the bridge in a pick-up truck. The one that was driving
rolled down the window and swam out. The two sitting in the back drowned. They
couldn't get the tailgate down.
Not much to tell this
time. Nothin' much happens 'round here.
Love
Your Daughter
Source Unknown.
Spurgeon was a character.
His style was so loose he was criticized again and again for bordering on
frivolity in the Tabernacle pulpit. Certain incensed fellow clergymen railed
against his habit of introducing humor into his sermons. With a twinkle in his
eye
he once replied: "If only you knew how much I hold back
you would
commend me...This preacher thinks it less a crime to cause a momentary laughter
than a half-hour of profound slumber."
C. Swindoll
Growing
Strong
p. 101.
How to cultivate a sense
of humor:
1. Catch yourself in some
amusing inconsistency and then laugh at yourself. This is the foundation of a
healthy sense of humor.
2. Note the inappropriate
or funny things people say or do in public
and draw parallels between those
silly behaviors and your own. Positive humor goes beyond mere criticism to a
recognition of our common plight as less-than-perfect human beings.
3. Include in yor regular
reading diet published collections of wit and humor
humor columnists
comic
strips
and stories by writers with a well-developed sense of humor.
4. Occasionally do
something harmlessly absurd and totally out of character for your spontaneous
entertainment.
5. Avoid sarcasm
ridicule
and excessive teasing. They hurt rather than heal.
Source Unknown.
Actress Carol Burnett got
out of a cab one day and caught her coat in the door. The driver was unaware of
her plight and slowly began to edge out into traffic. To keep from being pulled
off her feet
the comedienne had to run alongside down the block. A passerby
noted her predicament and quickly alerted the driver. He stopped
jumped out
and released Miss Burnett's coat. "Are you all right?" he asked
anxiously. "Yes
" she gasped
"but how much more do I owe
you?"
Bits & Pieces
November
1989
p. 6.
Alexander Woollcott: In
matters of speech
it's not elegance that interest me but exactness. Precision.
Surgical precision. Let me give an illustration--in the pattern of the old
story about Noah Webster
the man who wrote the dictionary. Of him it used to
be told that his wife once caught him in the pantry in the act of kissing the
cook. "Why
Mr. Webster
" she said
"I'm surprised."
"No
my dear
" he replied. "I'm surprised' you're
amazed."
Howard Teichmann
Smart
Aleck.
Golf immortal Arnold
Palmer recalls a lesson about overconfidence:
It was the final hole of
the 1961 Masters tournament
and I had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a
very satisfying tee shot. I felt I was in pretty good shape. As I approached my
ball
I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. He motioned me
over
stuck out his hand and said
Congratulations." I took his hand and
shook it
but as soon as I did
I knew I had lost my focus. On my next two
shots
I hit the ball into a sand trap
then put it over the edge of the green.
I missed a putt and lost the Masters. You don't forget a mistake like that; you
just learnfrom it and become determined that you will never do that again. I
haven't in the 30 years since.
Carol Mann
The 19th
Hold
Longmeadow.
During the Battle of the
Wilderness in the Civil War
Union general John Sedgwick was inspecting his
troops. At one point he came to a parapet
over which he gazed out in the
direction of the enemy. His officers suggested that this was unwise and perhaps
he ought to duck while passing the parapet. "Nonsense
" snapped the
general. "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist--." A moment
later Sedgwick fell to the ground
fatally wounded.
Today in the Word
August 30
1993.
God pickles the proud and
preserves the foolish.
Source Unknown.
Did you hear about the
clever salesman who closed hundreds of sales with this line: "Let me show
you something several of your neighbors said you couldn't afford."
Source Unknown.
George Gordon Liddy
Watergate conspirator recently released from prison: "I have found within
myself all I need and all I ever shall need. I am a man of great faith
but my
faith is in George Gordon Liddy. I have never failed me."
The Christian Century
Sept. 28
1977
p. 836.
Former heavy-weight boxer
James (Quick) Tillis is a cowboy from Oklahoma who fought out of Chicago in the
early 1980s. He still remembers his first day in the Windy City after his
arrival from Tulsa. "I got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases under
by arms in downtown Chicago and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. I put my
suitcases down
and I looked up at the Tower and I said to myself
'I'm going
to conquer Chicago.' "When I looked down
the suitcases were gone."
Today in the Word
September 10
1992.
Ronald Reagan
recalling
an occasion when he was governor of California and made a speech in Mexico
City: "After I had finished speaking
I sat down to rather unenthusiastic
applause
and I was a little embarrassed. The speaker who followed me spoke in
Spanish -- which I didn't understand -- and he was being applauded about every
paragraph. To hide my embarrassment
I started clapping before everyone else
and longer than anyone else until our ambassador leaned over and said
'I
wouldn't do that if I were you. He's interpreting your speech.'"
Quoted by Gerald Gardner
in All the Presidents' Wits (Morrow)
in Reader's Digest.
In the summer of 1986
two
ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia. Hundreds of passengers
died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. News of the disaster was
further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It
wasn't a technology problem like radar malfunction--or even thick fog. The
cause was human stubbornness. Each captain was aware of the other ship's
presence nearby. Both could have steered clear
but according to news reports
neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield
first. By the time they came to their senses
it was too late.
Closer Walk
December
1991.
Pride is the dandelion of
the soul. Its root goes deep; only a little left behind sprouts again. Its
seeds lodge in the tiniest encouraging cracks. And it flourishes in good soil:
The danger of pride is that it feeds on goodness.
David Rhodes.
We have been the
recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these
many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers
wealth
and power
as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten
the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and
strengthened us
and we have vainly imagined
in the deceitfulness of our
hearts
that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and
virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success
we have become too
self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace
too
proud to pray to the God that made us.
A. Lincoln
Proclamation
of a day of National Humiliation
Fasting and Prayer
1863.
God wisely designed the
human body so that we can neither pat our own backs nor kick ourselves too
easily.
Guideposts.
There is perhaps no one of
our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Beat it down
stifle it
mortify
it as much as one pleases
it is still alive. Even if I could conceive that I
had completely overcome it
I should probably be proud of my humility.
Benjamin Franklin
from
his autobiography.
A U.S. Air Force transport
plane with its captain and 5 crew members was flying over Alaska in the mid-50s
when they entered an unusually fierce snowstorm. The navigator contacted an air
base only to be told that he had veered several hundred miles off course.
Correct coordinates were given to the navigator
who continued to insist that
his own calculations could not be that far off. Soon the plane ran low on fuel.
The six men decided to abandon the plane and parachute to safety
but because
of the -70 degree Farenheit temperature and winds that gusted to 50 mph
they
were all frozen within minutes of hitting the ground. A friend of mine was part
of the rescue team that discovered and retrieved the bodies 3 days later. As a
result of the navigator's pride
5 other people went to their deaths. Proverbs
12:15 tells us that "the way of a fool is right in his own eyes
but he
who heeds counsel is wise." The results may not always be so dramatic
but
we must all be careful to seek the counsel of God and wise individuals before
making decisions of lasting significance.
Dave McPherson
Maranatha
Bible Church
New Orleans.
Pali
this bull has killed
me." So said Jose Cubero
one of Spain's most brilliant matadors
before
he lost consciousness and died.
Only 21 years old
he had
been enjoying a spectacular career. However
in this l958 bullfight
Jose made
a tragic mistake. He thrust his sword a final time into a bleeding
delirious
bull
which then collapsed. Considering the struggle finished
Jose turned to
the crowd to acknowledge the applause. The bull
however
was not dead. It rose
and lunged at the unsuspecting matador
its horn piercing his back and
puncturing his heart.
Just when we think we've
finished off pride
just when we turn to accept the congratulations of the
crowd
pride stabs us in the back. We should never consider pride dead before
we are.
Craig Brian Larson.
Pride is the only disease
that makes everyone sick but the one who has it.
Source Unknown.
A young woman asked for an
appointment with her pastor to talk with him about a besetting sin about which
she was worried. When she saw him
she said
"Pastor
I have become aware
of a sin in my life which I cannot control. Every time I am at church I begin
to look around at the other women
and I realize that I am the prettiest one in
the whole congregation. None of the others can compare with my beauty. What can
I do about this sin?"
The pastor replied
"Mary
that's not a sin
why that's just a mistake!"
Source Unknown.
A recent news release told
of a Charlotte
North Carolina
woman who set a world record while playing a
convenience store video game. After standing in front of the game for fourteen
hours and scoring an unprecedented seven and a half million points on the game
called "Tapper
" the woman was pleased to see a TV crew arriving to record
her efforts for posterity. She continued to play while the crew
alerted by her
fianc? prepared to shoot. However
she was appalled to see the video screen
suddenly go blank. While setting up their lights
the camera team had
accidentally unplugged the game
thus bringing her bid for ten million points
to an untimely end! The effort to publicize her achievement became the agent of
her ultimate failure.
Source Unknown.
"Be not proud of
race
face
place
or grace."
C. H. Spurgeon.
Anyone who travels to
Edinburgh
Scotland will find Edinburgh castle a tower of seemingly
insurmountable strength. But the truth is that the castle was once actually
captured. The fortress had an obvious weak spot which defenders guarded--but
because another spot was apparently protected by its steepness and
impregnability
no sentries were posted there. At an opportune time
an
attacking army sent a small band up that unguarded slope and surprised the
garrison into surrender. Where the castle was strong
there it was weak.
Today in the Word
Feb 89
p.
36.
The story is told of two
ducks and a frog who lived happily together in a farm pond. The best of
friends
the three would amuse themselves and play together in their waterhole.
When the hot summer days came
however
the pond began to dry up
and soon it
was evident they would have to move. This was no problem for the ducks
who
could easily fly to another pond. But the frog was stuck. So it was decided
that they would put a stick in the bill of each duck that the frog could hang
onto with his mouth as they flew to another pond. The plan worked well--so
well
in fact
that as they were flying along a farmer looked up in admiration
and mused
"Well
isn't that a clever idea! I wonder who thought of
it?" The frog said
"I did..."
Today in the Word
April
1989
p. 34.
In the summer of 1986
two
ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia. Hundreds of passengers
died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. News of the disaster was
further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It
wasn't a technology problem like radar malfunction--or even thick fog. The
cause was human stubbornness. Each captain was aware of the other ship's
presence nearby. Both could have steered clear
but according to news reports
neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield
first. By the time they came to their senses
it was too late.
Closer Walk
December
1991.