Illustration results for numbers 20
Staff Picks of Free Sermons and PRO Church Media
Facing Your Giants …
David and Goliath Preaching Bundle »
David and Goliath Video Illustration »
You Are God Alone Worship Video »
Lynn Floyd
“As soon as children are old enough to speak, one of the first questions parents ask is, “How big are you?” Children seem to always give the same answer, “I’m soooo big!” They generally raise their hands to get additional stature, as if to say, “I’m huge. I’m enormous. There’s no telling how big I may be.” This is not a scientific answer. You can’t use it in every context. For example, if your spouse were to ask, “How big do my hips look to you?” you might not want to throw your hands high over your head and exclaim, “Your hips are soooo big.” You teach your children to say this because you want them to realize they are growing. We know that the way they think of themselves matters. You don’t want them to think of themselves as small, weak, and lacking adequate strength to handle the challenges of life.” But now I have a more important question: How big is your God? How big is Christ in your life? (John Ortberg. “If You Want To Walk On Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat” p. 191)
Fresh Starts! (10.05.05--Beginning Again!--Numbers 20:1)
A number of years ago my wife had an opportunity to spend several days camping at a church camp with several of her friends. They kept the little ones and the family pets with them. The only thing lacking for the time was husbands. It was mid-summer and the weather was scorching. Unfortunately there was one thing that needed to be done before leaving our wives in camp--making firewood for the week.
My friend Jon and I had brought along our chain saws in anticipation of wrestling down dead oaks, blighted by wilt, that dotted the campground. After several hours of felling, cutting and splitting, the heat had finally gotten to both of us. We were exhausted and weren’t looking forward to restacking the wood in campsite. Our wives suggested we cool our heels in a nearby lake. It seemed like a drastic move in the midst of all the work that still needed to be done. But, we peeled and dove in. It wasn’t long before the refreshing waters gave us back the will to finish the job. We needed a fresh start.
As Christians we often find ourselves in need of a fresh start when life becomes tedious, even burdensome. Carving out that start might call for some creative thinking, even what might seem drastic for the moment. We need to be able to be willing to see opportunities that might remain otherwise hidden.
A sculptor had ruined a huge piece of beautiful Carrara marble. It was left in the courtyard of the cathedral in Florence, Italy, for almost a hundred years. Artisans thought it was beyond repair. But in 1505, a young sculptor by the name of Michelangelo was asked if he thought anything could be done with “The Giant.” He measured the block and carefully noted the imperfections caused by the bungling workman of an earlier day. To his mind came the image of the young shepherd boy David. He carefully made a sketch of that biblical character as he envisioned him. For 3 years he worked steadily, his chisel skillfully sh...
