Illustration results for proverbs 18

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Numbers of the Bible”

One
The number one is for God. We must begin with number one or we cannot have number two or any other number. Mathematically speaking we cannot get anywhere without the number one. We must begin with God.

Two
The number two is for man. Man as an individual. God made man and Christ is “called the second man.”

Three
Three is the number for the Trinity. God is a triune God; Father, Son and Spirit. The atmosphere, which we live in, is a trinity of oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen. The tabernacle was a trinity with its court, holy place, and Holiest of Holies.
The first chapter of Revelation is full of trinities of Truth.
V. 2 – The Word of God, The testimony of Jesus, All things that He saw.
V. 3 – Read, Hear and Keep.
V. 4 – Which is, Which was, and Which is to come.
V. 5 – The Faithful Witness, The First begotten of the dead, The Prince of the kings of the earth.
V.5, 6 – Loved us, Washed us, Made us kings and priests.
V. 7 – Every eye shall see him, They also which pierced him, All kindreds of the earth.
V. 9 – Tribulation, Kingdom, Patience
V. 18 – I am He that liveth, Was dead, Alive for evermore.
V. 19 – Things seen (Past), Things which are (Present), Things which shall be (Future).
Who would dare to contradict the trinity as these Ten appear in one chapter alone, chapter one of Revelation. Certainly no Spirit filled believer or student of scripture would not affirm its validity.

Four
Four is the number of humanity as a whole. There were four men in the Ark, four men in the fiery furnace, four on the mount of Transfiguration. The four points of the compass comprise the whole of humanity in all the earth.

Five
Five is the number for grace – grace accepted or grace rejected. There are five wise and foolish virgins.
Six
The number six is the number for evil. A man with six toes and six fingers is called a wicked man in the Bible. Nebuchadnezzra’s image was sixty feet high and six feet in circumference and six musical instruments called the people to worship. The number for the Anti-Christ is six hundred sixty-six. This is set forth the trinity of evil, the climax of wickedness, and the culmination of iniquity. There can not be anything worse than 666.

Seven
Seven is the number for perfection. This number is frequently mentioned in scripture: seven churches, seven stars, seven heads, seven horns, seven eyes, seven Spirits of god, the seven branches of the candlestick.
In Judges, the seventh book of the Bible, there are seven departures from God; seven times the people repented and seven times Jehovah delivered his people from their enemies.

Eight
Eight is the number for that which is New. There are eight beatitudes which set forth something entirely new. Everything good in this sinful world owes its presence and existence to the Word of God. The resurrection of Christ and of many of the saints took place on the eighth day. Here indeed and in truth was something new.

Ten
Ten is the number of completeness. Jacob’s wages were changed ten times, which sets forth complete disappointment outside the will of God and his Promised Land. Eliezer, the servant, took ten camels with him when he started from home in order to obtain a bride for Isaac. God gave his people Ten Commandments. Daniel and his three friends were proved ten days and at the end of the test were ten times better than the others. Christ gave the parable of the ten pounds and ten talents. Christ healed ten lepers. The dragon of Daniel and Revelation had ten horns, which represent ten kings. The tenth or the tithe is the Lord’s.

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WALK WITH YOU

During WW2, two young Jews lived as close friends, (BFFs, we can call them), more than real brothers in a dingy Nazi concentration camp jammed with helpless-hopeless-exhausted-abused Jews. They shared everything, literally everything. One day, one of them felt weak and started to lose weight noticeably. His malnourished body deteriorated until he can no longer perform his daily assigned errands. He knew what that meant -- death in a gas chamber.

That night, his boorish Nazi guards advised him not to report to work the following day. He lay down on his worn out couch, scared and alone. He was unable to sleep even for a second. Morning broke and he was dragged into a line of queasy people, young and old, men and women. But on that lethargic line he saw his friend with a grim face yet with a smile of empathy. Before he could say a word his friend said, "I've walked with you through life; I'm going to walk with you to death."

The Lord Jesus did far more than that. He willingly walked through the agony of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane so that we can wonderfully walk through the ecstasy of praise. He humbly followed the pathway of disgrace, the walkway of "via dolorosa", so that we can happily fly through the skyway of grace, the airway of "via soteria."

(From a sermon by Jofry Bustamante, Facing the Hard Realities of Life! 2/20/2011)

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THE COST OF TRYING TO FIT IN

Kevin Miller of Wheaton, Illinois wrote the following:

Right after I finished 6th grade, my family moved to a new town. As I started junior high that fall, I suddenly found myself in a school I didn’t know, in a town I didn’t know, with people I didn’t know. I felt very alone. Nobody knew me, and nobody wanted to talk to me.

Then one day, a kid named Earl invited me to his house after school. I jumped at it. Soon Earl and I started to become good friends.

After a couple of months of sizing up my 7th grade classroom, I made an important realization. The kids who seemed to be the most popular, the kids who were really good at sports, the kids who had the best clothes, the kids whom the girls whispered and blushed over--were not Earl. They were two guys, Mike and Justin. So when Mike and Justin finally invited me over to their house, I was exhilarated!!! This was my ticket to the big time.

But I had one problem. Wherever Mike and Justin were, Earl was not; and wherever Earl was, Mike and Justin were not. And if I was going to hang out with Mike and Justin, I could not be seen with Earl. So I made a decision. I became friends with Mike and Justin and when Earl called me, I kept putting him off.

All those years since that time, there’s still shame around that betrayal, because the truth is, I betrayed Earl. I handed him another rejection in his life, when he’d probably had so many. But I wanted something: I wanted that "in," I wanted that popularity. If I had to hurt him, I would do it.

That is the essence of betrayal: I am willing to hurt you to get something for myself.

(From a sermon by Kenneth Sauer, Not Good Enough? 5/29/2012)

My name is Gossip. I have no respect for justice. I maim without killing. I break hearts and ruin lives. I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age. The more I am quoted, the more I am believed. I flourish at every level of society. My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no face. To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become. I am nobodies friend. Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same. I topple governments, wreck marriages, and ruin careers -- cause sleepless nights, heartaches, and indigestion. I spawn suspicion and generate grief. I make innocent people cry in their pillows. Even my name hisses...

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WASTING TIME AT WORK

For many American workers today, time’s a wastin’ - literally. According to a new survey by America Online and Salary.com, the average worker admits to frittering away 2.09 hours per 8-hour workday, not including lunch and scheduled break-time. As a matter of practice, companies assume a certain amount of wasted time when determining employee pay. However, the America Online / Salary.com survey indicates that employees are wasting about twice as much time as their employers expect. Salary.com calculated that employers spend $759 billion per year on salaries for which real work was expected, but not actually performed.

The biggest distraction for respondents? Personal Internet use. 44.7% of the more than 10,000 people polled cited web surfing as their #1 distraction at work. Socializing with co-workers came in second at 23.4%. Conducting personal business, "spacing out," running errands, and making personal phone calls were the other popular time-wasting activities in the workplace.

Top Time-Wasting Activities (%)
1 Surfing Internet (personal use) 44.7%
2 Socializing with co-workers 23.4%
3 Conducting personal business 6.8%
4 Spacing out 3.9%
5 Running errands off-premises 3.1%
6 Making personal phone calls 2.3%
7 Applying for other jobs 1.3%
8 Planning personal events 1.0%
9 Arriving late / Leaving early 1.0%
10 Other 12.5%

Employees say they’re not always to blame for this wasted time, however. 33.2% of respondents cited lack of work as their biggest reason for wasting time. 23.4% said they wasted time at work because they feel as if they are underpaid.

Top Time-Wasting Excuses (%)
1 Don’t have enough work to do 33.2%
2 Underpaid for amount of work 23.4%
3 Co-workers distract me 14.7%
4 Not enough after-work time 12.0%
5 Other 16.7%

(From a sermon by Terry Blankenship, Time: The Great Equalizer, 5/29/2012)

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Christ died IN MY PLACE.

During the U.S. Civil War, a farmer named Blake was drafted as a soldier. He was deeply troubled about leaving his family because his wife had died and there would be no one to support and take care of his children in his absence. The day before he was to leave for the army, his neighbor Charlie Durham came to visit him. “Blake,” he said, “I’ve been thinking. You’re needed here at home, so I’ve decided to go in your place.” The farmer was so overwhelmed that for a few moments he was speechless. The offer seemed too good to be true. He grasped the hand of the young man and praised God for this one who was willing to go as his substitute. Sadly, Charlie was shot and killed in the first battle. When the farmer heard the bad news, he immediately saddled his horse and rode out to the battlefield. He found the body of his friend and arranged to have it buried in the churchyard near the spot where they had often stopped to talk after the services. On a piece of marble he carved the inscription with his own hands. It was roughly done, but with every blow of the hammer on the chisel, tears fell from his eyes. He placed the marker on the grave of his devoted substitute. Many villagers wept as they read the brief but touching inscription: He died for me.

Christ died for me, in my place, as my substitute.
From Jonathan MeLeod’s Sermon: The Love of

View linked Sermon

A newspaper held a competition to find out how people would describe friendship. The winning answer was, “A friend is someone who’s walking in when everyone else is walking out.”

You and I have a friend that will do that, a friend who will stick closer than a brother. Jesus said,

“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20...

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“Make a Friend, Find a Friend!” Proverbs 18: 24 Key verse(s): 24: “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

I am reminded of the story of the great patriot John Randolph of Virginia. Known for his intelligence and generosity, Randolph died a lonely and bitter man. He lacked for nothing in this life. He really had it all. His estate was extravagant consisting of hundreds of acres of rich and fertile farm land. His stable of horses was not to be equalled in Virginia. He was generous and prosperous. His slaves were well-treated and freed upon his death. He was famous having both signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In many ways he was as well known in Virginia as Jefferson and Washington. Yet, when death approached him he died alone attended only by a physician. Randolph died a very lonely man. Despite all of his accomplishments over the course of his long life, the one thing he had failed to do was to make good friends. There was something about his uncompromising, bitter and cantankerous nature that turned people off. In debate he was harsh and caustic. In dealings he was abrupt, even rude. The story is told that one day, later in life when he had retired to his plantation, he mounted his horse and prepared to ride somewhere, anywhere. He sat motionless on the horse for half and hour trying to make us his mind as to where to go and whom to see. Finally he dismounted, telling a servant that he “couldn’t think of anyone who would greet him any way.” With all he possessed the one think he really longed for most, one good friend, had never been a part of his storied life. The touch...

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