Sermon Central
-
The Key To The Spiritual Life
Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2011 (message contributor)
THE KEY TO THE SPIRITUAL LIFE
At age 16, Madame Jeanne Guyon (1648-1717) was forced into an arranged marriage with an invalid 22 years older. She found her marriage to be one of utter humiliation. Her husband was often angry and melancholy. Her mother-in-law was a merciless critic. Even the maid despised her. In spite of her best attempts at devotion to her husband and family, she was subjected to relentless criticism.
Forbidden by her husband to attend church, she sought God in His Word and worshiped Him in secret. She learned that even in the midst of her dreary circumstances she was "perfectly fine--within the safe hands of God." In her book Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, she wrote, "Abandonment [to Christ] is the key to the fathomless depths. Abandonment is the key to the spiritual life."
How can we respond to difficult circumstances with acceptance and abandonment? Mary's response to the angel in Luke 1: 38 shows us. The only way to have that same attitude is to believe that God's will is "good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12: 2), and to lay down our will and patiently submit to Him day by day.
(From a sermon by Ajai Prakash, In The Safe Hands of God, 12/22/2010)
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
Don't Quit! Don't Quit! PRO
Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 8, 2005
DON’T QUIT! DON’T QUIT! Many years ago I was visiting a lady named Deanna in the resthome, she had a copy of this little poem, I borrowed it and made a copy. I ask you to ponder these words: DON’T QUIT (author unknown) When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you’re ...read more
-
High Opinion, Our Daily Bread, ... PRO
Contributed by Troy Borst on Sep 16, 2004
ILLUSTRATION... High Opinion, Our Daily Bread, July 3, 1989 A man who had a high opinion of himself stepped on a coin-operated scale that dispensed a card, giving his weight and comments about his personality. After reading the card, he handed it to his wife and said, “Here, look at this!” She ...read more
-
Win Arn, A Leading Church Consultant Conducted A ... PRO
Contributed by Martin Kim on Oct 5, 2004
Win Arn, a leading church consultant conducted a survey: He surveyed members of nearly a thousand churches asking the question, “Why does the church exit?? The results? Of the church members surveyed, 89 percent said, “The church’s purpose is to take care of my family’s and my needs.? For many, ...read more
-
Several Years Ago, I Read Patrick Morley's Book ... PRO
Contributed by Jim Kane on Nov 7, 2004
Several years ago, I read Patrick Morley’s book “Walking with Christ in the Details of Life.” It is a book of meditations that includes one called “Revival: The Gospel of Addition.” In it, he said the following, “The American gospel has evolved into a gospel of addition without subtraction. It is ...read more
-
Are We Really Who We Say We Are? PRO
Contributed by Greg Buchner on Aug 9, 2004
“Are We Really Who We Say We Are?” It was a typical night on the streets of Lansing. As the bars began to open and the nightlife found its pulse again, the little storefront building, which held The Lansing Street Ministry – The Harvest House, was just beginning its evening ministry. The ...read more
Related Sermons
-
When Everything Falls Apart
Contributed by Chris Mcmillan on Jul 28, 2014
What do you do when everything in your world falls apart?
-
Midnight
Contributed by Gregory J Brice on Jul 22, 2013
How God changes our gloomy outlooks on life into bright, sun shining days.
-
Making The Best Of A Bad Situation
Contributed by Kraig Pullam on Feb 17, 2014
God takes the disadvantages of our dead ends and uses them as an opportunity to propel His plan into the spectrum of His greater glory and our greater good, as seen in the discourse between the disciples and Christ prior to His ascension.
-
Why Is God Shaking Up Our World?
Contributed by Steve Mays on Aug 20, 2014
Has God been shaking you? Are you afraid of what you see? Do you have an answer?
-
Mutual Prayer For Difficult Times
Contributed by H.b. Charles Jr. on Jan 22, 2014
"Mutual Prayer for Difficult Times" is an exposition of 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5. There is a powerful dynamic that works when pastor and people pray for one another, when saints pray for one another.
