Sermon Illustrations

ENTRY-LEVEL FAITH

During World War II, a young teenager tried to enlist in the navy. Only fifteen but large for his years, he told the recruiting officer in Richmond, Virginia, that he was sixteen. The officer looked at him and shook his head.

"Sorry, son, you're not old enough."

Two months later, he returned. The recruiter didn't seem to remember him, so this time he listed his age as seventeen. Again the answer was, "Sorry, you're not old enough."

He waited a few weeks and returned again. This time, in reply to the recruiter's question, he said he was eighteen. The man looked at the teenager and smiled. "Young man," he said, "we would really like to have you in our navy. The only trouble is, you're aging so fast that I'm afraid we'd have to put you on pension before the war was over."

Wouldn't it be great if every believer had that kind of desire to mature in the faith? It's sad--and a little difficult to understand---how many Christians never seem to advance beyond "entry level" in their walk with the Lord. They have walked through the open door of salvation and stopped just inside the doorway.

[Jeremiah, D. (1998). God in you: releasing the power of the Holy Spirit in your life (pp. 158--160). Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers.]

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