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Thursday, December 22, 2022

Frustration Illustrations

 Devotional Thoughts and Teaching Illustrations About Frustration

The Game
Source unknown

A programmer and an engineer are sitting next to each other on a long flight from LA to NY. The Programmer leans over to the Engineer and asks if he would like to play a fun game. The Engineer just want to take a nap, so he politely declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks.
The Programmer persists and explains that the game is really easy and a lot of fun. He explains “I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5.” Again, the Engineer politely declines and tries to get some sleep.
The Programmer, now somewhat agitated, says “OK, if you don’t know the answer you pay me $5, and if I don’t know the answer, I will pay you $50!” This catches the Engineer’s complete attention, and he sees no end to this torment unless he plays, so he agrees to the game.
The Programmer asks the first question. “What’s the distance from the earth to the moon?” The Engineer doesn’t say a word, reaches into his wallet, pulls out a five-dollar bill and hands it to the Programmer. Now, it’s the Engineer’s turn. He asks the Programmer: “What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?” The Programmer looks at him with a puzzled look, he takes out his laptop computer and searches all his references. He taps into the Airphone with his modem and searches the Net and the Library of Congress. Frustrated, he sends e-mails to all his co-workers and friends he knows. All to no avail.
After over an hour, he wakes the Engineer and hands him $50. The Engineer politely takes the $50 and turns away to get back to sleep. The Programmer, more than a little miffed, shakes the Engineer and asks, “Well, so what IS the answer?” Without a word, the Engineer reaches into his wallet, hands the Programmer $5 and goes back to sleep.

Boris Becker
Our Daily Bread, July 9, 1994
Tennis star Boris Becker was at the very top of the tennis world—yet he was on the brink of suicide. He said, “I had won Wimbledon twice before, once as the youngest player. I was rich. I had all the material possessions I needed ... It’s the old song of movie stars and pop stars who commit suicide. They have everything, and yet they are so unhappy. I had no inner peace. I was a puppet on a string.”
Becker is not the only one to feel that sense of emptiness. The echoes of a hollow life pervade our culture. One doesn’t have to read many contemporary biographies to find the same frustration and disappointment. Jack Higgens, author of such successful novels and The Eagle Has Landed, was asked what he would like to have known as a boy. His answer: “That when you get to the top, there’s nothing there.”

Final Note
George MacDonald, Restoring Your Spiritual Passion
It is said of one of the famous composers that he had a rebellious son who used to come in late at night after his father and mother had gone to bed. And before going to his own room, he would go to his father’s piano and slowly, as well as loudly, play a simple scale, all but the final note. Then leaving the scale uncompleted, he would retire to his room.
Meanwhile, the father, hearing the scale minus the final note, would writhe on his bed, his mind unable to relax because the scale was unresolved. Finally, in consternation, he would stumble down the stairs and hit the previously unstruck note. Only then would his mind surrender to sleep once again.


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Romans 8:28 For the creation was subjected to frustration and futility, not willingly [because of some intentional fault on its part], but by the will of Him who subjected it, in hope
Ecclesiastes 1:18 For with great wisdom comes great frustration; whoever increases his knowledge merely increases his heartache.
Ecclesiastes 7:3 Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.
Deuteronomy 28:20 (ESV) “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.
Psalms 39:2 (NET) I was stone silent; I held back the urge to speak. My frustration grew;
John 16:33 ESV I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”



You Think About it!
Kevin Rayner




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Saturday, December 17, 2022

Rest Illustrations

Devotional Thoughts and Teaching Illustrations About Rest

Relaxation
Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment…Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen.” These are the words of Leonardo da Vinci, and no idler he; he excelled as a painter, sculptor, poet, architect, engineer, city planner, scientist, inventor, anatomist, military genius, and philosopher.

Rest in Six Aspects
  • Creation rest, broken by sin Genesis 2:2
  • Redemption rest, secured in Christ Zeph. 3:17
  • The sinner’s rest, by coming to Christ Matt. 11:28
  • The saint’s rest, in communion with Christ Mark 6:30
  • Paradise rest, present Rev. 16:13 and 2 Cor. 5:1-8
  • Eternal rest, future Heb. 4:9; Rev. 22:5
From the Book of 750 Bible and Gospel Studies, 1909, George W Noble, Chicago

Meaning of the Unstrung Bow
According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous activity.
Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, “Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bows implies.”
The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, “If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it.”
People are also like that. That’s why we all need to take time to rest. In today’s Scripture, Jesus prescribed time off for His wearied disciples after they had returned from a prolonged period of ministry. And in the Old Testament, God set a pattern for us when He “rested from all His work” (Gen. 2:3).
Shouldn’t we take His example seriously? Start by setting aside a special time to relax physically and renew yourself emotionally and spiritually. You will be at your best for the Lord if you have taken time to loosen the bow.
Our Daily Bread, June 6, 1994

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Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;And the government will rest on His shoulders;And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Psalms 116:7 (NIV) Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
Exodus 33:14 (NIV) The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Hebrews 4:9-10 (NIV) There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.
Psalm 127:2 ESV It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Psalm 4:8 ESV In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Exodus 33:14 ESV And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Mark 6:31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!



You Think About it!
Kevin Rayner




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Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Pressure Illustrations

Devotional Thoughts and Teaching Illustrations About Pressure



Edmond Church Family,

Hope you're having a great week!

We got an Instant Pot for Christmas. It’s great, you can cook frozen chicken in a matter of minutes, and it’s edible! I even eat something called Quinoa cooked in this modern multi-cooker, and it actually tastes good.

The Instant Pot looks like a reinforced crockpot with a bomb timer slapped on the front of it. Evidently, it cooks using extremely high pressure. When the timer goes off, and the food is done, we release the pressure valve and watch as a steady flow of steam spews into the air. Without removing the pressure, opening the pot would be disastrous.

It appears that some of us are like Instant Pots right now. After a long year of uncertainty and unforeseen challenges, there seems to be a lot of pressure building up.

Many of us are just holding it all in and may not even know it. Unless we have a healthy and safe way to release the pressure, sooner or later we will explode. Maybe you’ve been there recently.

You lose your patience with a store clerk.

You rant and rave about something unimportant. 

You explode at your spouse or child.

You feel a wave of road rage wash over you.

You burst into tears.

You scream and yell. Or just the opposite, you shut down emotionally.

You say things you later regret.

You react impulsively. 

While you may feel better in that instant (see what I did there?), your actions and words cause damage. Relationships suffer. People get hurt. Unity and progress are impeded. Damage is done.

Maybe right now is a good time for an honest self-assessment. How are you doing…how are you really doing? 

Do you feel overly stressed? Are you allowing challenges and adversity to gnaw at you? Are people getting under your skin? Is there a chance you are stuffing all the anxiety and uncertainty of a challenging year or a difficult situation deep inside as you try to keep moving forward?  

Sooner or later—unless you deal with the sources and symptoms of your stress and find a safe way to release the building pressure—you’re going to explode. 

Before you say or do something harmful, please do something helpful. 

Talk to a trusted friend or counselor. Pray, fast, and participate in other spiritual disciplines. Get moving and get some sleep. Build in Sabbath rest. But most of all, lean on God.

A short verse in the passage I plan to preach on this Sunday as we conclude our “Exiles” series tells us, very simply, what to do with all that pressure, all that stress and all that frustration: 

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

In one short inspired verse of scripture we are told what to do and why to do it. Recognize the pressure building up inside you and the burden of stress you are carrying, and let go of it. All of it.

More specifically, give it to God. Let him take it off your shoulders and out of your heart, and let Him replace it with healing and hope.

Cast your anxiety on him. That’s the what, but even more notably, here’s the why: “…because he cares for you.” 

God cares deeply for you. He cares that you are carrying what feels like the weight of the world. He cares that you are going through a tough time. God cares that you are hurting, or grieving or struggling. He cares that you have experienced great loss or that you can’t seem to catch a break.

He hurts with you and cares for you. 

God wants to carry what is weighing you down. Jesus already bore your greatest burden when he willingly went to the cross. He removed the sins that separate you from God.

Not only is God’s care for you unmatched, his strength is unequaled. No burden you are trying to carry is too heavy for him. So give it to him, and leave it with him. Don’t take it back. You can trust God.

Letting pressure continue to build will only result in a destructive explosion. God wants to help you, so just let him. 

Hope you’ll join us for worship Sunday.
Grace & Peace,
Randy 


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2 Corinthians 9:7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
2 Corinthians 11:28 - And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
Proverbs 24:10 If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.
Psalms 32:4 (MSG) The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up.
Psalms 32:5 (MSG) Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll come clean about my failures to God .” Suddenly the pressure was gone— my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.
Judges 20:45 (MSG) Five divisions turned to escape to the wilderness, to Rimmon Rock, but the Israelites caught and slaughtered them on roads. Keeping the pressure on, the Israelites brought down two more divisions.
Revelation 2:13 (MSG) “I see where you live, right under the shadow of Satan’s throne. But you continue boldly in my Name; you never once denied my Name, even when the pressure was worst, when they martyred Antipas, my witness who stayed faithful to me on Satan’s turf.
James 1:2 Trials and Temptations Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
Romans 5:3 And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance;
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Logos Dictionary Themes
A state of personal anxiety, strain or tension resulting from the pressures of human life. 
But God cannot ignore sin and will not. He brings pressure upon us, often very acute pressure, until we acknowledge the sin, confess it, and return to him. --James Montgomery Boice

You Think About It!
Kevin Rayner


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Sunday, February 08, 2015

A Preacher’s Classic

When I preach there are some who say
They could listen to me all day
Others think I preach too long,
And some think I go about it wrong.
Some say my sermon is much too deep
To others it’s shallow and they go to sleep.
Some report I hold them spellbound,
While others squirm and look around.
Some believe I have no light,
And others think I preach just right.
Some affirm that I’m too bold,
While others wink and say I’m cold.
Some used to say I was much too young,
But others declare my spring has sprung
Some folks tell I have met success.
Others think my work’s a mess.
Some have said my pay is too low,
When they discover the pace I go.
Still others say it’s above the peak
“Why, he only works three hours a week!”
From all of this it is plain to see,
That as a preacher, I’m up a tree.
Condemned if I do,
Condemned if I don’t.
Criticized if I will,
Criticized if I won’t.
I can’t please men of such discord,
So I’ll just keep trying to please the Lord.
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Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Hospitality Illustrations

Devotional Thoughts and Teaching Illustrations About Hospitality

“Hospitality–Open Your Circle”
In New Testament times, hospitality was an obligation of the host family and of the entire village. So when a guest arrived late at night, it was all right for the host to go next door and ask for extra loaves of bread. It was all right. But it wasn't convenient. When the host in Jesus' story pounded on his friend's door late one night, it was a pain! It was common for the whole family to sleep together in a single room, often on a common mat unrolled on the floor. (Thus, "My children are with me in bed,"  For the father to get up, and stumble over the whole family, possibly awakening them too, wasn't convenient at all. But Jesus said that such a householder would get up anyway—if the neighbor made a pest of himself and kept on knocking.

Hospitality
Acts of generosity and friendship towards strangers. God’s people are called to be hospitable as part of their duty to others and in gratitude for the salvation they have received from God. Showing hospitality includes the responsibility to protect those received as guests.

“Hospitality–Open Your Circle”
(07-12-2015)-Monte Cox-Holy Habits: Training for Godliness, Hospitality– Open Your Circle

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Acts 27:3 (MSG) The next day we put in at Sidon. Julius treated Paul most decently—let him get off the ship and enjoy the hospitality of his friends there.
1 Timothy 3:2 - Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
Luke 10:7 Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.
Hebrews 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Romans 12:13 (ESV)  Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
1 Timothy 5:10 (ESV)  and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.
Hebrews 13:2 (ESV)  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
1 Peter 4:9 (ESV) Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Acts 28:7 - Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days.
Matthew 10:10 Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.
Matthew 25:38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?

hospitality, a duty of God’s people

Hospitality is commanded by God
Heb 13:2 See also Isa 58:6-7; Jn 13:12-15; Ro 12:13; 1Pe 4:9

Hospitality is a responsibility of leaders
1Ti 3:2 See also 1Ti 5:9-10; Tit 1:8

Hospitality indicates true discipleship
Job 31:32 See also Mt 25:35

Hospitality crosses social barriers
Of race Lev 19:33-34 See also Ex 22:21; 23:9

Of class and status Lk 14:12-14 See also Jas 2:2-4

Hospitality is to be offered to Christian ministers
Ro 16:1-2 See also Col 4:10; 3Jn 5-10

Hospitality is to be refused to false teachers
2Jn 10-11

Hospitality as a picture of salvation
Ps 23:5-6; Rev 3:20 Jesus Christ comes as a willing guest to the repentant, as a sign of renewed fellowship. See also Isa 25:6; Mt 22:1-14; Lk 14:15-24; 19:1-10; Jn 14:2-3

Warnings against inhospitable behavior
Dt 23:3-4 See also Mt 10:14 pp Mk 6:11 pp Lk 9:5; Mt 25:41-45


Examples of hospitality

Scripture provides many examples of friendship and generosity towards strangers, and encourages believers to be hospitable in turn.

Examples of hospitality in the OT
Ge 18:2-5 See also Ge 19:1-3 Lot entertains visitors from God; Ge 24:22-25 Abraham’s servant is welcomed in Rebekah’s home; Ex 2:20 Moses is welcomed by a priest of Midian; Jdg 13:15 Manoah receives the angel of the LORD.
Shelter is given to a Levite: Jdg 19:1-4,20-21
2Sa 17:27-29 hospitality shown to David and his people; 1Ki 17:7-16 The widow of Zarephath cares for Elijah despite her poverty; 2Ki 4:8-10 a Shunammite provides for Elisha; Ne 5:17 Nehemiah shows hospitality to fellow Jews.

The hospitality showed to Jesus Christ
Mt 9:10 pp Mk 2:15 pp Lk 5:29 Jesus Christ received hospitality from people of all social backgrounds. See also Mt 8:14-15 pp Mk 1:29-31 pp Lk 4:38-39 at Peter’s house
Jesus Christ anointed at Bethany: Mt 26:6-7 pp Mk 14:3; Jn 12:1-3
Lk 7:36 at the house of Simon the Pharisee; Lk 10:38 at the home of Mary and Martha; Lk 14:1 at the house of a prominent Pharisee; Lk 19:5-7 at Zacchaeus’ house; Lk 24:29 with disciples in Emmaus; Jn 2:2 at the wedding at Cana

Hospitality assisted the mission of the apostles
The hospitality is shown to the disciples Mt 10:11-12 pp Mk 6:10 pp Lk 9:4 Jesus Christ sends out the Twelve. See also Lk 10:5-7

Hospitality was shown to Peter Ac 10:32 at the home of Simon the tanner; Ac 10:48 with Cornelius and his family

The hospitality shown to Paul and his companions Ac 16:15 at the home of Lydia; Ac 16:34 at the house of the Philippian jailer; Ac 18:2-3 with Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth; Ac 21:8 at the house of Philip; Ac 21:16 at the home of Mnason in Jerusalem; Ac 28:2 on Malta; Ac 28:7 at the home of Publius; Ro 16:23 with Gaius; Phm 22 as a guest of Philemon

Christians opened their homes for gatherings of believers
1Co 16:19 See also Ac 2:46; Ro 16:3-5; Col 4:15; Phm 2

Examples of inhospitable behavior
1Sa 25:10-11 See also Nu 20:18 Edom; Nu 21:21-23 Sihon; Dt 23:3-4 Ammonites and Moabites; Jdg 19:15 Gibeah; Lk 9:52-53 a Samaritan village




You Think About It!
Kevin Rayner


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