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BILLY GRAHAM.
"One faithful witness is worth a thousand mute professors of religion."
Success that Counts:
Mother Teresa was once asked, "How do you measure the success of your work?" She thought about the question and gave her interviewer a puzzled look, and said, "I don't remember that the Lord ever spoke of success. He spoke only of faithfulness in love. This is the only success that really counts."
Brett Blair, Sermon Illustrations, 1998.
Steve Peat
We were playing on the beach during our Sunday School outing when six year old Laura gave me four pretty shells to look after. I promised I would, and put them in my pocket. When we got back to church, we both forgot about them and I only remembered my promise when I got back home and found them in my pocket before I went to bed. They were only four little shells and I would not be seeing Laura as Sunday School finishes at 10:45 and I only arrive for the service at just before eleven. It would have been the easiest thing just to forget about them and throw them away, but I had given my word to the little girl and I intended to keep it. I decided to get to church early and give them to her.
Next day I arrived at church as the children were coming out of Sunday School and the first thing Laura asked about was her shells! I said to her, "Do you think I've got your shells?" "No," she replied. I put my hand in my pocket and gave them to her. The look of delight on her face made it all worth it. They were only shells, but they mattered to Laura. I asked her if I'd said I'd look after them for her to which she said I had. I then asked her if I had, and she said that I had.
I wanted her to know that I meant what I said to her. I couldn't help wondering though how many times people had said they would do things for her and not kept their word. Her reply to my question made me think that she was used to being let down. We should be known as people who are absolutely trustworthy in every tiny detail, as good as our word. This is especially true with children. The big things will take care of themselves if we get into the habit of being faithful in little things.
Malaysian proverb.
"Is reckoning on Gods faithfulness like monkey grip or cat grip?" "Cat grip, for baby monkeys have to hold on to mother like grim death whereas a kitten is picked up and carried by the mother."
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