Tim Raymond, pastor from Indiana, tells an interesting story
about working on a sermon, then reading through it on a Saturday evening and
thinking, "This may be the best sermon ever written. It is possibly THE
perfect sermon." He envisioned the masses coming to the altar in tears,
famous preachers sitting in the audience in awe, and even invitations to be a
speaker at the top Christian conferences.
Then came Sunday morning and he eagerly found his place in
the pulpit, ready to deliver with the greatest eloquence, the sermon that would
"guide the blind, be a light for those in darkness, an instructor to the
foolish, a teacher for the children."
Ten minutes into the sermon he notices people falling
asleep. Fifteen minutes into the sermon he is thinking, "This really isn't
going well and I hardly understand what I am talking about." By the end of
the sermon he was thinking about moving back home to mom's house, because he
just knew the parsonage would soon be empty. That sermon which he thought would
bring "thunder from the heavens had keeled over like a dead duck."
Are you a preacher that has experienced something similar?
Do you sing in the choir or on a praise team that has fallen flat on its
face? Have been an usher and fumbled some
task associated with your duties? We have all probably been involved in various
areas pertaining to our spiritual gift, only to find that our work in that area
ended up in failure. Tim Raymond found the cause, and it wasn't something he
was happy about. He confesses the problem was his own pride.
In reading Tim's article today, I see the picture of this
man, gifted to study, prepare sermons, and deliver them. Tim learned quickly
that his gift to preach does not mean he is "God's gift" to the
world. How about our activities and work? Do we swell with pride as if we have
accomplished great things for God and now God owes us a blue ribbon? Look at Tim's suggestions for the ways we can
deal with pride.
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