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As I share more tidbits from sermon notes I took in 2011, I want to give a bit of credit. I opted not to identify who I am quoting in each line because that would be a bit tedious as most were said by one of my pastors. In other words, the same two names would appear after most of the lines and that would just take up space. So let me give credit where credit is due at the beginning of this blog. Most of the gems of wisdom and motivation you’ll read in today’s blog were said during sermons by Pastor Larry Klaiber or Pastor Danny Caudill. Both men have served Jesus many years while continuing to work an outside job. That is quite a challenge, folks, but it is also often the norm in rural areas.

After we moved from “happening” suburbs to this rural community, I often wondered why God would place such gifted preachers in such small settings. I’ve come to understand that it is not the size of the setting that makes us successful, it is our obedience to our calling; and God places His people strategically in the place of His choosing for the upbuilding of His Kingdom and His ultimate glory. Just as so many spectacular creatures shine in the darkness of the sea where no one but God seas them, many of God’s treasures labor in obscurity for His glory and without the applause of crowds.

So let me share some of the gems from my pastors’ sermons in 2011.

• When Satan brought his A game (tempting Jesus in the desert), what did Jesus do? He quoted Scripture.
  – I can’t quote it if I don’ t know it.
  – Lord, help me to remember to do the same thing when I am tempted.
• It’s not the absence of the storm that sets us apart. It’s the One we find in the storm.
• Isaiah 6:3 says that the whole earth is full of God’s glory. Let’s look for His glory everywhere we go!
• We were developing in the womb for the life we would live here; we’re developing now for the life we will live for eternity. Those things we ask “What’s the sense of it all” are for our future life (for example., our mouths had no purpose in the womb!).
  – This truth explodes in my mind! For everything you and I have ever questioned, there has been a purpose in God’s bigger picture. If we can’t see it now, we can have confidence it’s for our future.
• Faith is more than believing, it’s obeying.
• In every western movie, someone comes riding into town and all hell breaks loose. Two thousand years ago, Jesus came riding into town and all heaven broke loose!
  – Hallelujah!
• Let us act like the redeemed of the Lord – in the midst of it all – and shout “Hosanna, Son of David!”
• Ask God: “Draw me away with You.”

Which of these quotes had the most impact on you today? Leave me a comment below or on Facebook.

If you missed my first post of tidbits from 2011, click here.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at 8:20 pm and is filed under Christian Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.