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Sermon Illustrations: Humility [See Pride Too]
Anecdotes
When American Samuel Logan Brengle joined the Salvation Army, Booth thought that he'd been his own boss for too long, and to help make him humble told him to black the boots of the other trainees. Brengle wondered if he'd made a mistake if all he was able to do was clean boots. Then he saw Jesus washing the feet of fishermen and said, "Lord, You washed their feet. I will black their boots."
Mat 21:5 Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey." The donkey is a stubborn animal. Only when the King is in control of the donkey will it be controllable.
In Room 41 in London's National Portrait Gallery women flock to see a 1-metre-wide plasma screen showing a 67-minute video of David Beckham - asleep! Entitled David, Sam Taylor's video was commissioned by the gallery. All that can be seen is Beckham's shirtless torso.
While men searched for a throne to build their kingdoms, Jesus reached for a towel to wash His disciples' feet.
Many of us have heard of Muhammad Ali's boast that in the boxing ring he could "float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee". He knew how to brag in an attempt to psyche out his opponents. But on one particular flight, he says in his book, The Soul of a Butterfly, that the flight attendant asked him to put his seat belt on. He said to her, "Superman don't need no seat belt". She smiled at him and said, "Superman don't need no plane, either."
Waking from his sleep, the donkey still savoured the afterglow of the best day of his life. He had never felt so happy and proud. Wandering into the village, he found some people buying a cart. "I'll reveal myself to them," he thought. "They'll be so surprised." But they continued haggling and paid no attention. "Throw your garments down," he said angrily. "Don't you know who I am?" But the people barely registered that he was there, and someone slapped him on the backside, ordering him to move. "Miserable pagans!" muttered the donkey to himself. "The people at the markets will remember me." But when he got there the same thing happened. He strutted down the street, but no one paid any attention. "Where are the palm branches? Yesterday you threw palm branches in front of me!" Upset and angry, the little donkey galloped home to his mother. "You foolish child," she chided gently, "Don't you understand that without Him, you are just an ordinary donkey?"
Modesty: the art of encouraging others to find out for themselves how important you are.
Quotes
It needs more skill than I can tell, To play the second fiddle well. C.H. Spurgeon
It is not humility to say that you are less than somebody else, but to say that you are less than what you ought to be. H.W. Beecher
There is no limit to the good a person can do if they don't care who gets the credit.