Your Favorite Illustrations!

[Brotherhood]

Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver....'

This verse puzzled some during a book study, and they wondered what
this statement meant about the character and nature of Jehovah. One
sister volunteered to find out about the process of refining silver and
get back to the group at the next book study.

That week, the sister called a silversmith and made an appointment to
watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her
interest, beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.

He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away
all of the impurities.

The sister thought about Jehovah holding us in such a 'hot spot' and
then she thought again about the part of the verse that says 'He sits as
a refiner and purifier of silver'. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. He answered yes, he not only had to sit
there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the
entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too
long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The sister was silent for a
moment, then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?' He smiled and said 'Oh, that's easy - when I see my image init.'

If today you are feeling the 'heat of the fire' of Satan's persecution.....remember that Jehovah has His eye constantly on you, and will keep watching you until He sees Hi s image in you. Right now, this very moment, some dear brother or sister needs to know that Jehovah himself is watching over them. And, whatever they're going through, He will be vindicated, if they remain faithful.

[Brotherhood]

Another one that I really love. I have so many. I write them down and they are all stored on my PC. 

 

 

The Triple Filter Test – A Story About Gossip

 

This story has been accredited to Socrates, although the original source may have been someone else.  Either way it’s a great tale that gives us some helpful hints on how to better deal with those who gossip and how to stop ourselves from spreading rumours as well.

One day, a student came up to the great philosopher.  “Socrates, I have just heard some news about one of your friends.”  he excitedly exclaimed.

“Before you tell me this news, we need to make sure that it passes the triple filter test,” responded Socrates.

“What’s the triple filter test?” the man asked.

“The first test is that of truth.  Tell me, do you know that what you’re going to tell me is absolutely true?”  asked Socrates.

After thinking for a moment, the man said, “I heard this news from someone else, so I’m not 100% sure if it’s true.”

“The second test is that of goodness,” Socrates continued, “Is what you’re about to tell me something good?”

“No, actually it’s the opposite…”

Socrates interrupted the man, “So what you’re going to tell me is neither true, nor good?”

The man was slightly embarrassed and shrugged his shoulders.

Socrates continued, “There is one final test which is usefulness.  Is what you’re about to tell me going to be useful?”

“Probably not,” the man replied.

“Well, if you’re going to tell me something that’s not true, good or useful, then why tell me at all?” responded the philosopher.

I’m sure that we’ve all indulged in a bit of gossip from time-to-time.  We all come across salacious information occasionally that we feel compelled to pass on to others. 

The next time you do, pass the information through the triple filter test to see if you really should be telling others.

Proverbs 26:20 says, “Without wood a fire goes out, without gossip a quarrel dies down.”

Let’s be peace-makers, not trouble-makers.

[Qapla]

Another illustration:

 

Suppose you are going to take a trip across country (all countries are not the same size, so picture a "large" country - one that the trip will take several days) driving a car. What steps would you take?

 

Here are a few:

• Check the tires before you leave
• Check the engine (oil, water, etc)
• Fill the tank with fuel
• Make sure you have sufficient funds for fuel, food, motel/hotel
• Check route on a map (computer/GPS/paper)

 

There may be other provisions that would concern you, but ... would ... "Where will I park when I get there?" be the most pressing thought on your mind?

 

The same principle applies when we begin to spend vast amounts of time wondering about things like "Will we eat meat in the new system?", "Will people still have children in the new system?", "Will we visit other planets?", "Will ......" before we tend to our personal study, Bible reading and keeping current with the things that pertain to TODAY.

 

It's not that we cannot think about such things, but before we spend more time worrying about what may or may not be ... we should first make sure WE are ready to be there.

[Qapla]

During tonights meeting a Brother used an illustration that I wanted to share.

 

When talking about forgiveness and resentment, he said that holding on to resentment is like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die.

[Brenda]

In a discussion about how to describe Holy Spirit, I used this.  I hope it was relevant.

 

Holy Spirit is like electricity.  You can plug in your razor, boom box, computer, TV, and refrigerator and get power, 120 volts.  Or you can plug in your stove/oven, Dryer and get power...240 volts.  Whatever amount of Holy Spirit you need...at the moment...for what your needs are....you will have enough to do the job.  It's always there when you need it.

[feather]

When talking about forgiveness and resentment, he said that holding on to resentment is like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die.

   excellent illustration. pointed and concise.  

    thank you John 

[feather]

A woman, upon receiving a new sparkling diamond ring, can barely contain her excitement ~ she wants

   to show it to all her friends, desiring to share with others its beauty and uniqueness.

    Oh how it shimmers in the sunlight! it even twinkles by candlelight, reflecting its inner radiance.

  "Isn't it lovely!" she exclaims, admiring the delicate, seemingly flawless treasure.

 

After a time though, the stone seems to have dulled. It no longer glistens

   as it once did, its luster has faded.

    The woman takes her diamond to be cleaned,

      hoping to restore its brightness and brilliance.

 

 Having completed the final buff, the jeweler hands back to the woman

    her freshly shined jewel. 

"It's beautiful!" she joyously shouts.

He replies, "It's the best I could do. This stone has flaws- not easily recognized flaws,

  but imperfections, just the same. When observed close-up, they are quite obvious."

 

The woman looks down at her ring, disillusioned and sad. What she had so proudly admired,

    she now saw as tainted, stained, inferior.

The jeweler assures her, "It is still a most unique and special gem. Why, most people would

    be Thrilled to gaze upon its beauty!"

But the woman no longer sees the stone as the cherished asset she once did. Focusing on

   its imperfections have caused her to lose appreciation for its value.

 

The lesson? Do not to look too closely at the flaws of our dear friends in the

  Christian Congregation, and allow their imperfections to cause you to no longer 

     see their value, their sparkle.

 They are fellow lovers of Jehovah. Get close enough to love them, able to see

      past the flaws and still admire and appreciate their godly qualities.

 

 

[GrumpysWife]

That is so nice, Renee. Thanks!

[feather]

another from a public talk, from Brother Geoffrey Jackson

   telling the story of 'Little Boy Lost'...

 

   In 1960 a little 4 yr old boy was lost on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia.

      for 3 nights and 4 days the largest search party ever to assemble in this area,

        5,000 people teamed together to search for the toddler.

  4,999 people of the search team did not find him. They kept saying, "He isn't here."

      however 1 person did find him. 

 

It is the same with our preaching work. We are all part of a team.

   A person may say, "but I didn't find anyone. I preached, but I have no Bible studies. no one listened. I didn't help."

     Yes, you did. You helped by telling other team members, "He isn't here."

 

every single person in Jehovah's service has a share in finding the sheep

 

   

[Guest Eli]

just a lil happy thought of the day : Illustration

Proverbs 25:11 says:

"As apples of gold in silver carvings, Is a word spoken at the right time for it"

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for Jehovah to rescue him and everyday he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames with smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened! Everything was lost! He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. "Jehovah, how could you do this to me?" he cried. Early the next day he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here? asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

Moral of the story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because Jehovah is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain, and suffering. Remember that, the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the undeserved kindness of Jehovah.

You may want to consider sharing this, because you never know who feels like their hut is on fire today.

[Hermez]

Turbulence.. Passengers on A flight were experiencing unusual amounts of turbulence. It was so terrifying that many began to look around the cabin realizing that these might be very well the last people they see! However as one of the passengers gazed about anxiously and afraid, he saw a young boy sitting in his chair calmly and unafraid?! After the plane landed and all were happy, the one passenger walked over and asked the young boy "How could you remain so calm and unafraid through such a terrifying plane ride" ? The Young Boy simply replied because the Pilot is my FATHER.... Our FATHER is in control !!! Let us not be afraid or gaze about or be anxious Isaiah 41:10 

[ReadYourBible]

There's a couple of illustrations I've heard that have stuck with me.  All by my very first study conductor.

 

"How do you boil a live frog?"  

 

You put him in cool water, slowly turn up the heat.  It won't recognize the danger its in, and will eventually cook to death.  In this instance, it is a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to significant changes that occur gradually.  Do you not see this in Satan's system today?

 

Then, about 3-4 years ago, I see her at a convention - she's happy to see me there, and we talk about the possibility of my getting baptized.  I'm hesitant, I don't want to let Jehovah down.  I'm still in the pot cooking at this point.  

 

She pulls out the football analogy.  She goes Sharon, you know football right?  I said yeah sure, my brother plays why?

 

She goes, you're at the 10 yard line.  Your team is in possession of the ball, and there's 30 seconds left on the game clock in the last quarter.  The ball is snapped to you.  What do you do?  Are you just going to stand there with the ball? 

 

Meanwhile I'm mentally still trying to figure out where the 10 line is on the field, and now all of a sudden I have the ball.  

 

She then YELLS at me RUN YOU IDIOT RUN!!!!!   (I'm not kidding, she yelled this at me LOL)  

 

Kind of startled me, but I got the point.  I was too busy thinking about the playing field and the details instead of running for the finish line.  

 

 

2007 "Follow the Christ Convention"  have no idea who said it.  Brother from the podium asks us to turn to Jer 17:9.  It was a scripture I was familiar with, knew it as soon as he said it.  

 

Then he left off the scripture for a couple of moments, and said "So, would any of you here take advice from a treacherous friend?"  

 

I got it immediately.  I actually sucked in my breath and thought an adamant NO.  Then he carries on with, then why friends would you take advice from your heart?  Ironically enough, I was embroiled in a matter of the heart.  I knew what I should do, and my head kept telling me what I should do, but my heart kept advising me.  

[blue-jay]

She pulls out the football analogy.  She goes Sharon, you know football right?  I said yeah sure, my brother plays why?

 

She goes, you're at the 10 yard line.  Your team is in possession of the ball, and there's 30 seconds left on the game clock in the last quarter.  The ball is snapped to you.  What do you do?  Are you just going to stand there with the ball? 

 

Meanwhile I'm mentally still trying to figure out where the 10 line is on the field, and now all of a sudden I have the ball.  

 

She then YELLS at me RUN YOU IDIOT RUN!!!!!   (I'm not kidding, she yelled this at me LOL)  

 

Kind of startled me, but I got the point.  I was too busy thinking about the playing field and the details instead of running for the finish line.  

I don't know anything about football but I got the point.

I'll try to remember that one.

The one with the frog on the other hand creeps me out every time I hear it.

[ReadYourBible]

Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver....'

This verse puzzled some during a book study, and they wondered what

this statement meant about the character and nature of Jehovah. One

sister volunteered to find out about the process of refining silver and

get back to the group at the next book study.

That week, the sister called a silversmith and made an appointment to

watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her

interest, beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.

He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away

all of the impurities.

The sister thought about Jehovah holding us in such a 'hot spot' and

then she thought again about the part of the verse that says 'He sits as

a refiner and purifier of silver'. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. He answered yes, he not only had to sit

there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the

entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too

long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The sister was silent for a

moment, then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?' He smiled and said 'Oh, that's easy - when I see my image init.'

If today you are feeling the 'heat of the fire' of Satan's persecution.....remember that Jehovah has His eye constantly on you, and will keep watching you until He sees Hi s image in you. Right now, this very moment, some dear brother or sister needs to know that Jehovah himself is watching over them. And, whatever they're going through, He will be vindicated, if they remain faithful.

Of all of them though, this one here made me tear up.  Oh who am I kidding, I was blubbering like a baby and I had tears rolling down my face!!

 

There have been many times in the past where I've felt as though I've been held in the fire.  Having my son at 15, again after my Mom's death, watching my first husband become a gambler, father another child with someone else, then become an alcoholic and homeless, during my choice to leave a common law relationship for Jehovah, if he wouldn't marry me.  Or during my sons imprisonment, and when I we had to go to court and making him tell the truth- knowing full well he'd get a few years prison time.  

 

When I discussed this with my elders prior to my baptism, the one remarked that it sounded as though I had been refined like gold.  So to see this, and while I know it's an illustration, to think that all that time he was holding me waterworks....just waterworks.  

 

http://youtu.be/MJgBs5GsLrA

Edited December 10, 2013 by cerebral ecstasy

[madefl]

Satan is like a bald man selling Hair Tonic.

He is trying to selling happiness, while being the most unhappy person in the universe.

[Sister Resnick]

 

Thank you for sharing that. I can say that is very comforting and I will have to share this with some of my friends that I know could use these words

 

[Musky]

I guess I'm not hip enough to know what " " means

[Sister Resnick]

I enjoyed the illustration below.  But I thought instead of the passengers who remained awake awaking those who are sleeping, it should be the conductor, who would be placed in charge of the passengers by the owner of the train. (John 5:28; 2 Timothy 4:1)  Then, those who had remained awake would be waiting on the platform for those who had been awakened to come off the train, just as the Armageddon survivors (Revelation 7:9) would do during the resurrection. (Job 14:14,15)

 

 

 

 

Journey

Try to imagine that all of us in Jehovah’s organization are sticking to it and doing what we are supposed to be doing, and giving our best to Jehovah however much that may be. It’s like we are all riding along in a train together into the new system. As we ride along, the journey becomes very tiring for some and so every so often some of them nod off to sleep. When this happens, the others on the train pick them up and carry them back to the sleeper cars and leave them there to rest until we reach our destination. So it is with the ones we have lost in death. They are right there in Jehovah’s memory, so when we reach the station all we will do is walk back to the sleeper cars and tell them, “Here we are! You can get up now!”

 

 

 

 

[Miss Bea]

I don't know anything about football but I got the point.

I'll try to remember that one.

The one with the frog on the other hand creeps me out every time I hear it.

I've heard this one, a little different. And I am NOT a sports fan, but I understood it.

Game tied, you have the ball, running to make the goal, and you stop and ask, "how much time left?"

That is where we are in the stream of time. Don't stop and ask how much time we have. Keep running.

[gilbert]

I like the illustration jesus used about the good sower, and the seed. it explains so well how jesus planted seeds of truth, left and then an enemy and put weeds among the wheat. I can clearly see the application. there are so many weeds making up churches. but the wheat is. beautiful and the true christians

[perspective]

I was talking with a sister the other day and she related the following, which had been related to her (and I'll do my best to relate it in a manner that makes sense):

 

Noah was about to get on an ark with a bunch of animals, and he would be on there for quite some time.  Those animals would have to.... ummm....poo....and you know that after even a short time the smell would have to be quite awful.  But Noah had two choices.  He could hold his nose and endure, or he could jump ship and face the consequences outside the ark.  The same is true in the congregation today.  This isn't a pristine ark that we're on today either.  We have some animals on it, and sometimes things stink and we have to hold our noses and wait for Jehovah to dock the boat, so to speak, so that he can clean it up.  The alternative is worse than holding our nose and dealing with it while waiting on Jehovah, which is what Noah would have had to do.

[crazylee]

I guess I'm not hip enough to know what " " means

 

That is code in HTML for a space in a document.    Hello&nbspthere    would print out     Hello there  in a webpage.

[crazylee]

I was talking with a sister the other day and she related the following, which had been related to her (and I'll do my best to relate it in a manner that makes sense):

 

Noah was about to get on an ark with a bunch of animals, and he would be on there for quite some time.  Those animals would have to.... ummm....poo....and you know that after even a short time the smell would have to be quite awful.  But Noah had two choices.  He could hold his nose and endure, or he could jump ship and face the consequences outside the ark.  The same is true in the congregation today.  This isn't a pristine ark that we're on today either.  We have some animals on it, and sometimes things stink and we have to hold our noses and wait for Jehovah to dock the boat, so to speak, so that he can clean it up.  The alternative is worse than holding our nose and dealing with it while waiting on Jehovah, which is what Noah would have had to do.

I assure you Noah had shovels too!

[Midwest-US]

I used an illustration with my bible student last week when he couldn't understand why certain activities (particularly the holidays) would be wrong. He says "Other religions do it. Are you sure Jehovah disapproves?" He hasn't really begun to appreciate how Jehovah feels. So I read to him 2 Corinthians 11:14 about Satan disguising himself as an angel of light.

I said "Imagine you are in a dark tunnel and you see a light at both ends. You're tired of stumbling and falling so you head toward what appears to be the brighter of the two. Doesn't matter right? In fact, you don't have to move too much because the light seems to be moving towards you! This is the way out! Now you are practically sprinting. No sooner do you meet up with the light and it turns out to be a train...."

Just because something appears to be approved by Jehovah doesn't mean it is.....and the results could be disastrous.

I'm sure the illustration could be tweaked a little but that's how it made sense in my head.

[koo77]

Very nice my brothers and sisters

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