SermonIndex Audio Sermons
SermonIndex - Promoting Revival to this Generation
Give To SermonIndex
Discussion Forum : General Topics : Stubborn Ponies!!!

Print Thread (PDF)

PosterThread
Combat_Chuck
Member



Joined: 2006/1/27
Posts: 202


 Stubborn Ponies!!!

I've been thinking about this great little article I found on awildernessvoice.com titled, "The Pony From Hell".

Quote:

[b]The Pony from Hell[/b]
by George Davis

Years ago while living in a small ranch town in Montana, and feeling exceptionally western, we bought our daughter a pony. We soon found that this little pony was more trouble than a hundred horses, and more treacherous than a boatload of Vikings. We should have called him Houdini, for it seemed he could escape at will.

Early every Sunday morning the men of our church would gather to fellowship and have breakfast. This was my favorite time of the week. One Sunday morning I woke to the sound of my wife's voice, saying, "Honey, the pony is gone!" My first thought, as I looked at my watch was, "Oh, no, I am going to be late for men's breakfast!" I hurried down the road about a half mile where I found him in with the neighbor's horses. I was seething! I hooked him up and began to pull, but he resisted by planting his feet. This was a battle of the wills I thought, so I threw the rope over my shoulder and began to drag him. Down the road we went. What a sight it must have been. Finally weary and frustrated, I took the end of the lead rope and rapped him on the nose. "Why won't you come?" I shouted, as we stood staring at each other.

Then I heard a sound on the hilltop overlooking the road. There, sitting astride a fine quarter horse, was one of the brothers, as it was his custom to periodically ride horseback to men's breakfast. "Oh boy, now I feel like an idiot," I thought to myself. Having watched this pathetic exhibition of horsemanship, this brother's advice was, "Release the tension on the rope, turn around, walk and he will follow." To my amazement it worked! Then and there, I learned a valuable lesson about leadership. Stop pulling (toward yourself), turn around and walk (toward Jesus) and if you glance behind you and people are following, don't be surprised. What greater example can you model than following Jesus with all your heart? Isn't that what we have endeavored to preach into existence?

What is true leadership? It is nothing more than going on ahead. We must have our minds renewed to view leadership as going on ahead, rather than presiding over, as walking the path, rather than ruling the roost. If you are following Jesus, you will inadvertently lead.



How often I am trying to drag those stubborn ponies into the Kingdom of God!

What did Jesus do? Is this idea of giving up-- not dragging people in, and just going forward, Biblical?

I think so.

Look at the rich young ruler. He wasn't willing to give up everything-- when the rich young ruler walked away, Jesus did not turn around and beg him to follow. Jesus just kept on moving forward.

What about the disciples? They were commanded that if a city rejected them, to simply shake the dust off their feet and keep going!

I don't know about you guys. But I'm done dragging the Pony. I'm through.

Pony-- I will pray for you, I will love you, I will speak plainly and boldly the Word of God-- but if you don't want the Kingdom of God, that's not my problem.

Adam


_________________
Combat Chuck

 2006/4/6 17:11Profile
luckystrike1
Member



Joined: 2006/4/7
Posts: 2


 Re: Stubborn Pony's!!!

It was pleasant to me!

 2006/4/7 2:36Profile
Kungfookelly
Member



Joined: 2006/3/23
Posts: 4
Earth

 Re: Stubborn Ponies!!!

Amen Brother!! that was a rad article! And its so true too!


_________________
Sasha

 2006/4/7 17:11Profile
sermonindex
Moderator



Joined: 2002/12/11
Posts: 39795
Canada

Online!
 Re:

Quote:
How often I am trying to drag those stubborn ponies into the Kingdom of God!


My teacher (Joe Holden) in apologetics class just talked about hell in his last class and made a few profound points. One was God is not going to drag anyone to heaven apart from their own free will. We have to want to go there. We can either do our own will or God's will. If a person's will is to be apart from God and serve themselves then that is what they will deserve. If a unregenerate person can not sit comfortably in church for one hour to hear the gospel and not want to hear about Jesus at all, it being a hurtful thing to their ears yet talking about parties, drinking or all other things, why would God force these people to have to endure a heaven and eternity all about the Lord Jesus.


_________________
SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2006/4/7 17:21Profile
Kungfookelly
Member



Joined: 2006/3/23
Posts: 4
Earth

 Re:

Quote:
We can either do our own will or God's will. If a person's will is to be apart from God and serve themselves then that is what they will deserve.



John 15:7
If you abide im me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

I think the enemy tries to do the same thing to people who follow him, ya know? He tells them to serve themselves and follow the urges of their hearts, and when theri in the world they can do almost whatever they want and well, be pleased with themselves. The biggest difference is though that this happieness doesn't last like our lords does...


_________________
Sasha

 2006/4/7 17:30Profile
Combat_Chuck
Member



Joined: 2006/1/27
Posts: 202


 Re:

The Lord led me to that article at the same exact moment I was trying to get a couple friends online to watch the "revival hymn" video. I was dragging them... The Lord says, YOU FOLLOW ME.

We must stop dragging the ponies, they're holding us back-- keeping us from following hard after our Lord.

I have decided, to follow Jesus,
I have decided, to follow Jesus,

I have decided, to follow Jesus,
No turning back, no turning back!

Though I may wander, I still will follow
[b]Though none go with me, still I will follow[/b]
The world behind me, the cross before me
Will you decide now, to follow Jesus?

I have decided I'm gonna live like a believer,
Turn my back on the deceiver,
I'm gonna live what I believe


_________________
Combat Chuck

 2006/4/7 19:15Profile
Combat_Chuck
Member



Joined: 2006/1/27
Posts: 202


 Re:

One final thought:

Though Jesus was quick to keep pressing on, and never bothered with dragging the ponies; Jesus also had compassion for the multitudes.

Jesus showed great interest in others, always making himself lower than everybody else. He took time to get to know people; He washed His disciples feet, He met with the woman at the well, He hung out with tax-collectors, losers, outcasts... Jesus went the extra mile.

When I say, "don't drag the ponies"-- I am not saying that you shouldn't spend any time with people who are not walking with the Lord. Our Lord was a friend of sinners!

Just because somebody is not interested in the Gospel does not give us the right to blow them off. We still are commanded to love them in the same way we love ourselves. We still are to speak the truth (In love!), we still are to be servants.

But there is a point when people are not walking in the same dirrection as us, that they are simply going to be left behind us-- becoming only a memory, or aquantance-- but not really a friend.

If we keep running back to these ponies, and do not give them up, it will hinder our walk with the Lord.

Keep running the race-- and run to win! Don't "run like a winner"-- RUN TO WIN. Do you see the difference? It's huge.

Adam


_________________
Combat Chuck

 2006/4/8 0:54Profile
MrBillPro
Member



Joined: 2005/2/24
Posts: 3422
Texas

 Re:

Quote:

Combat_Chuck wrote:
One final thought:

If we keep running back to these ponies, and do not give them up, it will hinder our walk with the Lord.

Adam



I totally agree with you, and if your dragging the ponies to me that would mean you have gone further that planting a seed you are doing some watering, and God is supposed to do the watering not us.


_________________
Bill

 2006/4/8 1:10Profile









 Re:

I think there's at least 4 types of folks.

One is unsaved and doesn't even know he is. That was me before I heard the Gospel or any other unsaved person who's never heard the Good News.

Then there's those who have heard, but need much prayer to come in.
Maybe you're not called to hang in there with them, but Only God can tell you that, but you can pray for them.
For the most part, David Wilkerson's going after Nicky Cruz is a good example in the Cross and Switchblade. A very good example.

Then there are the one's that Diane spoke of with the Prodigal's. Those we can just pray for, but sometimes, God will allow or call us to compel them to come back Home.

Then there's the reprobates, but we should never make that call, because even that man who wrote Amazing Grace ... I think I would have wrote off, if he kept slave trading "after" he got saved ... someone said on here the other day ... I don't know if that story is true, so someone check me and whoever said that here.

Only if our own walk is affected by them in a spiritually adverse way, should we write them off from our 'efforts' only - but not our prayers.

If we hear behind all of their nonsense, that maybe there's a faint bleeting of a lost sheep there, despite the 'awful' prodigal lifestyle, we shouldn't give up, even if all we can do is pray.
But I don't think we should label "anyone" reprobate. That's HIS job when He seperates the sheep from the goats and the wheat from the tares. Matt.13 style. Keep in mind also, that "Many will say unto me Lord, Lord", but He'll say, "I never knew you" ... so we can't really always tell who's who or what's what, so it's best I believe to 'never' make a call on someones's salvation or "save-a-bility" ... Always stay hopeful for ALL.

If they are reprobate, God has ways of protecting us, if our heart's are sincerely bent toward His 'Will' Only and His Glory Only.
If we do it in the flesh or for a brownie point, we'll get burned ... so just stay 'prayed up' and go the path Jesus took with each individual, individually.


Chuck and whomever else I can't remember all, I appreciate your passion for souls.

 2006/4/8 1:36
Combat_Chuck
Member



Joined: 2006/1/27
Posts: 202


 Re:

Quote:

MrBillPro wrote:
Quote:

Combat_Chuck wrote:
One final thought:

If we keep running back to these ponies, and do not give them up, it will hinder our walk with the Lord.

Adam



I totally agree with you, and if your dragging the ponies to me that would mean you have gone further that planting a seed you are doing some watering, and God is supposed to do the watering not us.


Hi, I'm not so sure about that. I can't seem to find it-- but i'm pretty sure the Scripture says that one man plants and another man waters.


_________________
Combat Chuck

 2006/4/8 2:11Profile





©2002-2024 SermonIndex.net
Promoting Revival to this Generation.
Privacy Policy