NEW SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS
Illustration★★★★Two wealthy Christians, a merchant and a lawyer, were in a party traveling around the world. In Korea they saw a boy in a field pulling a plow, while an old man held the handles and guided the plow. ‘The lawyer was amused and took a picture of the two. He showed the picture to the missionary who was guiding the party, and said, “They must be very poor.”
“Yes, they are,” said the mis- sionary. ““When the church was being built, they were eager to give something.
They had no money, so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring they are pulling the plow themselves.” ‘The travel- ing men were silent for a few moments, and then one said to the missionary, “That must have been a great sacrifice.”
“They did not call it that,” said the missionary. “They thought it was fortunate that they had.an ox to sell.” When the men returned home the lawyer took the picture to his minister and told him the story, and then said, “I want to double my pledge to the church, and give me some plow-work to do.
I have never known what sacrifice for the church meant. A converted heathen tanght me. I am ashamed to say I have never yet given anything to my church that cost me anything.”
The point
A poor Korean family's sacrifice of selling their only ox to give to the church shames wealthy Western visitors into true, costly giving.