Gleanings From The Word

Daily devotionals from Scripture to nourish your faith, deepen your prayer life, and grow in God's grace.

Christian Living

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Tribulation Produces Perseverance

I have a scar on my right hand from a job I worked in my twenties. I will not bore you with the details, but the short version is that I did something careless, something sharp moved faster than I expected, and the rest is biology. What I remember most is not the moment it happened. It is the weeks after, when the wound was...

Every Member Is Necessary — 1 Corinthians 12 0

Every Member Is Necessary — 1 Corinthians 12

THE BODY NEEDS EVERY PART — INCLUDING YOURS I have a friend who has not been to church in three years. He has his reasons, and some of them are legitimate. He was hurt, and the people who hurt him should have known better. But somewhere along the way, staying home became a habit, and the habit became a conviction, and now he will tell...

Purpose in the Process: Why God Takes His Time with Sanctification 0

Purpose in the Process: Why God Takes His Time with Sanctification

I’m not a big fan of process; I like instant results. Unfortunately, God’s timing seems a process to us. It’s a long, narrow road that isn’t always easy to follow.  Becoming a Christian is quick and simple. When we become believers, our sins are forgiven, the Holy Spirit moves in, we are justified and have the imputed righteousness of Christ. Becoming Christ-like, that is, the...

# Right Belief Must Become Right Living 0

# Right Belief Must Become Right Living

Recently, I slammed my hand in a door. I’m ashamed to admit that a stream of pre-Christian expletives came out of my lips. By and large, I’ve done a good job of removing those words, but I can still slip. There are times when what I do or say doesn’t align with what I believe or who I profess to be. Theologians have two words...

The Unproductive Vineyard 0

The Unproductive Vineyard

I have spent the bulk of my life living in Alberta, but, for a few years, growing up, we lived in the Lower Mainland.  I was recently reminded of that time when reading a passage about a vineyard in Isaiah’s prophecies. We didn’t have vineyards, but there were wild grapes aplenty for the picking. They were typically small and bitter, but we loved to pick and...

God Wastes Nothing 0

God Wastes Nothing

God wastes nothing. This looks like just a grey stump with a few turkey tail mushrooms on it. It is totally uninspiring and highly likely to be overlooked. Yet there is a lot going on. There are fungi spreading through the wood, slowly breaking it down and releasing nutrients back into the soil. Moss covers the surface, holding moisture and creating conditions that support a...

Newborns 0

Newborns

All the ladies of the small church and not a few of the men were gathered in one corner. It was easy to see why… One of the women of the church had brought in her newborn baby, born just days before. Everyone was oohing and aahing over this little miracle. You know the scene. You’ve seen it many times in many locations when a...