Kathy and I were taking sailing lessons off the  Eastern coast of Canada’s Vancouver Island. The craft we were learning in were small, two person, 12′ mirror dinghies. Each dinghy was just big enough to hold a couple of people learning the fundamentals of sailing.

We had to learn a whole new vocabulary. Inboard. Outboard. Astern. Alee. Port. Starboard. Athwartship. Booms. Halyard. Winch. Spar. Mast. Spreader. Rigging. I can still remember the words, but I would be hard pressed now to remember what they mean.

The feel of the breeze and the saltwater on your face is quite invigorating. Nearly tipping over a few times because of poor sailing techniques is even more exhilarating. Getting hit with the mast, pinching your fingers in the ropes—it’s all part of the fun of learning.

Learning the sailing techniques and then actually using them in the sea was an enjoyable challenge. 

Learning to maximize the use of the wind. Learning to tack or zigzag to play the wind. Learning the hard way about the no-go zone winds … when the winds come at the right angle to leave your sails flapping or “luffed,” when you cannot go anywhere.

Too many years have passed now, and I confess that I have forgotten most of what I learned that autumn. In order to sail again, I would have to start with beginner lessons and refresh my memory totally. It was a delightful experience. However, I am glad we invested the time. 

Sailing is both an art and a science. It takes technical ability and finesse to do it well. A sailor must read the winds and the waves, all the while keeping the destination in sight and being aware of any potential danger spots.

Scripture speaks frequently of ships, which is surprising in a way, since we seldom think of Israel as being a seafaring nation. Yet, her neighbors were sailors, and the people of Israel had their share of fishermen. We are familiar with Jonah’s maritime misadventure and Paul’s shipwrecks. 

The Bible talks of seafaring traders and the exotic goods they brought. The disciples had a fearful time while on the Galilee in a storm, at least until Jesus rebuked both them and the storm.

Even today, Israel maintains a navy as part of its national defense program. Although the Navy is not as prominent as the Army or Air Force, it still plays a vital role.

When scripture speaks of being adrift or tossed about on the waves, the people of Israel understood the concept. It was not something foreign to them. 

When James said in his letter:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 2:1-8

His readers understood the concept. Stay the course. Persevere. Hold fast. God will come through despite the storms of life.

We need to do the same. We may or may not ever have been on the sea to see the effect of the waves, but we do know that life can brew up some nasty storms to rest us. When they come, persevere and trust in Him. He is the anchor that will hold you fast.

Until next time … when the storms come, batten down the hatches, trust God, and sail on.

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

__________________________________________ 

Did you know that we have an email version? It has the same great content but in a different format.

Subscribe today: https://mailchi.mp/f27bbeb09c22/gleanings-1 

For an archive of many back issues, visit our website at https://gleaningsfromtheword.com.

© 2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

On Saturday, Kathy and I took a stroll in a local  park. Yesterday, we attended worship at our local assembly. I greeted at the door, and she worked with the children’s ministry. We had leftover meatloaf, mashed potatoes, carrots, and turnips for supper.

This morning, the house is quiet. The only sounds are the buzz of my laptop’s power supply and the dripping/gurgling of the coffee pot. Kathy has already headed off to work. She works part-time as a guest educational assistant at a local Christian school.

As I type this, I pause to look out the window at a pair of golden-crowned sparrows moving between their perch in the dogwood and the bird feeder. A dove is cooing nearby, and I hear a dog barking in the distance.

The narration has a brief intermission as Kevin gets his morning cup of coffee.

It’s a good cup. Sometimes, in the morning, I’m not the best at counting the number of scoops so that the first taste can be an adventure. I must have measured right today.

So what? Well, the subtitle of this daily devotional is “Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life.” You have just seen a snapshot of our very ordinary lives. We’re ordinary, everyday people having an ordinary day. We’re just “plain folk”. Some say we’re boring, but I prefer the term content.

The good news is that God works through ordinary people daily.

Moses was an aging shepherd with a warrant out for his arrest for murder. Abraham was an aging businessman. Gideon worked secretly in the family winepress out of fear. The disciples were an odd combination of blue-collar workers, petty criminals, and zealots.

It’s the power of our righteous and holy God who transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

The all-powerful God of creation could have accomplished His goals in any way He wished. Yet He chose to give us the blessing of participating with Him. He’s given you and me, ordinary people, the task of sharing His love with the world. He’s made us salt and light in a dark world.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16 NIV

That means that while our lives may be ordinary and the world may think we’re ordinary, we’re truly extraordinary people. Not because of who we are but because we’ve allowed a holy God to accomplish His work through us. You are an instrument of peace, love, joy, and transformation. 

Absolutely nothing short of God Himself could be less ordinary.

The flip sign of the coin is that we never know what other ordinary people are being used extraordinarily by God. That behooves us (I know behooves is a dated word, but I love the sound of it) to treat all people as if they were special in the eyes of God. We have no reason not to do so.

Until next time, I pray you get a grasp on how truly extraordinary and how valuable you are for all eternity when Jesus works through you and may you learn to see all people as He sees them.

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

__________________________________________ 

Did you know that we have an email version? It has the same great content but in a different format.

Subscribe today: https://mailchi.mp/f27bbeb09c22/gleanings-1 

For an archive of many back issues, visit our website at https://gleaningsfromtheword.com.

© 2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.