Author: Kevin Corbin

  • Issue 1739 – Change – May 29, 2025

    Issue 1739 – Change – May 29, 2025

    sign that says Change Just ahead

    On the weekend, a teenage boy was brutally stabbed  to death in our community. These things happen all over the world, even in the best of neighborhoods.

    Still, when it happens, it changes us, and our world seems a little colder and less safe. I can think of many events, large and small, that changed the world around us.

    There were the events of September 11 more than two decades ago. More recently, we experienced the COVID pandemic.

    Thinking back, I can recall the Berlin Wall, which had been erected when I was a small child, being torn down, and a divided country was restored.

    I remember vividly driving home from work one day and hearing the live reports of the attack on Baghdad by Allied Forces. Operation Desert Storm was underway. Would it escalate? Would we be recalled to the military? The world had changed.

    I’m old enough to recall the Killing Fields of Cambodia, the US withdrawal from Vietnam, the moon landing, the assassination of John Kennedy, and more. All changed the world, and many changed even our vocabulary.

    Some would change the world as we know it and be known by many. Others were relatively minor but change the lives of those involved.

    In 1991, Kathy and I sustained traumatic brain injuries. The world moved on as before for almost everyone. Our lives were forever changed. It’s impossible to list all the changes, both positive and negative, but we rejoice that in the resulting turmoil we came to faith in Jesus..

    Change is a fact of life for everyone. It may be sudden and traumatic, like some of the examples I have given. It might be slow, like the changing of the seasons, or even slower, like the gradual erosion of a mountain face, but almost everything changes.

    I say almost everything very deliberately. God never changes.

    Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

    God is immutable. That’s the fancy technical, theological term for the fact that He never changes.

    If God could change, who can imagine the havoc that would ensue? We would never be able to trust in His promises or plan. If He were changeable, then He must not be perfect, and the thought of serving an imperfect God is terrifying.

    There are some theological hills worth dying on, and the immutability of God is one. There are times in the Scripture where it appears from a human perspective that God changes His mind, but that can only be from a human perspective if God doesn’t change.

    Whatever you are facing in life, you can hold fast to God. He will never change. His plans will never be thwarted. His promises will always come through.

    I was going to say God’s promises are as good as money in the bank, but we all know that that has changed over time. There might be some degree of security in having your money in the bank, but ultimately, there is a risk of losing it. God’s promises are better than money in the bank.

    Until next time, rejoice that God is who He claims to be and that He will never change.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

    __________________________________________ 

    Please like and share this post with your friends and those in your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

    Did you know that we have an email version? It offers the same great content but in a different format. This is ideal for when you don’t want to check your Facebook or share with friends who don’t use Facebook. 

    Subscribe today 

    ___________________________________________ 

    All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2025 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word.

    Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).

  • Issue 1738 – Squirreled Away – May 28, 2025

    Grey Squirrel

    We often get a pair of squirrels visiting the feeder in our  backyard. They never come together, but we frequently see them as a pair elsewhere. The male is jet black and the female is gray.

    She’s the tamest of the pair and will often stay around if I talk to her or move slowly. On the other hand, as soon as I’m near, he takes off like a shot.

    We often see squirrels on our walks in the various local area parks, and I like to take pictures of them. This one was used to being fed and was quite determined to get us to give him a treat. He failed, but I did get to photograph him.

    Thinking of squirrels brought to mind the old expression “Squirreling away.” One dictionary defines this verb as: “to stash or hide; to hoard, collect, save, or accumulate; to create a reserve, stash, or hoard of some supply, so as to recall a squirrel’s burying of nuts.”

    Most of us squirrel away something. We might save a little cash away for a rainy day. Perhaps we have a secret stash of a favorite treat for one of “those” days.

    The bible speaks of us squirreling something away, although it doesn’t use that term

    I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

    For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Hebrews 8:10

    And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3

    I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. Psalm 40:8

    God’s truth, love, and Spirit are squirreled away in our hearts.

    We strengthen those hiding places through regular prayer, worship, and fellowship. We entrench them further by reading and memorizing His Word.

    If you found yourself in a situation where the Bible was not handy or available at all, how much could you bring to mind?

    Read the Word and commit it to memory, Squirrel away His truth in your heart.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

    __________________________________________ 

    Please like and share this post with your friends and those in your circle of influence. Feel free to comment.

    Did you know that we have an email version? It offers the same great content but in a different format. This is ideal for when you don’t want to check your Facebook or share with friends who don’t use Facebook. 

    Subscribe today 

    ___________________________________________ 

    All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2025 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word.

  • Issue 1737 On Mission May 27, 2025

    Issue 1737 On Mission May 27, 2025

    Jake "Joliet" Blues and his brother Elwood

    The 1980 action musical comedy “The Blues Brothers”  is a madcap romp with the key players Jake “Joliet” Blues and his brother Elwood out to save an orphanage from destruction.

    It’s an insane, completely unbelievable story and anything but reverent, but somehow it works. It has an R rating, and while in some ways it is mild compared to the movies out there, parental discretion is definitely recommended on this one, and it won’t be to everyone’s taste.

    There is a line in that movie that sticks out in my memory. One of the brothers declares they “are on a mission from God.” That’s a dubious claim at best, but still memorable.

    Like the fictional Blue Brothers, you  and I are on a “mission from God.”

    As Christians, we often talk about what we are saved from. We are saved from the consequences of our sin, an eternity of well-deserved suffering, and separated from God.

    That is worth celebrating. None of us deserves the incredible mercy shown to us by Christ. No one is even close to good enough to earn an eternity with the Lord on their own merit.

    That aspect of salvation is certainly news that needs to be shared and is worth proclaiming to everyone. They, too, can be saved from hell.

    Yet, we often forget that while we are saved from that fate, we are also saved for something. 

    We are His ambassadors.

    Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20

    We are missionaries, evangelists, and teachers.

    And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

    We are peacemakers

    If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:18

    We are to love others.

    A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

    I could list many others, and I am sure you could do so easily as well.

    The Christian life isn’t one of passive waiting for Jesus to return. You and I are on a mission from God. We are the church set apart to bring glory to God.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

    __________________________________________ 

    Please like and share this post with your friends and those in your circle of influence. Feel free to comment.

    Did you know that we have an email version? It offers the same great content but in a different format. This is ideal for when you don’t want to check your Facebook or share with friends who don’t use Facebook. 

    Subscribe today 

    ___________________________________________ 

    All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2025 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word.

  • Issue 1735 – The Journey – May 26, 2025

    Issue 1735 – The Journey – May 26, 2025

    The Christian faith is in many ways a journey to our new home in the kingdom of heaven. It’s where the citizenship of all believers is held, and our inheritance is.

    Jesus speaks of the kingdom of heaven repeatedly in the gospel accounts. In Luke 9:27, He says, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” (see also the parallel accounts in Matthew 16:28, Mark 9:1)

    He also speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven being near.

    From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17

    Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15

    Knowing that we can ask when the Kingdom of Heaven arrives. It isn’t an easy question to answer.

    The kingdom has always existed because God is the sovereign ruler of the universe. He created it all and rules over it.

    There is also a sense that it arrived with Jesus and His work. The disciples got a taste at the transfiguration. You could argue that it came at His death and resurrection when our sins were paid. You might also say that it came at Pentecost, when the Spirit ushered in a new era of power.

    You could make the case that the kingdom is not yet in its full form. At the culmination of all things, all believers will be with the Lord, and the kingdom will be uncontested.

    The kingdom is like many things in Christianity, now and not yet. We are justified (saved) when we accept Christ, yet our election was made before the creation of time. Throughout this life, we are being sanctified (made holy as he is holy). Ultimately, we will be glorified (made fully holy and the way God intended us to be).

    Our faith walk is a journey during which we will see and understand more of God’s character and experience greater glimpses of what it means to be in the kingdom.

    Our calling is from God, and our destination is secure. The vista before us is ever-changing. We are secure in the Lord, no matter what we face along the way.

    As we travel along the path, enjoy the journey with all of it’s ups and downs, knowing what awaits will be better than anything along the way.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

    __________________________________________ 

    Please like and share this post with your friends and those in your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

    Did you know that we have an email version? It offers the same great content but in a different format. This is ideal for when you don’t want to check your Facebook or share with friends who don’t use Facebook. 

    Subscribe today 

    ___________________________________________ 

    All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2025 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word.

  • Childlike, not childish, faith.

    Childlike, not childish, faith.

    a stack of wooden cigar boxes

    Some years ago, my friend John gave me some old  wooden cigar boxes. Neither of us is a smoker, but he had managed to collect quite a few of the little boxes over the years. Like me, he enjoys storing his treasures in small wooden boxes or tins of various types. The treasures can be anything from pencils and pens to nuts and bolts. I have always enjoyed boxes and containers of “stuff.” 

    I have one tin filled with such treasures as pocket knives, a bear claw, some arrowheads, a penknife that belonged to my grandfather, and a couple of inexpensive pocket watches. Still another holds USB memory sticks. I like to think of them as childlike treasures not childish.

    I even have a few of those hollowed-out books that are really boxes sitting on my various bookshelves. They, too, hold “irreplaceable treasures.” Things like fossil shark’s teeth, shiny rocks, a compass that belonged to my grandfather, a letter opener made from a deer antler, and some of his World War II memorabilia. Nothing that would be of any value to anyone else but irreplaceable to me.

    If you have been reading for any length of time, you will know that I also enjoy thrift stores, garage sales, and old-style small-town hardware shops.

    I’ve panned for gold, scoured abandoned farmsteads for collectible “stuff,” and picked more than my share of interesting rocks and minerals in my travels. 

    I have never found anything that could be considered a great treasure or have substantial monetary value. It is the hunt for the unusual that I enjoy. I suppose that’s my childlike sense of wonder coming out. Some might say childish, but I prefer childlike. 

    Believers are called to be childlike. 

    “…calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-4

    Like children, only in the sense that we learn to trust our Father, as a young child trusts their parents. We are not called to set aside our intellect or reason, but we are called to be humble and trust.  Childlike not childish.

    There is another reason Jesus called us to be little children. Children have little to bring to the table.

    In the days of Jesus, children were amongst the lowest class of citizens. They had no rights, no power, and no wealth. That is hard for us to believe when today, children seem to be a privileged class. We place great value on them. The pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme, from highly marginalized to being worshipped.

    Amongst other things, Jesus was making the point that the gospel was for marginalized people, not just the wealthy or middle class. It is for the sick, the poor, the addicted, the lonely, the undesirables, the unlovable, and in general, those we might feel uncomfortable sitting next to in a church service. 

    Christ had remarkable compassion for the misfits of the day. They had nothing to bring but faith.

    In reality, you and I are misfits as well. We bring nothing but faith, and that is a gift from God. We are broken sinners who offer nothing special to God. It is by His grace that we are saved, not by our merit.

    We have no right to have churches filled with one ethnic group or one social class. That distorts the gospel and sends the message that you don’t belong if you are not like us.

    Churches are not meant to be filled with smug, self-righteous, perfect, homogeneous people. They are designed to be filled with people who know that they are broken and bring nothing. We are to be like the children of Jesus’ day.

    We are saved by the mercy of Christ. I pray He gives us eyes to see others as He sees them and that we make time for the marginalized, the children, the misfits.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 


    Subscribe today 

    Find us on Facebook

    Find us on Instagram

    Visit our Homepage

    Find us on Pinterest 


    All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2025 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word.

    Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).

    From Gleanings From The Word (Kevin Corbin, 2001– ), a Scripture-based devotional work.


  • Issue 1434 – At Work – May 22, 2025

    Issue 1434 – At Work – May 22, 2025

    Danger - People at work sign

    It’s a fundamental tenet of the orthodox Christian faith  that we are saved by faith alone. The Bible clearly states it.

    For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

    Other passages that clearly teach salvation through faith alone include Acts 16:31, Romans 3:28, 4:5, 5:1, 11:6, Galatians 2:16, 3:24, Ephesians 1:13, and Philippians 3:9.

    We are aware of this, and we will stand by it; yet, we can often fall into a trap.

    We sometimes claim salvation is by faith, but live as if it is by works. Indeed, works should flow out of our salvation, but they don’t cause it. James addresses this subject frequently in his brief New Testament letter.

    We start to think that somehow, God needs our help. What would God do if I didn’t do it for him? Now perhaps we might not state that so bluntly, but it’s at the heart of our attitude.

    Single-handedly, we can save a ministry, a local congregation, or even Christianity. It may sound a little absurd, but that’s how many people act and feel.

    At the risk of offending, God doesn’t need your help. He is more than capable of doing it all without our assistance. Our lack of participation and effort will not thwart his mission.

    Yet, the Lord chose the church as His hands and feet to bring the truth to a lost and hurting world. He allows us to participate in the process that grows and blesses us.

    He calls us to serve in many ways, but effective service is always led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We serve at the pleasure of the King of Kings.

    Let’s remember that He saved us out of love and serve Him out of gratitude. It’s a privilege to serve beside Him, and without Him, our efforts are in vain.

    May you find freedom in faith and joy in service.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

    __________________________________________ 

    Please like and share this post with your friends and those in your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

    Did you know that we have an email version? It offers the same great content but in a different format. This is ideal for when you don’t want to check your Facebook or share with friends who don’t use Facebook. 

    Subscribe today 

    ___________________________________________ 

    All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2025 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word.

    Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).

  • Better Than Eden

    Better Than Eden

    Johann Wenzel Peter's 18th-century depiction of the Garden of Eden

    This image is Johann Wenzel Peter’s 18th-century depiction of the Garden of Eden. He shows the beauty of the unspoiled garden and the closeness between animals and humanity.

    Often, when we read the Genesis account in the Bible, we long for the days of Eden. God created a paradise for people and deemed it very good. That’s got to be pure, unspoiled, and marvelous beyond belief.

    It’s natural to long for something so beautiful and perfect. Yet, I don’t believe that God was content for humanity to live in the Garden of Eden.

    How can I say that?

    Follow my logic. God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent(present everywhere). He is also infinitely merciful, loving, and just.

    That means that long before Eden was ever created, God knew that the serpent would tempt Adam and Eve and humanity would fall. Now we can speculate why He allowed it, but He hasn’t given us His reasons.

    He knew from before the first sin that He would send Jesus to pay the penalty and redeem us from sin, to make us heirs with Christ, and adopt us into the family of God.

    The Lord knew that what would follow for believers would be better than what they had and even better than the Garden of Eden.

    Revelation 21 and the first part of Revelation 22 describe in some detail what the New Heaven and Earth will be like. It’s hard to imagine.

    Then Revelation 22 goes on to say:

    No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:3-5

    We will be in paradise forever, present with the Lord. Every other believer will also be there to worship and fellowship with. No sin, no sorrow, and no shame. Better yet, no possibility of those things ever again.

    It will be like Eden but better.

    I can hardly wait to see it in all its fullness. What about you?

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

    __________________________________________ 

    Subscribe today 

    Find us on Facebook

    Find us on Instagram

    Visit our Homepage

    Find us on Pinterest

    ___________________________________________ 

    All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2025 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word.

    Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).

  • Issue 1732 – Hands – May 20, 2025

    Hands are marvelous things.

    This morning, I remembered a football player acquaintance who has had a career in both the CFL and NFL. He had hands the size of hams. I wear a size large glove, but my hand was dwarfed when we shook hands. The championship rings on his fingers seemed nearly as big around as my watch dial.

    A friend of mine worked the oil rigs in his youth. He is missing the ends of two fingers on one of his hands. Several cowboy friends are missing the ends of their thumbs from getting caught in their ropes.

    I have had the pleasure of shaking the hands of many hard-working people. Callused and rough from a lifetime of hard work, they exuded strength. A carpenter I know has several flattened fingertips from hitting the wrong nail. His hands are as strong as iron and as gentle as a kitten.

    Hands are strong but can be quite gentle and tender. They enable us to do things that would otherwise be impossible. They enable us to touch one another.

    Hands can bring healing, or they can bring hurt. A gentle hand can convey tenderness and compassion. An angry, upraised hand can bring bruises. An open hand can signify friendship or a gesture of surrender. They can be uplifted in worship or clasped in prayer.

    As I thought about hands, I pondered the hands of God, both the literal fleshly hands of Jesus and His metaphorical “hands.”

    The power in those “hands” is incredible. He could crush the world out of existence if He so desired. Yet his “hands” are gentle enough to create the minutest of details in the universe. His hands touch the lives of even the most insignificant individuals and circumstances.

    Jesus allowed his human hands (and feet) to be pierced with large, rough Roman nails to pay the penalty for our sin. Although He could have stopped it all in an instant if He chose to, even though He could have poured out wrath and judgement on his tormentors, He chose to stay his hand and act out of mercy.

    God knows the smallest of details about us. He knows more about us than we know ourselves, both the good and the bad. He chooses to place His infinitely powerful hand upon us.

    His hands created us, they sustain us, and our very breath is provided by His hand.

    His hands protect us. Those hands judge the world and its inhabitants, and offer mercy and salvation.

    There are no better hands to hold us and protect us,

    Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

    I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:28-30

    Being held in the hand of God is no guarantee against earthly calamity. We live in a fallen, broken world inhabited by sinners. However, it is a guarantee that He won’t waste our suffering and that our destiny is sure in Him.

    Until next time, rejoice in the shelter and safety of God’s hands.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

    __________________________________________ 

    Please like and share this post with your friends and those in your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

    Did you know that we have an email version? It offers the same great content but in a different format. This is ideal for when you don’t want to check your Facebook or share with friends who don’t use Facebook. 

    Subscribe today 

    ___________________________________________ 

    All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2025 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word.

    Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).

  • Issue 1731 – When? – May 19, 2025

    Issue 1731 – When? – May 19, 2025

    Artits rendering of Jesus second coming

    I don’t think you would find anyone, believer or not, who would disagree with the statement, “We live in dark times.”

    Believers wonder when the Lord will return.

    I have met many Christians who view things from a slightly skewed perspective. They are waiting for the world to get evil and depraved enough for Jesus to return.

    The world doesn’t need to get any more broken. It’s plenty broken enough. All sinners are reasons for Jesus to return and judge the wicked.

    Jesus is waiting for the world to become more righteous. Not self-righteous, because self-righteousness can’t save anyone.

    Righteous as in trusting Christ by faith and coming under the cover of His righteousness. When all who will come to Him have come, then He will return.

    Don’t wait passively for His return. Share the truth in love. Evangelize your neighbor.

    There are many ways to preach the truth, and it is something we are all commanded to do.

    And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

    By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

    “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

    All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

    While we wait the world will grow increasing dark. Take heart because that doesn’t mean evil has won the day. Jesus has the victory and will return once He has gathered all His sheep.

    Hold strong and share the love, no matter what you face.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

    __________________________________________ 

    Please like and share this post with your friends and those in your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

    Did you know that we have an email version? It offers the same great content but in a different format. This is ideal for when you don’t want to check your Facebook or share with friends who don’t use Facebook. 

    Subscribe today 

    ___________________________________________ 

    All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2025 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word.

    Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).

  • There Is No Fruit of the Spirit without Holy Spirit

    There Is No Fruit of the Spirit without Holy Spirit

    puffball mushrooms

    Ah, the humble mushroom. There are approximately  20,000 classified varieties, with more being catalogued all the time. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. These colorful and often strange-looking organisms have been used in cooking and traditional medicine for millennia.

    This morning’s pic is a puffball mushroom, one of several varieties. Actually, that isn’t quite accurate. This is the fruit of a puffball mushroom.

    The puffy bodies of mushrooms that we are familiar with are only a small part of the mushroom. The larger portion of the fungus is its extensive mycelium, hidden beneath the earth or other substrates.

    The mycelium can be massive. According to one source, “The largest known living organism on earth is a fungus – an underground mycelial mat of the honey fungus in the Blue Mountains of Oregon, covering an incredible 2,385 acres.”

    If there is no mycelium, there is no mushroom fruit.

    The same holds true in the spiritual realm. If there is no Holy Spirit at work in us, there can never be fruit of the Spirit.

    For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:11-14

    The Holy Spirit allows us to discern things of the Spirit. It gives us the seed to grow spiritually. We nurture those seeds through spiritual disciplines such as reading Scripture, prayer, worship, serving, fasting, confession of sin, and more.

    All the spiritual disciplines in the world cannot grow the fruit of the Spirit if we don’t have Him. People of many faiths practice spiritual disciplines, in truth, often putting Christians to shame with their devotion and faithfulness. Yet, in the end, their efforts will prove fruitless because they don’t have Him. 

    Are you seeing the fruit of the Spirit in your life? Certainly, fruit is seasonal, and some fruit takes longer to mature than others, but if there is none, there is a problem.

    You may need to stop and ensure you are right with the Lord. Then you need to nurture what He has provided. 

    My prayer is that you become increasingly conformed into the image of Jesus and bear a vast harvest of the fruit of the Spirit. May your life reflect Him well.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word – Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

    __________________________________________