Author: Kevin Corbin

While waiting for a friend at a coffee shop recently, I couldn’t help  but overhear the loud conversation at the table next to me. Two businessmen, one a Christian and the other not, were talking about “religion.”

The non-believer made some angry, disparaging remarks about some of the people in the church. “With people like that involved in your religion,” he said, “I don’t want anything to do with it.”

For many years, I was that man. I believed All sinners were hypocrites and Christianity was a farce.

My heart breaks when I hear conversations like that one. Not so much about the faults of the people in the church. For all I know, he could have been right about the money with his assessment of the people in question. The church is filled with imperfect people. My heart breaks for the angry man.

There are two things he has not managed to wrap his head around. Firstly, the Christian faith has little to do with religion. It has everything to do with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The “religious” trappings are simply things that people have added.

Secondly, people like those he made the remarks about, along with the angry man and you and I, are the reason Christ came. He came to free the brokenhearted. He came to save us from the consequences of our own sin. He did not come for righteous people; he came to rescue those who are messed up.

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:3-7

To be sure, there are plenty of active sinners in the church. All Christians are redeemed sinners who struggle to become righteous. God is at work in their hearts. Becoming like Christ is a process. We are saved by our faith in His sacrifice, but He still has to mold us. We do not become perfect overnight.

There are plenty of people in the church who are not saved but go for self-serving reasons. God is working in their hearts. There are even outright frauds in the church who will never repent and seek Jesus. Their destiny is not pleasant.

The shame of it all is that people, like the man at the next table, want to judge the church based on an impossible state of perfection. Only Christ is perfect. The people who follow Him are simply ordinary, flawed people who recognize their need for help. We are a long way from perfection.

I know that his attitude is partly a defensive position. If he can put down the church because of the flaws of the people in it, he does not have to face our own faults. If he does not face our faults, he thinks he will not have to acknowledge his need for Jesus. With that approach, he can get away with an entire lifetime, but the eternal price will be too heavy to bear.

His defensive position is ironic because if the people in the church were as perfect as my friend would like them to be, that would become his new excuse. He would not want to have anything to do with “my religion” because of all the perfect people.

My fervent prayer is that someday, the angry man will see that while his sins are different from those of the people he put down, they are sins nonetheless. My friend is no less in need of Jesus than the rest of us. Perhaps when he comes to see that, he will understand that becoming a Christian is not about being perfect. He will know that he is welcome and will fit right in with the rest of us flawed sinners who are saved only by the grace of God, not by our own efforts.

Until next time, pray for the lost sheep in our lives to find the Lord. Pray for them and never give up.

Be blessed

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.

© 2025 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

In a couple of weeks, we are headed to Ontario to be with  family. We are blessed to be able to look after some of our grandchildren while their parents are overseas on church business.

I was thinking about that this morning, and another trip to Ontario flowed out of the well of my memory.

We flew into the Hamilton, Ontario airport and got our rental car without problems. We headed off to our small town destination with a set of good directions in hand.

Follow this highway until you see an off-ramp for that highway. Follow it until it becomes the number seven/Airport Road, and then follow it. You cannot go wrong.

It sounded easy enough to do. Sure enough, one highway switched to the other, as described. We followed it for a while and hit the turn for number seven/Airport Road a little quicker than we expected. We managed to get across traffic and off onto the seven with no difficulty.

As soon as we got on the seven, Kathy and I felt something was wrong. We traveled a short distance and then decided to ask for directions. The local Tim Horton’s staff had never heard of our destination. When the local Tim Horton’s staff has never heard of your destination, it is not a good sign.

Out back of the Tim’s was a trucker’s rest stop. We asked several of them, and they had no idea how to get where we wanted to go. None of them had even heard of our destination. That was even less of an encouraging sign.

One dug out his map of the region, and we could not see our destination. However, I recognized the name of a community near where we wanted to be. We returned to the main highway and continued on our way. About 45 minutes later, the highway became the number seven airport road.

Soon thereafter, we were at our destination. I learned that there are, in fact, several number seven highways, two of which are designated in places as airport roads. I also learned that many of the communities in the area had amalgamated, and while they retained their names, some no longer showed on the maps.

During our travels, driving the number seven became the standing joke. Not only did we hit the two sevens described, but we also traveled the 7A and 7B. We traveled the 7 that became the 113 and the 407 that became the 7. Everywhere we went, we ended up on a number seven highway.

As Christians, we can quickly get on the wrong off-ramp in life. Temptation or circumstances can set us in a different direction than God has set out for us. When that happens, we must check ourselves and get turned around and onto the right path as quickly as possible.

We often immediately recognize that something is wrong as the Holy Spirit nudges us. We need to be sensitive to those nudges. The quicker we listen, the quicker we return to the right track with God. It is easy to do.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10

Until next time, please listen to those nudges and return to the narrow road with Christ as quickly as possible.

Be blessed

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.

© 2025 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

There is a school of Christian thought out there that teaches that  being a Christian is a guaranteed path to health, wealth, happiness, and success. They use a variety of proof texts (often out of context) to “prove” their points and pass the blame on to you for not having enough faith if it does not work. 

This is unbiblical teaching. It is a lie straight from the pit of hell, and it smells like smoke.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Now, do not misunderstand me. God still heals today when it is in accordance with his will. There is joy in being a Christian (although not always what the world calls “happiness). For some people, God’s plan includes wealth and what the world would consider success. Yet none of that is guaranteed, and the fact that you may or may not have those things is not a measure of your faith.

Being a Christian may bring trials. There will be times of walking in the desert. 

Believers are called to give sacrificially and love people they do not like. We are called to be bearers of truth even when the truth is unpopular. It is a counter-cultural lifestyle that has little to do with “self” and self-aggrandizement. It has everything to do with our relationship with God and others.

What should a Christian’s walk be like? To what aims should they be aspiring?

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.  Romans 12:9-21

That kind of life will bring a deeper joy than the superficial happiness of financial wealth and worldly success.

Being a Christian is not a plan for ease. It is a plan for personal and spiritual growth. It is a way of life that puts others ahead of you.

If it is not all ease and prosperity, why do we pursue it? Simply put, a personal relationship with Jesus is better than everything the world offers. That relationship will continue even beyond death. It will still be there when this earth is long gone. 

Ironically, in pursuing a life of meeting the needs of others through Christ, you will come to your full potential and have your own needs met in ways you cannot imagine.

Until next time, may you pursue the love of Christ and allow Him to envelop you.

Be blessed

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.

© 2025 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Arguably, the most familiar passage of Scripture in the world is  the 23rd Psalm. It has to be in the top ten if it doesn’t take the top spot. I have written on it many times, both excerpts and detailed verse-by-verse exegesis.

The words are prayed, chanted, and sung. People find deep comfort in this short passage by King David. 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Psalm 23

I was meditating on this particular psalm early this morning and had to chuckle. Early on in Gleanings, perhaps the first time I wrote on Psalm 23, I had a reader confess me. When she was a small child, she often snuck a peek over her shoulder to see if she could catch a glimpse of Goodness and Mercy, the two angels she believed were following her.

We know that Goodness and Mercy aren’t a pair of angels. So what are they? The word translated “goodness” is the Hebrew “tobe”. According to my Strong’s Bible Dictionary, it means 

“good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well): – beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, X fair (word), (be in) favor, fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving, merry, X most, pleasant, + pleaseth, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well ([-favored]).”

We’re talking about major league goodness here in all aspects of our lives. Like abundance, this is goodness to the overflowing. Not necessarily material prosperity, although that can be the case, but overwhelming, abundant to the maximum goodness in our lives.

The word translated “mercy’ is the Hebrew “kheh’-sed”. It means kindness; by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opprobrium) reproof, or (subjectively) beauty: – favor, good deed (-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity.

Mercy only captures a part of the depth of meaning. Some translations used “love” instead but that too seems to fail to capture the depth of meaning. It seems that “kheh’-sed” is in some ways a common and easy to understand word, but also one that is so deep that it doesn’t have a good English equivalent.

I’m not an expert on Hebrew, but I will rewrite the line in question to try and capture more of the fullness of meaning. An actual Hebrew speaker or translator will likely shudder at the attempt, but here goes.

Surely [bountiful, abundant blessing, joy, spiritual prosperity, loving kindness] and [love of and from God, mercy, and God’s unmerited grace and favor] will follow me all the days of my life.

Even the latter part of that sentence, “All the days of my life,” seems limited. All the seasons of my life may be better. We have seasons of life. Seasons of prosperity, seasons of trial, and seasons of waiting. He’ll be there through all of that. 

There’s also another way to look at seasons. We live a short season here on earth and, after the harvest, an eternal season in heaven. All these blessings are ours, not just in this life but even more so in the future. That means we don’t have to look over our shoulders; they are not just following us but running ahead of us and all around us.

“Goodness and mercy”, “Goodness and love,” or overwhelming, unbelievable blessings from God in every aspect of our life from here to eternity is a fantastic concept. What a promise! 

What a blessing!

May you know the Lord’s Goodness and mercy.

Be blessed

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.

© 2025 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Until next time, may you gain a taste of the goodness and mercy of God and give Him the glory

The canopy of trees over the trail reminded me of an archway.  Each leaned in a bit to cover the trail.

As I walked the trail, I thought of the arches of palms and willows waved over Jesus as He entered the city of Jerusalem in the days before His crucifixion. The crowds adored Him, worshipped Him, and boldly proclaimed His name.

As we know, that adoration didn’t last very long. Many of those same people were likely in the crowd that a few days later cried out to Pontius Pilate, “Crucify Him!” He went from hero to zero in the space of a few days.

People are fickle. If you don’t believe that, look at most sports fans. As long as the team is winning, it is the greatest. Start to lose, however, and watch the crowds get the scent of blood. 

Watch politicians and actors move in and out of favor as the crowd sees fit. Today’s great is tomorrow’s has been. Yesterday’s loser is today’s winner.

The line between hero and zero is thin. 

There is a case where that doesn’t apply. You see, without Jesus, we’re all going to lose. We have sinned, and we’re kept apart from God. With Him, even the worst of sinners can become a saint for eternity. 

Let’s clarify that last sentence: saint is a word often misunderstood in Christian circles. A saint is any believer in Jesus Christ. The tradition of elevating specific individuals to “sainthood” has no biblical foundation.

If you know Jesus, you’re a saint. We’re made right with God and reconciled to Him because of His sacrifice. The Father sees us through the righteousness of the Son and declares us set apart, holy.

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood, not his own, or then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:24-28

Fortunately, unlike us, He’s not fickle. He’s steadfast and will stick by us for all eternity. Once we’re under the blood, we’re there to stay. That’s a good thing.

Until next time, rejoice. God is good!

Be blessed

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.

© 2025 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Arch of trees

This weekend, we tried a new walking spot. We headed to the Cheam Wetlands Park, due east of Chilliwack and north of Bridal Veil Falls. We had the grandkids and only a short window of time, so it was a quick exploration to see if we would return and check it out more thoroughly at another time.

There is a shallow lake and plenty of little streams. A boardwalk connects two small islands. Over 150 species of birds have been spotted there, although we saw only some waterfowl.

It was a pretty little spot, and we will go again another day.

We were pleasantly surprised to see a rainbow clearly reflected in one of the channels. I couldn’t help but video it. Check it out here:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1665500554051042

It’s almost impossible to tell the sky side from the water side. It’s a delightful reflection.

You and I are created in the image of God.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

He knew from before time began which of us would be even further refined into the image of Christ.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29

Oftentimes, when I look at myself in the mirror, I don’t see a lot of Jesus reflected back. Sometimes, there might be some of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) reflected. I can be as rebellious and self-centered as the most vile of sinners.

I remember Paul’s words and relate too well.

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. Romans 7:15-20

It can be very discouraging.

Then, I remember else that Paul wrote,

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

I’m not where I want to be yet. Still, in small ways, I’m more Christ-like than I was before. He loves me. He sealed me, The Spirit indwells me. I have the Word to guide me.

I might not be the perfect reflection yet, but I can hold fast to the truth that He isn’t finished with me yet.

Hold on my dear friends. He isn’t finished with us yet. One day we will be all He created us to be.

Be blessed

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.

© 2025 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

This morning’s Gleanings is one from the past. When I sat down to write this morning, this one came to my mind, and it wouldn’t let go. It has some minor changes but otherwise remains true to the 2004 version.

I sat in the coffee shop, chatting with someone I just met. Somehow, the topic of conversation became faith and the church. My new friend adamantly informed me,  “I don’t need to go to church. I know Jesus, and that’s all that matters.”

Knowing Jesus is ultimately what matters, but we are to attend worship with other believers. For those in isolated areas where it’s unsafe to worship, that might not be an option, but there is no excuse for the bulk of the people who read Gleanings.

Lots of people have plenty of excuses not to attend. Here’s a partial list. I’m sure you’ve heard and likely used at least some of them.

• The preaching is boring.
• The preacher preaches too much/little from the Bible; is too academic/not academic enough; preaches too long/not long enough.
• The music is too fast/slow/loud/old/new.
• They are too formal/informal.
• The people are too friendly/unfriendly.
• They have/don’t have pews/organs/stained glass/pastoral robes.
• The service is too long/short, too demonstrative/not demonstrative enough.
• There is too much/not enough emphasis on the Holy Spirit.
• They do/don’t ordain women.
• They are too active/not active enough in outreach/missions/politics/social action.
• They talk too much about money, or there isn’t enough emphasis on stewardship.
• Services times are too early/too late.
• The pastor is too young/old.
• The congregation is too big/small.

Have I hit a nerve yet? Have I stepped on your sacred cow? It’s time to recognize that these are simply excuses that hurt you and the local congregation.

Why attend worship?

Some surveys I’ve read show that more than 90% of professing Christians who attend church regularly go because a given church meets the needs of that individual and his/her family. Did you know that’s the wrong reason to attend church?

First and foremost, the church is not primarily about you. Did you know that? Church isn’t about going and feeling good or about having your needs met. Those things can and do happen, but they aren’t the reason we go. We go to glorify God and to minister to others.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts,yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 1 Corinthians 12:14-26

All true believers belong to the family of God and the church. We are called to be active members. Membership isn’t a ticket to sit around; it is a privilege that comes with responsibility.

When you don’t attend and take an active role, someone else in the body suffers for your absence. That someone might need your ministry. Conversely, that person might be deprived of their ministry to you.

Not attending is a very selfish act. The whole body misses out when parts don’t show up to do their bit.

Will you get to heaven without going to church? Yes! Salvation is by grace and not measured by how often we go. Will the body of Christ be poorer for your absence? Yes? Will you be missing out big time? Absolutely.

Until next time, quit making excuses. It’s time to take an active role in the local congregation.

Be blessed

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.

© 2025 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

I sat in the coffee shop with a dear friend, savoring a  cup and chatting. After catching up on life and health issues, we discussed life, faith, God, and the church.

We shared times when we had seen God’s hand undeniably at work. There were miracles and divine appointments. We talked about the skepticism that sometimes greets us when we speak of such things, even from fellow believers.

We talked about the simplicity of the Christian faith. As a believer, you trust Jesus by faith, strive to follow Him, and love others. What could be simpler?

It is simple, but it isn’t always easy. People tend to conflate the two or use the terms interchangeably. Simplicity doesn’t mean ease.

Following Christ means we must humble ourselves and throw ourselves on His mercy. That can be a nearly impossible task.

Loving others sounds like it should be simple, but we all know it’s not. We might find it easier to love others who love us back, but many people (all of us sometimes) are downright unloveable. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to help us love.

Striving to follow Jesus should be a cakewalk. Well, it might be if it wasn’t for our sinful nature, rebellion, and the world’s pressures.

The Scriptures don’t promise that a Christian’s life will be easy. We need to follow the simple path, not the easy one. Jesus warns against the easy way.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14

The Christian life can bring many hardships. It can be challenging to live.

Yet, it can bring us great peace and joy and leads us to life everlasting in glory. Hold fast, my dear friends, when the simple way deviates from the easy path.

Stay the course. Trust the one who loved you enough to come as a child and live amongst us only to be tortured and killed to set us free.

Be blessed

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.

__________________________________________ 

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© 2025 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Often, we get sidetracked on our walk with the Lord and pulled down any number of rabbit trails. It can even start with good things, but before long, we find ourselves tangled in the brush, covered in scratches, and wondering which way to turn next. We may even have completely lost sight of both our original goal and the path back.

We can get lost in arguing about unimportant doctrines and practices. Now, before you get your hackles up, let me assure you that I am all for sound doctrine and wish that the “average Christian in the pew” knew what they believed and why they believed it better than they do. There is an appalling level of biblical illiteracy and doctrinal weakness within the church as a whole.

Having said that, there are many divisions within the church over unimportant and trivial matters. While admonishing Timothy about sticking to sound doctrine, he also warned him about foolish arguments.

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:23-26

In all likelihood, the Lord does not care what color the sanctuary carpet and walls are. Yet many churches have been decimated by arguments over such things. Should the pastor weigh a suit, a robe, or blue jeans? Again, I suspect the Lord probably does not care if the truth is being proclaimed and people are being drawn to Him. Yet, I know pastors who have been admonished because their shoes were not shiny enough.

Another is the exact timing and nature of the second coming. Will we be raptured? If so, when? This is great material for discussion and has strong opinions from all sides. Ultimately, we will not know until He comes back or we join Him in the air. So why do we not accept it as an area where good and godly people can disagree?

Bible translations are yet another. Oh, I can already feel the hate mail being typed. Some translations are superior to others, and a translation beats a paraphrase hands down (for accuracy, although not always for ease of reading) … yet even a poor paraphrase that is being read beats no Scripture or a great translation that sits on the shelf gathering dust. Yet churches divide over such things. Lighten up people! Jesus never spoke a word of English during his entire life on earth. All translations are people’s best efforts to be faithful to the truth.

Let us stick to winning people to Jesus, ministering to them, equipping them to minister, and sending them out. Let us not wander into the rabbit trail of foolish arguments and, in avoiding those trails, avoid the snares of the devil.

Until next time, as someone once said, “Remember to keep the main thing the main thing.”

Be blessed

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.

© 2025 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.