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Gleanings From The Word

Category: Christian Living

  • Don’t Judge Jesus by Christians

    Don’t Judge Jesus by Christians

    signs pointing to people and Jesus - Dont Judge Jesus by Christians

    I frequently meet people who have given up on Jesus and the church. They tell stories of hurt and disappointment. I can only say, “Don’t judge Jesus by Christians—He is not like us.”

    The chances are good that if you have been in the church for any length of time, you have been hurt, betrayed or disappointed. A Christian friend has behaved in a most unchristian way. A pastor has said something you didn’t like or gotten some detail wrong in Scripture.

    If that hasn’t happened yet, your turn is coming.

    Christians are not perfect. I often refer to us as a “bunch of messed-up people trying to follow Jesus.” We know we don’t have our acts together, and we need God’s help.

    If perfection were the benchmark to becoming Christian, none of us, including you, could get in. There was only one perfect human being, and they nailed Him to a cross 2000 years ago.

    Don’t judge Jesus by Christians. Don’t evaluate Jesus based on me. I’m on a good day, a very dim image of Him. You need to put your faith and trust in Jesus, not His followers. He never changes and will never fail you or leave you.

    Let me say it again, “Don’t judge Jesus by Christians —He is not like us.”

    Evaluate Him based on His claims and the changes you see in yourself and others. Sometimes that change is a tiny whisper, sometimes He moves mountains. Search honestly and put Him to the test.

    Don’t be content to rely on the impressions of others or second hand accounts of who Jesus is. Study the Scriptures and let the Spirit reveal Him.

    Others have left the church because they tried “Christianity and it didn’t work.” A Christless Christianity is an empty, powerless lie. It will never fulfill what you truly need.

    The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful  2 Timothy 2:11-13

    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

    Come to the cross with open arms, He is waiting for you. He will forgive your sins, make you into a new creation and begin your transformation into being everything He created you to be.

    Don’t let the failure of others keep you from the one who loves you beyond measure.

    Trust Him.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    Streams of Living Water

    Summary

    Many abandon faith because of hurt caused by Christians, but that failure reflects people—not Christ, who remains faithful, unchanging, and worthy of trust. True faith requires engaging Jesus directly, not relying on flawed representations of Him.

    Key takeaways

    Expect imperfection in Christians. Hurt and disappointment in the church are common because believers are still unfinished.

    Judge Jesus, not His followers. He alone is perfect, unchanging, and faithful—unlike those who represent Him imperfectly. Don’t judge Jesus by Christians.

    Seek Christ personally and honestly. Don’t rely on secondhand impressions; test His claims through Scripture and experience.

    Christ remains faithful and transforms lives. 2 Timothy 2:11–13 and Philippians 1:6 affirm His faithfulness and ongoing work in those who trust Him.

    All contents, “Gleanings From the Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2026 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, “Gleanings From the Word.”

    Scripture quotations are from the Legacy Standard Bible® (LSB®), Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. 

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

    Interested in more about living the Christian life?

    # Right Belief Must Become Right Living
  • Burdens – The Weight of Sin

    Burdens – The Weight of Sin

    An image of Cain and Abel and the text burdens

    There’s a familiar biblical account about burdens, although you might not recognize it that way. Even many non-Christians are familiar with the story in general terms.

    It’s the story of two brothers, Cain and Abel. God made Cain the gardener/farmer, and Abel was the rancher/keeper of the flocks and herds. They offered a sacrifice to God. Abel’s was accepted, and Cain’s was not.

    It wasn’t the sacrifice itself that was displeasing to God; it was Cain’s heart attitude. Cain gets angry and kills his brother. We don’t know how he does it, the Bible doesn’t say, although its often depicted with him hitting his brother with a rock.

    We pick up the account, soon after the murder

    Then Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground. And now, cursed are you from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” And Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is too great to bear! Genesis 4:9-13

    The term “too great to bear” literally means too heavy to carry, a great burden. In Hebrew, the word (avon) can refer not only to sin or wrongdoing, but also to a burden. Sin, in this sense, is not an abstract idea; it is pictured as a weight placed on a person.

    This helps explain the Day of Atonement, when a goat “carries” the sins of Israel into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:21-22).

    Our sin truly is a burden; it weighs us down, and it threatens to crush us. Like the chains worn by Marley in A Christmas Carol, they grow in length and weight and become heavier with each passing day.

    The burden, the chains are more than a metaphor. They are spiritual realities we cannot escape on our own. Left long enough and they will drag us straight into eternal punishment separated from God.

    The book of Hebrews speaks of the sufficiency of Jesus sacrifice to cover our sins, once for all and of His return.

    …so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. Hebrews 9:28

    He takes the burden that is too heavy for us to bear, the burden of our own making and carries it for us.

    That’s incredible news and something we often take for granted. Take a moment today to reflect on where you might be if it were not for the Christ, then give him thanks, praise and glory.

    Be blessed
    Kevin

    Gospel of Grace – Free in Christ

    Summary:

    The story of Cain and Abel illustrates how sin is not just an act but a heavy burden that humans cannot carry on their own. The message points to Christ as the one who ultimately bears that burden for humanity, offering relief and redemption.

    Key takeaways:

    • Sin is portrayed as a real, weighty burden, not just a concept.
    • Cain’s punishment reflects the crushing weight of unrepented wrongdoing.
    • The Hebrew idea of avon connects sin directly with the idea of a burden to be carried.
    • Old Testament imagery (like the scapegoat) foreshadows the transfer of that burden.
    • Jesus’ sacrifice is presented as fully sufficient to carry and remove that burden once and for all.
    • The response encouraged is gratitude, reflection, and acknowledgment of that sacrifice.

    Want to learn more about the cure for the burden of sin?

    The Gospel – the best news you will ever hear

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    Carried – Secure in the Lord