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.

I love to sing. The truth is, though, that I am one of those people who couldn’t carry a tune in the metaphorical bucket. I’m like the crow cawing amongst the songbirds.

My singing voice was once compared to a bear in work boots walking in a gravel pit. I’m not sure exactly what that would sound like, but I know it wasn’t a compliment.

At “the cowboy church,” the band and I had an agreement. They wouldn’t preach, and I wouldn’t sing up front.

Yet, we are called to rejoice, to sing the Lord’s praises.

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. Psalm 98:1-2

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Psalm 98:4

I’m okay with my lack of musical ability because I know God gifts each of us in different ways. He’s gifted me in writing, teaching, and preaching (forgive me if that sounds boastful; it’s not meant to be; all the glory belongs to Him.)

I sing frequently when I’m by myself. I sing when I’m in a large crowd of people who are also singing. Ask me to lead in singing, and I panic. I can and have done it and will do it again whenever I need to, but it feels strange. 

When it happens, I remember the Psalm 98 verses and stand on it.

In contrast, I have friends who have simply delightful voices. They can sing virtually anything and make it pleasing to my ear. I love to hear them sing praises to the Lord.

I have other gifted friends with strong, beautiful voices and the ability to play virtually any instrument they put their hands on. I, however, have a hard time playing the radio.

The body of Christ has many incredibly gifted musicians and singers. Whatever genre of music suits your personal taste, there are people who can use that genre to praise the Lord in incredible ways.

As wonderful as their songs may be, there is a song that is even more beautiful. We find out about it in an obscure little verse hiding in the works of one of the minor prophets.

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. Zephaniah 3:17-18

Imagine that. The Lord God Himself, Jehovah-Elohim, rejoices in singing over you and me. What beautiful music it must be when He sings. His voice is powerful enough to speak the world into existence, and the sound of his rejoicing and singing must be joyful beyond measure.

If you ever doubted God’s love for you, reread those verses. He not only sings, but He rejoices over YOU by singing. You are a blessing to God. He sings with joy because of you.

Until next time, I pray you get a glimpse of how much He truly loves you.

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

KevinZephaniah 3

minor prophets

Psalm 98

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.