Gleanings From The Word

Blog

  • God Loves Ravens

    God Loves Ravens

    Raven overlooking a marsh

    I like ravens. They’re not a particularly attractive bird, and their singing voice leaves much to be desired. Yet, they are smart, can be very friendly, and are generally interesting. They can even be taught to mimic human speech.

    They even play Games. One day, Kathy and I watched a trio of them play a raven version of kick the can using a discarded pop can. It was quite amusing.

    Our culture often depicted ravens as symbols of evil. They are cast as creatures of corruption and chaos. They are shown to be omens of darkness and death.

    Yet the Bible treats them differently. They are admittedly not kosher because they are both scavengers and birds of prey. Still, Noah sent ravens to search for dry land after the flood. 

    At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Genesis 8:6-8

    The Lord also used ravens to bless and nourish Elijah in his time of depression and need.

     Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tisbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” And the word of the Lord came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 1 Kings 17:1-6

    I think that tells us more about God than it does ravens. God used something despised by the world for His glory and service.

    His love for the broken, weak, ignored, despised, and abused is what caused Him to send Jesus to come in our stead.  We were lost in a world of darkness with no hope of ever being redeemed, yet He came to save us.

    How marvellous is that?

    The next time you see a raven, be reminded of how much God loves you, too.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    On a related note

    Creation is a Signpost: Why You Can’t Say You Didn’t Know

    __________________________________________ 

    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, 2026 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, “Gleanings From The Word.”

    Vheck out our home page

    Unless otherwise noted, “Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved

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

    General Revelation: Why No One Can Claim They Didn’t Know
    Coffee shop talk and false churches.
    Why The Raven and The Dove
  • Pressed but Still standing

    Pressed but Still standing

    This is an old-fashioned, two-station cider press that someone took the time to lovingly restore.  The first station is a grinder that breaks the fruit into smaller pieces, so you don’t have to crush it whole. The fruit is then dumped into the press, where pressure is increased to squeeze out all the juice. It’s a labor-intensive, but ingenious system.

    There have been times in life when I felt like I was going through that system. The worries and trials of life seemed to batter me and break me down. Then the pressures threaten to squeeze the very life out of me.

    Back in the early 1990’s, Kathy and I both sustained traumatic brain injuries within a few months of each other in separate motor vehicle accidents. We were both off work and struggling with everything. Our marriage became rocky as we navigated major changes. We fought to get the long-term disability benefits, leaving us incomeless for an extended period. We used up all our savings and investments, and our home was on the verge of foreclosure. Our friends were mostly from work and soon evaporated as their worlds moved on, leaving us friendless and without a support system. We were not yet believers, so there was a church community to lean on. At one point, I was seriously contemplating suicide.

    Life went on. We survived and came out the other side changed but very different. In our case, we came to faith over time, and that faith has sustained us. Looking back, I cannot see a way we would have made it without Christ. At the very least, I believe our marriage would have ended, and our prospects would have been dismal.

    Even as believers, we can have times when we feel as if we’re going through that cider press.

    The apostle Paul understood that truth.

    We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;  always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death is at work in us, but life in you. 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 ESV

    But he had words of hope and promise.

    Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:9-16 ESV

    Our struggles may appear overwhelming and times hard, but this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal

    My friends, we might be crushed and persecuted, but never destroyed. Hold fast.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    Tribulation Produces Perseverance
    Rebound Stronger – How trials build unshakeable faith

  • Issue 1889 – Safe in the arms of God.

    Issue 1889 – Safe in the arms of God.

    Baseball umpire indicating "safe"

    Safe!

    Safe! What a wonderful call for any baseball base runner to hear an umpire call. It’s also good for the rest of us to know we are safe in a tumultuous world that seems to have lost its mind. Christians are safe in the arms of God.

    Don’t misunderstand. We are not exempt from trials, tribulations, illness, crime, poor choices, physical harm, economic downturns, or natural disasters. We’re not safe from persecution, or temptation, or relational ills. All of those are part and parcel of living in a fallen, son-filled world.

    What are we safe from? In the words of the hymn “Before the Throne of God Above” …

    Before the throne of God above. I have a strong and perfect plea. A great High Priest whose name is love, who ever lives and pleads for me. My name is graven on his hands, my name is written on his heart. I know that while in Heav’n he stands no tongue can bid me thence depart.

    Every element of our salvation is our God. He calls us and gives us the faith and courage to receive Him. He dies to pay the cost of our sin, and He dwells within us to make us more like him.

    Once we are His, we are His forever. Safe in the arms of God. We can’t mess up so badly that we fall completely from Grace. We may face consequences and discipline, but never rejection. Nothing can tear us away from him, or as the song says, “none can bid me hence depart”.

    I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28 ESV

    For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 ESV

    Some will say that gives us freedom to sin. Paul clearly tells us that isn’t the case.

     For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means Romans 6:14-15 ESV

    We need to understand that we are secure in Christ. That knowledge should help us understand how deep His love and mercy for us is. That understanding leads us to love Him more and to desire to please Him. That desire makes it harder for us to sin and easier to repent. 

    My friends, as believers, you are safe in the arms of God. Now live in that wonderful news.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    The Gospel – the best news you will ever hear
    Scrub Jays – Refugees from the fires
  • Do you see things through the eyes of faith?

    Do you see things through the eyes of faith?

    Mount Baker from the Abbotsford side

    I see Mount Baker or parts of it almost every day. Located just to the southeast of us in Washington State, it dominates the southern horizon. It’s a sight I never grow tired of. Of course, if I’m out after dark, the mountain disappears, but by faith I know it’s still there.

    The mountain can also disappear from my view depending on the weather. Clouds, rain, fog, or a combination of them can obscure the sight of a small part of it, or everything. The changing weather patterns mean the view can change from hour to hour, minute by minute, or even second by second.

    If I turn away from the mountain, I go somewhere else, and if a hill or building blocks my way, I can’t see it anymore.

    Of course it does, Kevin. That’s normal. The mountain hasn’t gone anywhere or disappeared; you just can’t see it at those times.

    I know that, but I use the thought to make a point. Are there times when you feel that God has moved away, or you can’t “see” Him? That happens to most of us, at least at times.

    God was there before anything in the material universe existed. He will be then when everything changes on the last day.

    Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Psalm 90:2

    God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”  And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel:‘I amhas sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14


    For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.     Romans 1:20

    So, if He is always there, why does He seem distant or absent? There are several possibilities.

    You’ve turned away. Sometimes our own sin blinds us to God, and we turn from Him.

    You’re looking but not seeing what’s in front of you. This happens to me when I’m trying to find something and fail. I ask Kathy for help, and she shows me where it was right there in front of my face.

    God blesses you with a period of temporary blindness so that your faith is put to the test and grows. That’s a reason we don’t often think of.

    Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

    If you aren’t seeing God, first check your own life. What sin is blinding you? Take time to repent and confess. Then ask Him to reveal Himself again. Pray, read the word, and practice some spiritual disciplines to reconnect.

    Trust Him, allow your faith to grow. He is at work in all things, all circumstances, and every life. He works all things for His glory and the good of those who love Him.

    Just as Mount Baker is still there when the cloud lifts, you will find God still there when your vision and circumstances clear.

    Remember, He promises to never leave or forsake you. You can trust His promises.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    You might enjoy

    A Leap of Faith
    What Do You See? Opening our spiritual eyes.
  • Our earthly treasures will be left behind but we will go to glory

    Our earthly treasures will be left behind but we will go to glory

    I am fascinated by old, abandoned farmhouses, cabins, and mines. No two are alike.

    Between Clearwater BC, where we once lived, and the nearby city of Kamloops is an old farmstead on a bend in the North Thompson River. (not the one in this image). It’s a beautiful sight in its way and ideally suited for taking some great river pictures. 

    Unfortunately, it’s posted land, and a busy corner of the highway, so there is no going in to explore. It never fails to capture my interest. Part of the land is still used for hay, so it isn’t totally wasted, but I wonder what happened to the original owners.

    Perhaps they were successful and built a newer, bigger home and barn. Perhaps they lost the property during an economic downturn. Perhaps aging parents couldn’t keep up, and the children weren’t interested. I can only speculate.

    When I pass an old church, long abandoned or repurposed, I often wonder what happened to the people who built it and loved the Lord. Did they move on? Did they lose their zeal for the Lord? I guess I’ll find out in glory.

    I sometimes wish the old buildings could talk. What would they tell us about the people who lived and worked there? What happened to them? What did they leave? What hopes and aspirations did they have?

    Unfortunately, the buildings don’t talk, and we are left to guess. Sometimes land title records or other documents can tell us some things, but the real human history has been lost.

    All of that’s interesting enough, but what does that have to do with our faith?

    The reality of life is that it’s finite. Billions of people have come and gone throughout the history of life on this planet, most of whom will never be remembered beyond a generation or two.

    Some people spend huge fortunes erecting monuments to their names so that they will be remembered after death. Even the great monuments people built eventually succumb to the ravages of time.

    Yet there is promised hope beyond the pale of death. Believers will be with the Lord forever and will be known to Him. The good works done in His name will be remembered and celebrated. The future isn’t nearly bright for non-believers who will suffer eternal torment.

    The treasures we value so much will vanish. Yet we gain so much more in the end.

    Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:51-57

    If you want eternal monuments… pray for the salvation of your offspring for generations to come. Love your neighbors. Tell them about Jesus. Follow Christ.

    The things of Christ endure, and what wonderful stories we will have to share with each other that bring glory to God.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

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

    The things we value most will be left behind – We gain everything

    __________________________________________ 

    Subscribe today 

    Find us on Facebook

    Find us on Instagram

    Visit our Homepage

    Find us on Pinterest

    ___________________________________________ 

    More about living the Christian life and treasures that wont be left behind

    # Right Belief Must Become Right Living

    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, “Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  • What Do You See? Opening our spiritual eyes.

    What Do You See? Opening our spiritual eyes.

    stylized Adam and Eve hiding in the garden

    We aren’t very far into the Bible when things go terribly wrong. You know the story.

    Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.  For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:1-8 esv

    Now, prior to this, both Adam and Eve walked in the garden in a close personal relationship. They knew the Lord as intimately and personally as it is possible for a person to know Him. They understood His love, compassion and mercy.

    What changed? The obvious answer is they sinned. Yet, what moved them from joy to fear?

    With sin-filled eyes, we cannot see God as He truly is. They now saw God through distorted lenses and created a harsh God of their own imaginings. It’s what we do.

    Some see God as a Monty Python-like foot ready to stomp on us for any sin. Others see Him as a cosmic genie there to grant our every wish and desire. For some people, he’s a doddering old man who either cannot see our sins or, if he does, is unable or unwilling to do anything about them.

    There are those who pretend that He doesn’t exist. The great civilizations of the past imagined Him as a pantheon of very flawed human-like capricious gods.

    The truth is that the God revealed to us in the Bible is none of those things. He is benevolent, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He loves us so much that Jesus came and died so that we could be restored into a right relationship with Him and be adopted into His family.

    He is too beautiful and wonderful for us to understand with our sin-filled minds. Even as believers whose sins have been atoned for do not yet see him clearly, but the day will come when we will. He will open our spiritual eyes to see the truth.

    For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 1 Corinthians 13:32

    I can hardly wait. What about you?

    Be blessed

    Kevin

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

    On a similar theme

    Do you see things through the eyes of faith?
  • When we say no to God

    When we say no to God

    drawing of a petulant boy in oversized galoshes hands on hops, stern faced

    The little boy stood there on the path, facing his mother, hands on his hips. I don’t know what had happened, but when I got into earshot, I heard him angrily say, “No! I don’t need help.” The mother said something that I couldn’t quite hear, to which the boy stomped his foot angrily and replied, “I want to do it my way. I’m big now.”

    The scene was cute to me as an observer, though probably not to the mom. I stifled a chuckle and walked on by. I don’t know what he wanted or if he was successful.

    It’s not so cute when we get older. It’s even less so when we’re the petulant child, and God is the parent.

    Now, more than likely, we’re not wearing oversized galoshes and physically stomping our feet, but our response to God is often defiance, rather than humble submission. Or, perhaps that’s just me, but I don’t think so.

    The original sin was ignoring God’s commands. Israel wandered forty years in the desert for disobedience. Peter cut off the servant’s ear. The Scriptures are full of examples. If we all got our acts together the moment we believed, Paul’s letters might have read quite differently.

    We want to follow our own hearts and wills. That seems like good sense, but our hearts are wicked, and our wills are sin-filled.

    It’s why the psalmist says,

    Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

    In Deuteronomy 28-29, the Lord promises blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. That doesn’t mean that if we follow God and are obedient, all our dreams will come true. Someone once said that God is more interested in our holiness than our happiness.

    Still, things will be better in our relationship with Him, no matter our circumstances, if we walk in obedience.

    May we be more like Jesus and less like petulant children.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

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

    On a related note

    Stubborn Disobedience
    Those Little Doubts
    # Right Belief Must Become Right Living
  • What really matters in this life?

    What really matters in this life?

    Foggu forest trail

    I volunteer as a helper with the youth group (grades 7-12) at our local assembly on Friday nights. It’s a time of fun, worship, Bible time, socializing, and, of course, snacks. The worship section encompasses a short message, and for this term, the theme is based on Ecclesiastes.

    Last Thursday’s Gleanings touched on the final chapter of Ecclesiastes, where Solomon remembered what life was truly about. The first eleven chapters were about the meaninglessness of life.

    You are all likely familiar with the opening of the book: Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity, Ecclesiastes 1:1-2. 

    Maybe you know it better as, “The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 NIV

    Either way, it paints a grim picture of life. The English language doesn’t quite do the text justice. I’m far from a Hebrew scholar, but I know that Hebrew is a language built on images, so it’s difficult at times for our language to capture the full word picture of the author.

    The word translated meaningless, or vanity is the Hebrew הֶבֶל (hebel), pronounced HEH-bel. Hebel can certainly mean ‘meaningless’ or ‘vanity,’ but the word describes a fog or mist.

    You can’t quite grasp a fog or mist even when you are surrounded by it. The things of this world are promises written in fog and delivered in mist. They promise many things, but never quite deliver. The harder you chase them, the more difficult they become to grasp.

    When you grab a handful of fog, you have an empty hand. Your hand might be a little wet, but you can’t quite catch it.

    Solomon had it all by worldly standards: wisdom, wealth, power, fame, sex, and more. So much so that he’s still famous for that today. Yet, in the end, he understood that all of it meant nothing in the long run.

    Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

    All the possessions and accolades of the world won’t give you what you truly need. Only being made righteous with Christ and following Him will satisfy your deepest needs. We were created for that very purpose. Everything else is a shadow, a taste, or a mist.

    In the words of the refrain from a timeless hymn:

    Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
    Look full in His wonderful face,
    And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
    In the light of His glory and grace.

    Trust Him to deliver more than vanity and mist.

    Be blessed

    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, “Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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

    Here is the way to a meaningful life.

    The Gospel – the best news you will ever hear
  • Perseverance – A Christian Virtue

    Perseverance – A Christian Virtue

    Illustration from a children's book

    Some of you will know that I have been working on a children’s book  series, inspired by conversation and storytelling sessions with my grandchildren and their friends over the years. Since October or November 2024, when I wrote the first concept edition of “A Surprising Arrival” as a Christmas present for the grandchildren, I have been writing,  editing, rewriting, getting it professionally edited, and rewriting again. It’s an act of love, but it’s a journey.

    Yesterday, I took the terrifying step of submitting to a literary agent. Once I have an agent, they will handle finding a publisher. Very few publishing houses still accept non-agented submissions. Agent hunting will likely require many rejections as I try to connect with the one who is looking for exactly the right fit.

    So, why am I telling you this? There are two reasons. First, it fits with the theme of today’s Gleanings. The second is far more selfish: to ask you to visit the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551114373506 and follow it. The more followers, the more appealing to an agent. Thanks in advance.

    This writing has been a work of perseverance. With Gleanings, it’s write something in the morning and move on. When I was freelancing for newspapers and magazines, it was “do the assignment” and move on.

    This has been two years of working at it, often with extended periods of intensive activity and steep learning curves. Now, I’m just at step two, a step that will involve rejection. Then, assuming the agent finds me a publisher, I will have to rework things to their standards. There is no guarantee of success. Less than 1% of children’s books make it to publication (outside of self-publishing).

    In life, we often have to persevere, sometimes through trials and difficult times. Yet perseverance is highly regarded as a Christian virtue. Why? Because it changes us.

    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. James 1:2-4

    Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5

    His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Peter 1:3-8

    Hold fast, my dear friends. The Lord has His hand on you, and He will not waste your suffering.

    Be blessed

    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, “Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Because it changes us.

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

    Some thoughts on the Christian life

    # Right Belief Must Become Right Living
  • Issue 1882 – Frogs – January 8, 2026

    Issue 1882 – Frogs – January 8, 2026

    Frog Rock, New Hampshire

    Another version of this image popped up on my social media. It had  obviously been greatly enhanced, but I was intrigued enough to do some research. This is Frog Rock, located in New Boston, New Hampshire.

    From one angle, it does indeed resemble a large frog. The frog was once a popular tourist destination. I’ve never been there, but if I ever get to New Boston, I’ll be sure to check it out.

    It’s a 10-foot-tall glacial erratic (a boulder left behind in a random place by melting glaciers). Glacial erratics can be found in many places; a well-known one is the Big Rock found on the outskirts of Okotoks, Alberta. They can be huge. One source speaks of massive erratics, “one large glacial erratic in Germany measures 3 by 6 km (2 by 4 mi) and is 9 m (30 ft) thick. Near Cooking Lake, Alberta, one of several large glacial erratics, which is called the Cooking Lake (Number 6) megablock, covers an area of at least 10 km2 (4 sq. mi), has a length of 4.0 km (2.5 mi), and is about 10 m (33 ft) thick. 

    As I thought about how well the random stone in New Hampshire mimics a stone, I was reminded that not everything is as it appears, and not every promise is true. The rock is called a big frog and looks like one, but it is not and will never be a real frog.

    Mirages in the desert or on the highway promise water that isn’t there. Politicians make promises that, even if they genuinely hoped to deliver, will never be fulfilled. Friends, family, and even church members can let us down. All the trinkets and whiz-bang-gizmos we long for and buy never deliver the fulfillment we crave.

    The book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon, who regaled us with tales of how he had everything a person could ever want. Each task, triumph, and possession promised fulfillment, but none of them delivered.

    Ecclesiastes is a short book, an easy read, and often overlooked by many Christians. It’s probably best known for a repeated line, “Meaningless, everything is meaningless” (or “Vanity, everything is vanity”, in some translations). Yet, even that claim is untrue in a sense. Solomon recognizes at the end that there is something that has meaning, a purpose for our lives.

    The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13

    No matter what your circumstances tell you, or the lies you have believed, you have value and purpose.

    You were created in the very image of God and are loved enough that Jesus died for you while you were still a sinner. He is preparing a home for you in heaven.

    While we wait, we grow to be like Jesus and serve the Lord. It’s a noble quest that will deliver exactly as promised.

    Kevin

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

    __________________________________________ 

    Please like and share this with your friends and those in your circle of influence.

    Did you know that we have an email version? 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, “Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    #Frogs #rocks #frogrock #glacial #devotional #meaningoflife #Christian #biblestudy