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This morning’s view looks straight down from the suspension bridge at Cascade Falls. The main falls are behind me and not visible in this image.

You might notice three (or more) large black areas on the pool’s rim in the rock formation. You can also see some black areas inside the pool itself. These spots are where a different rock is embedded in the surrounding stone. 

This is a common feature along the creek. The black rock varies in size from place to place. In some areas, it is no larger than a couple of inches in diameter, while in others, it is far larger than a human.

 I’m not sure, but I believe the black stones are a form of basalt. The formations are certainly volcanic in origin. If you do know what these rocks are, please let me know.

You might never particularly notice this phenomenon, or if you do see it, not give it any further thought.

When I saw it, I thought of the church. The body of Christ comprises people of differing cultures and languages, and we have diverse theologies and practices. In some ways, there might be more things that potentially divide us than draw us together.

It isn’t an accident. That’s Christ’s desire for his church.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10

There is a common conception in some circles that Christianity is a “white man’s” religion. I have even heard it called a white supremacist faith.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus was Asian in his ancestry (while Israel is in some ways at a crossroads between Africa, Asia, and Europe, it is an Asian country). While the European nations have significantly influenced the faith, it grew in Africa even more quickly.

Many of the early church Fathers were African. Until the time of the Muslims’ takeover, some of the earliest centers of Christianity were in cities like Hippo, Carthage, and Constantinople.

There is only one race of people: the human race. We all stem from the same couple created in Eden. Despite our differences in color and culture, all are welcome at the foot of the cross.

All people have sinned and are under the penalty of death. The sacrifice of Jesus can redeem all people. 

There is only one body of Christ, united by one faith and one Holy Spirit. Despite whatever differences we might have, we are united with every true believer in the world and from all areas of time.

The Lord created us all and calls us all. A truly loving God could do nothing less.

Praise His name for the beautiful diversity in the body.

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.

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Our backyard has been home to flocks of migrating birds  for the past few days. There have been grackles, blackbirds, starlings, and a flock of flickers. I confess to enjoying the phrase “flock of flickers”; it just seems to roll off the tongue and be fun to say.

Words fascinate me. I often research the etymology of a word or phrase (its linguistic history … or, more simply, origins). For example, people frequently use the word disgruntled, which implies a state of being gruntled. 

If disgruntled is unhappy or discontent, it would make sense that to be gruntled is to be content or happy. Sure enough, although the word is archaic and seldom used today. That’s precisely what it means.

Here’s what one site says about the origins of gruntled and disgruntled. “1938, in gruntled “pleased, satisfied,” a back-formation from disgruntled. The original verb (early 15c.) meant “to utter a little or low grunt,” hence “to murmur, complain” (1560s), but was rare or dialectal by 18c.”

Words are not only fascinating; they matter. A common source of conflict is people using the same words but understanding the terms differently.

For example, the LDS church uses the words God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but their understanding is radically different from that of the Christian faith.

The Roman Catholic tradition will say its followers are saved by grace, but their understanding of that term differs significantly from the Protestant traditions.

There was a time in Canada when the bulk of the country had some understanding of biblical terminology and Christian terms. That’s no longer true; we can no longer assume our neighbor knows anything about our faith or the Bible.

To say someone is “washed in the blood” sounds bizarre to the average non-Christian. They may have no idea what’s in the Bible or why they should care.

To reach our neighbors, we must be able to articulate what we believe and why we believe it in non-Christian words. That can be surprisingly hard, particularly for people who are well-churched and familiar with the lingo, acronyms, and buzzwords.

It can be humbling to meet people where they are at. In the process, we may find that we aren’t sure how to speak non-Christian or articulate why we believe what we do.

It isn’t enough to simply read the Bible. We must understand it and be able to translate it out of Christianese.

Reading the Bible is a start. It’s background information every Christian needs to know. We need to follow the example of the Bereans.

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Acts 17:10-11

Here’s an interesting exercise. Pick something that you believe about being a Christian. Ask yourself, “What is that found in the Bible?” and “Why do I believe it?”

Now ask yourself, “How would I explain it to someone who knows nothing about the faith?”

Here’s a simple example: Do you believe Jesus died for your sins? Why? What does it matter to a non-believer who knows nothing of sin? How would you tell them about sin? Where would you find that in the Bible?

That sort of exercise will have two benefits. Firstly, you will know what you believe and why. Secondly, it prepares you to share the truth with others.

We need to take the gospel to a lost and hurting world. Part of that is done by the way we live our lives. Part of it is through the words we share. Let’s use our words wisely.

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.

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Late last night, I was reading the book of Jeremiah. The Lord has given Jeremiah the task of proclaiming judgment upon the nations of Israel and Judah (by this time, the twelve tribes have long been separated into two nations).

The two tribes will go into exile and captivity in Babylon. Only one of the tribes, Judah, will return. I’m glad I am not the prophet bringing that news.

There is hope for some. God promises that their captivity will be for a limited period, 70 years, far less time than they were in Egypt.

This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, making the land an everlasting waste.  Jeremiah 25:11-12

I pondered the extent of God’s justifiable wrath. He will not tolerate sin. Yet, there is also mercy, for He would allow some of His people to return.

I wondered if the people who went into captivity counted off the years or if they forgot the promise and went about their daily lives. I can’t see any place in Scripture that tells us that.

How would I respond if put into a similar situation? Would I have a repentant heart, or would it harden against God? Would I eagerly count the days and years, or would it seem so far into the future that I would forget? Would I tell my children about God’s promises, and would they listen if I did?

Seventy years is three or four generations down the line. Many would never return to their homeland. Many would grow up knowing little of their homeland other than some far-off place grandma and grandpa carried on about.

It’s hard for us to comprehend because God works on a different scale of time than we do.  It isn’t without reason that Scripture says that 1,000 years is like a day to the Lord.

Thinking of time and timelines got me thinking of the hearts of many Christians. They have become totally end-times-focused, looking at every day’s events to see where we are on the checklist of the day Jesus will return.

I understand the desire for the promised return of Jesus. I know we have lived in the last days since Christ was resurrected and ascended into heaven.

A finite amount of time is left to evangelize and for our loved ones to come to faith. Yet, God is sovereign; I know that whenever the last trumpet sounds, it will not be before God’s work here is done.

Honestly, no one knows whether the church will go pre-, post, or mid-tribulation. Good and godly people have debated that for centuries. However the timing works out, it won’t be doomsday for Christians. Times will be hard, but God’s perfect plan is unfolding, and we have victory in Jesus, come what may.

I don’t know when Jesus will return. Jesus tells us that only the Father knows that.

If we truly trust the Father and understand we can’t predict the date, there is a lot of freedom in not stressing about those things. In the not knowing, we live each day as if He could appear at any time (to the best of our abilities with His help) and leave the rest in his hands.

He may return tomorrow, next week, or seventy years, or two thousand years from now. That shouldn’t be our primary focus. There is no harm in trying to figure it all out, but for many, it becomes an obsession that eclipses their view of Christ and His work.

Jesus has already told us He is coming back, and the timing will be a surprise, so that should be sufficient.

Until next time, live every day for Christ and rejoice in knowing that it will happen when God’s timing is perfect.

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.

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

This abandoned old church is in the near-ghost town of Dorothy, Alberta. I say near ghost town because about ten people live in this badlands hamlet southeast of Brooks. At least there were, many years ago when we drove through.

There are two church buildings there, both long out of service. I don’t recall which denomination this building was; it is possibly the United Church.

It always saddens me when I see a former church building sitting derelict. I understand when a town dies and there is no longer a population to serve, a church can sit empty. Sadly, many churches sit disused where there is still a population to serve.

I understand that the church is the body of believers, not the building they meet in. Still, when I speak of the church this morning, I talk about the gathered body, typically in a building.

I recall a coffee shop conversation with a man who claimed to be a Christian. He was pretty proud of his lack of church attendance.

He told me, “I don’t need to go to church. I know Jesus, and that’s all that matters.” He continued, “The churches around here just aren’t right for me.”

Ultimately, knowing Jesus is what matters. Yet, we are to attend worship with other believers. For those in isolated areas or where it’s unsafe to worship, that might not be an option, but there is no excuse for most 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 even uttered 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/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.

I know more than that pastor and team of elders.

They don’t use my favorite translation of the Bible. It is the only authentic translation.

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

Every single congregation that exists will have some flaws. It is filled with flawed people like you and me.

Why attend worship?

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

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

God designed the church as an organism for that purpose. We are all tied together.

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it so that there should be no division in the body but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 1 Corinthians 12:14-26

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 suffers when parts don’t show up to do their bit.

Can 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 miss out big time? Absolutely.

Until next time, quit making excuses. If you are not already going, it is time to actively participate in a local congregation.

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.

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

This morning, my inboxes had videos of the continuing recovery efforts post-hurricane in the Carolinas and the recent minor flooding in our local area.

The flood waters reminded me of the presence of evil in the world today. It seems to be rising and threatening to flood over. A quick look at the world around us shows an increasing denial of the truth of Scripture with an increase in every kind of sin. It seems to wash over and threaten to carry everyone away.

On the other hand, I was also reminded of the power of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit comes, He pushes other things aside and does so with far more power than evil can withstand. 

We often think of life as a battle between those two forces… the power of evil versus the power of God. Certainly, life has those elements, but we tend to think of them as a battle of equals. Nothing could be further than the truth.

Evil, sin, the devil, and the grave are already defeated.  Nothing, no power in all of creation, equals the power of God. Even when evil runs high and with great power, when it threatens to overwhelm everything in its path, its power is minuscule compared to God.

God’s power holds His people safe in His hands.

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 

Death and the grave are defeated.

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?” 1 Corinthians 15:54-55

Satan is defeated

For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Romans 16:19-20

The final home of all believers is a place where nothing and no one evil can come in.

And saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.  By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 21:22-27

When you watch the news, the media seems to show evil triumphing hold fast. Hold fast when you get bad news about a friend or a loved one. When the world seems to be against you, hold fast.

No matter how high the river of evil threatens to rise, how far up the banks it creeps, or what the forecast seems to predict, we can hold fast in the arms of Jesus. Nothing can separate us from Him, and God Himself has guaranteed victory.

When I think of that, I remember a rhyme I heard years ago. I don’t know where it is from,

Safe in His hands

Secure in His love

When life gets hard

Just look above.

Until next time, even if you are neck deep in the rising waters, remember that God has proclaimed victory, and the river of the Spirit trumps the river of evil every time. 

Rejoice in God no matter what the world throws at you.

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.

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

I write a lot of words. According to my last report from Grammarly, they have checked 23,685,835 of my words since April 25, 2021. Wow, 23 million words.

That is much higher than the number of words I have actually written, because every time I pull a document up to edit it, all the words are counted again. However, even if it’s out by a factor of five, it’s still nearly 5 million new words in 3 ½ years, or more than a million words a year.

One of the challenges of writing a daily devotional column fresh every morning is simply that … it is fresh every morning. When I sit down in front of the computer, what am I going to write?

The list of potential topics is seemingly endless, yet at the same time, what can I possibly write that would be a blessing to others?

In the initial go round of Gleanings there were about 4500 issues. Some were profound. On the other hand, if I could read them all now, I have no doubt that some would be embarrassingly bad.

I started writing Gleanings to have the daily discipline of writing something every day to improve my writing skills. I never expected the impact it would have.

This time, I restarted Gleanings because we were to be locked down for two weeks due to COVID-19. I was certain I could come up with enough to fill two weeks.

It is a privilege and incredible arrogance to think that I can put my thoughts into someone else’s world and expect that they might be read. Some Gleanings are better than others. Some that I struggle with get great feedback and seem to impact others profoundly. Others seem to me to be interesting, but they just seem to fall flat.

I must trust that God is at work despite my feeble efforts. His Word is where the power resides, not in my efforts.

If you find Gleanings to be helpful, that’s great. If you are reading Gleanings instead of spending your own personal time in the Bible, stop and spend that time in God’s word instead. 

It seems counterintuitive for a writer to say don’t read what I write, but I’m at best a flawed commentator and His Word is entirely trustworthy and Spirit filled.

 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16-17

Some say that Scripture is simply the work of men. That’s erroneous thinking which cannot explain the life transformational power of the Word. Certainly, God used people to write it, but they were under the divine influence of the Holy Spirit.

No other work has withstood so many efforts to destroy or devalue it. The truth of the work strikes fear and loathing in the hearts of non-believers and speaks life into the hearts of the believer. 

The word was given to us to teach us, to inspire us, to provide us with a revelation of who God is and His plan. It covers a wide variety of literary genres and a vast span of history. It speaks of events that would come and have done so. It speaks of events yet to unfold.

The Scriptures are the best commentary on the Scriptures. The more I know the Word, the more amazed I am at how often the Scripture clearly interprets itself.

I’m far from the first to observe that it is simple enough for a child to understand and profound enough to keep us engaged for eternity.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I have read it cover to cover or the times I have read a given book or passage of Scripture repeatedly. I have read it entirely in at least a half dozen translations and portions in more than two dozen translations. 

Yet, almost every time I sit down to read it, I learn something and am drawn closer to the presence of God. Even on the days when it seems dull or dry and I don’t seem to get anything in particular out of reading the Word, it sustains me.

When I was pastoring “the cowboy church,” I was known for at least two things. The first is what the Edmonton Journal called my “trademark bellow” of “Hallelu Yah, Yee Haw.” The second, and far more important, was my constant admonition to “read the Word, read the Word, read the Word.”

My words might provide a brief insight or a moment of pleasure, but God’s Word will transform your life.

So this morning, let me encourage you with a simple word of instruction … whatever you choose to read, first, “read the Word, read the Word, read the Word.”

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.

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

This morning, I want to talk about the Great  Revelation. No, not the book at the end of the Bible, although that is part of it.

I’ve been reading Ezekiel lately. Ezekiel can be a challenging read in places because it is so full of such obscure imagery in the front end, and towards the close is an extensive section on building the temple. Yet, it is always a worthwhile read. There is a consistent theme throughout the book that I knew was there, but it had slipped my mind in some ways.

We serve a revelatory and relational God. That is we serve a God who makes Himself known to us in order that we might know Him in a personal way.

God reveals Himself to us in the created order. In Romans 1, we are told there is no excuse for not knowing God because He reveals Himself to us in nature.

God reveals Himself through all of the Scriptures. He reveals Himself to us through the working of the Holy Spirit. He reveals Himself through prophecy. He reveals Himself through the incarnation of Jesus. Through Christ, we see the Father.

God is not content to be the man hiding behind the curtain. He wants His people to see Him, to know Him, and to be in a relationship with Him forever.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God reveals Himself to the spiritually adulterous and rebellious nation of Israel and the surrounding nations through an extended set of prophetic warnings of what will happen to them.

He warns of His wrath and judgment. He speaks of His holiness and mercy. We can learn a lot about the character of God through Ezekiel’s words.

God tells the people why He will act and about Himself for a very specific reason … that they will know He is God. I lost count of the number of times the phrase “Then they will know that I am the Lord”or its equivalent appears in Ezekiel. It wouldn’t surprise me if it appeared more than 50 times.

We see God’s love and mercy when He promises to return His people to their land.

Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. Ezekiel 39:28

We see His great wrath promised against Philistia and other nations.

“I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.” Ezekiel 25:17

We see His holiness

So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Ezekiel 38:23

I could list many more examples, but those should be sufficient to illustrate the concept. God wants to be known; He makes Himself known in many ways.

God’s revelation of Himself is an act of great mercy. After we fell into sin and died spiritually, He could have chosen to turn His back on us in our rebellion. He chose to reveal Himself and to provide an opportunity for forgiveness and restoration.

Without His revelation, we would not know of Christ and have no hope of redemption. We would be lost, separated from God, forever.

Praise His name because He desires to make Himself known and for us to be in a relationship with Him. 

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.

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Many times, I have been blessed to see murmurations  of blackbirds. The blackbirds flock up in uncountable numbers and seem to fill the skies when they take to the air. Their acrobatics are breathtaking.

Other times, I have stood watching flocks of geese fly northwards using one of their great flyways. Standing on the shores of Beaverhill Lake in Alberta, my friends and I watched the skies fill from horizon to horizon with flocks of geese, and it carried on that way for many hours. Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions of geese? I have no idea, but way more than we could ever count.

Birds aren’t the only things that come in seemingly uncountable numbers. Once, vast herds of buffalo (bison) covered the prairies. Knock over a giant anthill and try to count the ants that pour out.

It happens in religious circles as well. There seem to be more ways claiming to be the path to God than I can count. There are more so-called gods than we can imagine.

There are major religions that are monotheistic, polytheistic, and pantheistic, and it can quickly get overwhelming. One source said that the Hindu faith alone has nearly 30 million deities.

The three monotheistic religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, each claim to have one god and to be the exclusive path.

All these claims cannot be valid. Many opt to combine snippets of various faiths into their unique form of spirituality. They typically subscribe to it with some form of faith, but it is ultimately empty.

As much as we’d like to believe it, sincerity of faith isn’t the measure of truth. You can be sincerely wrong about many things. You don’t have true hope if your faith isn’t in the right god.

Christianity makes exclusive claims which can’t be ignored. Jesus said…

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” 

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:1-14

Jesus claims to both be God and the only path to God. Jesus’ claims are bold, exclusive claims that cannot be ignored. They cannot be made to fit into any other system of religion.

If they are true, then every other system is false and leads to condemnation. If they are false, then we don’t have to pay any attention to Him.

The proof of His claims comes in fulfilled prophecy, historical evidence of His death and resurrection, and in the transformed lives of His followers.

Don’t succumb to the temptation to make your faith in Jesus and/or something else. The Christian faith is Jesus. Our salvation is grounded in repentant faith in His grace alone.

There are many things beyond the number, but there is only one true Jesus. Make sure you are grounded in the truth.

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.

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Let me tell you some things about myself and my family  that you may not know. I am a Canadian by birth and by citizenship. I am also a Canadian by choice because if I so chose, I could emigrate to another country to call home.

I have lived in six of the ten provinces … Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and most recently, British Columbia.

I have seen many countries, and this is one of the most beautiful (admittedly, I might be biased.) No, strike that; this is the most beautiful.

My family has lived here since long before Canada was even in existence. My distant ancestors were known to live in Newfoundland as early as 1605. Later, family members settled in parts of Nova Scotia in the 1800’s.

Both my wife Kathy and I served in our military, as did many members of the generations that preceded us. In fact, my great-great (plus more) grandfather came to Nova Scotia to settle it on a land grant for his military service.

My family’s history and this land are intertwined. I am proud of my country despite knowing she has many problems.

Having said all that, I am just passing through. My ultimate citizenship is on a new earth with the triune God as king.

My future home will be more beautiful than anything I could ever imagine, her beauty exceeding anything I have seen yet. 

My future home will be a place of ultimate peace and contentment.

My future home will be removed from the practice of sin, the penalty of sin, and even the very presence of sin. Each of its inhabitants will be everything that God created them to be, each unique but perfect in their way. The glasses of sin that have marred everything I have ever known or experienced will be removed, and I will see clearly for the first time.

How do I know this? I belong to Jesus, and I am secure in Him.

 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

My destiny is not based on my performance, although God does call me to strive towards holiness. My destiny is secure in Him. The Holy Spirit seals my ticket.

 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:13

I am just passing through this life, destined for a better one. In the words of the old song, “I’m just a poor wayfaring stranger.”    

What will my new world be like? Here’s a taste of what it will be like straight from the word of God.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 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 22:1-5

I love the place I call home now, but I look forward to my eternal dwelling. Looking forward to seeing you there. 

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.

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.