Blog

High above the ravine

Yesterday, Kathy and I strolled along Stoney Creek in Bateman Park. At one point on the trail, a bridge was washed out several years ago during a flood. That bridge has been repaired, and we wanted to see it.

Before yesterday, we always turned back when we came to the washed-out bridge. It was still possible to cross it, but since it was technically closed, we didn’t.

Yesterday, we crossed and got further up the trail than on any previous trip. The path goes up a steep hill at one point in the walk. I took this picture of Kathy at the top of the rise.

My photo doesn’t do the spot justice. The tree she sits on hangs over a ravine, but you can’t see the 100+ foot drop under Kathy’s feet.

Sometimes, the hand of God is like that vertical drop. Our circumstances hide it.

When things go wrong, we often wonder where God is. When things go well, we often forget Him. The Lord hasn’t left us; He is still orchestrating things for good.

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good,for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

He never leaves us.

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”Matthew 28:18-20

No matter what we face, The Lord is in control of it. Everything we go through has a purpose.

If it’s the earthly consequences of your sin, know He has not forgotten you. If it is God’s discipline, rejoice.

Perhaps God is using your situation to prepare you for greater things, test you, or strengthen your faith. Faith that is never tested is nothing more than wishful hope.

It’s to draw someone else to Him as they watch you endure the time of testing. The possibilities are limitless.

We can face whatever comes with confidence. God doesn’t ever tell us that the Christian faith walk will be easy and painless. It’s going to hurt at times.

Hold fast, whatever comes, and give God the glory. He is there and at work even when He seems hidden to us.

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.

__________________________________________ 

Please share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

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

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin.

All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

There will be no Gleanings on Monday.

A group of old farmers and retirees sat around the table at the local restaurant in their usual chairs. They were solving all the problems of the world as older men often do. And some of us not-so-old types, too!

I sat with them next to two fellows I knew well. Let’s call them Ned and Ed. The conversation got past politics, and that took a while. 

Ned and Ed pontificated about the latest agricultural developments and lamented agribusiness’s rise over farming. Being true farmers, they also complained about the price of gas and the weather. 

As the morning wore on, the subject drifted to religion and faith.

Old Ned said to Ed, “If there is a God, why isn’t He doing more about the poverty, suffering, and injustice in the world? Surely He could easily do more than He seems to be doing now.”

Ed replied, “You know Ned, that’s an excellent question, but I’m afraid that one of these days, God will ask me the same thing.”

If we are honest, that comment should cause us to say “ouch” at least a little.

What do we do about all the suffering, poverty, and injustice? Those are huge problems, and we are unlikely to solve them all, but we can make a difference. How should we live as Christians?

We need to walk in keeping with the Royal Law.

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. James 2:8

Complaining about the winter weather, injustice, and poverty will not make it go away, nor will waiting for “the government” to fix it.

We cannot solve all the world’s problems, but if we committed to loving our neighbor as ourselves, we could make a difference one person at a time. Loving your neighbor is a huge step toward eliminating those problems.

One moment at a time and one step at a time. Let’s love others as Christ loves us.

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.

__________________________________________ 

Please share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

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 

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin.

All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

If you are a regular Gleanings reader, you know that I love to watch and enjoy nature. The created order is a place where I can often see God’s hand and be reminded of the truth of Scripture.

I’ve been blessed to see most of Africa’s big game animals and North American mammals in their natural environments. I’ve been thrilled to watch fox kits playing in their dens, wolverines hunting, families of lynx, and white tail fawns hidden from danger. 

Yet, I also enjoy the more mundane critters like a garter snake soaking up the sun, a heron fishing, a squirrel trying to raid my bird feeders, or bunnies “hiding” under a tree.

Knowing that it wouldn’t surprise you to see me watching a flock of common, everyday, ordinary Canada geese. I watched as a large flock of Canadian geese sat on the hillside in the sun.

Surrounded by the adults were what appeared to be all the goslings I had seen on the lake so far. The goslings were all together and being protected by the flock. They looked to me like a flock of little yellow lambs.

Without the parents’ presence, the goslings would have been easy pickings for any predator in the area. When I got too close, one of the geese sounded the alarm, and they promptly herded the little ones closer to the water’s edge for safety.

Watching them helped me see the metaphor of Christ being the shepherd more clearly. Without His guiding presence, we are like those goslings without the guarding parents. We could flock together, but it still provides little protection.

Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:10-11

The Lord will lead you and guide you in the face of the perils of this world. He holds you secure in His hands.

Until next time, may you feel the gentle presence of the loving Shepherd and know the peace in being under His care.

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.

__________________________________________ 

Please share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

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 

___________________________________________ 

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

Canada geese were everywhere, and the flock was huge.  One lonely exception was visible among the hundreds of Canadas. It was a white-fronted goose. That lone goose had opted to travel with a flock of different species and seemed entirely accepted by them.

In a similar way, no matter where we travel in the world, no matter how great the outward appearances, we can find a fellowship of Christians to worship with and celebrate with. We might look different, our languages might be different, and our form of worship very different, but we all have true fellowship with the Holy Spirit in common.

The presence of the Holy Spirit can enable us to worship together even if we don’t speak the same language. Many years ago, I was blessed to worship with an underground church in a country that had outlawed Christianity. We had some common ground because of an interpreter. Our group sang praise songs in English, and the small church sang other songs in their local dialect. We did not understand their words, nor they ours, but we still managed to worship together.

A similar thing happened in South Africa in the summer of 2004. We listened to a group of Zulu people worshipping and singing in their own language. We did not understand then, but the presence of the Spirit connected us.

Christ made each of us different, and we can celebrate those differences. Yet, when we become His, we can still connect in a supernatural way. The true body of believers is the true church. God’s Word has given us some pretty clear instructions about living holy lives and about how we should interact with others in the body.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:5-17

We are called to be peacemakers in the body. That does not mean we are called to fellowship with churches that teach another gospel (and there are many of those), although we must love the people in those churches and share the truth with them.

It means we must tear down the walls between reformed, evangelical, charismatic, and other churches of various denominations (and non-denominational groups). Most of our differences are on non-essential things.

We are one church seeking to serve one God and bring His good news to a hurting world. We can best accomplish this when we celebrate our differences and work together.

Until next time, may you be a peacemaker and a bridge builder in the kingdom of Christ.

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.

__________________________________________ 

Please share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

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 

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin.

All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

I was standing in the kitchen with a dilemma. The spaghetti I wanted to make for supper was a foot long, but my pot was only eight inches wide. There are two ways to get the spaghetti in the pot. I can break it in two, or I can put one end in boiling water and allow it to soften and slowly bend.

It isn’t a big problem; I have done both in the past, but as I prepare the meal, it strikes me that there is a spiritual parallel here.

Just as I had only one pot to work with, there is only one path to heaven.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:6-7

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

There are only a limited number of ways that we can fit through that gate. The circumstances of life must break us, and in our brokenness, we turn to Christ. That is how I came to know the Lord. Sometimes, life’s circumstances heat and soften us, and we yield to Him.

Either way, we will fit in the pot.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

Interestingly, when spaghetti is manufactured, it does not start hard. It is pretty soft and must be dried and hardened. People are the same way. Although we are born with a sin nature in a fallen world, children are softer and find it easier to seek and accept Jesus than adults do. 

As we age, we grow harder, more cynical, and less trusting. It is much harder for an adult to accept Jesus than a child. It takes much more boiling and breaking for us to humble ourselves.

According to Religioustolerance.org, the website of Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, there is a definite correlation between age and accepting Christ. 

They cite a Barna study, which shows that the vast majority of those who are saved experience the conversion during childhood — before the age of 14. 

A person who is unsaved at 14 only has a 10% chance of being “saved” later in life. The survey also showed that about 40% of all American adults consider themselves to have been saved during their lifetime, which agrees with previous surveys.

Age 5-13 32% Accept Christ

Age 14-18 4% ” “

over 19 6% ” “

Life hardens. Only the Holy Spirit can soften those hard hearts.

Until next time, may your heart be as soft as cooked spaghetti.

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.

__________________________________________ 

Please share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

Did you know that we have an email version? It has the same great content but in a different format.

here isSubscribe today: https://mailchi.mp/f27bbeb09c22/gleanings-1 

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin.

All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

The pin oak is a tree common in the US that we do  not have in most of Canada. I find it fascinating because it often does not lose its leaves in the autumn. Instead, they fall off once the new growth starts in the spring, which pushes the old leaves off.

I see a remarkable parallel between the pin oak and the Christian faith walk.

We are new creations once we come to Jesus.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.   2 Corinthians 5:18-19

As new believers we are left with the old dead leaves of our sin and our past hanging on us. As we continue to draw closer to God and grow in maturity as Christians, He reveals the things that need changing, and with new growth in those areas, He pushes the old dead leaves off.

The problem is that, as Christians, we often want to do God’s work for Him. We start trying to pull the old dead stuff off under our own power instead of allowing Him to work.

We forget that He has a master plan. He knows the order in which He has decided for us to grow. Sometimes, parts of our lives must be transformed/healed /corrected before we can grow in other areas. 

We get frustrated when we try to circumvent God’s plan by picking what we want to change. Our efforts often fail because new growth is not ready to push the old away in that area yet.

Sometimes, God pushes large clumps of our dead leaves off at once, and sometimes, it is a leaf here and a leaf there. We need to learn to trust what He is doing in our lives.

Our part is to draw close to Him. We need to start walking in obedience to what He has shown us, to praise, pray, and study His truth. Then, we get out of the way and let Him work on our lives. When the time is right, He will show us what and how to change the things that He has prepared for us.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

No two-pin oaks ever lose their leaves in precisely the same way. Why would we think that any two Christians would be transformed in precisely the same manner? He has created each of us individually, has a personalized plan for our lives, and draws each of us from a different place.

Instead of comparing ourselves to others and plucking our leaves like theirs, we should trust God and let Him work in us according to His perfect plan.

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

Oak trees do not mature overnight. It takes many seasons for a sapling to become a mighty oak. God is transforming you into an oak of righteousness, and that takes time.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn: to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3

Until next time, rejoice in your uniqueness and let God work.

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.

__________________________________________ 

Please share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

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 

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin.

All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Less than 24 hours ago, the seasonal clock turned over a  notch, and autumn began. It’s an annual event, followed in three months by winter and another in three by spring.

The leaves are turning, and the temperatures have dropped. The days are ever so much shorter. It’s a natural part of the created order. Time passes, and the seasons come and go.

In less than two months, I will be turning 68. That’s older than I could have comprehended when I was a child. At five or ten, twenty or even thirty years of age, 68 is multiple times the entirety of your life span.

At 67, I’m not going to double my age. No one knows the number of days God has ordained for us except God himself. Still, it’s a safe bet that I’ve passed my halfway mark and am approaching my best-before date.

I’m okay with that. Someone recently asked if I would like to be 18 again. I didn’t even have to think about it before answering no. I would be OK with having the energy I had at 18 or not having as many body parts past their warranty, but I wouldn’t want to do it again.

When I told my friends that, they said, “But you could avoid all the mistakes you made. Just think of that.”

For a moment, that was tempting because, like anyone else, I have made my share (or more) of dumb mistakes and bad decisions. Some were painful for me and my loved ones, and I regret them.

Still, going back would only leave room for me to make different mistakes, so no thanks. Through it all, God has protected me and blessed me despite my tendency to be impetuous and rebellious.

In the words of Frank Sinatra, “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.” One of my biggest was doing things my way, not God’s way, but He has been patient and merciful.

It still astounds me that Jesus knew of all my stumbles, mistakes, and outright rebellion and still chose to come to redeem me.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:6-11

That’s love on a level that I cannot fully comprehend. It’s a love I hope to extend to others, at least to a degree (and often fail at).

As flawed as I still am, I am thankful that the LORD remains at work in me. I am grateful that the Father sees me as I will one day be.

Time marches on, just as it should. There are many things I cannot do or do more slowly than I once did. God almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, planned for the time of my birth and my circumstances. Who could ask for anything more?

Thank you, Lord, for everything you have done, are doing, and will do in my life.

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.

__________________________________________ 

Please share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

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 

___________________________________________ 

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

“You don’t really believe that stuff,” he laughingly said to  me. “Who in their right mind would believe that a man could be swallowed by a whale and live?”

“I do believe it with all my heart,” I replied. “All of it except that it was possibly a fish, not a whale.”

“Hah! I got you,” he snorted. The Bible contradicts itself on this. My Bible says fish in the Old Testament and whale in Matthew 12. It cannot be both.”

“You are right that some translations say whale in Matthew, but that is an English translation error, not a contradiction. Most translations show “big fish” or “great fish”.  The Greek translated here actually means sea monster or sea creature. 

Technically, it is not even an error; rather, it is confusion generated by modern systems of taxonomy (classification). When the King James Version was translated (1611), the modern classifications showing whales as mammals, not fish, were not yet invented. A whale was considered to be a form of fish. It was a logical use of the word.

A variety of possibilities have been offered as candidates for the “great fish.” The whale shark, the largest known fish, can reach 18 meters in length and weigh 10 tons. The sperm whale is another. Both have been known to be found in the Mediterranean. When I was in South Africa, I saw Humpback whales that certainly looked big enough. They reach 45 feet in length and weigh up to 65 tons. 

Now, I do not know enough about fish or whale physiology to know whether these candidates are valid possibilities. Frankly, we do not know what kind of “fish” it was.

Similarly, it does not really matter whether it was a fish, whale, or some form of “sea monster” or “sea creature.” We are talking about a supernatural occurrence in which Jonah was indeed swallowed by something huge that swam in the ocean. It is an actual, literal historical occurrence with supernatural intervention. 

God created all that existed with a word. He could easily have created a sea creature for just such a purpose, although there are a variety of fish and whales large enough to have done so.

It is particularly appropriate that a whale/fish/sea creature would swallow Jonah. He was sent to Nineveh to minister to people who worshipped a fish god, Dagon. His appearance after escaping the mighty fish would have trumped their god hand down.

There is no question that the event was a miracle. The Jonah account contains six direct instances of God’s intervention, some of which involved the divinely directed use of natural phenomena. 

These were:

But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Jonah 1:4

And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. Jonah 1:17

Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. Jonah 2:10

But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. Jonah 4:7

When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah 4:8

Some would even say that the repentance of the people of Nineveh constitutes a miracle. I agree that it is a wondrous example of what God’s grace can do, but I would not count it a miracle per se. 

I recommend that you read all of Jonah. It is a short book, only four chapters long, and there is much to ponder in it. 

It provides great insight into the times in the New Testament when Jesus tells the people that they will see the sign of Jonah. Jesus accepted the account as truth. The God of all truth would not use a lie or a myth to show His divinity.

Just as Jonah spent three days in the belly of the whale and was then seen alive, Jesus spent three days in death and was then seen alive.

Our God truly is a God of the miraculous. The biggest miracle is that He cares enough about us to offer us salvation purchased by His blood.

Until next time, may you marvel at the miracle of Christ.

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.

__________________________________________ 

Please share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

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 

___________________________________________ 

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

I was searching my photos recently and came across this one I don’t even remember taking. If I didn’t take it, and I got it from you, let me know so I can give you appropriate credit.

It’s the Gray Partridge (a.k.a. Hungarian Partridge, “Huns,” or English Partridge). The gray partridge is the partridge of Christmas carol fame, as in a “partridge in a pear tree.”

These birds were introduced to North America from Europe in 1790 and have thrived in many areas. They have adapted so well that they are hunted as game birds.

Introduced species can be a boon or a disaster. The prolific English or house sparrow has displaced many species and often become a nuisance.

I recently read about a South American moth that eats cacti. It was brought to Australia to eliminate the prickly pear, which, growing from a single plant, spread to over 50 million acres in 150 years. 

The moth did its job and brought the prickly pear in Australia under control. This same moth has now been found in Mexico where it is threatening the livelihood of farmers who grow a species of popular edible cactus.

The ancient emperors of Rome had no problem with Christians being introduced into their communities at first. That changed when their numbers began to increase, and the revolutionary, countercultural way of life that Jesus commanded us to live became perceived as a threat to Rome’s authority. 

The freedom found by many was a threat to some. Many persecutions followed.

In the same way, the Pharisees and Sadducees tolerated Jesus until his following grew to the point where they felt threatened. The freedom people found in Christ was seen to be a threat to the power structure of the Jewish church. They executed Jesus and many more, including Stephen and James.

Those who find Christ are set free from the bondage of their sin. Their lives are transformed in ways that defy description. They no longer accept the status quo of the world or buy as readily into its lies. 

That makes Christians seem like a threat to others. In our so-called “tolerant” society, you are free to share any religion, but bring up the name of Christ and watch how quickly the barriers go up.

We should not be surprised by this fact. Jesus warned us it would be this way.

Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. Matthew 10:1-23

He tells us to expect persecution and to count it a blessing.

Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. Luke 6:22-23

None of us enjoys being rejected by family and friends because of our faith, the snide little digs, or being dropped from the social circle of friends. 

None of us enjoys the one-dimensional caricatures of Christians portrayed by the media. Yet these things are minor compared to the persecution that many still face for their faith and what may yet befall us, our children or grandchildren.

When the persecution comes … hold fast. The eternal rewards outweigh the temporary pain.

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.

__________________________________________ 

Please share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

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 

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin.

All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

I stopped alongside an abandoned farmhouse to stretch  my legs. I had been driving for too many hours and needed a break.

The farm was still in use, with a fancy new home just a quarter mile up the road. This spot had become the place where all the junk was accumulated. A few old granaries and outbuildings stood there looking neglected and forlorn.

There were piles and bins of old tires. There were assorted scraps of lumber and piles of rusted-out old vehicles and equipment. Perhaps someday some of it might be used as parts, but I think, by and large, it was simpler to pile it up here than haul it to the dump.

Sometimes, life leaves us feeling like that old corner of the farm. We feel abused, neglected, and left out in the weather to slowly decay. Our friends seem to have abandoned us, and we wonder if we will ever serve any useful function again.

I have heard people of every age group, from young teens to the over-90 crowd, speak of feeling that way sometimes. It is a feeling that transcends racial and social barriers. Rich people and poor alike can fall victim to the scrap heap blues.

When the world has left us feeling rusted out when people have left us disappointed, and when circumstances relegate us to the junk pile, where can we turn?

There is only one place. We must turn to the Lord. Our heavenly Father is a master of taking bits of old junk and making wondrous creations out of them. In Him, we can flourish and be all He created us to be. He never abandons His children.

For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. Psalm 27:10

Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law,to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; Psalm 94:12-14

He has not abandoned you. He has not left you in a field to rust away. He is still close by, walking with you every step of the way. There may be times when we feel abandoned, but His Word promises that we will never be.

Until next time, rejoice that He loves us enough to always be close.

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.

__________________________________________ 

Please share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment.

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 ___________________________________________ 

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