Gleanings From The Word

Tag: Bible reading

  • God’s Incredible Promise to You

    God’s Incredible Promise to You

    Yesterday, I was sitting in my office at home watching the rain fall. At times it came down by the bucketful, and at others it was just a wet drizzle, something like walking through a cloud

    At one point, just for a few seconds, the sun peeked through the clouds, while the rain kept falling. The sunbeams caught the rain, giving the drops the appearance of millions of delicate diamonds or prisms suspended in the air. 

    I simply do not have words for the beauty of the moment, and it was just that “a moment”. Within a matter of two or three seconds at the most, the sunshine was gone, and the moment had passed. Had I not been looking out the window at that very moment, I would have missed it all.

    I thought about all those raindrops suspended in the light. I wondered how many drops were falling in the backyard alone, let alone the entire landscape around me. 

    I did a quick internet search and came up with a crude number. In the backyard, something in the order of 125,000 raindrops a second, assuming a moderate rainfall. Over the city of Abbotsford, that’s about 5.2 billion raindrops a second or 19 trillion an hour. I know those numbers are very rough, but they stagger my imagination.

    Trying to comprehend the number of raindrops got me thinking of God’s incredible promise to Abram (soon to be Abraham)

    After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6

    God’s incredible promis is promise beyond comprehension, yet a true promise, nonetheless. It was fulfilled (and continues to be fulfilled) in ways that Abram could never have comprehended. Every believer is a spiritual child of Abraham.

    What was Abram’s response to the promise? He believed, and God credited it to him as righteousness.

    God also makes promises beyond our comprehension to us. He promises forgiveness for our sins. He promises life everlasting. He promises that we shall be joint heirs with Christ. He promises to return.

    What should our response be to His promises? If Abram is any example, and I believe he is, we should believe. God never breaks a promise. Our whole future is predicated on one decision … do we believe and trust God’s incredible promises?

    Until next time, may you believe and may it be credited to you as righteousness. If you already believe, ponder the miracle of your salvation and praise god for His mercy.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    Our eternal inheritance in Jesus – an unbreakable promise
    What’s your anchor? Where are you rooted?
    The Gospel – the best news you will ever hear
    Read the Word. Read the Word. Read the Word.
  • Why (and how) to read your Bible – a Bible reading plan

    Why (and how) to read your Bible – a Bible reading plan

    Kings College University Library. Lots to read here, but don't forget to read the word.

    The university library was massive. Shelves of books on virtually every imaginable topic (and many that I have never conceived of) from every possible perspective on the issues. A person could read there for their entire lifetime and never put even a dent in the total number of books.

    Fortunately, I wasn’t interested in reading all the topics. Some areas held no interest whatsoever for me. Others, I don’t have the expertise to even begin to decipher or understand. For example, I’ve never been able to grasp the fundamental concepts behind simple differential/integral calculus, so any book on that topic, or any topic that uses that knowledge as a foundation, would be beyond me. 

    The foreign language section would be beyond my grasp. I took some French in high school and university, but to be generous, it’s rusty. I can make out the occasional phrase in Latin, German, and Spanish, but I would not say I can speak any of those languages. I can say I don’t “speak the language” in French, German,  Spanish, and several other languages.

    I headed towards the seminary section of the library, looking for the topics I was interested in researching. Again, there was a bewildering array of books. For example, there were hundreds of biographies on Jesus (and I know they only have a sampling) some of which start with the belief that the Bible is true (as do I) and others which believe that there is no truth in the Bible at all. 

    Theological perspectives from the extreme liberal to the middle of the road, and from the ultra-conservative to the wildly charismatic, and from the frozen chosen to the chosen were available to read on many topics. Heretics and orthodox authors occupied the same shelves.

    The topic of God, the claims of Jesus, and the path to salvation. These are some of, perhaps even the most vital issues of all. It’s no wonder that so many books have been written on these subjects.

    Some people look at all those books and think, “Why should I read the Bible?” If the “experts” can’t agree, why should I even try? Some denominations or congregations even try to maintain control by encouraging this point of view.

    The Bible is an incredible book. It contains truths so simple that a young child can understand them. It contains truths so vast that theologians have been arguing for thousands of years over the interpretations. If you are a believer, you have a built-in guide to help you understand the truth (Holy Spirit). 

    If you’re not a believer, no matter how much you read, you will never truly understand Scripture. Yet I know of many cases where people who weren’t believers, but had open, honest, searching hearts, asked God to reveal Himself to them when they read the Word, and He did.

    I have thousands of hours of Bible reading and study under my belt. I have thousands of hours of reading commentaries, dictionaries, and other Bible-related books. I still have only begun to tap into the wealth of knowledge the Bible contains. There is more wisdom and truth in the Bible than in all the books in the university library for the person who will earnestly seek it.

    I’ll never know it all, but with a little reading, anyone can sit down and learn through the Bible that Jesus loves them and will save them if they only ask. It will teach you what God is like and what He wants from us. It will teach you, rebuke you, correct you, and embrace you, if you will only open the covers and begin to read it.

    The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 

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

    Not sure where to begin reading your Bible? There are many plans available for daily Bible reading (we even have one on our website). Here’s one I recommend to people

    Read the Gospel of John through two or three times

    Read the four gospels through twice. By this point, you’ll have a good idea of who Jesus is.

    Read the New Testament through twice. You’ll have a good basic knowledge.

    Follow this by reading all of Scripture through from Genesis to Revelation.

    Repeat…Repeat… Repeat

    Reading twenty minutes a day will enable you to read through the whole Bible in a year. Reading a book a day will get you through cover to cover in 66 days.

    Don’t worry that you don’t understand it all at once. No one does. You will find, though, that every time you gain new wisdom and insights. The more time you spend in the Word, the more you will realize how important it is and the more you will want to do it. Don’t be discouraged, it’s often hard to make new habits. If you slip, just pick it up again and keep on going.

    Until next time, don’t be intimidated. Read the Bible. God had written a wonderful love letter to you within the pages of that book. He’s waiting for you to read it.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    Hard Words – The truth isn’t always easy to hear

    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.”

    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.

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

    You might also like

    The Good Shepherd and his sheep
    Read the Word. Read the Word. Read the Word.