Gleanings From The Word

Tag: Bible reading

  • Where is God on Rainy Days

    Where is God on Rainy Days

    Hilside waterfall obscured by sheets of rain, Abbotsfor BC - atmospheric river

    Yesterday, Kathy and I went for a country drive in the rain. I’ve been stuck at home the past two weeks fighting a nasty bug and was going stir-crazy. The “atmospheric river” plaguing us and causing localized flooding didn’t improve my disposition. I did manage to sneak out for a few minutes on Saturday to vote, but other than that, I have been housebound.

    I needed out before cabin fever set in, so rain or no rain, we took a drive. We saw a few eagles and plenty of little waterfalls. This photo looks a little grainy and unclear, but that’s because the rain was coming down in wind-blown sheets, obscuring our view.

    I was grateful to get out for a few hours despite the weather.

    Can I let you in on a secret? Life can be like the weather; some days, it’s great, and others, it’s downright oppressive and miserable.

    Some so-called Bible teachers will tell you that if you have enough faith, you can get everything you ever wanted from God, and everything will be perfect. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing and deceivers.

    God is more interested in our holiness than in our temporal earthly happiness. His goal is to make us more like Jesus through or despite the circumstances surrounding us.

    Even Jesus, fully God and fully man, and sinless in every way, experienced the hard side of life. He was rejected, mocked, hated, rebuked, tortured and killed. Why should we expect any different?

    Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

    Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 ESV

    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 ESV

    In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7 ESV

    When the clouds roll in, don’t despair. Jesus still has your back. Tough times are part and parcel of the fallen human condition. 

    Whatever we face has a purpose, and Jesus will shine in our lives through it. He will never leave or forsake us, no matter the weather.

    Until next time, rejoice in His faithfulness.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Showers of Mercy and Grace
  • Did You Know? – This might change how you do Bible reading

    Did You Know? – This might change how you do Bible reading

    The letter "J" in gold topped with a golden crown

    This morning, I want to discuss a bit of trivia that might impact the way you read your Bible. Did you know that the letter “J” is a medieval European invention? It was originally an alternative form of the letter “I” and was quite interchangeable for a long time.

    That is why names like Jens Jensen are often pronounced Yens Yensen. I know that Jens or Yens is undoubtedly not a biblical character, but it seems to serve as a good illustration of the point.

    So, what does this trivia have to do with the Bible? It means that since “j” had not even been invented in Bible times, every place you see the letter “J” in the Bible, you can count on it being the anglicized version of the word and replacing an “I” or a “Y.”

    For example, the city of Jerusalem is actually Yerushalayim.  Judah is actually Y’hudah. Jesus is Yeshua. Jehovah is YHWH, and the Jewish people did not put vowels in his name for fear of mispronouncing it. We might see it as Yahweh.

    Sometimes, we see crosses in church with the letters INRI above them. This is Latin and reads “Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm”. Latin uses “I” rather than “J” and “v” rather than “u”. The English translation is Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

    The change from “I” or “Y” to “J” does not create a big problem because they are simply forms that we are used to seeing.

    Did you know that most (if not all) of the proper names we see in the Bible differ from their biblical forms. One substantial change is found in the name James. James is a thoroughly English name, and some sources claim that the change from the Hebrew name was to honor the English king of that name, who was sponsoring the Bible translation. 

    So, what was the actual name of the half-brother of Jesus who wrote the earliest book of the New Testament? He was Ya’akov, a name translated elsewhere in the Bible as Jacob.

    While we have changed the spellings of Bible names and place names, the underlying truth of the Bible remains unchanged. Since we are talking about changed names, I arbitrarily decided to work from the book of Ya’akov (James) this morning.

    Who was this Ya’akov, this James? The most prevalent theory amongst conservative scholars and the testimony of much of the early church is that he was the half-brother of Jesus, along with Jude (Y’hudah), author of the New Testament letter that bears His name. 

    He doubted that Jesus was the Messiah but became convinced when the resurrected Lord appeared to Him. He went on to become a pillar of the church in Jerusalem until his death in 62AD.

    James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. James 1:1

    Many translations do not quite do justice to the opening of this verse. It is better rendered as “James, a “bondservant” …” 

    The Greek word doulos or bondservant means one who voluntarily placed themselves in the service of another. James has willingly committed himself into the service of “God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

    The use of the phrase “of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” is often overlooked in a causal reading of James, but it is quite a powerful statement. James was not just a follower of his half-brother Jesus. 

    He brings God and the Lord Jesus Christ onto the same level. James’ brother is more than a mere man; he is the “Lord Jesus Christ,” the promised Messiah. James makes it clear that Jesus is the Messiah, and the Messiah is God.

    His words affirm Jesus’ divinity. That is pretty powerful stuff for the opening sentence of a letter.

    From our vantage point 2,000 years later, with all of Scripture and the Holy Spirit to guide us, we know this to be true. James was making this bold and public claim within 15 years of the death of His brother. Transformed from disbelief to bondservant, James understood who Jesus was and proclaimed Him boldly.

    Until next time, may you be as bold as James.

    Praise His name and trust in 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.

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    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.” All rights reserved.

    All scripture from ESV (Engkish Standard Version)

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

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    Some thoughts on Bible reading

    Read the Word. Read the Word. Read the Word.