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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #472 April 25, 2002 In Spite of Ourselves I was rereading an Old Testament passage that I have struggled with for a long time and I think the light finally dawned. Abraham, the great man of faith is afraid the king might kill him and takes his wife, so he lies about who she is. Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. Genesis 20:1-2 NIV Now to make a long story short, (but take a few moments today and read the story) God intervenes and convicts Abimelech of the situation and he confronts Abraham with the truth. Abraham confesses hid fear, and then comes the part of the story I never understood: Then Abimelech brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, "My land is before you; live wherever you like." To Sarah he said, "I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated." Genesis 20:14-16 NIV You see I could understand Abraham’s fear; we’ve all caved under pressure at one point or another. Yet after such a blatant lack of trust, such an obvious sin, God allows Abimelech to bless Abraham and Sarah. That confused me, it seemed like they were being rewarded for their sin. It finally dawned on me that I was missing the point. God’s blessing wasn’t because of their sin. God’s blessing was still for their overall faithfulness DESPITE their sin. God can use us and can bless us even if we go astray. We are called to walk a narrow path, and should always strive to do so, but He still cares even when we stray off that path. I realized this little bit of history is really a love letter from God. A reminder from a gentle parent that even though you messed up and may need to be disciplined, I still love you. Until next time, remember that He is faithful even when we are not. His blessing is because of His faithfulness not ours. Hallelu Yah. Kevin Have you been afraid to turn to a relationship with God or to enter back into fellowship with Him? There is no need to fear, He loves you and is faithful. Run to Him with open arms, He’s waiting. Email me and I’ll share some Bible verses that explain why a personal relationship with Jesus is so important and a prayer that will make it possible. Or simply begin the relationship by saying a prayer along the lines of: Dear God: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer let me know and I will direct you to some free non-denominational resources that will help you grow in that newfound relationship. Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? Your comments, your questions and your joys are shared with the prayer team, to keep me accountable as the head of the ministry and to encourage them as they see God at work in your life. As with prayer all these things are kept confidential within the Gleanings team. To share your prayer concerns and praise reports email us at corbin_writer@shaw.ca If you enjoy this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit http://hundred-acre-woods.com/magic-list/lists/ or email me at corbin_writer@shaw.ca Archived issues of Gleanings From The Word can be found on our web site http://gleanings.jesusanswers.com To share your thoughts on this issue of Gleanings, or to share prayer concerns email us at corbin_writer@shaw.ca or write us at Gleanings From The Word 114 Oak St Sherwood Park, AB Canada T8A 0V8
© 2002 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin Gleanings From The Word Ministries International All Rights Reserved
Email me and I’ll share some Bible verses that explain why a personal relationship with Jesus is so important and a prayer that will make it possible. Or simply begin the relationship by saying a prayer along the lines of: Dear God: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer let me know and I will direct you to some free non-denominational resources that will help you grow in that newfound relationship. Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? Your comments, your questions and your joys are shared with the prayer team, to keep me accountable as the head of the ministry and to encourage them as they see God at work in your life. As with prayer all these things are kept confidential within the Gleanings team. To share your prayer concerns and praise reports email us at corbin_writer@shaw.ca To share your thoughts on this issue of Gleanings, or to share prayer concerns email us at corbin_writer@hotmail.com. or write us at : Gleanings From The Word 114 Oak Street Sherwood Park, AB Canada, T8A 0V8 At Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential. If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page on our website
© 2002 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin All Rights Reserved SUBSCRIBE TO GLEANINGS FOR FREE
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