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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue # 787 April 21, 2003 A Sobering Thought When Genni the wonder dog and I walked around the lake late yesterday afternoon, it was abuzz with activity. There are somewhere near seventy five pair of geese on the lake (that's a lot, it's not a very big lake), numerous pairs of ducks, more gulls than you can shake the proverbial stick at and more birds, on or near the lake. I think the number of people was close to the number of birds. Well, okay, that's a little exaggerated. Okay, it's a lot exaggerated. There were an awful lot of people out walking. The warm weather brought them out in droves. I don't usually see that many people until July. There were young children, seniors and every age group in between. There were families, young couples gazing at one another in starry infatuation and individuals walking their dogs. There were several ethnic groups represented. Part of my heart rejoiced to see them out enjoying the wonder that God had created for them. Part of my heart ached for them. You see, I don't know what it's like in other countries, but while a majority of Canadians would claim to believe in God, only a very small percentage have ever given themselves over to Christ. Even the bulk of people who would identify themselves as Christian are only "cultural" Christians, they have no heart knowledge of Jesus. Some estimates I have seen would put the number of true Christians at less than 20% of the population. If that number is true, and it would seem to match my experience, that means 8 out of 10 people walking yesterday have hell as their final destination. That's a pretty sobering thought. God doesn't "send" people to hell. That's the natural consequence of living in a fallen world. Instead He sent His son for us, but He ultimately respects our choice to accept Him or reject Him. Jesus is the only way. That's not my "narrow minded" thought. Those are Jesus' words on the subject. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NIV In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. " John 3:3 NIV "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14 NIV Believing "in God" isn't enough. Even the demons believe in God. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. James 2:19 NIV We must accept Christ and be born again to be His. If 80% of the people in our communities don't know Jesus, we have our work cut out for us. It's time to roll up the sleeves, pray for the salvation of souls, walk our talk and share the love of Jesus. The eternal destiny of huge numbers of people is at stake. Sitting on our self-focused backsides on a Sunday morning just won't cut it. Jesus came and gave His life that others might live. What will you give? Until next time, look around you and get an idea of how big the task is. Then rejoice that we don't have to do it alone. we can partner with other believers and are empowered by God to do the task. Be blessed. Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are His. But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 NIV Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You can simply begin the relationship by honestly and completely opening your heart, admitting you need God's help, and saying a prayer along the lines of: Jesus: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I have sinned. 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 for the first time let me know so I can rejoice with you. 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 questions, comments, thoughts, prayer concerns and praise reports email us 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 . You can write to us at Gleanings From The Word Ministries International 114 Oak St Sherwood Park, AB Canada T8A 0V8 © 2003 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin Gleanings From The Word Minististries International - All Rights Reserved
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