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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life
Issue# 345 December 7, 2001 Christmas Oranges
As long as I can remember, one of the sure signs of the approach of the Advent season has been the availability of Christmas oranges. Most people call them Mandarins or Japanese oranges, but we just called them Christmas oranges. We used to eat them as fast as we could get them. We never worried much about the subtleties of flavour; we just enjoyed the sweetness and gobbled them down. However, if you take a few moments and really pay attention, they are quite amazing. No two of them peel exactly alike. Even on a single orange you will find areas that peel easier than others. When you start to peel a Mandarin, you are immediately greeted with a sweet, delicious smell. The sections within the orange are differing sizes. Sometimes the different sections even have a slightly different taste from each other. The side of the orange that got the most sun is ever so slightly sweeter than the rest of the orange. The intricacies and subtleties of something as simple as a Christmas orange are really quite astounding when you think about it. The Lord put a great deal of care into designing even a simple fruit for our eating pleasure. How much more care went into people, whom He created in His own image? Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-17 NIV People are infinitely more valuable than oranges, yet how often do we treat others with disdain or even hatred? More often than I care to admit if I’m truly honest. We don’t have to agree with them and we don’t have to like them, but we do have to love them. Until next time, when you see a Christmas orange, take a moment and reflect on its beauty, then remember that all people are even more beautiful in His eyes and learn to treat them that way. God bless. Kevin Do you know the God who loves people enough to have sent His Son to die in their place? If not, email me. I’ll share a few Bible verses that explain why a relationship with Him is so important and a prayer that will make it possible. To share your thoughts on this issue of Gleanings, or to share prayer concerns email us at corbin_writer@hotmail.com. 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
© 2001 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin All Rights Reserved SUBSCRIBE TO GLEANINGS FOR FREE
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