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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue # 367 December 29, 2001 Apples and bushel baskets
As I bit into the crisp apple, some long forgotten memories flooded back to me. I wasn’t very old when we stopped at a roadside fruit stand. The stand smelled of wood shavings from the floor, and sweet ripe fruit. The vendor was an older man, dressed in an old pair of coveralls. To me he seemed at least as old as God. He had bushel baskets full of fruit for sale. I remember apples, cherries and watermelons. To my little eyes, the baskets looked huge, I don’t think I had ever seen that much fruit in one place before. I’m sure we bought some, but I have no remembrance of what. I remember the old man, the smell of the stand and the size of the bushel baskets most clearly. Remembering the bushel baskets brought to mind an old story I once heard. I don’t know if it’s true or even where I heard it, but there‘s a lot of truth in it. A Christian farmer and his hired hand had been picking fruit all day. They took a break and sat down by a creek that ran through the orchard and they talked about their faith. "I don’t need to read my Bible," said the hired hand. "I’ve heard enough of it to know about how it goes, and that’s good enough. Besides it gets boring to read the same stories over and over again." The old man smiled and tossed him a dirty bushel basket. "Fill this up from the creek." Thinking it was a strange request; the young man still did as he was told. Every time he filled the basket and lifted it out of the creek, it drained out. After a few tries, he gave up. "So, what’s different about the basket?" asked the farmer, "other than being wet." "Well, it’s cleaner I guess." "Just like reading your Bible everyday," said the farmer, "you may not notice it at the time, or even think you are learning anything new, but the more time you spend with God’s Word the cleaner you become, and the closer you get to Him." When was the last time you took some time and spent it savouring God’s Word? How sweet are your words to my taste sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Psalm 119:3-4 NIV Until next time, may you enjoy time with the Word. God bless. Kevin Did you know the Bible is really a love letter addressed to you? God wants to have a personal relationship with you and left His Word as a tool to help you find Him. If you don’t have that relationship, email me and I’ll share a few Bible verses that speak of why it is 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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