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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue # 407 February 7, 2002 Cavern Crawl The mouth of the cave was small and dark. I wasn’t looking forward to going in; I’m not a real fan of small dark places. Peer pressure kept me going; there was no way I was going to be the one to chicken out. My friend had been here before and he led the way. We crawled what felt like a hundred miles through the tunnel (I suspect it was really less than one hundred feet) and then the tunnel opened up into a larger passageway. This passageway went a few more feet then opened up into a huge cathedral like room. I couldn’t see much with my little flashlight (we couldn’t afford fancy headlights) but I knew it was a big place. My friend lit a lantern he had brought along and the room burst into the light. Huge columns of stalactites and stalagmites formed wonderful, eerie shapes. Quartz crystals embedded in the rock reflected the light back like brilliant diamonds. The sight was enough to take my breath away. Once the darkness had been pushed back, the hidden beauty within was revealed. The darkness can cover things over and make them hard to see, bit it must always retreat in the presence of light. Much of the beauty in many people is hidden because of their sin. The have learned to close themselves off from others, or the nature of their sin makes others turn away from them. Jesus was not put off by outward appearances. He didn’t care is someone smelt like they hadn’t bathed in a year. He didn’t care if they were a prostitute or a tax collector or a drunkard. He looked past the outward and into their hearts. When He did that, tax collectors became disciples and prostitutes bathed His feet with their tears. Their real nature began to shine through because of His love. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NIV Into what dark life are you called to shine your light? Until next time, may you look past the outward appearances of people and see them through the very eyes of Jesus. Hallelu Yah Kevin Are you in the dark places of life, unsure of where to go or what to do? Look to Jesus for the light. Email me and 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. He can see past the darkness of your life to the beauty within, even when you have been in the darkness so long that you can no longer see it. 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
© 2001 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin All Rights Reserved SUBSCRIBE TO GLEANINGS FOR FREE
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