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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #1,008 January 15, 2004 Revealed I confess to having a weakness for the beauty of stained glass. I don't happen to think it's the wisest way for a church to invest money in the kingdom, but that's another matter altogether. There is something about the sun shining through stained glass, or through thin slabs of semi-precious stones that just seems to warm my heart. I find stained glass a little boring if the sun isn't shining through it, but once it's lit it gains a beauty all its own. I've spent many a moment watching the sun dance across the work of a glass or lapidary artist. Looking through stained glass at clouds, then seeing the sun break through is a special moment. The colors and images gain a new vibrancy. Suddenly, you can sense all the passion and delight of the artist. The subtleties of the colors, the delicacy of the lead work, the very heart of the image becomes revealed. It's the same with a set of wind chimes my parents gave me a few years ago at Christmas. They're made from thin slabs of lightly coloured agate. No two slabs are the same and their beauty really becomes apparent when the sun shines through them. Even something as simple as the mason jars of marbles on my bookcase take on a new beauty when the sun lights them up. The colors leap out and the shape of the marbles reflects the sun in marvellous ways. I think these things are an ideal metaphor for Christians. When the "Son" isn't shining through, our beauty isn't revealed. We have potential, but other than perhaps superficially we're not all that great. When the love of Jesus shines through us, people get a taste of all that He created us to be. We mirror His love and it attracts people to Him. He created us with a special purpose and when we allow Him to work, we become things of beauty in His eyes. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7 NIV His love and mercy is revealed when we let His love shine through us. The most magnificent stained glass pales compared to the beauty that is revealed then. Until next time, may the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ be revealed in and through your life. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin OUR GOD IS Our God is the source of strength. The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Psalm 28:8 NIV YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus as Saviour you a living stone in a spiritual house. As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him -- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ 1 Peter 2:4-5 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 are so precious to God that heaven will not be complete without you. HELP FOR THE HURTING Perhaps you don't think your life is a thing of beauty. You know the pain of rejection, disappointment and failure. I'm certain that the pieces being used for stained glass would feel the same way if they had feelings, but when the whole picture is revealed they have become marvellous things. It's the same in your life. He has a wonderful plan that He's waiting to reveal. You have the potential of internal beauty greater than anything you can imagine. You can know peace; joy; love; hope; comfort; forgiveness and more when you let Jesus take charge. Will you let Him do that for you today? 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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