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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #1,010 January 17, 2004 Fatherhood I'm blessed to be the father of two fine sons that I love very much and am very proud of. That's actually a triple blessing. Firstly because the doctors told us we could never have any children at all (but God knew better), then a blessing for each son. Being a father hasn't always been easy. Neither my sons nor I are perfect, but we've learned and grown together. Fatherhood is both an immediate thing and a process. I became a father as soon as my sons were born (arguably as soon as they were conceived). From that moment I would be a father for all eternity. Nothing could change that fact. Since that moment I've grown to understand fatherhood at a much deeper level. I would like to think that I've become a much better father over the past twenty-two years than I was at the moment of birth. I pray that as each year comes along, I will be a better father yet. The same sort of thing applies when we become Christians. The moment we accept Christ, our sins are forgiven and we're made holy (we're sanctified) through His blood. When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:11-14 NIV Being made holy (sanctification) doesn't end there. Like fatherhood, it is also a journey. We're made holy but we also undergo a process of being made holy. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16 NIV We won't ever be perfect in this life. We'll all stumble and fall at times. Yet, we can be confident that God sees us as holy because of the sacrifice of Jesus. We can get up when we fall and through Holy Spirit's power strive towards holiness again. Until next time, may the holiness of your life reflect the holiness of our loving Lord. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin OUR GOD IS Our God is holy. Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy. Psalm 99:9 NIV YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus as Saviour you are holy and blameless in the eyes of God. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will Ephesians 1:4-5 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 You know the things you've thought and done and you know that holy isn't a word that God would apply to you (or me without Jesus). Let's be honest though, isn't there a part of you that longs to be pure, sin free and holy? It might be buried deep, but it's there in your heart somewhere. It doesn't have to be just a wish. God can make you pure and holy in His sight. For your part, you're simply called to recognize that you've sinned and fallen short of being who He wants you to be and then turn to Him as the only source of help. Don't wait another moment. You can be made holy and begin the journey towards holiness 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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