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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue # 860 July 15, 2003 A Mission From God. He was sitting outside the performing arts center looking quite dejected. I said hello as Genni the wonder dog and I walked by. That proved to be the ice breaker for a long conversation. He joined us for our walk around the lake and shared his fears, doubts and concerns about life in general and about his faith. We walked and talked one and a half times around the lake, then we sat near where we had met and talked some more. As I prepared to pray for him, he asked a simple but profound question, "Do you think God sent you jut to talk to me?" I had to stop and think for a moment. Then I replied, "I don't believe in coincidences, and I know God is in control of all things, so I suppose He did." That seemed to bring him a great deal of peace. It also got me thinking. What I said was true. I don't believe in coincidence. God is in control of all things. Therefore I believe that God had either sent me to talk to him or placed him there to talk to me (either way the result was the same.) That's amazing when you think about it. It's a blessing to be able to be used by God, but it's also an incredible humbling responsibility. I'm sure that God would have used someone else if I hadn't said hello to him, so the plans of heaven wouldn’t have suddenly fallen apart if I missed my cue, but it's still amazing to think about. I was reminded of a line from the movie "The Blues Brothers." I enjoy both the Blues Brothers and its sequel although they are far from Christian movies. There is a fundamental truth that runs through the original movie which is summed up in line that comes up repeatedly, "We're on a mission from God!" According to the story line, Jake and Elwood Blues were in fact on a mission from God. So are you and I. The God of all the universe and beyond has sent you and I on a mission. We're on a mission from God! So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NIV That's pretty profound stuff. Understanding all that it means should change the way you view every person you encounter, including yourself. You're on a mission from God. That should give you a humble sense of worth that overwhelms whatever anyone else thinks of you. God appointed you and I to tell others about Him. We've been made new and called to help reconcile people to Him. Don't ever be deceived into thinking you don't count. It also means that we need to look at others through God's eyes and see that every person has value. The young; the old; the wino; the junkie; the prostitute; the gangbanger; the cop; the rich; the famous; and everyone in between has value in the eyes of God. We're called to love them as He loves us. Until next time, may you get your head wrapped around the concept of being on a mission from God and being Christ's ambassador. Then may you go out and live your life accordingly. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are a new creation; you are Christ's ambassador and you are an agent of reconciliation. You are truly on a mission from God! Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 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.
The world had told you that you're useless, worthless, or in some way you have very little value. You've been demeaned and disrespected by fiends, loved ones, family or life in general. Don't believe any of it. No matter who you are, or what mistakes you have made, God crated you with a purpose in mind. To get on board with Him, all you need is a personal relationship with Jesus. Don't wait a moment longer, take the step to finding out how wonderful God has made you. Be reconciled to God. Be forgiven today, be given eternal life with Him today and start your own personal mission from God 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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