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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #444 March 16, 2002 An Unlikely Blend I’ve been doing a lot of reading about fasting, which lead me indirectly to reading about juicing and a short while ago the purchase of a juicer. This morning, as I gathered the fruits and vegetables for my breakfast drink, I pondered the oddball assortment of things I had pulled from the fridge. They weren’t the sorts of things that I would have picked as going together. I ran them all through the juicer and sat down with my drink. After taking a few sips, I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the juice was. The unlikely blend of apple, lemon, celery, pineapple and carrot had made a delicious and nutritious cocktail. Sort of like the way God intended His church to be. The most unlikely of people who would ordinarily never have anything in common are bonded into the representation of His kingdom on earth. Working together under His power, these unlikely groups of people can accomplish tremendous things for eternity. It’s not perfect by any means, after all it is full of people, but it is an incredible start. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12:3-8 NIV If you belong to the faith, but shun the "church" because of a bad experience, both you and the church are missing something. Until next time, may you put aside your preconceptions and marvel at the beauty that is the church of Jesus, warts and all. Hallelu Yah Kevin Have you decided that you want nothing to do with Christianity because of bad experiences with the "church" or Christians? Perhaps it’s time to look past the flaws to the benefits of a personal relationship with Christ. If so, Email me and I’ll share some Bible verses that explain why a personal relationship with Jesus is so important and a prayer that will make it possible. Or simply begin the relationship by saying a prayer along the lines of: Dear God: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. 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 let me know and I will direct you to some free non-denominational resources that will help you grow in that newfound relationship. 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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