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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue 749 March 6, 2003 - Swan Dive Picture in your mind a man standing on the edge of a swimming pool about to dive. Standing beside him is his encouraging wife, instructing him on diving technique. The man has no idea has no idea what is about to happen to him. I enjoy swimming, but I'm not much on diving. As long as I can remember I was I enjoyed walking out into the water as the prefered way of starting to swim. Jumping out of planes didn't frighten me, jumping off a board or the side of a pool did. Years ago,when my wife and I were still very recently married we lived in an apartment building that had a pool. She helped me to work up my courage and enthusiasm and I was going to attempt diving into the pool from the side. We discussed and reviewed the technique several times. She demonstrated the dive repeatedly with ease. With trepedation, I got ready as she talked me into position. I worked up the nerve and lept forward. While I was in the air, Kathy made some encouraging remark and without thinking I tried to turn to tell her I didn't understand what she was saying. I hit the water in a twisted belly flop, mid word and thought I was going to drown. Kathy didn't know whether to be concerned about me or to laugh because she couldn't believe I would try to turn around and talk in mid dive. In the end, I think it was a combination of both. A perfect form swan dive it was not. That was the end of my short and less than illustrious career as a diver. Turning back was not a wise plan. God warns His people to remember things of their past, but not to turn back to the past and dwell in it. With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished." When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" Genesis 19:15-17 NIV Lot's wife couldn't resist turning back to her past and paid the price. Freedom and salvation were within her grasp, but she chose to not pay attention. By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah--from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities--and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:23-26 NIV The Apostle Paul writes: But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:7-14 NIV Once you accept Jesus as your saviour, you are a new creation in Christ. Refuse to be held back in your faith walk by not being drawn back into your old life or being held in bondage to past mistakes. Let the Lord help you forgive and let go of the past hurts and mistakes. Let Him free you of your bondage to bitterness and cynicism. There will be many people who will be delighted to remind you of who you were and of all your past mistakes. They will be sceptical of your conversion. Let them be, that's their issue not yours. Grow as the new creation God has made and let the past go. Until next time, press on in your faith walk and refuse to be held back by the past Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, God is continually with you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Psalm 72:23-24 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. Have you held back from God or rejected Him before He could reject you because of your past mistakes? He knows all about them and still loves you and wants to be reconciled to you. Don't live in the shadow of the past, step out into the bright light and hope of a present lived with God's hand in your life. If you want to know how that's possible simply email us and we'll send you some Bible verses that will explain it to you 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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