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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue 765 March 25, 2003 - Seasonal Crowds The warmer spring weather has brought droves of people out onto the path around the lake. During the cold, you would generally see three kinds of people, students hurrying to and from school, people walking their dogs and die hard runners. There are the "regulars" I see frequently and the seasonal crowd. When it was -40 I wouldn't see too many young couples out for a nice romantic stroll; even the number of runners would drop off to almost none. The only people who were out consistently were the students who had to go to school and the dog owners whose pets had needs to be attended to. I don't know what it's like in other countries, but we see a similar sort of thing happen in church attendance, only it happens in reverse. Come summer, the churches in Canada seem to be virtually empty. The "regulars" come steadily from September through April. By May the numbers are dropping rapidly until the months of June and July where only the hard core regulars show up most weeks. During the summer we are also blessed with visitors from out of town who would be considered hard core regulars at their own congregation, but attend elsewhere while away. I have been to many churches over the summer and they all have the same problem, so I'm certain that people by and large aren't out visiting other churches. It's as if Christ is Lord, when the weather isn't nice (or too cold) or when we are in need of help for some emergency. We take the summers off and forget about God for a while. I wonder what would happen if God decided to do the same. "I’m sorry, God will be away for July and August. Please leave a message on the prayer recorder and He'll get back to you come fall." "We're sorry but God has taken the weekend off to go to the cabin. Could you call back Monday?" "The number you have reached is not in service. Please try again in a couple of months." "God's off fishing. If it isn't too late, He'll tend to your financial needs and healing then." "Answer prayer? On a day like this? You must be joking! God's gone golfing, He got an early tee off time at a great course." Let's face it, the church community as a whole (myself included at times) is pretty fickle. We want enough God to get us through a crisis and enough God to get into heaven, but no more. The pews are full of people who don't understand that the relationship with God is the key part, it's the part designed for the here and now. There is so much more than forgiveness for the past and a gate pass for the future. He wants to spend time with us every day. Thank God that He is more faithful than we are. If we had to rely on a God who is only as faithful as His people, we'd be in a real mess; we'd have no real hope, no assurance whatsoever. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Deuteronomy 32:4 NIV I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God. Zechariah 8:8 NIV God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. 1 Corinthians 1:9 NIV God's at the top of the scale being faithful to you. How are you doing in return? Until next time, may you make the time to spend developing your relationship with the God who cared enough to send His son to die in your place. Be blessed. Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin We are in the process of enlarging our prayer team. If you think you might be interested drop us an email with the subject line "Prayer Team" and we'll send you more information. YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are like a well-watered garden. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11 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 kept from turning to God because you were afraid that He would be as unfaithful as the people in your life? He is fully faithful even when we're not. Today is the day to get right with Him. 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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