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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue 766 March 26, 2003 - Light in a world of darkness My sister works for the provincial government in the social services department. She also volunteers her time to work with prostitutes in helping get them off the streets. It's an area she tries to be a light in a world of darkness. She has shared some wonderful stories about people in tragic circumstances and also some real stories of those that don't manage to get out. I've led a pretty diverse life and have experienced a lot of things. Yet in many ways, it's been a blind existence. I've seen my share of prostitutes standing on corners, and I've seen my share of drug deals go down. I know of the violence that happens in that world everyday, but I've never been exposed to it first hand. I'm not blind to the existence of such things, but I don't know what it is like to live in that world. It seems to be a surreal reality. The prostitutes live in fear: fear of the competition, fear of the pimps, fear of overdosing, and fear of the next weird client. People of both genders and all ages, from the young child to the senior citizen, trading their bodies to get money, often to purchase drugs which mask the pain but which ironically force them back out into the pain. It's a world of darkness. Many people who aren't living in that world either condemn its inhabitants or close their eyes and pretend the problems don't exist. We don't like to think that it is only because of God's grace that we're not living that lifestyle. Fortunately, we serve a God who can reach in and deliver people from whatever dark place they live in. Rahab was a prostitute. She was an outcast in Jericho whose presence would have been acknowledged only if she made a nuisance of herself or the locals sought out her services. When the Israelite spies came to Jericho, she recognized the God they served and she helped them out. But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho--and she lives among the Israelites to this day. Joshua 6:25 NIV Gomer was a prostitute, but the Lord sent the prophet Hosea to deliver her. I don't know which of the two would have been the most shocked, Hosea because of the Lord's command or Gomer because of Hosea's offer. When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD." Hosea 1:2 NIV Even after she had her act "cleaned up", she stumbled and returned to her old ways. We can speculate on all the reasons why Gomer left Hosea and returned to her old ways, but the Bible doesn't give a reason. We do know that God wasn't content to leave her there. God didn't give up on her, He sent Hosea back in to fetch his fallen wife and to love her still. The prophet went to the city, bought back his wife and restored her again. The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes." So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you." Hosea 3:1-3 NIV You see He loves us no matter how far we've fallen. He loves us even when He's rescued us and we turn our backs on Him and rush right back into our old sinful ways. He sees past the labels and sin. He doesn't see prostitute, murderer, liar, cheat, hypocrite or any of the other labels. He sees one of the children He created and longs for them to be made right with Him. We're not all that different from Gomer. We clean up for a while then stumble back into the dirt. Yet, over and over again, He remains faithful to rescue us. If you've fallen back into old ways, all you have to do is simply cry out and He’ll be there to rescue you. Until next time rejoice in His faithfulness. Be blessed. Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are made clean. `For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:24-26 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 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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