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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life NEWS FLASH OUR SOUTH AFRICA MINISTRY TRIP IS A GO!! For a look at where we will be going and what we will be doing there click here. Issue #1,068 March 26, 2004 A New House We had been out running some errands and were running late. We decided to grab some takeout chicken for supper. There we saw a scene which made me wish I carried a camera. The restaurant has a drainpipe about three inches in diameter that comes down through the wall. Nothing unusual about that, in fact I didn't even notice it until Kathy pointed it out. The unusual part was the occupant of the drain pipe. Looking out of the pipe, proudly surveying the world from the safety of his new home was a gopher. Undoubtedly, the pipe seemed perfect as a new home. It was solidly constructed, raised slightly off the ground so he had a good view and best of all, it was pre-made. Come the very first rain, the gopher is in for a rude surprise as he gets flooded out. He'll soon be out looking for a more conventional home. The drainage pipe offered more than it will be capable of delivering. That's the way our world works. Many things compete for our attention. Some of them are even good things, but they all have one thing in common ... they offer more than they can deliver. You see those things competing for our attention cater to our flesh. The problem with that is that we're more than just flesh. We're more than just flesh that has a spirit. You see we're actually spirit beings that have a physical body. When we die, our physical bodies pass away, but our spirits carry on either to eternal glory or eternal damnation. We'll get new glorified bodies in heaven when the time comes. God created the physical body of Adam and then breathed life and spirit into Him. The body will die but the spirit lives on. That doesn't mean our physical bodies are "bad". That's a falsehood that was taught by many sects and cults over the years. It just means our physical bodies are only vessels for something more important. God created our physical being as well as our spiritual being and both serve their purpose. I simply mean that one is eternal and the other temporal. But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 NIV Nothing that is designed to appease our flesh will ever fully satisfy because our flesh is only temporary. Are things that will never deliver what they promise taking over your life? Like our gopher have you been blinded by apparent ease that will cost more in the end and never give what you need? Until the next time may your priorities in life be the things that bring eternal satisfaction and reward, not the empty and temporary things of the world. Hallelu Yah (Praise God) Be blessed Kevin 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. HELP FOR THE HURTING Perhaps you have begun to realize that the things you've tried don't bring any form of permanent satisfaction or pain relief. Booze and drugs don't do it. Sex doesn't do it. Material wealth and things can't cut it. Fame, power and prestige fizzle out. People let us down. Success is an empty shell. So where can you turn to get those needs met and those wounds healed? Where can you find fulfillment for yourself and maximize your potential? Only one place. Only a personal relationship with the Living God will meet the needs of the spirit. That relationship is available to all who will humble themselves and earnestly seek it. Will you ask Him into your life today? It won't always be easy. It doesn't guarantee material wealth, magical health or a life of comfort. It does something far better. It satisfies the need of the spirit. You can simply begin the relationship by honestly and completely opening your heart; admitting you need God's help; turning away from your sin and saying a prayer along the lines of the one below. There isn't any "magic" in the prayer, it's simply a way to open up to the gift that Jesus already bought for you with His very life. You can't earn it. You don't deserve it. He freely offers it to all who will accept it: 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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