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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue # 796 May 1, 2003 Time PRAYER REQUESTS Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? If you are in need of prayer, simply drop us a note. Issue # 796 May 1, 2003 Time It's the first of May in the year 2003. Wow, where does time go? It seems like only yesterday it was Christmas, only last week we were worried about the Y2K bug, a couple of months ago that I was getting married, and not long before that when the turn of the millennium seemed so far in the future I couldn't imagine it ever happening. In reality it's been more than four months, three years, 26 years and more than 30 years. Time is such a deceptive thing. Good times seem to go past in an instant; bad times seem to linger forever. The few seconds before my vehicle accidents in 1991 seemed to last minutes. I still recall many of the details as if they were freeze framed. Time is a strange commodity, we spend it, we invest it and we waste it. We want time to speed up for some things and slow down for others. The span between life and death seems for some a great span and for others a quick blur. Fortunately we serve a God who is outside of this whole time thing. Scripture tells us He was there before the beginning In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 NIV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. John 1:1-2 NIV "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8 He was not only there at the beginning of time, He will still be there when all of time has gone by. When the last grain of sand drops through the hourglass of time as we know it, when the universe folds in on itself and when everything we know has passed away, He will still be there and will still be God. In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you." Psalm 102:25-28 NIV There is great comfort in the fact that no matter what happens in the brief span of our lives on earth (even 120 years is a blink of the eye compared to eternity) the same God who was there at the beginning will be there for us at the end. For those who have accepted Christ, the suffering of this life will quickly fade into nothingness when we spend eternity with Father. Our greatest joys will seem like sorrows compared to eternity with Him. When all is said and done, our obsession with time will seem so silly because time will fade as surely as the sun rises in the morning. Until next time, praise God for the fact that He has prepared a place for you in heaven with Him. Thank Him that the worst of times will soon be behind us, and the best of time is yet to come. Be blessed. Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you have eternal life with Him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36 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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