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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #930 October 10, 2003 Redecorating We're in the process of moving our entire house around. We live in a five story condo (plus basement), it's a lot of stairs but I don't have to worry about doing much in the way of exterior maintenance which took up a lot of time when we lived in the house. My office has always occupied most of the basement. Kathy's office has been a corner of the living room. The problem is that we often pray, study and read together in the living room. That means there are usually walls of loose books and papers in the living room. We don't mind that, but when company comes there's always a mad dash to clean up the piles. We've come up with a solution. We've moved the living room to the main level (where the boys usually hang out) and moved their space to the basement. Kathy and I will both have our offices and library on the second floor and that way we won't have to move our piles around. When company comes we'll just visit in the new, smaller living room. Of course the house is a disaster as we've been moving things. We stuck in a holding pattern as we need more bookcases for the new "office." Over the years we've collected many but none of them match which hasn't been a problem being scattered throughout the house. We've found many bookcases that match, but they don't match either desk (which of course don't match each other). We can find desk and bookcase sets that look great but they're either the wrong colors or way outside our budget range. In the meantime we live with piles of books on the floor. It will all come together in time and there will be bookcase room to spare. That won't be a problem because I'm historically short of shelf space for my collection. Kathy seems to think it won't take me long to fill the spaces. Ideally, we could just snap a finger and all the work would be done, all the furniture would match and everything would be put away. Unfortunately we don't live in a fantasy world. When people become Christians, they often begin to rearrange their live to accommodate the changes. Their values change, their priorities change and their perspectives change. Sometimes that makes things messy for a while as they sort it all out. The end product is worth the trials of the transformation. The key is not to stop partway through the process. Many people accept Christ and stop there instead of getting to know Him more and allowing the transformation to continue. We're called to follow through on the process of becoming more Christ like. To persevere through the tough stuff. 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 Until next time, press on in your search to now Him better and be more like Him. The rewards far outweigh the costs. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are a wonderful work in progress. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3-6 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 are so precious to God that heaven will not be complete without you. HELP FOR THE HURTING Your life is a mess and going nowhere. Don't be content to stay that way. Jesus offers a way out one that leads to love, joy, peace, hope, forgiveness and eternal life. It won't always be easy, but it will be worth the effort. Make Him Lord of your life today. If you want to know how to do that 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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