GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #933 October 14, 2003 A Persistent Spider  The campsite fire pit hadn't been used in a while. At least that's what the spider web said.The intricate web covered the entire top of the fire pit, and I'm certain it was the result of many hours of patient labor. I shooed the spider away and began to stack wood for the fire. The spider came back. I shooed him away again.  I lit the fire. The spider came back and began to crawl down into the pit. A sudden burst of flame was the last thing the spider ever knew. We're not much different than the spider. We diligently build the intricate web of our lives. That web can be swept away at any time by circumstances outside our control. We dance above the flames in our sin and God shoo's us away. We come back again and again.  Sometimes God's wrath descends on us as He gives us over to our sinful ways.  The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:18-31 NIV It's a dangerous thing to be under the wrath of God. The longer we stay there the more damage can be done. The longer we stay there the less likely we are to hear God calling us into His forgiving and loving arms. Yet for some, they must hit bottom before they will call out to Him. They must destroy the very fabric of the webbing that holds their world together. Relationships crumble, self respect is destroyed, normal life becomes impossible. Loneliness, bitterness, anger, addictions, crime and sorrow may follow as they plummet ever faster in the cycle of self destruction. It's painful to watch, especially if the person is someone we care about. For those of us watching, we must never give up on them. We need to pray diligently. There is always hope of rescue. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. Jude 1:22-23 NIV We can't save someone who insists on dancing on the spider's web above the flames of destruction, but we serve an Almighty God who can. He doesn't give up on them even when they're under His wrath. The nation of Israel fell frequently under the wrath of God for their disobedience, but there was always a remnant of people praying. Every time the people repented and tuned back to Him, God showed them mercy. Until next time, rejoice in the awesome faithfulness of a God who loves us enough to let us face the consequences of our own actions, and still waits for us with love and forgiveness. Be blessed  Hallelu Yah (Praise God)!  Kevin   YOU ARE  Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are set free and given eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23 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  You've been dancing on the web of sin too long. You know it can't hold together forever. It gets weaker all the time and you can feel the heat of the flames. It's not to late, cry out to God for His mercy today.. He's waiting for you    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 SUBSCRIBE TO GLEANINGS  BACK ISSUES