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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #938 October 20, 2003 Reflections On The Great Oak As Genni the wonder dog and I went for our stroll last night, the sky was deep midnight blue. You know the shade, it's almost black, but not quite. In fact it wasn't long before the sky faded into blackness. As we started, there was just enough light to still cast reflections on the lake. As we passed the northeast corner of the lake, I was surprised by the reflection of a huge oak tree in full leaf. I was surprised for two reasons. Firstly most of the trees here have already lost their leaves in preparation for winter. Secondly there aren't any oaks on the island. The few oaks that are around tend to be small and planted on someone's lawn. They don't seem to like our weather much. I looked closer and realized that it wasn't an oak tree at all. It was the reflection of a passing cloud giving the impression of an oak tree reflecting off the water. The experience got my mind going in the direction of oak trees. I remembered the clichés, "From tiny acorns, huge oak trees grow" and "The acorn doesn't fall far from the oak." The oak is a useful tree. It's shade is a delight. It's hard wood versatile and its acorns provide food for man and animal alike. The oak tree appears often in Scripture, sometimes as an actual tree and other times as a metaphor. It is a place associated with pagan worship and worship of the Lord. We see oaks of righteousness in the coming of Messiah. The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV
What wonderful good news this is: Those transformed by the coming of Christ and their acceptance of Him stand as mighty oaks in the garden of God, proclaiming His majesty and goodness. Until next time, rejoice in the coming of the Lord and His promises of freedom and healing. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE
Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are a mighty oak in the garden of God's splendor. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:3b 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 Are you one of the hurting? One of those in bondage to your sin or your past? One of the broken hearted or mourning? Jesus can set you free if you ask Him into your life. 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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