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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #939 October 21, 2003 Alarm Through the fog of my sleep filled brain and over the melodious tones of my snoring I heard it. A flight of fighter jets had been scrambled and were roaring down the runway at full throttle. At least that's what it sounded like. Eventually, reality soaked into my sleep addled brain and I realized it was simply the alarm clock going off. It seemed to take an eternity before I was conscious enough to shut it off. Most mornings I'm up well before the alarm goes off, but I've been battling a cold and I guess I overslept this morning. As painful as it seemed at the time, my rude awakening pales in the face of what the world faces. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 NIV When that heavenly trumpet calls, everyone on earth will hear it. People will know what it is, but I suspect it will take time as they process the truth through brains that have denied the truth for so long. It will be same stunned shock people felt as they watched the World Trade Center crumble before their eyes. They knew it was real but couldn't comprehend it was really happening. Jesus is coming back for His church. He's coming to rescue the redeemed and to judge the guilty. There won't be any hiding. There will be two responses to that trumpet call. Believers will cheer at His return. Non-believers will say: Then "`they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"' Luke 23:30 NIV What will your response be to the trumpet call from heaven? Will you rejoice? Or will you wish you had listened to the truth you rejected? Each of us faces a decision that we must make. Jesus...yes or no? Until next time, my prayer is that everyone who reads this will accept Christ if they have not already done so in order that we might all rejoice when the trumpet blows. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are not of this world. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world John 17:14 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 Jesus is coming back. If it doesn't happen in your life time, it simply means you've gone to face judgment already. None of us escapes standing in front of the judgment seat of God. All of us are guilty of something. The only hope of avoiding eternal punishment is to have Jesus by your side to say, yes he/she is guilty but I've already taken his/her punishment on. You don't need to be perfect or have it all together, reach out for Jesus today. He accepts us where we are at. Do it before its too late. 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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