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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #896 September 1, 2003 Quick Fix The lonely goose had company yesterday. ( If you missed that issue click here to find out what on earth I'm talking about) The lake was full of geese yesterday evening, as large flocks of neighborhood geese congregated on the lake for a visit. There were so many geese that I couldn't even find my one winged friend. It did my heart good to know that for a little while he wasn't lonely and had all the company he needed. I'm sure it was a blessing to him. It also broke my heart to know that it was only a quick fix. Before long the flocks will be gone again and he will be left alone on the lake with the ducks until they too decide to head south. Like my lonely friend, people often use quick fixes to hide from our problems. They give us temporary relief but in the long run do nothing to solve the underlying problem. The quick fix will eventually fail. The loneliness inside that comes from running from God or walking in sin is covered by ignoring His voice. People turn to drink; to drugs; to sex; to possessions; or a thousand other things to silence that still small voice of God. Maybe a good days shopping will help. Perhaps a new car will help. Surely things will get better as soon as I get a new job, a promotion, a divorce, married or whatever else seems to be appealing at the time. Those solutions can at best provide a temporary, inadequate substitute for waling in a loving, obedient, trusting relationship with Jesus Christ. He's not a quick fix. He's the ultimate solution. We were created to fellowship with Him and nothing else will ever fill that void. His love for us is so great that He came when we had no hope of ever filling that void on our own. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 NIV He waits for us patiently while we ignore Him, turn our back on Him and try everything but Him Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20 NIV How do you describe love like that? How do you repay love like that? You can't. But you can turn and run back into His arms and have the void filled forever. Until next time, may you set aside the quick fix and turn to the ultimate solution, Jesus. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are holy and blameless in His sight. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4 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 All the things you have tried to find peace, love, purpose and fullness have failed. Don' you think it's time you tuned to the real solution to your problems. He's waiting for you with open arms and I promise you He won't reject you. More important than my promise is His promise to not reject 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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