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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #911 September 18, 2003 Rude Awakening
I wasn't sleeping well last night, probably because Kathy is in Toronto for her dad's funeral. Early in the morning I had a rude awakening as I heard the scream of an ambulance siren cut through the night like the very pits of hell had opened and you could hear the anguish of those suffering. We live close to one of the fire halls in our community, so the sound of sirens is nothing new. I'm so used to them that I've by and large tuned them out. For the person waiting for the ambulance or en route to the hospital, it probably was a very reassuring sound. For me it was anything but. This morning in my study, I was lead to the second epistle to the Corinthians. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV In place of that resounding gong or clanging cymbal I could hear the scream of the siren. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only the rude sound of a screaming siren in the night. Do we have the love that accompanies our faith walk? It's a major evidence of being born again. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35 NV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 NIV Until next time, I pray that the love of Jesus flows through you and washes over all those around. Instead of being a siren screaming in the night, may you be a blessing to all you encounter. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are inseparable from His love For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 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
Perhaps you've been turned off of God by the lack of love shown you by some "Christians". Don't judge Jesus by His followers, we're an imperfect lot at best. Judge Jesus for who He is and what He can do. Get right with Him today and experience His love, peace, joy and forgiveness for yourself. 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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