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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #917 September 25, 2003 Yellowlegs For all those who have been following the story of Isaac the one winged Canada goose, there's good news. He's now been captured and moved to Edmonton's Valley Zoo where he'll spend the rest of his life in comfort. Many people will have the opportunity to see him and he'll never have to worry about being lonely again. As Genni the wonder dog and I walked around the lake last night, we spent some time watching a lesser yellowlegs. Well, I watched it, Genni just flopped down and munched on some grass while the boss watched "some boring bird." The yellowlegs is a shorebird with long legs and a long bill ideally suited for hunting insects and other goodies along shorelines and mud flats. It's yellow legs make it one of the more easy shorebirds to identify. Normally I just call them all sandpipers, although in reality there are many different species. This yellowlegs was busy working the shoreline, feasting away, no doubt preparing for the long flight south. I enjoy watching them. Their long skinny legs and constant dipping action remind me of those glass nodding birds that were around years ago. I almost expect them to topple over when they dip. Watching the yellowlegs with its curious hunting ballet, a delightful ungainly form of gracefulness, I was reminded of the way young children learn to walk. They tip and topple; they dip and wobble; they fall down and get up again; eventually learning how to balance and walking with ever increasing confidence. At times they're a delight to watch, other times you fear for their safety and you know it's only a matter of time until they find themselves on their backside wondering what on earth happened. I'm sure God watches Christians with the same amusement. We learn to "walk" as Christians. Sometimes we do fine, other times in our enthusiasm we charge ahead into situations better left alone. We fall on our backsides now and then and wonder what on earth happened. As we gain more experience walking the faith walk, we gain more confidence and fall less often. Becoming a Christian then just sitting in a pew waiting for heaven isn't natural. That's like a baby who never tries to move. We need to grow in our faith, mature in our relationships with Christ and others and minister in His name. Sometimes when we're moving forward we fall on our backsides, that's okay, it's a normal part of learning. Jesus didn't give His life so we could simply sit on a church pew once a week and consider ourselves saved. He wants us to get off those diapered backsides and show the world His love. Our salvation is not dependant upon our works, but our love for Jesus and is transforming grace should propel us into doing good works. Most Christians know the verse I'm going to quote off by heart. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV They often forget the next verse. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 NIV Always direct and to the point, James writes: But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. James 2:18-19 NIV My friend the yellowlegs wouldn't survive the winter if he didn't put his God given gift for hunting the shorelines into practice. In the same way, we'll never be all Christ wants us to be until we get up and go forth in His name. We might wobble, and toddle and fall at first, but He goes with us and He delights in our obedience. Until next time, I pray you give those wobbly legs a workout and begin to walk the talk. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are sent. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21 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 your experience with the church has lead you to believe that its just about going and sitting in the church for an hour on Sunday and you don't want any part of that. I don't blame you, I don't want any part of that. A relationship with Jesus isn't about playing church. It's dynamic and life changing. It's about love, forgiveness, restoration, peace hope and joy. All those things can be yours once you accept Christ. Will you do that today? 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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