NCarolinian

John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” View a video of the most lavish and expensive house on this planet with all the amenities you could fathom and that structure would probably equate to the outhouse of what Christ is preparing for His kids in Heaven. In this passage, the word "place" is used three times by Christ. The word that is used does not convey a floating, harp-in-hand, on a cloud, wings on your back, in an ethereal setting for eternity perspective of Heaven or a place in it. Verse 2 begins by speaking about an oikia (oy kee ah), the original Greek word for a proper residence, an abode, a home - the "Father's house...

When living a Christ-like life and trying to serve the Lord, brokenness is the posture that triggers your elevated usefulness by God  (Psalm 51:17) . The ultimate example of humility, brokenness and vulnerability is Christ. Philippians 2:6-11 speaks of the awesome incarnation of the Word of God that I believe humanity will never grasp the full sacrifice of - The Creator becoming His creation for its redemption.  Remaining humble before the Lord displays one's ultimate respect for His sovereignty and pays the believer with "riches and honor and life" (Proverbs 22:4) . In addition, wearing humility as a daily garment or mindset and attitude before others will acquire "favor" from God (1 Peter 5:5) . And we all need riches, honor, life and favor from God who is a generous giver. Another wonderful benefit of practicing humility in Christ is something Jesus said to Paul and all Christians through the ages - "'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is...

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray fo...

The authority of God on any matter has always been executed by God's Word. His spoken Word created the known universe. His inspired Word formed our written text, The Bible. His Rhema Word or words for the now-situations of life via the Holy Spirit are based from the written Word of God. All God has to do in any circumstance is speak. He does not have to lift an arm or finger. He does not have to swing a mighty sword. In fact, Revelation 19:15 says that His sword is His speech that proceeds from His mouth - "Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations." The Centurion of Matthew 8:5-13 that needed his servant healed knew this fact about Jesus. This commander of a hundred soldiers recognized Christ's supernatural authority, told Jesus that his home was not worthy of Christ's visit and called Jesus - Master/Lord. Authority recognized authority. Authority has power and responsibility that carry with it a weight behind it's purpos...

As a productive member of society, a person might perform as much research as possible, gain as much knowledge as possible and garnish as much experience in one's industry as possible before landing the dream career. As an athlete, one might practice and train the body and mind in such a way that when the moment for try-outs come or that big moment in the game arrives - the sportsman or sportswoman is ready to execute their move flawlessly. The Beforehand is crucial not only in these areas of a person's life but a Christian's life also. After a person surrenders their life to Christ, the daily challenge begins to continue being submitted to The Lord in all areas so that He will use them mightily in His plan to reach and love others. Those in Scripture that were deemed "blameless" meant that they were full of integrity. Noah (Gen. 6:9) and Job (Job 1:1) were two such men that held this distinction. What an awesome goal to apsire to even in this day and age. The ...