NCarolinian

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  I want you to appreciate this verse now and in the future when it is quoted for a blog like mine, a message from the pulpit or simply as a favorite verse - so let us take a closer look. I will be starting by working the verse backwards.  Take the second half of the verse/sentence (after the comma) and read it - "and all these things will be given to you as well" .  The "things" that are spoken of that "will be given you as well"  are found in previous verses -  Matthew 6:25-32.  The main thought is that your life, your body, your clothing, and daily food should not be worried about.  They will be supplied. This is a great challenge with the American society and it's advertising agencies convincing us that we are inadequate and offering us just the thing for our lack.  We should attend to these matters. However, a mature, b...

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything . - Genesis 9:1-3 Working backwards in the emboldened sentences, the phrase - "I now give you everything" - implies that some things were withheld from the beginning into Noah's days.  We see what WAS PROVIDED by observing what is said in the same sentence before the comma - "Just as I gave you the green plants," .  God created us as vegetarians.  Or maybe God created us capable of eating - "everything that lives and moves" as well as "green plants" and God just chose the time for the next phase o...

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness - Jeremiah 31:3 Those words were penned before Christ came.  Now, many, especially Christians, can say we have experienced God's "everlasting love" and been "drawn with loving-kindness" through Jesus Christ, God's Son, to Himself since His first visit. Thy loving kindness is better than life, Thy loving kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise Thee Thus will I bless Thee  I will lift-up my hands in Thy Name I will lift-up my hands in Thy Name I will lift-up my hands in Thy Name My lips shall praise Thee Thus will I bless Thee I will lift-up my hands in Thy Name As if God's perfect love was not enough, He adds His kindness.   As if God's perfect kindness was not enough, He adds His love.  And not just any type of loving-kindness.  The original Hebrew word for loving-kindness in this verse...

The word Emulate means imitate with effort to the degree of equal. The word Example means a pattern or model pertaining to something to be imitated. Examples are given for us to Emulate. Christ was our ultimate example. Christ SAID So That we can SAY . Jesus DID So That we can DO . "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."  (John 13:15, 17) "...if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.' When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:20-23) The Messiah died so that we would die with Him.  The Lord rose from the dead so...

Here is an understatement for you - I imagine if there is anybody that is sick of betrayal it is God.  He has had angels, in particular an angel named Lucifer, betray Him.  He made man and woman in His own image and their disobedience was their form of betrayal as they forsook their trust in God, believed a lie, and placed their trust in themselves.  He had a beloved nation, specifically the Hebrew people who would later be known as Israel, develop a vicious, habitual, sinful cycle of betrayal unto Him.  He had a disciple, Judas who heard, saw, and lived with Jesus for three years and still betrayed Him.  I am sure there are other individuals who have decided to go their own way even after experiencing God's presence in their lives.  In addition, they try to stick a knife in God's back while leaving.  I encourage you today, Don't you be another betrayal story. Here are some Warning Signs of Betrayal - Pride, Complacency, and Agenda Replacement. P...

The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant [The Manager] whom the master finds doing so when he returns.  I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.  Luke 12:42-44 Manager 1 suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. - Luke 12:45 Consequence 1 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. - Luke 12:46 Manager 2 That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants - Luke 12:47 Consequence 2 will be beaten with many blows. - Luke 12:47 Manager 3 the one w...

What Heaven Will Be Like By Paul Kusiak "Joy is the business of heaven." -C.S. Lewis ....while it's true we don't know the [full] details about heaven, the Bible does give us a general idea. What we discover is absolutely mind- blowing! WHAT WE WILL BE LIKE "Dear friends, now we are children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him." ( 1 John 3:2 ) When we enter heaven will be changed physically and spiritually. John tells us we will be like Jesus. What will that be like? Here are a few things the Bible tells us: 1) WE WILL NO LONGER SIN "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil 1:6) In heaven Jesus will remove our sinful nature and complete making us new creations. Imagine you have a computer program that has problems (Ha! Not too hard to imagine that, is it). But then the new version comes out and everything that is good...

I come to the keyboard today with a grateful heart.  I imagine I do not have an attitude of gratitude as much as I should.  However, I take time out today to share my heart-felt appreciation with you about the one person you know means everything to me - my best friend, Savior, Lord, and King - Yeshua or Jesus. I am finally starting to grasp the saying, True Love Casts Out All Fear.  The New International Version of the Bible says 1 John 4:18 like this - There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. I have found that the phrase No Matter has popped up a lot in my relationship with God lately.  No Matter that I don't understand God right now.  No Matter that there is a lot of change swirling around me.  No Matter that there are healings and salvations pending His attention.  No Matter to all that may seem dire and/or pressing - God has been and is Faithful in His Love toward me.  All I h...

Salvation does not Save the Christian from sinning. Salvation Saves the Christian from The Judgement to come.  Therefore, Christians sin too, we just should not be sin focused.  This Great Salvation should motivate the Christian to live out the true meaning to being a New Creature/Creation in Christ. Jesus did pay every sin-debt of every individual in history (past, present, and future) at one time ( Hebrews 7:27 ), but the redemption seems to come in two phases - Jesus conquered death, hell, the grave and bore our sickness and rebellion SO THAT the Wrath or Judgement of Father God would be lifted.  This - Is Finished! ( John 3:36 ) Jesus will grant us glorified bodies that are like His glorified body (no imperfections) one day in a transformation that is still awaiting fulfillment but which I personally feel is very near ( Philippians 3:21 ). The Scripture says that after I accept Christ as my Lord and Savior that I am a new creation in Christ, the old is gone the...

Slavery was a much more commonplace and culturally accepted part of society back in the days of Paul. Something that amazes me is the instruction Paul writes in a letter to Titus concerning the witnessing power of slaves.  I mean who would listen or pay attention to one's slave - if you were a slave owner or of higher standing?  Yet Paul says the following to Titus..... Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. - Titus 2:9-10 Paul was saying there is a way for even the slave to make good on his/her new found faith - show it.  Paul mentions for Titus to teach the slaves to "try to please them" [their masters], "not talk back" , and "not steal from them" . Doing all of this will show they "can be fully trusted" and "...

There is a line from the movie Rush Hour that says, "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?"  In this movie there was a slight language barrier that made this line/quote funny.  However, a serious tone is struck when we hear and understand that God has been saying this to believers as well as unbelievers in Christ for a very long time now. Let us visit the Old Testament for a moment.  Proverbs 18 has the art of listening or the lack thereof sprinkled throughout the chapter. A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. (v.2) A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. (v.6) A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. (v.7) He who answers before listening-- that is his folly and his shame. (v.13) From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. (v.20) The tongue has the power of life and death, an...

I have a personal challenge I would like to share. Some good reasons for the challenge - people are lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- they have a form of godliness but deny its power. Now-a-days this fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:2-5 is being seen in a greater degree of intensity and frequency. Therefore my personal challenge is to... Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.  Devote myself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect my gift,...Be diligent in these matters; give myself wholly to them, so that everyone may see my progress. Watch my life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if I do, I will save [avoid pitfalls] both mysel...

As a Christian you have probably heard the following two analogies of Salt to Christian living. Salt brings flavor to food so Christians should bring flavor not only to life, but to the Good News that we are sharing with the world about salvation and it's many benefits through Christ Jesus our Lord. Salt is used in the healing of wounds.  The application here should be that Christians take care of the Church (people - physically, mentally, and spiritually) as well as offer aid, in whatever form, to the hurting in the world. There is a 3rd analogy that I received the other day concerning the Christian's saltiness .  Saltiness brings thirst to those who partake of it.  Salt also helps retain water.  The Christian analogy is that our Christian lifestyle should attract those outside a relationship with God to the Living Water within each Christian. Once unbelievers receive a good dose of Living Water it is part of the Christian's responsibility to keep unbelieve...

The darker the cave of life we enter (hard times, temptations, etc.), the more brilliant the speck of light (the light at the end of the tunnel or The Answer) is at the first glimpse of the exit. However, certain people have a promise that the darkness will not get more gloomier/overwhelming.   They may have to endure the treachery of the inside of the cave itself for a while (curve-balls of life preventing you from getting out of your situation), but they are promised the exit to their  cave of life is definitely within reach. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13 Those certain people are Christians.  This verse places the degree of temptation and the provision of a solution solely on God – “And God is faithful; he will not…. he will also provide a wa...