NCarolinian

I'm guessing a good number of us have been buttered-up  at times in our lives only to be requested to perform some duty or challenge right afterward. It was no different for Jesus. The first scene is the Baptism of Jesus ( Matt. 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21,22; Jn 1:31-34 ). Whether or not Father God said, "This is my Son..." ( Matthew 3:17 ) or "You are my Son..." ( Mark 1:11; Luke 4:21-22 ), I imagine Jesus felt terrific hearing God The Father speaking these words about Him. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." (Mk. 1:11) First, Father God declares familiar ownership. I personally love to hear my own dad say with pride - "There's my boy!"   Second, God The Father proclaims His love for His Son. I imagine there are a zillion emotions that God could have conveyed to Jesus, but Love trumped them ALL!  Thirdly, Father God is the only one in the universe that can wear pride...

Have you ever heard the expressions - "He was sharp with him." or "That person sure has a sharp tongue." The word "sharp" is not describing a tactile experience of feeling someone's tongue only to be cut by it. Although the tongue-lashing might feel physical, it is a mental and spiritual slicing that occurs when a "sharp tongue" is used in heated dialogue. We receive an excellent image of this through the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the coming days. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword .His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. (Revelation 1:16)  "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. (Revelation 2:12) Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth . (Revelation 2:16) Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike dow...

You know you have reached a Turning Point when what you have done and said as your life's work forces your travel and living quarters into hiding. Jesus came to such a Turning Point. John 11:54 records - "Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples." What was the event that precipitated the "Therefore" for Jesus?  The raising of Lazarus.  This miracle seems to be a major Turning Point for other individuals as well like the High Priest, Pharisees, teachers of The Law, anybody associated with Jesus, and Lazarus. The Jewish Concern Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What are we accomplishing?" they ...

Ever heard the police say, "Come out with your hands up, you are completely surrounded!"? I never thought I would spiritualize that phrase, BUT the Holy Spirit gave it to me to portray how the Christian is to approach the beginning of each new day - hands up in surrender and praise, acknowledging His presence all around us. I realize more and more as I study the Scriptures, the men and women of God were totally surround by His presence. This is a great thing because as Jesus said,  "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5) In Isaiah 52:12 God's presence is positioned before the believing and stationed as the "rear guard" of the believing. for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard. In Psalm 91:7 , David speaks about a thousand falling at the Believer's right hand and ten thousand at the Believer's left...

All a Christian has to do to receive the Holy Spirit is....ask.  Luke in his self-titled Gospel records Jesus saying this -  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13)  Luke then records in Acts 1:4 Jesus really desiring His disciples to receive the Holy Spirit so He gives His disciples a command to "wait" for the Holy Spirit, "the gift my Father promised". The entire verse reads -  "On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about." Holy Spirit  is  Hagios Pneuma  in the original Greek. Breaking it down further… Holy  or  Hagios  (hag'-ee-os) means sacred, physically pure, and morally blameless.  Spirit  or  Pneuma  (pnyoo'-mah) means a cur...

If I should graduate to my next level of existence before The Rapture, I would like on my tombstone it to be written - "Southern. Dependable. Heavenbound."  What I would like for people to remember of me and say of me then and now is that I was and am an esteemed man of God. To many, including myself, esteemed would mean someone who is looked-up to or held by many as a great example of a great human being, great man, great husband, great Christian, and so forth.  However, for our consideration, add to that definition the Scripture's three Hebrew words for esteemed - chashab (khaw-shab), chen (khane), and chamad (khaw-mad). Speaking of Christ and how people of His day would perceive Him, Chashab is found in Isaiah 53:3 and means to think regard negatively.  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Found in the book of wise sayings, Pro...

There are some key phrases that Jesus said that I love to read or hear read which declare why He came. "I have come...".   "I have not come to ____ but to ____." "I will come..."   "Until I come..." The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Hebrews, and Revelation hold these phrases of purpose.  If there was anybody in the world that I appreciate being clear on the why of His actions it was Jesus.  He was bringing a spirit, freedom, and law of grace that challenged the old standard of ritual, tradition, and letter of The Law.  Praise God, Jesus fulfilled every letter of The Law, lived a perfect life, and delivered grace to all through the death on the Old Rugged Cross. Matthew gets us started by recording Jesus speaking plainly about His relationship with The Law. Jesus said,  "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets ; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (5:17)   Jesus answers the what q...