NCarolinian

A newly arrived soul in Heaven was met by St. Peter. St. Peter and the soul took the A-tour around Heaven. They walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. St. Peter stopped in front of the first section and said, "This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received." The soul looked at the section, and it was terribly busy with many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world. They continued on until they reached the second section. St. Peter told the soul, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." The soul noted again how busy it was. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth. Finally at the farthest corner of the room, th...

"Revelation 19:8 reminds us that every believer will be present at the wedding feast dressed in the finest white linen, which the Bible says represents the righteous deeds we have done. These good deeds are not so we can enter heaven. God has already invited us and made the way. However, what we will wear to the wedding feast will be the garment we sew ourselves. I once heard a Bible teacher say, 'Has it ever occurred to you that at the marriage of the bride to the Lamb, each of us will be wearing the wedding garment of our own making?' How we are dressed on that day will depend on the life we have lived for Christ. Make sure that you will be beautifully dressed on that day by living for Christ today. The marriage of the Lamb is an event that is certain to happen. Someday the Bridegroom will come to take His bride to His Father's house. Make sure you are living a pure life for your loving Bridegroom." [pages 229-230, THE END, Mark Hitchcock]

So you are "Saved", "Born Again", a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.....a Christian. Now what? "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13) "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." (Romans 6:22) "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) But Wait There's More! Scripture portrays God not only as a judge but as a rewarder. "...anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) For all Believers in Christ since Pentecost, there is coming a time when we will stand before the Bema Seat or Judgement Seat of Christ - "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one m...

The Sin Nature at it's core says, " That is not Enough. What you have and who you are is not Enough. Has God really limited you? " ( "Did God really say...?" - Genesis 3:1 ) The notions - do it yourself, you are all that matters, take matters into your own hands - contests God and His word by saying to God's face "You are not Enough" and eating of "the forbidden fruit". Rebellion feeds rebellion. The nature of sin keeps the void in man's heart, mind, and spirit empty or unfulfilled. One's lifestyle in sin then is consumed with not Enough. It wasn't Enough for Lucifer to stay in his lofty, blessed position. He totally believed The Lie he told himself - "I will...." usurp God's throne, power, and authority ( Isaiah 14:13-14 ). His fall was so fast, furious and finite that he would attempt to infect God's image with his same sickness. The Lie he told Adam and Eve was "You will not die" , but you yo...

Batman and Robin, Obi-wan and Luke, Han and Chewbacca, Abbot and Costello, Sunny and Share, Bo and Luke Duke, Simon and Simon, Donny and Marie Osmond, The Wonder Twins, or you and your best friend.....make a great pair or dynamic duo. These are just a taste of life teaching us that when it comes to living, relationship(s) not "solo-ism" is the better choice. Scripture supports this decision to have a close friend or friends in which you share life and maybe even your work. People like God and Adam, Adam and Eve, Moses and Aaron, Moses and Joshua, Mordecai and Esther, David and Johnathan, Elijah and Elisha, Paul and Silas, and Priscilla and Aquila - were Biblical examples of dynamic pairs. There are pieces from each relationship/partnership that I hope I have and will attain in close relationships of my own. Sometimes there were more than two! Daniel had his friends...Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The Disciples had each other. When the local churches started, they too...

I had a physical challenge recently that put me in the hospital. At this writing I am still tending to my needs and throughout my experience I kept coming back to a single thought - I am one day closer to full recovery . My wife, Tanya, commented - "That's a good attitude and perspective to take on this, keep it up." So, I am. My slogan is filled with Hope. It also reminds me of Romans 8:23-24 -  we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. For in the saving of our souls for eternity at The Cross, our bodies were saved for redemption also. The manifestation of this redemption of our bodies is still future - " For in this hope we were saved". The next two verses follow-up nicely - "But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patientl...

It is one thing to hear a great orator speak on any topic and be convinced or swayed on the idea presented. It is a similar thing to have a wonderful word-smith convince or prove his viewpoint(s) should be yours. But there is a totally different power behind a speaker or author who has experienced what they are convincing you about. I see Paul fitting into this last category as he says in Romans 8:38-39 -  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. Paul went through much hardship in his adult years. His suffering for Christ's sake was even foretold from the get-go to Ananias by The Lord -  But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will sh...

The doctrine of imminency is a reality that changes how we live in the present age. This expectation certainly changed how the early church lived. The early church adopted a special password to identify themselves and to greet each other: Maranatha (1 Corinthians 16:22). It is an Aramaic word that only appears once in Scripture. It consists of three Aramaic words: Mar (Lord), ana (our), and tha (come). It's a kind of one-word prayer - 'our Lord, come.' Maranatha only makes sense in light of the imminent view of the Rapture. As Renald Showers says, 'It's instructive that the early church coined this special greeting to reflect their hourly hope, eager expectation, and ardent anticipation of the Rapture. No doubt this expectation motivated them to pursue personal purity, devoted service, and evangelism. Think of how the church would change today if we were to adopt this greeting for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Think of how our lives would change if this ...