NCarolinian

Ah, Famiglia or Family . Do you want to read a really strong statement about Family? If so then read this - "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." - 1 Timothy 5:8 Wow! I did not know it got worse than being an unbeliever. However, Paul was stressing to Timothy the importance of family and there is plenty of Scriptural history to support family faithfulness. Inside the family of the Old Testament I noticed lineage or heritage was vital to a healthy unit. As a family member, important duties were to serve God (Korahites were Tent Guards), daily chores, and extend the family name through trade, marriage, and offspring. An efficient run family always seemed to have their hierarchy in order and functioning properly. Several times I observed the heads of families going before Moses, Aaron, and God representing their family. Gideon questioned God how he could use the...

Everybody makes decisions everyday. A decision on anything is a judgement rendered, so how people can say, "Don't judge" is beyond me. Everybody is making judgement-calls all the time. Everyone is judging. Everyone is a judge. Maybe what they should really say is - "Don't condemn me." or "Don't damn me." or "Don't pre-summarize me or my situation." The passage many love to quote from The Bible when making a point about judging is Matthew 7:1-5 . The original Greek word for  judge  in this Scripture is  krinō  (kree'-no) - Properly  to distinguish , that is,  decide  (mentally or judicially); by implication  to try, condemn, punish : -  avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to  (sue at the)  law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.  [e-sword was my resource] The catch in all this is that people withdraw what they need from this Scripture to attack or defend others and leave th...

Now and forever, I desire to be somebody God applauds. There are some people in The Bible that I wish to present to you as examples of People God Applauded. So, without further ado..... Let me start with integrity. God applauded Noah for his right standing with Himself and integrity ("blameless"-ness). His reward - Noah "walked with God" . ( Genesis 6:9 ) Later on in Scripture we find integrity important again. Nehemiah said of Hananiah that he was a man of integrity, feared the LORD, and was put in charge of Jerusalem ( Nehemiah 7:2 ). Belief or trust in God brings an applause from Him so great that Abram experienced it as pure approval before an animal sacrifice had been requested or established and before the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus Christ, was sent to purchase our redemption with His life. God "credited it to him as righteousness" (right standing with God). What an approval! Abram's righteousness was given on credit and that because He be...

We are fragile human beings that cannot begin to comprehend the delicacy of our existence. James describes life as a mist.  What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James 4:14) The phrase - "Here today, gone tomorrow" - comes to mind. 1 Corinthians 13:12 gives a great analogy to just how close the spirit world is to our material, tactile existence. The verse reads -  Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. When the shepherds heard the Good News of Christ's birth from the single angel that visited out of the night sky, Scripture adds -  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, (Luke 2:13-15) . Our next chapter of exis...

The wrath of God is like a huge, over-sized boulder in the form of God's hand hanging over you every second of your life. When you are born, the size of the boulder and fury of His wrath is the same for all. whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son .  (John 3:18) For God could take His hand-like boulder and crush the universe if He pleased. You are so blessed that God does not relax and release the great boulder of a fist that hangs above you even now. Jesus was God's "gentle answer" that "quiets anger" ( Proverbs 15:1 ). The boulder-like fist of Father God's wrath came crashing down in full on Christ starting on that night in the Garden of Gethsemane. Christ's eternal, unconditional love and unmerited favor bore the full weight of everyone's fallen condition. For those who would believe, Jesus stayed Father God's anger and intolerance with sin and ...