NCarolinian

Where have we put God? Where have I put God? Where have you put God? God is always the constant. He is everywhere. He promises the believer to never leave them or forsake them. Yet in the challenging times I catch myself asking God where He is. The answer is always - "I'm still right here." Ravi Zacharias is noted for saying - "I think the reason we sometimes have the false sense that God is so far away is because that is where we have put Him. We have kept Him at a distance, and then when we are in need and call on Him in prayer, we wonder where He is. He is exactly where we left Him." To Mr. Zacharias's comments I say -  I don't believe Christians  Can  place Him at a distance. First, God is omnipresent or everywhere. Second, Christians have His promises of never being without access to God. While our lack of whatever may place God on stand-by and activate our do-it-yourself mode, I don't view God as a distant God....ever. Just because we can...

Have you ever heard the expression - "Tie a knot and hang on."? It speaks of a desperate last attempt to endure. I have come to that point many times in my life. The catch is - what is the knot made out of? Is the knot made from your weaving of the rope; your attempt(s) to create peace, forgiveness, health or whatever? Or is the knot made from God's promises for you found in His Word? It is o.k. to be still (tie the knot), just rely on your knowledge of Him to form your knot (strands of His faithfulness). "Be still and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10 When Jesus was here on earth, there were several times when a person and/or people desperately tried to grab a hold of Him and hang on. Matthew 9:20 records the woman with the issue of blood reaching out in faith for her condition - "Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak." Here was this woman activating her faith in...

Romans 8:18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." There is still a future time for Christians when "the glory will be revealed in us" . This "glory" was only made possible through Christ and His Righteousness - "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." ( 1 Corinthians 1:20 ) When speaking about the actual glorification ,  1 John 3:2 says, " Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,  we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." However, believers know we all must endure "our present sufferings" until then.  The Good News in this verse is that Paul acknowledges these current hardships, pains or afflictions we experience in this life are not worthy o...

Psalm 91:2 "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'” I pray I will accept, believe and keep this perspective alive from now on in my life. I have a bad habit of "saying of the Lord" or speaking about what the Lord says and that is not all bad. I have the tendency to run to my office or bedroom and seek refuge with God and that is not all bad. You can also find me desiring the protection afforded me from the whole armor of God ( Ephesians 6 ) and a fortress of spiritual protection from my Heavenly Father and that is not all bad. However, I fail in the trust department sometimes.  I fail to trust His word is enough. I fail to trust Him as My Refuge. I fail to trust Him as My Fortress. I have learned that I can speak His Words all day long and be located in a place of care and protection (i.e. refuge/fortress), but if there is no trust in God then my faith in God's Word, Refuge and Fortress is inactive. Tru...

This is one of the few sports where a negative symbol beside your number/score makes you happy and a plus symbol not so much. The moral to the story - "Less is more." In this life of fewest strokes to our destination or goal we can choose to keep playing Putt-Putt with the one club that is offered us or opt to use the full set of tools in the real game when it is appropriate to begin playing the full course. Did you catch my symbolism there? In Hebrews 5:13 , Paul speaks to this maturity level check and transition - "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness." Again in 1 Corinthians 3:2 , Paul makes this point - "I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready." It is important to move on in maturity and just as important to know when to move on. Sometimes this comes with age. Sometimes this comes with nurturing. Sometimes this comes wi...

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” - Jeremiah 17:7-8 Trust breeds confidence. How do you have confidence in someone? A history or track record of trust is established. Trust births and grows confidence. I think the idea behind this passage was conveyed after the first sentence. "The one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him" is "blessed" . The rest of this passage elaborates on how one is "blessed" . If you are someone who truly places their dreams, plans, needs and desires in the hands of Christ Jesus, then these verses liken you to "a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream." You, the tree, knows where you get your nourishment, strengt...

Water is abundant in this world. It seems to be the sustaining element in our existence.  The Earth is covered by 71% salt water, 2.5% fresh water. Our bodies are made up of mostly water.  The adult male consists of approximately 60% water. It is in our necessities (cookware, toilet and bath). It is also in our accessories (pools, water-guns, etc).  Water is everywhere. Yet we fail to stop and consider the source many times. Where is our water coming from?  We could ask this about our spiritual source of water also.  F.W. Robertson (1816-1853) made me contemplate this when he said - "Love descends, not ascends. The might of the river depends not on the quality of soil through which it passes, but on the inexhaustibleness and depth of the spring from which it proceeds." In Mr. Robertson's quote, the  "might of the river"  is what is in question. He says that the power of a river is dependent upon continued supply of water ( "inexhaustibleness...

Speaking to the Pharisees about His own life, Jesus said, " No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:18) The imagery of Christ laying His life down, of His own accord, into His Father's hands becomes vividly clear when Christ was upon the Cross and spoke these words -  “'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.'    When he had said this, he breathed his last." (Luke 23:46) Within Luke 23:46 Jesus says He commits His "spirit" into the care of Father God. In the original Greek the word is Pneuma meaning breath or life force . So, Christ is delivering into the Father's hands, at the perfect moment, His sustaining energy. In John 10:18 , the phrase "lay it down" in the original Greek is the word Tithemi . This means to place; to commit for a style of inaction . So, in John 10:18 Christ tells the ...

"When the dog bites,  When the bee stings, When I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad."  (Julie Andrews, My Favorite Thing s from "The Sound of Music") I agree, it is important to have favorite things, especially in challenging times. Some of my favorite things are Tanya, laughter, singing/music, certain food (like wings, bbq and chicken-n-dumplins), family, friends, sports, Christmas, Easter, the seasons (especially Fall), and saving the best for last - God's Grace. If it was not for God's Grace, His unmerited favor, in all these areas and more, well the song would say - "when I'm feeling sad, I simply can't remember my favorite things." But it doesn't say that because I have God's undeserving favor upon my life. I have done nothing to earn any of these wonderful people or things - they are just a gift from my God because He loves me. It is a good thing to sto...

The room we find ourselves imprisoned does not have to be made of cinder-blocks and steel-bars. The construction of some prison rooms are even greater than these. Prisons such as strongholds, bad habits, fears and destructive behavior are but a few that the Warden of Darkness, Satan, attempts to keep people bound. The Keys or Ingredients For A Prison Break are three-fold -  Salvation Hope Worship To help me explain my message I will enlist the characters of Red and Andy from the movie "Shawshank Redemption" to assist me. Red (Morgan Freeman) is in a place physically, mentally and spiritually where he is not ready to receive hope. After the introduction of the topic of hope Red says, "Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane." Many of us can get used to our prison. Red calls it "institutionalized" in the movie. But God, through us, especially Christians, are their introduction to and reali...