NCarolinian

Like the edges of circles that overlap  on a graph , so also human lives cannot escape intersecting. Our intersections or encounters with others may be brief as with a stranger, but then again friends, family and co-workers all start off as strangers from some point in life and hopefully move forward from there. For the believers in Christ, I would challenge us all to take care of our circle, our world by keeping a close walk with Jesus before and as our circle intersects with others or as our life touches the lives of others. I know my life is always a work in progress and my world would be a better place if I would obey Jesus, because my world touches yours. Jesus says to help others and point out their issue, but Jesus also says if we have the same problem, we need to deal with it first, then come and help our friend or family member. Jesus said it like this -  "first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s e...

Problems are an excellent avenue or device to develop one's self further, change the negative situation for the better of all involved and take advantage of God's perspective. In the heat of the moment, the middle of a problem is not usually the point where we remember and act on this idea. Fear not, there will be plenty of problems for training purposes. Life has a plethora of challenging opportunities for us to slow down, take a deep breath and reflect before moving forward or even speaking. I don't mean to communicate we should invite more problems into our lives in order to grow as an individual. What I am saying is to simply be ready for when the especially frustrating complications of life come. We need to be alert, respond correctly and when we don't, then hopefully we will learn from our mistakes. Practice becomes permanent. Have you ever been glad that your parents, an older brother or sister, or mentor experienced an obstacle you are experiencing so that you m...

Whoever said, "Do as I say, not as I do." was the worst leader ever. Words are important but actions must support them otherwise one's credentials, especially as a leader, evaporate into thin air. When we are kids, we mimic the behavior of our parents and adults we deem as leaders or authority figures. We do not grow out of this, so the leadership style we choose to select as our own had better be successful. Jesus was and is the best multi-tasker, manager and leader ever. If Christians ever desire to be effective for The Business/The Kingdom and fall in line with the training as future priests and kings ruling with Christ, then we must learn from and emulate His leadership and management. Emulate Jesus CEO Jesus managed many disciples, twelve in particular, that gave up their occupations immediately to follow Him. But not only did they follow Him, they joined Him in fulfilling His mission, though the full extent of it was veiled to them until the Resurrection. “Jesus kne...

In the previous parts to this series I spoke on the importance of aligning our hearts and minds with Christ, what the Scripture says to focus them upon, the captive mind of Christ and having the same heart as Jesus.  In this last installment, I will be encouraging you and me to keep the Holy Spirit engaged in the whole process of decision-making.  When you observe someone that purposefully slows down their response time to consider their answer of your question or comment, chances are the person has a personal discipline of listening before acting or speaking. Now-a-days this is rare. The opposite is quite prevalent and proves our responses show our choices which reveal our perspectives. There have been times when I said something I did not mean because I dodged the Holy Spirit's leading in a situation. Don't do that. I have found the Holy Spirit is the ultimate gentleman and will help you with the knowledge of what to say or do, but you and I have to say or do it. So, fe...

In my previous post entitled "The Above Things" I taught why Christians should be mindful of their every thought and what kinds of thoughts the Scripture instructs believers to focus upon. Then in the next installment called "Of His Mind", I rallied around the idea of the captive mind of Christ with the analogies of the Roman soldier holding a captive at spear-tip and the remodeling of our homes as visual aides. Today's word will be shifting to the other part of the anatomy that needs alignment with Christ - the heart. Whereas the brain is the organ that houses the mind, the heart is mentioned as a center piece or core-holding-term for where all of our emotions and spiritual experiences occur, are interpreted and flow. Ever heard the phrase - "My heart is bursting with joy!"? The physical heart might be feeling that way due to an emotional overload, but chances are it will not burst. Acts 2:26 sites the same kind of experience. Ever heard the phras...

In an earlier teaching entitled "The Above Things" I tackled  why Christians should focus their gaze and perspective Heavenward and what the Scriptures say for our minds to dwell upon. In this post, I will be examining more of what a holy or set apart for Christ mind is suppose to resemble. Maturity in the thought life of the Christian is a must.  This call to a higher thought life is not easy, but has its own rewards. Paul explains this idea when he addressed the believers in Corinth the first time -  "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me." (1 Cor. 13:11)  The war on any decision or challenge in our lives begins on the battleground of our mind. Every skirmish, no matter what the size in our head or lives, needs to be filtered through The Word of God and His Holy Spirit. Paul encourages the believers in Corinth and Christians down through the ages -...

The older we get, the more things we have to occupy our minds. These things can be good, bad or time wasters but they are there and sometimes even make it into our subconscious or dream-state. Humanity has reached a record level of sources vying for our attention and consideration of their products or services.  With all we have to think about as adults in this world to simply live, it is a wonder our brains don't explode from input overload.  However, I think and believe Christians can derive wonderful counsel from God's Word in Mark 12:17 . Jesus says in this verse - "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." In context, Christ was referring to proper monetary appropriation as He answered the Pharisees, but I believe this proper appropriation can be applied to life or the world and God or your journey with The Lord. In Matthew 22:37 , Jesus answered the Pharisees question about the greatest commandment by stating to love God with "...

The fact that Jesus healed and had compassion on those that needed a miracle of some sort in their lives, be it for themselves or another in their family, before He paid the price with the flogging and crucifixion is amazing and wonderful.  Jesus solved all kinds of problems for people because of His great compassion. He healed the blind, the deaf, the lame, the mute, those with leprosy, those demon possessed and those dead just to name a few conditions. Matthew says it like this - " Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matt. 9:35-36) What catches my attention is the speed at which the healing took place. Many, if not most of the curing encounters with Jesus included the word "immediately" or sense of that word to convey hea...

Christians are charged with sharing The Gospel or Good News of Christ Jesus according to Matt. 28:16-20 . But w hen will believers in Christ return to a more regular, daily flow and demonstration in God's power?   God's power must be evident in the believer's life and displayed to complement the Salvation message and one's testimony. Paul's life and his words in  1 Corinthians 2:1-5 sets a great example of executing more than The Great Commission.  Here is what Paul said to the believer's in Corinth - "And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on h...

  After a non-believer accepts Christ Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, the rest of the faith journey is spent being formed daily into the image and character of Christ until He returns to take believers home to Heaven. My hope, prayer and practice is that the way I carry myself would exude a strong example of Christ's Presence in my life, but even more-so on my personage. I yearn to emanate God's presence, nature and aura whenever I enter a room or take a walk so that people are drawn to the Holy Spirit radiating from me. Daniel, Peter and Paul. Daniel was noted by the angel Gabriel as being "esteemed" . Daniel was regarded this way not only on earth, but Gabriel tells him three times - 9:23; 10:11, 19 - that Heaven deems him esteemed. I believe this notoriety was due to his time abiding with God in prayer and having a policy of no compromise. Peter was seen as "highly regarded by people" in Acts 5:13-15 . God's healing power was displayed eve...

Did you know God has a Heavenly library? If you thought you have no privacy, you are correct. God is everywhere and His angels that surround us are not only interested spectators but participators of God's will for our lives. In addition to to this ever watchful care over our lives, God has our days numbered in a book, plus our good and bad deeds are not only remembered but recorded or written down. Our days are numbered in a book according to Psalm 139:16 - " Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Our deeds are recorded in books, plural, according to Revelation 20:12 - " And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books." The following are names of Heavenly books and where you can find them in Scripture. The Book...

Hearing is what our ear does as one of our senses to receive sounds. Listening requires the entire process of gathering and more importantly understanding the incoming sounds or words.  If there is anything we need to do quickly in this fast-paced, instant culture we live in today, it is to be quick to listen.   Scripture supports this in James 1:19 by saying, " My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." I would like to bring out three points, This instruction is good for "everyone" There is one "quick to" phrase There are two "slow to" phrases Even though James addresses his spiritual family by saying, "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:" before stating the teaching - he begins the enlightenment by including all people - "everyone" . This guidance is excellent for non-believers as well as believers. My second observation is t...

You have probably heard the saying, "Be careful when you point because you have three fingers pointing back at you." This speaks to humanity's unquenchable desire to blame. This shifting of responsibility has been around ever since The Fall in the Garden of Eden. So, what naturally flows from this nature is to assign credit incorrectly. Stone altars were erected to remember the place at which God intervened. In and of itself, the memorial is honorable, but the challenge is to not get caught up in the place, but do get caught up in God's intervening grace. Another incorrect assignment of credit can take the form of a thing. The Hebrew people created a golden calf as an image to worship while Moses took to long to speak with God. Evidently an invisible deity was hard to accept by these liberated Hebrew people even after Yahweh split the Red Sea and drowned their enemies in it. They must have wanted a tactile object for worship. But they still misplaced their credit in a...