NCarolinian

Luke 18:1-8 is a parable or story with a lesson from Christ that speaks about being persistent before an earthly judge and the heavenly judge to acquire justice. The vehicle or medium to petition God about the injustice is prayer and Luke leads off in the first verse with the encouragement of persistence in prayer - " Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Jesus says that a persistent prayer requesting justice will receive a quick reply - " Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly." (v. 7-8) There have been other supplications I have made to God that the answer has not been "quickly" . Healing of my body or the body of a loved one is a prime example. However, persistence in prayer is the lesson and God does not reveal how much persistence is needed. Even though other persistent prayer requests may not be answered "quickly" , I am learni...

Does the past exist? Those claiming time travel would say, "yes". I have yet to see proof of that capability. Meanwhile, memories are the record of the past that are usually captivated by an instance of that memory via a picture, sound, smell, song or touch. Some past memories are worth recalling. Others need to be forgotten for the improvement of one's mental, physical and spiritual well being. The past is finished, we should not live there but learn and progress. What matters in the now is what we do with the information and experiences of the past combined with the outlook and forcast for the future. In the movie The Lord of the Rings, the character Gandalf states, "All you have to decide is what to do with the time given to you." Observing how others have handled and been victorious through the situation you are currently experiencing is a great way to appreciate and make use of The Past. Believers before the New Testament was written had and will always hav...

  Proverbs 1:8-9 says, "Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck." Some people do not have a father or mother at all. Then there are those individuals who have or had parents that never had proper instruction to give or wise teaching to deliver.  However, to those people, like me, who were blessed to have a father and mother who knew how to administer instruction and teaching - we should honor them and what they bestowed upon us every day according to this Proverbs passage. In this Proverb "garland" is pictured as being not only worn on the head, but the son mentioned is graced or favored to have it there to begin with - " They are a garland to grace your head" . As the garland is on the head it is visible to all who look directly at the son or individual wearing it. The garland refers back to both your father's instruction and mother...

One of my all-time favorite descriptive names of God is not just counselor, but Wonderful Counselor cited in Isaiah 9:6. There are at least three other verses that depict God in this way - John 14:15-17; John 14:25-26; and Psalm 119:24 . The verses in John are the words of Jesus. John 14:15-17 says, " If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth." And John 14:25-26 states, " All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." He is describing the nature and role of the third part of the Holy Trinity - The Holy Spirit - who will come and live within believers after His final departure. In these verses, Jesus specifies the Holy Spirit as "Advocate" . In the original language that word is parakletos (p...

Have you ever been driving and gotten distracted enough, drowsy enough or forced by another vehicle coming over from another lane to the beginning of the shoulder of the road? Now-a-days there is usually a rough strip there that catches your attention and makes a loud noise as you run over it to alert you, you are going off the road. This is what I call - The Rub. The Rub is an attempt to warn you in that moment that your set boundaries are being violated. The rule for staying in your lane at the cost of safety to you and others is in jeapordy when one hears and feels this Rub on the road. Currently I am in a Rub of Life. The Rub that God has placed in my life that I continually keep bumping into or rolling over is Understanding God's Healing Process. As I or friends or family members get sick and need prayer - I pray. Many times the cases are serious, like at this writing my Dad is in the hospital and been there for days and I have prayed earnestly quoting Scripture and the promis...

John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” View a video of the most lavish and expensive house on this planet with all the amenities you could fathom and that structure would probably equate to the outhouse of what Christ is preparing for His kids in Heaven. In this passage, the word "place" is used three times by Christ. The word that is used does not convey a floating, harp-in-hand, on a cloud, wings on your back, in an ethereal setting for eternity perspective of Heaven or a place in it. Verse 2 begins by speaking about an oikia (oy kee ah), the original Greek word for a proper residence, an abode, a home - the "Father's house...

When living a Christ-like life and trying to serve the Lord, brokenness is the posture that triggers your elevated usefulness by God  (Psalm 51:17) . The ultimate example of humility, brokenness and vulnerability is Christ. Philippians 2:6-11 speaks of the awesome incarnation of the Word of God that I believe humanity will never grasp the full sacrifice of - The Creator becoming His creation for its redemption.  Remaining humble before the Lord displays one's ultimate respect for His sovereignty and pays the believer with "riches and honor and life" (Proverbs 22:4) . In addition, wearing humility as a daily garment or mindset and attitude before others will acquire "favor" from God (1 Peter 5:5) . And we all need riches, honor, life and favor from God who is a generous giver. Another wonderful benefit of practicing humility in Christ is something Jesus said to Paul and all Christians through the ages - "'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is...