Author: Carolyn

I am a Christian, a sinner saved by God's amazing grace. Much like my life, my blog is a work in progress. The main objective I have for this blog is to "proclaim the praises" of the One who called me out of darkness and into His marvelous light! (1 Peter 2:9)
Gifts of God

Gifts of God

Carolyn

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)

Good Gifts

Late on Thanksgiving Day, after a long day of activities, I began to think of sleep. With all the cooking and preparing that morning, though, I had not spent time reading my Bible. During a day significant for giving thanks, I hadn’t paused to give God thanks.

I sat down with my Bible and thought of the words of James 1:17:

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” 

I began to think of the gifts in my life, to name them and write them down, to be thankful and to recognize they are from God.

This listing of gifts caused me to wonder: are there specific gifts of God named in Scripture? I looked up “gift” in the concordance at the back of my Bible. Here are four that I found:

Salvation

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

What have we been saved from? Earlier in that passage, it describes our trespasses and sins in which we were dead (Eph. 2:1-3). But God, rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ, and gave even so much more (Eph. 2:4-7). Saved by grace through faith—the gift of God.

Eternal Life

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).

Along these same lines, Romans 6 also talks about being dead to sin and alive to God. It concludes with the contrast of death and life, of being in sin or being in Christ, and the amazing free gift of eternal life for those who know Christ.

Holy Spirit

“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

With salvation through Christ and the assurance of eternal life with Christ, we can also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, God himself within us. This is a wonder too great to imagine! Other parts of Scripture explain the role of the Holy Spirit, and we also understand this reality more clearly as we experience it through faith in Christ.

Spiritual Gifts

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

1 Corinthians 12 and following talks about spiritual gifts given to believers. Each one is given and empowered by God and has a necessary role in the body of believers.

Other Good Gifts

This morning I took a more comprehensive look at “gifts” in the Bible, doing a little more study than I previously had with my simple concordance. I saw that God is the giver of many other gifts. This could actually be a much greater study. But there is one gift that is greater than all.

The Gift of God Himself

Though God gives us many gifts, the gift of God Himself is the best one. The gift-giver is the ultimate Gift. We find Him when we put our faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. As we go on, it might be easy from time to time to long for other good gifts He can give and forget that He is both the Giver of the gifts and the Gift we most need.

Receive the Gift

Do you know this Gift? The Gift of God Himself?

Have you received the free gift of salvation that He has made available to us through Christ, through grace? Do you have confidence of eternal life in Christ? Are you experiencing the Spirit-filled life and exercising the spiritual gifts that God bestows on those who believe in Him?

If not, pray and tell God that you want to receive Him through faith in Christ, to be forgiven of your sins, to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and to believe that God raised Him from the dead. Call upon Him, put your faith in Him, repent of sin, receive the free gift of salvation, and rest in Him.

No fancy words are needed, no advanced level of understanding is required—just simple faith in the amazing God who made you, loves you, and died to redeem you.

And then begin to read the Bible to get to know Him more. Start with the Book of John or Romans. Go to a Bible-believing church that can help you begin to grow as a new believer. Tell a friend of your new life in Christ so they can encourage you. Keep seeking Him in prayer that He might show you the way to now live. And thank Him for the free gift of salvation and eternal life in Christ for those who believe on Jesus’ name.

As we enter this Christmas season, I can’t think of any better gift to receive. Thank you, Jesus.

Mentoring and Discipleship – Part 2

Mentoring and Discipleship – Part 2

Carolyn

Today, I’m pleased to introduce you to one of the friends I wrote about in the earlier piece on Mentoring and Discipleship. Jenny Bernthal was my daughter’s 2nd grade teacher. I was also working at the school at the time. I remember some of us from school doing a Bible study together, I believe on the Psalms of Ascent. Years later, Jenny would lead my daughter and her friends in a Bible study in her home, and now my daughter has the gift of babysitting for Jenny’s children every so often. Her husband likewise has invested in student ministry at church and even came over to help move some furniture when my mom moved here a few years ago. On goes the circle of generational mentoring, discipleship, and friendship together. 

I asked Jenny if she would be willing to share with us, and she has written how God used mentors in her life. Thank you, Jenny, for this challenge and encouragement, and welcome to the blog today!

Read more →

Lessons from the Football Field

Lessons from the Football Field

Carolyn

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It’s that time of year again. My beloved Tennessee Volunteers are back in action, barely scraping out a win in overtime Thursday night over Appalachian State. And my favorite high school team has taken to the field again.

As I was at the football field the other day, the thought occurred to me. When these players prepare to play, they get ready. They spend hours at practice. They lift weights and get stronger. They review film so they will know their opponent, the other team they are playing. They eat right and do everything they can physically to be in shape.

And when they go into the game, they are dressed for action. They have on their uniform to show which team they are on. They have their pads and helmet to serve as protection from injury in what can be a pretty rough game. And they go into it as a team, together.

My thoughts ran to Ephesians 6:10-20. As Christians, are we aware and do we remember that we are in a spiritual battle? We face an opponent: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (v. 13). When we go out into our day, do we consider that there is spiritual opposition for which we need to be prepared? And how do we prepare?

The Apostle Paul gives us help and tells us how:

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil… Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. (v. 11-12, 14-18a; underlined to indicate actions we take and bolded to show the parts of the armor we need.)

Like a football player, we put on various pieces to shield and protect us: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, prayer. And like a football player, we take action to prepare: be strong, take up, put on.

The command that fascinates me is the one to “stand.” It’s repeated several times in the text. God equips us for the battle, and we are standing against, withstanding, standing firm.

It reminds me of Exodus 14 when the Israelites were standing on the edge of the Red Sea, and Pharaoh and the Egyptian army were closing in on them. The Israelites feared and cried out to the LORD. And Moses said, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Ex. 14:13-14).

Which reminds me of 2 Chronicles 20:15, 17, another battle: “Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed…, for the battle is not yours but God’s…. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”

What an encouragement that the battle is really the Lord’s! We need, though, to put on, take up, and use the armor He supplies (the Word of God, prayer, faith, truth, righteousness, the gospel, salvation). And we are to find our strength in Him and stand firm. He will fight for us. We can be still and, having done all, stand.

This spiritual battle is real. Our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. But we can resist him, firm in our faith, knowing that our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world are going through the same kind of suffering (1 Peter 5:8-9). Similar to a football team who goes together into the game as a team, we love and support our Christian brothers and sisters and pray for one another that our faith would not fail.

And from football, there’s another analogy we can draw: like the team that is dressed in similar uniforms, we also have an identity. We belong to Christ. We have been bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus, and we can go out in confidence, knowing whose we are and in whose name we go. We are dressed in the Lord’s armor, standing in His strength, going out under His banner.

If God did not spare His own Son to bring us to Himself, we should have no doubt about His love and faithfulness to us, that He is able to fight for and deliver us from the schemes of the evil one, to keep and protect us, and to bring us safely to Himself. May He be praised!

Lift Up Your Eyes

Lift Up Your Eyes

Carolyn

Several years ago, I noticed while studying Genesis the repeated phrase, “lifted his eyes and looked” or “I lifted my eyes and saw.”

  • In Genesis 18:2 “Abraham lifted his eyes and looked” when three men stood at his tent door, one maybe being the LORD, to tell him that he and Sarah would have a child in their old age.
  • When Abraham had Isaac on the altar, after God stopped him from sacrificing Isaac, it says in Genesis 22:13-14, “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns.”
  • In Genesis 24:63-64, Isaac went out to meditate in the field and “lifted his eyes and looked“; Rebekah also “lifted her eyes” as God had provided a wife for Isaac.
  • In Genesis 31:10, Jacob said, “I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream. . .” and in the dream, the Angel of God said to Jacob, “Lift your eyes now and see. . .” as God provided and increased Jacob’s herd. God blessed Jacob as he called him to return to the land of his family.

Each time, it seems to indicate God’s provision. It has made me wonder what I would see if I would just lift up my eyes and look, if I would remove my eyes from the circumstances around me and look up to God and see how He might be providing for the need at hand.

This theme of looking up continues throughout the Bible. Looking up might also astound me with the greatness of God! Isaiah 40:26 says, “Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.” 

Looking up might show me the needs around me. In John 4:35, Jesus tells his disciples, “…lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.”

In John 17:1, Jesus “lifted up His eyes to heaven” when His hour had come. When the time had arrived that He came to this earth for—to do His Father’s will, to give His life for ours, to bring eternal life to those who believe on Jesus—Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven.

Hebrews 12:1-2 shows us that it’s in “looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” that we find endurance to run the race set before us. It enables us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.”

I wonder today if we would lift up our eyes and see what we might find.

  • Could God have a provision for us in a difficult situation that He wants to give us but that we can’t see if we don’t look to Him?
  • Could we find endurance in running our race and freedom from sin which wants to entangle us?
  • Could we discover new opportunities to point others to Jesus?
  • Could we behold the glory of God as we see differently those things that otherwise might seem just ordinary or that we might take for granted?
  • Could we look up in prayer and in reading the Bible to help us know and do our Father’s will?

The fall schedule is upon us, schools are starting back. For our family, I start back in my normal work schedule today, my husband and I are going to his faculty dinner to kickoff the new year, the kids are preparing for school, finishing their summer reading and more.

As we go through the routine, we don’t want to miss the glory of God, the opportunities before us, the provisions He makes for us, the ways He can transform our hearts and enable us to do His will. We want to lift our eyes and see! I pray we will all behold Him anew and catch a greater vision of our God as we begin another school year and a new season.