Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Author: pickleheavenpress

I have served as a pastor in East Texas for 32 years and it is my delight to continue my ministry online
no fueling — September 17, 2025

no fueling

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Somewhere in the state of Kansas I pulled in to get some gas.  But the options on the pump baffled me.  There was regular, mid-grade, premium, diesel, E10, E15, E85, ethanol free and biodiesel.  I wasn’t sure which to get so I tried, “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe; Catch a tiger by the toe.”  

I remembered the story of a friend who borrowed a diesel van and unknowingly put unleaded in it.  The engine struggled to start and then sputtered when it did.  His trip was canceled, and the van’s fuel system got a costly and thorough cleanse.

The kind of fuel we put in our tank makes a difference.   The very same is true of our spiritual lives.  We who know the Lord need to make sure that we fuel our minds with the right stuff. 

The apostle Paul told us to think about that which is true, worthy of respect, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).   Too often we put the wrong kind of fuel in our spiritual tanks and foul up the system.

We need the right kind of fuel, and it needs to go into the right place.  Suppose a teen driver jumped in her car for the first time and found the gas gauge on empty.  Would she be silly enough to remove the cap and gas up the radiator, or maybe top off the cup holder? 

Obviously not!  The fuel needs to go into the fuel tank.  Spiritually speaking, however, the fuel doesn’t always make it there.  Some of us read our Bibles and fill our minds with the right fuel, but we still lack spiritual get up and go.   

That’s probably because the ultimate destination for that fuel is not the mind, but the heart.  The Psalmist wrote, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” – Ps 119:11 (KJV).  So how does the Scripture make it to our heart? 

Psalm 119 is centered around the Scripture.  The concept of meditation is mentioned there at least 5 times.  For instance, verse 48 says, “I will lift my hands to your commands, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes” (NIV)

To meditate is to think deeply and carefully about something.  If the Psalm were written today, the Psalmist might have used the word “marinate.”  When we read the Scripture, we need to marinate our minds with it. 

We need to pause and soak our minds with what we are reading – deliberately think about the verse, each word.  What does it mean? How does it apply to you right now? 

Let me use Romans 8:28 as an example on how to marinate, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” NIV.  Let’s consider it word by word. 

“And we know” – This is a truth that we are certain of.

“That in all things” -All things: not some things, or a few things, not just the pleasant but even the painful.

“God” -Not a fictional person but a very real, powerful person in my life

“Works” -Not once worked or will work but is working at this moment.

“For the good” – The pleasant and the painful things interact with each other in God’s plan, but it results in something very good for me

“For those who love Him” –I do love Him, but how much?

“Who have been called” -He called me out of the darkness into the light

“According to His purpose” – His wise purpose shapes His plan for me.  

Marinate!  Chew on smaller portions.  Take some time and soak your mind. It’s about quality time spent not quantity.   The goal is not necessarily to memorize but to marinate your mind with the truth. 

The next time you go for a fill up – choose the premium option – the Word of God; and marinate the truth all the way into your tank.

A PRAYER: Lord, stir up a hunger in me for your Word

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you

a shrew in my shoe — September 10, 2025

a shrew in my shoe

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There was a shrew at our house (not my wife, so stop that).  It was a real live Southern Short-tailed Shrew (I could tell by the southern drawl).  OK he wasn’t really in my shoe, but he was close enough and we were shocked. We didn’t even know shrews were southerners.

He had tiny eyes; a long snout and he squealed like a dog toy.  I learned later that shrews prefer swampy land and eat fungi, slugs and other insects. So why my house?   

Their eyesight is poor, and their bite is painful – sharp and venomous but not lethal to humans.  Oh, and they eat about half their body weight each day.  Finally, something we share in common.

And hey if you ever come to our house for dinner, just skip the salad.  We had to use the salad tongs to remove the varmint.  But it did make into a nice shrew stew (just kidding).

Prior to this my only understanding of shrews came from Shakespeare. Back in his day it was not unusual to refer to a bitter, spiteful man or woman as a shrew.   

An understandable comparison – the beady eyes and the snout that seems like someone is looking down on you, the painful venomous bite like the ugliness that spews from such a person.  And then the poor eyesight – like the grump who seems to be oblivious to others.  Challenge someone like that and they squeal. 

Is it possible that there is a shrew in your shoe?  Do you have a family that treads eggshells around you?  Is arguing a sport?  Do you go through the day angry, just looking for a reason to justify it?   Do you feel a kinship with Oscar the Grouch?

Do you major in the three R’s – Resentment, Revenge and Rage?  Do people perceive you as shouting when you believe you are just talking?  Do you find yourself alone more than you would like? 

Any of these symptoms may suggest that you are more – true shrew than true blue. 

Paul has a two-part prescription for such a malady.  He first told us to sweep away the shrew.  He wrote in Ephesians 4:31, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”   

Bitterness holds onto an offense.  Wrath is an explosive rage. Anger refers to entrenched fury.  Clamor is what we do when we scream at others.  Slander is how we damage people by lies or even by a truth that should not be shared.  Malice is a heart disposition that is intent on hurting others.

Paul says to “put these things away” (artheto) but not to stow away for later.  The idea is more like to sweep it away, like the dirt on the floor – right out the door.

We need to sweep away the shrew and then start with something new. 

Paul wrote in the following verse, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” – Ephesians 4:32. 

Kind – at all times – when people are nice to me, and even when they disappoint or hurt me.  Kindness begets kindness.  We are to be tender hearted which also means to be tender worded.  We need to speak softly – words that build up, affirm and edify others (Ephesians 4:29). 

And we must certainly forgive – whether our forgiveness is sought or not.  To withhold it is to lug through life an unbearable burden that will break us.

Unfortunately, there is a glue in being a shrew that resists change.  So how can we change?  Well through the Lord!  In Ephesians 6:10 Paul spoke of being “strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”  That’s what we need.  That’s the only way we can change.

So, are we through with the shrew?  By God’s power and grace, it can happen!

A PRAYER: Lord, this fits me too well.  Change me!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NASU.

Photo is from U.S. government picture posted on wikipedia.com

a lemon without the law — September 3, 2025

a lemon without the law

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A man bought a new car, got it home and checked the trunk.  He was shocked to find that the tire-jack had been replaced by the Jaws of Life.

I wonder if that’s how Israel felt when they arrived at Canaan land.  The Lord promised them a bountiful land flowing with milk and honey (Leviticus 20:24) but that was not exactly what they found.  It was actually a really tough place to live. 

The western boundary was seacoast.  This could be a plus for international trade. But the waters of the sea carried sand from North Africa and left it on their shores so that they lacked deep water ports.

There were lots of worthless rocks but few valuable minerals.  They even had to import wood for building.

It was tough to travel – a land of random hills, valleys, swamps, and desert and smaller than New Jersey.

It is earthquake prone.  There is evidence of several cities that were leveled by quakes.   2/3 of the land was arid waste. The coastal areas were swampy.  3/4 of the land was mountainous.  Farming was a challenge.

Caanan was 100% dependent on the rain.  Every bit of the water in the Jordan River came from rain that had fallen in the land.  If it didn’t rain, they didn’t eat.

Because of the thickets and mountains the land was haunted by lions, bears, jackals, hyenas, leopards and wolves – challenges when trying to work the fields or tend the flocks.

Canaan is the primary intercontinental bridge that connects Africa with Asia and Europe.   Therefore, it was and still is the most strategic point of real estate in the Middle east.   In those days Egypt would march through Canaan to assault Mesopotamia and visa versa.   Canaan land would be assaulted and sacked when they did.  

So, God asked Moses and the Israelites to leave the rich bountiful Nile Delta region to move to a place that was poor for shipping, trading, mining, traveling, logging and especially farming.  The place was rocky, swampy, rain dependent, overrun with wild beasts and frequently ravaged by war.

So why would God provide that kind of home for the people He treasured?  He tells us in Leviticus 26:3-10.  

“‘If you walk in my statutes and are sure to obey my commandments, 4 I will give you your rains in their time so that the land will give its yield and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. 5 Threshing season will extend for you until the season for harvesting grapes, and the season for harvesting grapes will extend until sowing season, so you will eat your bread until you are satisfied…”

God described an extremely prosperous and bountiful place – plenty of rain, fruitful trees, ripened fields, and luscious grapes – each year every year (26:10).  But, He prefaced His promise with an if, “If you walk in my statutes and are sure to obey my commandments…”

He went on to say, “and you will live securely in your land. 6 I will grant peace in the land so that you will lie down to sleep without anyone terrifying you. I will remove harmful animals from the land, and no sword of war will pass through your land” (26:5b-6)

If they were to walk in His statutes, He also guaranteed that they would sleep in peace.  He would manage the wild beasts and stop the marauding nations at the border. 

God wanted them to live in a healthy state of tension.  If they were to obey it would be a fantastic home.  If they deserted Him, it would become a lemon of a land.  They had to live by their faith or languish without it. 

We too would like a milk and honey experience in life, but sometimes we taste vinegar instead.  This may be God’s gentle way of correcting us.  He disciplines the child that He loves (Hebrews 12:6-11).  It may be time to turn back to Him. 

A PRAYER: Teach us the Lord the way in which we should go.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you Scripture passages are from the NETBible

when helping hurts — August 27, 2025

when helping hurts

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His daddy was a pastor.  The little guy had to sit through church to hear his dad preach on subjects like justification and sanctification.   One day his Sunday School teacher asked if anyone knew what “procrastination” was.  The little boy, wanting to be helpful, said, “I don’t know what it means, but I know my dad believes in it.” 

Sometimes we want to help but we unintentionally hurt the cause instead.  The leper of Mark 1 is a case in point. 

He came to Jesus pleading for healing.  Jesus touched the untouchable.  (1:40-42).  Completely cleansed of the disease, the man was ready to tell the world what Jesus had done for him.   

But “Immediately Jesus sent the man away with a very strong warning. He told him, “See that you do not say anything to anyone, but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them” – NETBible.com® (1:44).  

He gave the man three directives. 1) Say nothing to anyone 2) “Show yourself to the priest” 3) And offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded.

Jesus wanted him to keep the miracle to himself, at least until he reported to the priests and offered the appropriate sacrifice to the Lord (Leviticus 14:1-32).  Doing this would help the priests understand that Jesus was the Messiah sent from God.

But the man (previously known as the leper) had a better idea.  He wanted to help the cause of Christ by spreading the Word, but to do so meant that He had to ignore the 3 directives Jesus gave him (1:45a).   Instead of helping the cause, he hurt it.

1. He limited Jesus’ ministry: Verse 45 says, “Jesus was no longer able to enter any town openly but stayed outside in remote places.”  The multitude that heard, wanted to be healed as well.  So, Jesus, couldn’t go to the cities to seek out the lost.  The lost had to go to the desert to seek Him.

2. He misdirected Jesus’ ministry:  Yes, throngs of people still sought Jesus but for their physical healthcare, not spiritual welfare.  The message of the Kingdom of God was obscured.

3. He embarrassed Jesus’ ministry: If he had he gone to the priest, he would have been ceremonially washed and freshly dressed.  Instead, this evangelist was dirty and smelly, with tattered clothes.

4. He discredited Jesus’ ministry: Jesus told him to do what the law required.  Not only did he disobey Jesus but the OT law as well.  So, Jesus became associated with a lawbreaker and rebel.

5. He destroyed Jesus’ ministry to some:  The law required a leper who had been helped to subject himself to the inspection of the priests.  To see the man and hear his story may have inclined the priests to believe in Jesus.  In fact, this was likely the beginning of the offense that the religious leaders felt towards Jesus.  Some of those priests may be in hell today partly because of the man’s disobedience.

Though the guy had good intentions, his decision was very harmful to the cause of Christ.  

So, when does helping hurt?  When we disregard the Word of God to do it. 

Sarah wants her husband to become more of a spiritual man, so she pesters him about church and family devotions and ignores 1 Peter 3:1-2 and the need to win him without a word.   

Andrew’s parents require him to pass English if he wants to go on the youth mission trip.  But Andrew wants to serve God, so he used ChatGPT on his essay.

Ed spends 20 hours a week helping at church but ignores his responsibilities at home. 

Resist the temptation to improve on our Lord’s commands.  Make sure you know what the Word of God says.  If in doubt, consult someone who knows the Bible well.  Submit your plan of action, and your motives to the Word of God and act accordingly.   Because, if we don’t, then our helping might hurt.

A PRAYER: Lord, forgive us for thinking we have a better way.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you`

far ants — August 20, 2025

far ants

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When I was a young naïve kid, I thought all ants were nice ants.  In Ohio we mostly had teeny tiny “sugar ants.”  They are so named because they are attracted to sweets (a trait we both share).   They were happy ants and were never much of a bother.

But when I was transplanted to Texas, I was assaulted by fire ants (which we pronounce as “far” ants).  So named because they are aggressive and bite and keep on biting as they inject bits of venom under the skin. 

These fire ants are red like the devil.  They supposedly came to us from South America by stowing away on a ship.

So how did the fire ants get to be so mean? 

At creation, God made the ants, and they were sweet natured and peaceful.  But then came the fall and all creation was affected by the curse – from a glorious garden to thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:18).   

God frontloaded that one original sweet natured kind of ant with the capacity to adapt itself to its environment.  Over time that one kind was multiplied into the roughly 14,000 species that are recognized today.

This did not involve the evolution of one species to another, but the simple adaptation of the original ants to their environment.

So, I am guessing that the fire ants came to be so fiery because they grew up in a tough neighborhood. Hey, the jungles of South America are rife with giant anteaters.  Those guys had to learn to defend themselves somehow.

Though I am loathe to admit it, we Christians are a lot like fire ants.  We live in a worldly environment that pressures us to adapt ourselves to it – to allow it to reshape the values and character that have defined us.

We who were birthed in Christ’s righteousness are surrounded by the squalor of sin.  These forces pressure us to adapt ourselves to this toxic environment in which we live.

There is certainly plenty of evidence of it happening today.   Seldom a week goes by without the news of another prominent Christian who has compromised and capitulated to the pressure. 

At the moment, I am grieving the loss of Michael Tait, former member of DC Talk and the Newsboys. 

And yet, I could also take a painful introspective look at my own values and character and realize that there has been some erosion.  Things are just not as sharply defined to me as they once were.

But – we cannot – we must not adapt.  We must resist, says Peter.

“Be sober and alert. Your enemy, the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. Resist him…” – 1 Peter 5:8-9.

James agrees, “So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

But how?  How do we resist these vicious assaults and the corrosion of our character?    Paul has an answer.  He wrote, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” – Ephesians 6:13. (NASU)

He then provided us with a detailed review of the full armor that the Lord has provided for our defense.  Included are such things as the belt of truth, the breastplate of Christ’s righteousness, the foundational footwear of the Gospel, the shield of our faith, and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  – (Ephesians 6:14-18)

We are, says Paul, to put it all on…”take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist”  This armor won’t do us any good when its packed away in the closet.  We must take it up and put it on.  We need to wear it and use it. 

Resist not adapt.  That’s what we must do.

A PRAYER: Lord, help us to stand against the tidal wave of this world. 

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ® unless otherwise noted.

changing table — August 13, 2025

changing table

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I suspect that the only people who really enjoy change are infants.  And yet we who are angry, depressed, lustful, abusive, addicted and lazy need to change. But it feels so hopeless.  Is it possible?

Consider a man who is being considered for a pastoral position. The search committee interviewed his references.  There were several significant comments that caused them concern. 

“The candidate does not like to assume a leadership role.”   This is a red flag.  A pastor needs to lead the church, manage the staff and represent the church to the community. 

“The candidate tends to avoid responsibility and obligations.”  This guy would likely do as little as possible to get by.  Could he manage the plethora of details that a pastor encounters or even follow through with a task?  

“The candidate likes to make his own decisions.”   In other words, he does not play well with others.  Board meetings would be a nightmare.

“The candidate is very timid and shy in a group nor does not like to have a large group of friends.”  We don’t need a hermit as the pastor.

If you were on that committee – how would you vote regarding this candidate?  Well, I would definitely cast a no vote.  I would not want to hire – ME.

This is a fictitious scenario, but the comments were taken verbatim from the notes of counselor, based on a battery of vocational tests that I took in January of 1972. 

And yet, in June of 1986, I was unexpectedly hired as a pastor and successfully served that same church for 32 years.  Were the tests wrong?  No – that was truly me in early 1972.  What happened?

I stopped in at the “changing table.” I met Jesus 10 months after I had taken those tests.  At that time, I was “born again” (John 3:3) and I became a “new man” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  The old passed away, and new things began to emerge. 

God was doing a great work in me, but I did my part too.  Paul wrote, “present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service” – Romans 12:1.

A sacrificial lamb in ancient Israel had no say in the matter, but we do.  We can choose to give ourselves wholly to the Lord – a living sacrifice not consumed by fire, but by a passion to serve the Lord.     

He went on to say, “Do not be conformed to this present world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” –12:2. 

We are to be “transformed” says Paul.  This word is derived from the Greek word, “metamorphose” as in metamorphosis.   The dictionary captures the word this way, “a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.”

Paul tells us that change is very possible.  In fact, we are expected to change and grow.  Anger can be tamed, depression lifted, lust extinguished, abusers repentant, addictions canceled, and laziness turned into productivity. 

It happens as we experience the renewing of our minds.  So how is the mind renewed?  It happens when we read and marinate our minds with the Word of God.  Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us that Scripture is alive – meaning that the Holy Spirit actively uses it to help transform us.

Renewal also takes place when we take what we read and let it shape the way we pray.  It also happens when we spend meaningful time with other Christian people whose thinking begins to impact our own.

The things we read and media we watch also tend to either conform us to this world or transform our minds. 

Change is tough.  Don’t give up on yourself.  Take time today to say to the Lord,  “I really want to be different and better.  I am laying my life on the altar and asking You Lord, to make it happen.”  

A PRAYER: Lord I am ready to change.  Would You change me – gently please?

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

10, 2 and 4 — August 5, 2025

10, 2 and 4

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Sometimes we are happily able to avoid the consequences of our choices. 

When I first came to Texas, I met their patron saint of soft drinks – Dr. Pepper.  I was fascinated by the tiny bottles – each one largely stamped with 10, 2 and 4.  The advertising advocated a Dr. Pepper break for Texans at 10 am, 2 and 4 pm.   Some regarded it as the daily prescribed dosage. 

I provided support for the senior most member in the family of print shop owners.  He was a lovely Christian man.  I would chauffeur him around town while he made his sales calls.  The first time in the car each morning, he would abruptly launch into a safety prayer (He had seen me drive before).

Each afternoon, I was expected to clean his office.  I am not exaggerating when I say that I found 8-10 of those empty Dr. Pepper bottles there.  Every work day!

Didn’t he know that consuming sugary, carbonated soft drinks poses health risks like weight gain, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cavities. Some studies connect them with the increased risk of premature death.

But the man was drinking 60 ounces of Dr. Pepper each day.  And yet, he was pushing ninety at that time, still working every day, slim and trim, fantastic health – even had good teeth.  So, I’m no dummy.  I began my own 10, 2 and 4 regimen  (though it has not worked out as well for me).

Sometimes we are able to avoid the consequences of our choices but that may not be such a good thing.

Do you know that nearly half of all murder cases in the U.S. go unsolved.  Only 1 out of every 2 murderers ever face justice. 

Retailers catch shoplifters approximately 2% of the time.  There are some cities in the U.S. that no longer even prosecute the crime.  Analysts estimate that total retail theft losses are expected to hit around $115 billion by the end of 2025.

Here is something closer to home.  9 out of 10 drivers admit to speeding.  They do that (well, we do that) because more often than not, we are not caught. 

Sometimes we are happily able to avoid the consequences of our choices but eventually they catch up to us.   At least this is true in the spiritual realm.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows” – Galatians 6:7. NETbible ®

This passage was written in the context of the way we manage our money, but it serves as a broad principle that applies to all of life as well.  Note that Paul warns us, “do not be deceived” which is because we often are.  We live like there is no tomorrow, until tomorrow comes. 

What follows is somewhat of a humorous way to think about these things – the lyrics to an original song called “Sow a Little.”

Sow a little, reap a little; Sit around and faddle fiddle; Sow a lot, reap a lot; That’s the way to go

The farmer went to sow his field.    He hoped to get a bountiful yield, But the seeds were few, he didn’t put much in; So he harvested just one wheat thin

The man was driven, he had things to do; No time for family, no time for you; He then retired and he sat alone; Just him and Siri on his cell phone

She had no time to serve the Lord; The worship service left her bored; And then one day she was deep in trouble; With nothing to show but wood, hay and stubble

But one smart brother understood the plan; He tithed his money, loved his fellow man;  He served the Lord all over the place; And he died one day with a grin on his face

Sow a little, reap a little; Sit around and faddle fiddle; Sow a lot, reap a lot; That’s the way to go

A PRAYER:  Lord, please use the future to impact our present.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you always.

love that will not let me go — July 30, 2025

love that will not let me go

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Why does Sarah cling to that stuffed lamb she was given as a toddler?    Why does Eric guard that ratty T-shirt he earned way back in his little league days?  And why does my wife stick with me?   It’s been almost 49 years, and my bones creak, and my bladder leaks, and my face looks like my great Grandpa’s.

My answer is this, once you have deeply loved someone, or even something, you just don’t want to let go. 

Sarah cuddled with her lambie pie every night.   She wore the fleece off the poor beast.   Eric’s team were the champs that year.  He proudly wore his T-shirt until his biceps burst the seams. 

I purchased a classical guitar when I was a teen.  I strummed it in bars and coffee houses before I came to know Jesus.  When I got redeemed, so did my guitar.  I went right back to those bars and coffee houses and sang about Jesus – ‘til they bounced me.

The guitar was used to influence several hundred souls to come to Christ.  I used it to sing my wedding vows to my wife. 

But the day came when it was so old and cracked and brittle that it was impractical to use – so I sold it to a friend and bought another one.   

Oh my! I was quickly overcome with sellers’ remorse.  I loved that guitar and it sorta loved me back.  I called my friend, and he graciously understood and sold it back to me.

I then hung the guitar on the wall of my home.  Over time all three of my children picked it up and taught themselves how to play it.  Now all three want that guitar bequeathed to them when I die.   To date I have owned that guitar for 57 years and I ain’t gonna let it go again. 

So why should you be interested in all this? 

Well, only because you have been loved, deeply, thoroughly, loved by the Lord Jesus.  God says so.

He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah saying ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love – Jeremiah 31:3.An everlasting love – that’s the best kind. 

And then there is Galatians 2:20 where Paul made God’s love for him very personal.  He wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.”   The Son of God loved me and gave himself up for me.    

Now because He has loved us, He refuses to lose us!

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from my Father’s hand – John 10:28-29.

Even when we are at our worst, He holds on.  The Psalmist confessed, “My spirit was bitter, and my insides felt sharp pain. I was ignorant and lacked insight; I was as senseless as an animal before you. But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand” –   Psalm 73:21-23.

because He has loved us, He refuses to lose us!   Our fleece may be wearing thin, but His love persists and sees us in the best light.  Our seams may be bursting but His love covers us.

Matt Redman put it this way, “Oh no, You never let go, through the calm and through the storm. Oh no, You never let go, in every high and every low;

Oh no, You never let go – Lord, You never let go of me.”

How sweet it is to know that God’s love for us will never ever let us go. 

A PRAYER: A Lord, thank you for your relentless love for us.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

a rupture in the rapture — July 23, 2025

a rupture in the rapture

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There has been a rupture in the rapture.  Some reject the idea that the church will one day be raptured to be with Jesus.  And yet a passage of Scripture that is almost always recited at a funeral service clearly affirms it.   

The old reliable King James says, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” – 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17.

Paul teaches that Jesus will return one day to gather His church – both those who have died in Christ and those who are still alive at that time.  We shall be caught up together with them.”  The phrase “caught up” is translated from one Greek word “harpadzo” (which sounds like one of the Marx brothers).    The word means “to snatch up, or to seize.”  And note – this will take place in the air. 

The Latin translation of this phrase is “rapturo” which is where we get the word rapture.  Theologians needed a convenient way to refer to the event of 1 Thessalonians 4.  “The rapture” seemed to be more pleasing to the ears than “the harpadzo”.

If the Scripture is true (and it is) then we can agree with certainty that this event will take place.  But we find it hard to agree as to the “when.”

Some believe it will happen before the 7 years of the Great Tribulation in the book of the Revelation.  Jesus will take His church to heaven, before God pours out His wrath on the earth (1 Thessalonians 5:9)   

Others see it happening in the middle of those 7 years.  Then there are those believe that it will happen when Jesus returns to the earth to reign – as if the city were going out to greet a conquering hero to accompany him back to town.  

Mountains of books have been written to defend each one of these positions.   

Unfortunately, Paul described the event, but he left out that one single detail on which we seem to be obsessively focused – when is it going to happen?   

We assume that it will happen during the period of time recorded in Revelation, but even there we find no clear mention of it. 

I, therefore, assume that God must have had a strategically divine purpose in hiding this information from us. 

Let’s go back and notice the emphasis in Paul’s words, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (vs. 17)

Paul wasn’t concerned about when it would happen, only who he would be with.  He told us that we will meet the Lord in the air and forevermore be with Him.  That’s the climax of the passage.  His focus was limited to the joy of being united with Jesus – forever.   

Jesus, spoke of the future in John 14:3.  Surprisingly He was also focused not on the timing, but on who He would be with.  He said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” – John 14:3. KJV

Jesus with us, and us with Jesus.  That is the grand delight of the rapture.  That is the only thing that is of the utmost importance when it comes to the great “harpadzo.”  Let’s focus on that!

A PRAYER: Come Lord Jesus

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you.

sanctified swamp people — July 16, 2025

sanctified swamp people

/pickleheavenpress

I thought about auditioning for Swamp People.  You see, whenever it rains, there is a section of my backyard that floods with water.  It doesn’t run off as it should because the ground level is lower than the rest of the yard. 

Water pools there and sticks around for as much as 5 days.   The lawn underneath gasps for breath until it finally gives up the grass ghost.   It is a swampy, unsightly mess.

What should I do about it?   I could order a dump truck load of topsoil and bring the whole area up to grade.  Then spend some serious bucks on some centipede sod and carpet the area.  Nah!

Instead, I decided to raise the level of the soil gradually!  I took bags of topsoil and lightly spread the soil throughout the area.  I then raked and watered it in.  Soon, the grass underneath began to poke through. 

I did this every couple of weeks, a little at a time, and the level of the soil gradually rose.  The water now runs off, and I have a healthy green lawn.

Gradual is also the way the Lord raises the level of holiness in us. 

The process of being processed is called sanctification.   It began the very moment we came to faith in Christ.  The Lord took a spiritual swamp person, removed his sin, placed the Holy Spirit in him and good things began to happen.   Paul wrote, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” – 1 Corinthians 6:11.

At that point the believer is liberated from the dominating power of sin.  This is known as positional sanctification, and it is all God’s doing.    

There is also practical sanctification.  In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul wrote, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” – NIV.   It is interesting if not a little baffling to find that both God and man are responsible for this aspect of sanctification. 

On one hand we are to take what God has given us in salvation and work it all out.  This is to take the potential for holiness we were given the day we were saved and roll it out and implement it so that it becomes an essential part of who we are.

So much of the New Testament targets this process.  I think of Hebrews 12:1, “…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

On the other hand, Paul tells us that it is God who is at work in us.  “…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus – NIV.” – Philippians 1:6

Practical sanctification is a lifelong process.  It is facilitated through our prayers and digesting and obeying the Word of God.  It involves finding fellowship with others at church and offering heartfelt worship. 

These are the efforts that we make to facilitate sanctification.  God does His part by empowering us, teaching us and using divinely appointed experiences to shape us.   He gradually raises the quality of holiness in us.

There are times that slow, and steady are needed to get the job done.  This is certainly true of sanctification

Paul said it would culminate on the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).  This third aspect we might call perpetual sanctification.  

When Jesus reappears, or if we should die before then, the process will be completed forever.  The apostle John wrote, “We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” – 1 John 3:2 NIV.

Hey, it’s good to know that we won’t be swamp people forever.

A PRAYER: Lord, we sure need it, sanctify away

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the New International Version