Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: christianity

frozen with fear — January 28, 2026

frozen with fear

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Someone told me, “You need to get in shape!”  I said “I am in shape. Round is a shape.”

OK I admit I am a mess in more ways than one!  Case in point!   Years ago, my wife observed something odd about me. She asked, “Why do you swing your left arm when you walk, but not your right?” 

Sure enough, as we walked my left arm would swing front to back in sync with my gait, but my right arm was fastened to my side, but I couldn’t explain why.  When I run, both arms are working but not when I walk.

Eventually I came up with the most plausible explanation.  I was ambushed and beaten several times on the walk home from school during High School.  It was terrifying and traumatic.  

The gangs would find me and surround me, but I couldn’t outrun them.  They simultaneously would bust me with their fists and then flee.  And I would pick myself up from the ground, brush away the tears and go home. 

I needed to defend myself, so I began to carry a small bottle opener with a sharp tip.  I carried it in the palm of my right hand.  I deliberately did not swing my right arm when I walked, in order to hide my weapon.

But here it is 50 plus years later and I still walk with my arm glued to my side. Fear has frozen it there.

Some people fear swimming, others flying.  Some avoid crowds while others being alone?  Some avoid hospitals and others public speaking.   Dig deep and you’ll often find a difficult experience that cemented these fears into our psyches.  Christ the Counselor can help! 

His disciples were on a smallish boat at night which was battered by the wind and waves.  That was scary enough, but then an apparition on the water approached them.  Matthew says, “They were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out with fear” – Matthew 14:26.

They were afraid of something they didn’t understand which is true of most fears.  And yet, that scary sight was Jesus.  He was right there in the middle of their fears.  

When we are afraid, we need to Know that Jesus is in the middle of the things that scare us.  There in the foreboding darkness is Jesus who wants to help us confront our fears. 

Jesus spoke to them, “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid” – 14:27. If they had known that their powerful Savior was there with them, they wouldn’t have been afraid.  Jesus’ presence is enough to assure us.   He said, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you” – Hebrews 13:5.

Peter wanted to verify that it was truly Jesus, so he asked the Lord to command him to walk on the water to meet Him (14:28-29).  Jesus did, and Peter jumped out of the boat and tread the angry waves.  Once he knew that Jesus was present, he had the courage to walk towards the very thing that frightened him.  Likewise, We need to walk toward the fears that paralyze us.

Of course, we know what happened next.  Peter took his eyes off Jesus and locked them on the waves – and he began to sink (14:30-31). So, it is with fear.   Even when we have summoned the courage to walk on water, we will falter if we allow the thing we fear become our focus.  We need to fix our eyes on Jesus when our fears try to distract us.

Dr. Erwin Lutzer once said, “When we focus on the very thing that we are trying to get rid of, its power over us actually increases…But if your focus is on Jesus – on your obedience to Him, His power will flow through your whole being and drive away the fear.”

Hmm, maybe it’s time that I quit giving the Lord the stiff arm!

A PRAYER: Lord, I don’t want to be frozen in my fears.  Please thaw me out!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you always.

Scripture references are from the NETBible ®

when God says no  — January 14, 2026

when God says no 

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My grandson sideswiped the neighbor’s brand-new Ford Mustang with his bicycle.  His momma called her car insurance company to see if they would cover the damage. 

The adjuster asked for a description of the vehicle that caused the accident?”   My daughter told him, “It was a Blue Mongoose.” 

With stifled laughter the adjuster said no to the claim!

“No” may be the most ugly and painful word in the English language.  When we have a request, or an expectation of another – we do not want to hear the word “no.”   Especially when that “no” comes from the Lord.

It was early in the ministry of Jesus.  He had debuted His power in the town of Capernaum, where He had healed many of various diseases, and cast out demons (Mark 1:34).  It was a sensational start!   

From there He returned to His hometown of Nazareth and joined the faithful for the Sabbath service.  He read Isaiah 61:1 to them.  

He then said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled…” – Luke 4:21.  In saying this, Jesus asserted that He was the Messiah of which Isaiah had spoken. 

The folks of Nazareth were pleased.  “All were speaking well of him and were amazed at the gracious words coming out of his mouth” (4:22). The mood in that synagogue was jubilant.  Jesus had become an instant celebrity, and they were ready for Him to bring His healing powers to their little berg.

But they were also wondering, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (4:22). Jesus was a hometown boy from a small town (scholars say about 11-15 families) So those folks knew Jesus all too well.

They watched Him learn to walk, and even cry when He scraped his knee. They touched His calloused carpenter’s hands.  They wondered why his peers took wives, but not Him. 

He was, after all, Joseph’s son. He can’t be the Messiah – can He?   They wanted miracles but were not willing to embrace the miracle worker.  Jesus was aware, and with words that took about 46 seconds to speak, He essentially said no to them.  “I’m not gonna give you the miracles you want to see” (23-27).   

This is how they responded, 28 When they heard this, all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, forced him out of the town, and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff” (4:28-29).

Wow!  When the Lord said no – they went ballistic.  They wanted to kill Him. 

Here’s the thing, sometimes He also says no to us.  “No, I am not going to provide the $500 you are asking for; No, I am not going to heal you, at least right now; No, I’m not going to change your brother’s heart.” 

Sometimes He says no because we ask with the wrong motives (James 4:3).  Or because it would be detrimental for us to have what we ask (Matthew 20:22).  Sometimes as with the folks at Nazareth, He says no to our prayers because we want the blessing without the blesser.   

Some respond to His denial, by pushing Him off the cliff of our consciousness.  “I am done with Jesus.  If He were a good God, He would have said yes.  If He were all powerful, He could have answered my prayer.  If He were all knowing, He would know how badly I want what I am asking.” 

But He is a good God, He is all powerful and all knowing.  And when He says no, it is very much because He is a good, all-powerful and all-knowing God. 

When He says no to us, we would be wise to say to Him, “Lord I may not appreciate this right now, by I am trusting that You are doing what’s right by me.

Amen? 

A PRAYER: Lord tune up my prayers, and give me grace when You say no.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you

All Scripture references are from the NETBible ®

thrift store saints — November 25, 2025

thrift store saints

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Our favorite family entertainment takes place at a thrift store.  A grandson decided he would embarrass me at such a store. He would bring to me various absurd items – like a woman’s bra for instance – and then ask in a loud voice in front of witnesses.  Hey Papaw, do you need another one of these?”  I say, “Nah I’ve got plenty.”      

Later he brought me a pair of kid’s underpants – emblazoned with cartoons. The twelve-year old said, “Hey Papaw, do you want these?”  I shook my head no.  He was halfway back to returning them when I yelled out so that all could hear, “OK son, if you really want those underwear, I’ll buy them for you.”

I believe we could have sat him down on the shelf with the other red items. 

At another time, it was the last day of a rummage sale – whatever you could stuff in a brown paper bag – all for five bucks.  My wife was an eager shopper.  So my older grandson and I would covertly slip bizarre items into her bag.  We laughed and giggled and had the best time. 

When we got home, my wife unpacked the bag and found things like a useless old TV remote, a deluxe Jello cookbook (we don’t eat Jello).  There was even a very large lead weight on a chain.  

She had all that craziness spread out on a bed.  After a good laugh, I went to collect it to ship it off to another thrift store, but she told me “No, no I am keeping all that stuff.”  And she did.  It took her a while, but she ended up finding uses for most of it. (except the Jello cookbook)

This reminds me of Jesus.  He entered this world with the intention of “seeking and saving the lost” (Luke 19:10).  What He found was a musty, thrift-store setting – a random selection of discarded and very used, mostly broken people.

The apostle Paul gave us a sample list of what He found.  He included those who were sexually immoral, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, those who are verbally abusive and even swindlers.  But then he wrote, “Some of you once lived this way. 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. NETBible ®

One of the first things my wife does with thrift-store purchases is to wash them when we get home.  Exactly what Jesus did. He washed the stink and stigma away.

I know many of these once broken people.  There was the man who faked his way through church every Sunday but was hooked on meth.  He finally met Jesus and said goodbye to his addiction. 

Another man – very successful in business, but a serial offender when it came to infidelity.  He ended up without a family, homeless, addicted and finally incarcerated.  On the way to his cell, he came to Christ.  When he was released, he went back to the streets to reach the hopelessly broken for Jesus.

There was the woman at the well in the Bible.  She went through a parade of men looking for real love.  The parade ended when she met Jesus. 

I had a good friend who had been a raging alcoholic, who was daily destroying his family of three until He met Jesus.  He then began to literally carry a wooden cross around the world to bring attention to the message of Christ.   

I broke so many laws in my teenage years, that they should have sent me to jail for a long time.  But Jesus ended up doing for me what the legal system could have never done. 

Jesus strolled through the aisles of this world finding the used, broken and discarded, redeeming us, and giving us a fresh purpose in his house.  And like my wife, there’s no way He would ever part with His crazy collection of thrift store saints. 

A PRAYER: Lord, thank you for removing the stink and the stigma from us.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

what will we look like in heaven? — November 12, 2025

what will we look like in heaven?

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My 7-year old granddaughter looked at me and asked with concern, “Papaw – why do you have so many holes in your face?”   I didn’t want to scare her with tales of teenage acne so I may have told her I like Swiss cheese.

But, here’s the question – will my complexion be pockmarked for eternity?  How will we appear when we get to heaven?  Will my appearance be locked in at the time of death?  Will the elderly be eternally wrinkled?  Will the newborn be infants indefinitely?   

An understanding of God’s grand plan may give us some insight. In the beginning, God crafted 2 ideal human beings.  Adam and Eve were the pinnacle of perfection.  Aging, disease and death did not affect them.   

How old did they appear to be when God created them?  We assume they were of the age where they could obey the Lord who told them to, “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22).  

And they were strong enough to carry out His command to “cultivate” the garden (Genesis 2:15).  So, I would guess that the couple appeared to be in their late teens to early twenties when they were created.  

Had the couple obeyed the Lord, they would have forever existed in that idyllic state, but they rejected the Sovereign one to heed the serpent (Genesis 3:1-7) and all creation suffered the consequences. 

The self-perpetuating lush garden was turned into a foreboding untamed jungle (Genesis 3:18) and the guilty couple was introduced to aging, disease and death.  We, their children, have inherited the mess they created. 

But God promised them a Savior who would one day strike the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15).  Jesus died, was buried, and on the third day He rose again to redeem fallen man and restore what had been lost in Eden. 

He promised to one day regenerate all creation (Matthew 19:28).  “A new heaven and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” – 2 Peter 3:13.

It will be a stunningly beautiful place, with precious stones and glittering gold.  The tree that brought death to Adam will be replaced by the tree of life and perpetual health. (Revelation 22:2).  There will be no mourning, crying or pain (21:4).  The curse placed on Adam’s race will be lifted (22:3)    Peace will prevail and strife will cease (Isaiah 11:6-9). 

It will be a wonderful new earth, but what about the people who inhabit it? 

The apostle John wrote this, “And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!”  Revelation 21:5. Jesus plans to make “all things new!”  Why wouldn’t people be included?  Why would He create a spectacular new earth and populate it with old geezers like me?   

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul wrote of the resurrection saying “What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power” (42-43) There are clearly fantastic changes ahead for the believer.

So, my best guess is that we will be restored in heaven to appear as did Adam and Eve before the fall – in their late teens to early twenties.  We will look as if disease and the curse of the fall had never existed.  Goodbye pockmarks!

It is interesting that Mary didn’t immediately recognize the risen Savior.  Perhaps because He had a become the younger version of Himself (John 20:15).

What about those who die in the womb?  I would guess they too would appear as they would have been in their prime.  And because we will know all things fully (1 Corinthians 13:12) a momma should be able to recognize her grown-up child. 

What will we look like in heaven?  Who knows for sure?  The truth is I could appear as Frankenstein and yet I’ll be deliriously happy just to be in the presence of my Savior.

A PRAYER: Lord, it doesn’t matter what we will look like as long as we are with you.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

chew it and do it — October 22, 2025

chew it and do it

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Most liturgical church services begin by the minister saying, “The Lord be with you.” The congregation responds by saying, “And also with you.”  One Sunday the minister began the service, but the microphone didn’t work.  He tapped on it and finally said, “There’s something wrong with this!”  And the congregation answered, “And also with you.”

When you take something like that, out of context, it becomes a joke.  The same is true of Scripture and I should know. 

As I think back, I found that I have approached Scripture in a variety of ways. 

When I was young, I used the Ignore It method.  Scripture was contained in a big book that sat on a podium at church.  I didn’t have access to it, so it was easy to ignore.  Most of us have Bibles today, but they also sit untouched on a nightstand or a bookshelf.

I graduated to the Twist it approach.  Some of my teenage peers would share Biblical truth with me.  But when the truth did not mesh with my beliefs or my life preferences, I found ways to twist it – to take it out of context or make words mean other than what they were intended to mean.  This is a very popular way today for both non-Christians and even many Christians to approach Scripture. 

At age 19 I was born again, and I adopted a new way to handle Scripture.  It was the Feel It approach.  I got a Bible and read it voraciously, but I was concerned not with what I needed to believe or how I should live but rather on how it made me feel. I wanted to feel good, so I skipped over the parts that challenged or corrected me and gobbled up the truth that warmed my soul. 

Not one of those three previous approaches was very helpful to me. They were actually impediments to knowing and growing in the Lord.  

By God’s grace I eventually learned the best way to handle Scripture.  I call it the Chew it and Do it approach.   I have learned to chew on the things I read in Scripture, marinating my mind with the truth.  I try to understand the context of a passage and consider cultural issues of the biblical settings.  I let the words speak for themselves and I explore even that which makes me feel uncomfortable.

And then of course I do it.  I do my best to apply the truth.  I don’t understand all of it, but what I get, I do my best to obey.

This is what Paul intended when he wrote, “Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17. NETBible®

I have a self-propelled lawnmower.  I steer it while the power of the engine turns the wheels.  Recently, however, I was mowing a wet lawn and headed up a hill.  The mower quit moving forward.  The wheels were spinning.

What a realistic picture of so many people today – trying to move forward but pointlessly spinning their wheels instead.  That was me for sure until I learned the Chew It and Do It way to approach Scripture. 

I rely on Scripture to do marriage.  My wife and I have just entered our 50th year.  I relied on Scripture to do parenting.  Our adult kids love Jesus, married Christian spouses, they are serving at church and raising their children in the faith.   

I have relied on Scripture to teach me how to work.  When I was about to leave one job for another, my former bosses always wanted me to stay. 

Please understand – I am not boasting here–just simply saying that a life lived in obedience to the Word of God, is a life that works.  Unlike that microphone at church!

And “May the Lord be with you!”

A PRAYER: Lord, help me make time to thoroughly chew and to do Your truth.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

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

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 ®

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

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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

all authority — April 30, 2025

all authority

/pickleheavenpress

We finally reached the age where we needed a large-print edition alarm clock.  The numbers on it were 2” tall and it was loud too.  I awakened to the sound of garbage-truck backing into my bedroom.  It was an annoying authority.  It told me when to go to bed, and get up, and leave the house for an appointment.

There are annoying authorities but then there are beneficial ones as well like the policeman who protects us and the doctor who helps to heal us.

Jesus, however, is the ultimate authority – of the best variety.  He demonstrated it over three very different but important realms in Mark 1.

“Then they went to Capernaum. When the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people there were amazed by his teaching because He taught them like one who had authority, not like the experts in the law” (vrs. 21-22).

There in Capernaum, He spoke with authority.  His words were powerful, accurate and penetrating, issued from the author of all truth.   He often said, “You have heard it said….but I say to you.”   His words corrected falsehood and could be fully trusted.

There was a sign on the hand dryer in the restroom at work.  It read, “Push here for a word from the boss.”  Maybe, but when Jesus spoke, He wasn’t blowing hot air.  The people understood the difference.

We find another demonstration of His authority in verses 23-28.  There was a man in the synagogue who was indwelt and controlled by a demonic power.  When Jesus arrived, the demon spoke through the man – opposing Jesus and everything He stood for. 

Then this happened, “But Jesus rebuked him: “Silence! Come out of him!” After throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. They were all amazed so that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching with authority!” (vrs. 25-27).

There was a time when ignorant people would drill a hole in the skull of a living person who was suspected of being possessed – an escape hatch through which to expel a demon.  Foolishness for sure.  Jesus on the other hand, by His authority alone, as the Son of God, could speak a word and the forces of evil were vanquished.

There is yet another evidence of Christ’s authority in Mark 1. 

The Sabbath service was completed, and instead of heading to the Olive Garden for lunch, Jesus and crew went to Peter’s home.  There they found his mother-in-law suffering with a fever.  Jesus responded, “He came and raised her up by gently taking her hand. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. (vs. 31)

When Jesus acted, the feverish sickness instantly subsided. He demonstrated His authority over sickness and disease.

The people of Capernaum recognized and were amazed by Jesus’ authority when He spoke and when He cast out demons.  But when He defeated illness,

They were prompted to submit themselves to His authority.  Mark wrote, “When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered by the door” (vrs 32-33).

Jesus’ authority is not limited by place, or time, or by the size of the problem.   He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” – Matt. 28:18.  When I need to get up in the morning, I heed the authority of my alarm clock.  With every other problem, I need Jesus.

Does Jesus have the authority to help me with my problems? Can His servants give me counsel that will make a difference?  Can His Word give me some clear instruction?  Is He able to supernaturally intervene to help? The answer is yes to all the above. 

Make an appointment with Him today.  Bring your issues to Him in prayer.   He has the authority to make a difference and He will do it for you.

A PRAYER: Lord, You are a great God, greater than all our problems.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scriptures passages are from the NETBible.com ®