Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: christianity

a sticky situation — August 19, 2026

a sticky situation

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Back in the days of cassette tapes, I was in a band.  And after we performed a concert, people would sometimes ask “Hey do you guys have any tapes?”  I would say, “Yes we do, I got one from the Eagles and Gary has one from the Gaithers.”  Most people didn’t appreciate my witty reply.

But I’d like to discuss a different kind of tape here – the sticky kind.

I was invited to speak at a marriage retreat.  There were several couples present and they shared much in common: each person had been married and divorced before, and each couple had lived with their current spouse prior to marriage.  Each couple was also quite troubled. 

And I was reminded of the parable of the duct tape. 

Think of fictitious Bill as a piece of duct tape (you can choose the color).  He is alone and longs to be wanted.   Like tape, he is ready to adhere when applied to another person.

Bill met Sally.  She is also alone and ready for a partner.  Bill fit the bill.  After a couple of dates, they ended up in the bedroom and became “one flesh.”  Their sticky sides met and they deeply bonded. 

It was more than physical. Their union was also emotional, mental, and even metaphysical in its nature.

After several months of dating, Bill tried to pull away.  But stick two pieces of tape to each other, and it’s almost impossible to separate them.  If you succeed, both pieces are mangled beyond recognition.  And what is left loses most of its stickiness.

Bill eventually married another, but it was a deeply troubled marriage mostly because Bill was emotionally mangled and had lost his stickiness in several prior relationships. 

Back in Genesis 2, God created one man and one woman and invited them to become one flesh with each other – to marry for life and bear children.

This became the template for mankind going forward. God expected us to commit to lifelong relationships and reserve our sexual passions for our spouse alone.

Any departure from this is considered to be immoral.  The Scripture says, “Marriage must be honored among all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers” – Heb. 13:4. NETBible ®

God expects us to honor the institution of marriage.  We do that when we say, “I do.”  We are also told to keep the marriage bed undefiled.  Sex was designed to take place within the boundary of marriage, not before it, or with anyone who is not your spouse.

The author indicates that to do otherwise is to be immoral.  The word in the Greek from which this is translated is, “porneia.” Notice the root word “porn.”

Back in 1st century pagan circles, there was a huge number and diversity of sexual deviancies.  So many that God would have needed to compose 1,000 commandments to address each particular offense – so He summed them up instead with this word, “porneia.”

But why would God be so stingy and deprive us of the pleasures of unrestricted sex?  Only because He wants us to experience the richest marriage possible. 

He wants to see two fresh pieces of tape, stick to and bond with each other, so that their relationship will flourish and even endure the hardships of life.  He wants to protect us from the trauma of being mangled by multiple sexual partners.

God is not limiting us – He is looking out for us! 

Many of us, including myself, have already blown it in this area.  Know that God’s grace and forgiveness are great when we seek it.  There’s no need to despair. 

But, we can get it right going forward, and we can teach the parable of the duct tape to our kids and grandkids so that they might experience God’s very best for them.    

A PRAYER: God, how we need your help in this area. 

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

to the end — August 12, 2026

to the end

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I had a good friend who had a terminal disease.  His immune system was shot, and the doctor ordered him to remain at home to avoid people who might infect him.  But then my wife happened to run into him at Wal-Mart.

She asked him why he was out.  He said, “I don’t want my tombstone to say, ‘He was cautious!’”

Like my friend, there are some of us who are very aware that our time on earth is almost done.  Some can’t sleep because they fear they’ll never open their eyes again.  Others try to reconcile with distant family members.  Some rest in peace before they die because they know they are secure in Christ. 

Christ also lived in the shadow of His death.   What was on His mind during those days?   

John 13 begins the telling of the Last Supper.  This, of course, was the last meal that Jesus would share with His disciples before His crucifixion.  His execution would take place only hours later. 

The Apostle John wrote, “Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that his time had come to depart from this world to the Father” – John 13:1. No question here, Jesus clearly understood that the time of His crucifixion had arrived.  

John continued saying, “(Jesus) Having loved his own who were in the world…”   

That is quite an amazing statement.  Jesus loved – who?  Well, those who were gathered around that table. 

They had left everything for Him.  They shared countless adventures together; they saw the glory of God penetrate the gloom of Israel; and together they suffered rejection.  They were a tight bunch, and Jesus had loved them well. 

Then John completed his sentence by saying, “He now loved them to the very end.”  His end was near, but His mind was focused on this group of people that he dearly loved.  This is quite amazing for at least two reasons.

One: Jesus was thinking of others when most would be centered on themselves.

And Two: Those disciples were going to disappoint Jesus over the next few hours.

They eventually left the supper that night to retreat to an olive grove called Gethsemane.  Jesus took His inner circle: Peter, James and John with Him, and asked them to watch while He prayed and wrestled with the Father over His crucifixion. 

It would be incredibly stressful for Jesus and He wanted them to be with Him and to pray for Him, but they fell asleep instead.  Jesus was deeply disappointed, but His love for them persisted.

Judas had been present at that meal.  But at Gethsemane he would betray the one that loved him with a meaningless middle-eastern kiss on His cheek.  A heartless betrayal, and yet Jesus would love even that man to the end. 

Jesus was apprehended in the garden and His hands were bound as they led Him away like a sheep to slaughter.  The disciples vanished like roaches when the lights come on.  It was every man for himself.  And yet Jesus’ love for them endured to the end.   

And then of course there was Peter, who covertly slipped into the courtyard of the home where Jesus was on trial.  Three times Peter denied knowing His master, when in fact he probably knew him better than most anyone else. But even Peter was loved by Jesus till the very end.

Jesus threw caution to the wind and loved His own – His ungrateful, unreliable, unpredictable own – until the end.  How comforting it is to know that He loves you and me with that same unrelenting love. 

Paul wrote, “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” – Romans 8:38-39.

A PRAYER: Lord, thank you; thank you; thank you for such love.

God bless you!

Scripture is quoted from the NETBible ®

settlers — July 22, 2026

settlers

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Life has conditioned many of us to be settlers – to be content with much less than what we potentially could have.

My teenage son was ready to get behind the wheel – any wheel.  I promised to match dollar-for-dollar any money he could save toward the purchase of his own vehicle. 

He quickly earned $500.  With my matching $500 he thought he had enough to buy a car.  I tried to reason with him, but he actually found a pick-up truck that he could afford.  So, I played along.  I figured he would learn soon enough how little $1,000 could buy.

The truck was parked in a grove of pine trees, but it would have looked more at home in a junkyard.  The paint was splotchy, panels were dented or missing, and the tailgate was gone. 

We got in and found that even the dashboard was missing and there were holes in the floor.  I was surprised that it started. We took it for a test drive.  He was clearly excited.

But then the truck began spewing a cloud of smoke.  I quickly stopped and the smoke completely swallowed up the truck.  Was it on fire?  I couldn’t tell but I was not going to be held responsible for the death of that piece of junk, so we raced back to the house. 

I approached the pine tree parking space and began to brake, but the pedal dropped to the floor.  We had no brakes and I was headed for a passle of pine trees.  By God’s grace the truck began to slow and come to a stop. 

I sat there and trembled and silently thanked God for barely saving our lives.  My son, however, broke the silence and said, “Dad, dad – can we buy it?” 

He was so willing to settle for a piece of junk. 

We laugh but are often prone to do the same thing.  We have become comfortable with junk – with fractured marriages, and unmanageable debt, and unmotivated kids.  We limp along depending on alcohol or chemicals, or the elusive hope of winning the lottery.    There is emptiness inside of us that we just can’t fill

And we assume that the way we feel is how everyone feels.  We scratch away to find a little pocket of satisfaction.  But we don’t find it, so we adjust our expectations down, “Well I guess that’s just the way that life is!”   

But Jesus says, “No, that’s not the way it should be.  He said, “I have come so that they may have life and may have it abundantly” – John 10:10 NETBible ®.

He says, “Don’t settle.  I want you to have an abundant life.”   So, what is that?

I met a woman in her thirties who recently discovered the abundant life.  She had never been to church and knew nothing about Jesus or the Bible.

She had been a settler for a long time – a broken marriage, a questionable boyfriend, and she was a functional alcoholic.  She did well at her job – maybe the only bright spot for her.

But then she went to church one day and wondered if God might have more for her.   She invited Jesus to be her Savior and Lord. 

And things began to quickly change.  The man she was living with, also turned to Christ.  They were married.  They both gave up alcohol and didn’t miss it a bit.  The children wanted what they had and began to do church with them. 

She and he both were beaming with joy as they told me how rich and satisfying their lives had become.

They went from being sad, confused settlers, to being cherished children of God and they are thoroughly enjoying the privileges of the abundant life today. 

That’s what the Lord intended for them – and for you!

A PRAYER: Lord, help us introduce the settlers in our community to Jesus

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

chip heaven — July 8, 2026

chip heaven

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There is one chip that is much better without the dip – that would be the one in my credit card. 

It is called an EMV chip and it is essentially a minicomputer.  Unlike the magnetic stripe – it is alive.   It generates a brand new unique cryptographic code for every single purchase and will do so for 10-12 years.   

However, I tried to use my card recently and it was rejected.  I happened to notice that there was a bright red box on it where my chip once lived.  The chip had somehow fallen out. 

But though my credit card was dead, the lost chip was still very much alive, and the finder could now tap it at the cash register at Wal-Mart to buy a bag of chips (of the Lays variety). 

We might think of our souls as EMV chips.  Though the body of a Christian should die, their soul lives on.  Jesus said to His friend Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die” – John 11:25-26.  That’s as clear as it gets. 

There is a curious story of life after death that took place in 1 Samuel.  King Saul and his nation were facing a Philistine invasion and Saul desperately needed the wisdom of God.  God’s mouthpiece to Saul had been the prophet Samuel but he had died. 

So, Saul did what was forbidden in the Word of God and covertly sought out a medium who could purportedly communicate with the dead (1 Samuel 28:7). 

He asked her to contact Samuel that they might talk.  She called for Samuel but was shocked when he actually appeared.  She expected a typical demonic counterfeit.  This was an extraordinary event over which she had no control. This was not her typical pretend ruse.  For an extremely unusual reason, God caused this meeting to take place.

And there he was.  2 Samuel says, “Then Saul realized it was Samuel, and he bowed his face toward the ground and kneeled down” (28:14).Though he had died, Samuel continued to exist.

“Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up” (28:15)? The prophet still had the ability to speak.

Samuel said, “The Lord has done exactly as I prophesied! The Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor David (28:17). Samuel had memories of what was spoken when he walked the earth, and he was quite aware of what was happening with Saul at that time. 

And then Samuel looked beyond the present and said, “Tomorrow both you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines!” (28:19). The future is known only to God and to those He chooses to reveal it to.  Samuel was with God and in communication with God.  And it all came true just as Samuel predicted. 

Obviously, this was a unique situation that involved the anointed King of God’s chosen people.   Saul was wrong in what he did, but the Lord gave him an audience with Samuel to shut him up.   

So, don’t bother trying to contact your loved one who has moved on. You’ll hear nothing but crickets. 

But there is one thing we can draw from this quirky story: physical death is not the end for the people of God. This privilege is guaranteed to we who trust in Jesus.  Again, He said, “The one who believes in me will live even if he dies.” 

So, listen, if you get to heaven and you happen to find the chip from my credit card – just pitch it out.  I won’t need it because my entry fee has been prepaid by Jesus.

A PRAYER: Lord eternal life will be amazing as we spend it with You

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you always.

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Scripture is quoted from the NETBible ®

marriage math — June 24, 2026

marriage math

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There is a mathematical formula for a healthy marriage!

You start with 1

Back in the time of beginnings, God made multiples of every living thing except for man (Genesis 1:24-27).  Why did God make just one?   Maybe because being a man, Adam lacked the relational IQ of a woman. He needed to go without, in order to realize that he needed someone.

So in marriage math, God added 1 + 1.

The day came when Adam finally realized that he was alone.  Genesis 2:20 says,

“But for Adam no suitable helper was found.”  

Adam said to himself, “There’s no one that thinks like me, feels like me – who might be able to care for me.  This was God’s cue. “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh.”(Genesis 2:21-22)

The Lord administered anesthesia to Adam.  While he slept, God took a rib and perfectly fashioned it into the woman that he needed.  And the only way to get that rib back was to marry her.

She was called a “helper.”  The Psalmist wrote, “God is my help” – same Hebrew word (Psalm 54:4). This elevated a wife to an exceptionally high status. She became a powerful life partner, without whom Adam could not succeed.  

She was “suitable” for Adam which means that she perfectly corresponded to him.  I get it!  My wife and I are like 2 jagged pieces of a broken plate being joined together to make a functional piece of dinnerware.  We were made to complement each other.   So, we have 1 + 1 which typically equals 2, but

In marriage math – 1 + 1 = 1

Genesis 2:24 says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”  This union became the template for all marriages to follow.  They would first need to leave the emotional/material comforts of their homes and choose to depend on each other instead.

When a couple does this, they become one in body and soul.  The Hebrew word for one is “ehad.”  Moses wrote, “Our God is one.”  Same Hebrew word.  (Deut. 6:4)

It’s a mystery how God can be one and yet exists in three persons.  Also, a mystery, says Paul, how a husband and wife can experience a similar type of metaphysical oneness (Ephesians 5:32). So far, our marriage math has taught us that 1 + 1 = 1. 

But it’s not really a marriage unless there are 3

In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Solomon touted the fantastic benefits that 2 people give one another. They produce more than one, plus they can rescue, defend and provide for one another.    

And then Solomon abruptly concluded with this thought, “A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart” (4:12b).  He says 2 are great, but 3 are necessary.  One cord will break under stress; even 2 are insufficient.  But braid three cords together, so that they lock in and grip each other, then you have a rope that cannot be broken.

This implied third strand is the Lord.  The strongest and best marriage is one that includes the Lord.  Why?  Because marriage was designed by God for us and His Word is the ultimate marriage manual. 

And because creating a healthy marriage is not hard, it is virtually impossible.  Put 2 even modestly selfish people in a home together and sparks can fly.  But the couple that loves God, drinks from His Word, that prays and worships as a couple – they will find that selfishness diminish.

And that is God’s mathematical formula for a healthy marriage.

A PRAYER: Lord, we invite you to be that third strand in our home

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you always

Scripture passage are from the NIV

the gift that stays given — June 17, 2026

the gift that stays given

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They say that money speaks.  It does.  Mine often says goodbye!  

But there is more than one way we can lose what we have.  There is always the Indian Giver.

It was not uncommon in colonial America for a native American to offer a gift to a colonist.  If the gift was not regularly used, the giver might expect their gift to be returned.  It was a cultural practice that was misunderstood by European settlers.  

Which is why, a colonist who welched on their gift giving came to be known as an Indian giver. 

The term is obviously offensive to native Americans partly because of things like the Indian Removal Act of 1830.  Ironically, this law stripped tribal peoples of land that had been previously given to them and forced them to relocate out west.  The journey was called the Trail of Tears. 

Scripture says, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” – Romans 6:23   Though eternal life is God’s gift, is it a gift that He might potentially recall.  Would He take it back if it goes unused?   Might we forfeit it by some misbehavior?  Could there be a Trail of Tears in our future?  Not according to the Scripture…

– Jesus promised to keep us secure. 

He spoke of those who believed saying, “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 10:27-29.  

– We were sinners before He saved us, and remain sinners after He saved us

John wrote, “If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us” – (I Jn 1:7-8)

 Sin does not condemn the believer to hell, but it sours our relationship with Jesus.  We certainly want to remove that barrier as soon as we can, which we can do through confession (1 John 1:9).

– We have been born into His family.

 Jesus told Nicodemus to be “born again.” (John 3:1-3).  John wrote “But to all who have received him—those who believe in his name—he has given the right to become God’s children” – John 1:12.  The Christian has been born into the family of God.  So, “What can we do to be unborn? 

Suppose there was a rebellious son, who got into lots of trouble and did everything he could to dissociate himself from his dad.  And one day

he said to his father, “I hate you and I wish I were never born into this family.” 

The father could possibly say, “Well, I’m sad that you feel this way, but I have a friend at the courthouse who can fix this.  You can change your last name, and the record can be altered so that you will never be connected to our family again.” 

It may be possible to alter the record, but does it really matter?  A child just can’t be unborn!  The verbiage can be changed, but not the fact that a birth occurred. 

Even so, if we were that rebellious son, we could never be unborn from God’s family but there would be consequences for our rebellion at the judgment seat of Christ for sure. (2 Corinthians 5:9-10; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15; 1 John 2:28)

God loved us into His family, and He loves us while we are in His family.  The apostle Paul told us that there isn’t anything that is able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord – (Romans 8:39).

The only trail we will eventually travel will take us to heaven.

A PRAYER: Lord we are grateful for such security.  Help us to live worthy of it

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture is quoted from the NETBible ®

the Magi Postal Service — June 3, 2026

the Magi Postal Service

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Evidently, we are all very deserving.  The lawyer on the TV promises to get us the settlement we deserve.  Football great Joe Namath told us to get the healthcare benefits we deserve.  McDonalds once told us that we deserve a break today.  

The dentist tells us we merit a better smile.  We are even told that we are worthy of premium toilet paper.  

But, honestly, there are times that I don’t want what I deserve.  

The budget for the youth ministry at our church was 50% of nothing.  So, I came up with a fun fundraiser. 

I asked our church to forgo mailing their Christmas cards to each other.  Donate the postage to the youth ministry instead and let us deliver the cards.

So, the congregation brought their cards to us.  We marked them with our official Magi Postal Service stamp and then delivered them on a Saturday morning. 

But that same afternoon, I received a threatening letter from the U.S Post Office informing me that only authorized postal service employees can place mail in a mailbox.  

I was told that I had committed a federal offense and the fine was $5,000 per piece of mail and 3 years in jail.  Oh my!  We delivered over 200 cards.  I literally owed the government a million bucks and I was soon to transition from youth pastor to prison inmate.

I most definitely did not want to receive what I apparently deserved. 

This is also true with sin.  Like the postal service, God has issued a warning.  Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

God said, “Do not bear false witness” but we have told little white lies.  He said, “Do not steal” but we have stolen time from our employer.  God told us to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Well, that has rarely happened!   

If there is a shred of honesty in us, we would have to agree that we have sinned and have fallen short of God’s expectations for us. 

Unfortunately, there are cosmic consequences.  Paul wrote, “the wages of sin is death” – Romans 6:23.  He spoke of an eternal state of separation from God – a perpetual process of dying.   Jesus Himself referred to this hell as a place where, “the fire is not quenched” – Mark 9:48

I am thinking that a fine of 1 million bucks would be nothing compared to the terrors of hell.

Fortunately, God sent someone to pay that penalty for us.  Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”   

If my wife were dying of cancer, I would, if I could take that cancer from her and bear it myself so that she might live.  That’s essentially what Jesus did for us. 

Because He was a man, He was able to die, and because He was also God, His death has a divinely powerful impact.  He suffered the consequences that we earned and deserved.

But each one must decide whether to do business with God or not.  John 1:12 says, “…to all who received Him (Jesus) to those who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God.”  

It is the free gift of God (Romans 6:23) but it must be received.  Suppose that a postal employee showed up at your door with a package instead of a threat.

He wants you to sign for it. So, you take out your wallet, but he says, “Oh no, someone else has paid for it, you just need to sign and receive it.”  That’s how God has taken care of our sin.  We need to believe in the giver and humbly receive what He gives.

He withholds what we justly deserve, when believe in Him and receive His gift.

Why don’t you take a moment now and ask Him for that gift?

A PRAYER: Oh God, thank you for withholding what we truly deserve. 

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are taken from the NIV

black or blue — May 13, 2026

black or blue

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My wife told me I needed to change out of my faded blue jeans for black ones.  We were going to a funeral after all.   I obeyed (as per my wedding vows). But then she looked at me and barked, “I said black!” Evidently, I chose a darker blue pair.

She made me try again.  Strike two! Somehow, I ended up with a different pair of dark blue pants.  She asked me to change again – which made me bluer than my pants.

So, what is my problem?  Well, my color discernment is impaired. My name is Jim and I am color blind. 

As I lamented my malady, I started thinking that there are folks today who lack discernment when it comes to Scripture. They read it but somehow end up with conclusions that don’t seem to match the words that they read.  They look at blue but see black. 

For instance. Jesus said, “If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out! It is better to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched” – Mark 9:47-48.

Christians from the first century until today have understood Jesus to teach that there is a place called hell, reserved for the unrighteous – a place of eternal torment and unquenchable fire. 

And yet there is an entertainment celebrity today who is well known for his sincere devotion to Christ.  And yet, this man read this passage and yet somehow concluded that the unrighteous simply cease to exist once they die. 

Paul, in 2 Timothy 2:15, spoke of “rightly dividing the Word of truth.” (KJV) In other words, a person needs to be discerning and accurate when it comes to the Word of God.  We need to be able to distinguish the black from the blue.  So how do we do this? 

– We can start by laying aside any personal agenda. Let the Scripture freely speak without any preconceived notions.  There was a guy whose mother died but he wasn’t sure if she ended up in heaven.  He eventually discarded his former conviction and came to believe that the unrighteous cease to exist when they die.  His personal preference directed his interpretation of Scripture. 

– We should ask the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our study. He was given to us to do this very thing (John 16:13).

– Consider the literary context of the passage. Read what precedes and follows it, to get the fullness of it.  Look at the whole of Scripture to see what it teaches on the subject.  If our friend had done this.  He would find much evidence that hell is painful and unending (Matthew 25:30; 41; 46; Luke 16:22-24; Revelation 14:9-11)

– Consider the genre of a passage.  Is it poetry like the Psalms, or prophecy like Daniel, or maybe history like Acts. The genre affects how we understand it.  Our Mark passage contains straightforward teaching from Christ. 

– Consider the cultural/historical context of a passage. The word for hell (Gehenna) was also the name of the local Jerusalem garbage dump, where a fire burned 24/7.  

– Prefer the most obvious understanding of the passage. Read the Scripture in its normal literal sense, unless it is obvious that figurative language is used.  Scripture was not written for the benefit of theologians but for all of us.  When an interpreter makes excuses in order to harmonize a passage with their interpretation – then it’s likely that they have erred.

– Give weight to every word. Jesus spoke of a fire that is never extinguished.  It burns for eternity meaning that it will be fueled for all eternity.

I want to know what God wants me to know – no matter what.  I cannot increase my ability to discern color, but you and I can do lots to sharpen our minds as we explore the Word of God. 

A Prayer: Open our eyes Lord, that we may see.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickelheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible.com

to behold Him — April 8, 2026

to behold Him

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Many of us were raised in liturgical churches.  A liturgical service begins with the minister saying, “The Lord be with you.” The congregation responds by saying, “And also with you.”

Well, one Sunday the minister attempted to begin the service, but the microphone was malfunctioning. So, he tapped the mic several times and then finally said, “There is something wrong with this!”

And the congregation answered, “And also with you!”

That’s a joke of course, but having been raised in a liturgical church, I believe that this kind of thing could possibly happen.  Our worship was often more routine than reverent. 

But is there such a thing as a perfect worship service?  Not in this life!   A church should assist families with their after-service review by providing an Amazon style 5-star rating system.   

But the services in heaven will be a lot better – won’t they?  I wonder – what will the worship services be like in heaven?

Will Michael the archangel begin by tapping the mic and asking, “Hey is this on?”  Will the video operator still be stuck on verse 1 while we are supposed to be singing verse 2?  Will the feedback from the celestial sound system make our ears bleed?   

The pre-service announcements down here seem to go on for eternity, so will they – in eternity?   Will the guitar player play an annoying little riff while we pray?  Will we have the strength to stand for the entire worship for all eternity? 

I suspect that our worship in heaven will likely be free from those distractions. 

For one thing, we won’t have to imagine Jesus, and what He looks like, or the sound of His voice.  We will see Him face-to-face.

We find this truth in a surprising place.  Job said in the book by his name, “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God, whom I will see for myself, and whom my own eyes will behold, and not another. – Job 9:25-27.

Job has in mind the prelude to the eternal state – the return of the Lord Jesus to this earth to rule for 1,000 years.  Job was extremely excited to put his eyes on his redeemer. Again, he said, “I will see God, whom I will see for myself, and whom my own eyes will behold…”

He understood that it would be a long way off, and that he would die before that would ever happen.  But he also believed he would be raised again to see his Redeemer God with his own eyes – and he was thrilled by the prospect. 

John, the apostle, was privileged with preview of our glorified Lord.  He wrote, “He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet, and he wore a wide golden belt around his chest. His head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His face shone like the sun shining at full strength” – Revelation 1:13-16.

Wow! Imagine a worship service with Jesus appearing in this way.  John reacted saying, “When I saw Him, I fell down at his feet as though I were dead” – 1:17.

It’s true that some of us worship today as if we were dead – but this is different.  John was awed, stunned and staggered by the magnificent person of the Lord Jesus Christ – as we will be when we bow before Him.

Even if there were things to distract us from our worship in heaven – Jesus will nevertheless, receive 100% of our attention.  No one deserves it more.

 A PRAYER: “Come Lord Jesus” – Revelation 22:20.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are quoted from the NETBible®

a happy autopsy — April 1, 2026

a happy autopsy

/pickleheavenpress

I recently had a medical issue – possibly lymphoma.  So, the doctor performed a biopsy.  My family prayed for me.  In fact, I understand that my grandson asked Jesus that I might get a good report on my autopsy.

Ironically, Jesus actually received a great report on His autopsy.  “He’s alive!” the angel told the women who arrived at His tomb – Luke 24:23.

Jesus was crucified, died and was buried, and rose again on the third day.  He is alive!  And the destinies of His disciples were dramatically changed because of it.

There was certainly proof that He had died.  John stood at the foot of the cross.  He saw the nails that stabbed his hands and feet and the blood that flowed from His side.  He was there to hear Him say, “It is finished” and watched as Jesus exhaled his last breath.  His heart fell when Jesus’ head dropped.

When Christ was removed from His cross, I imagine John looked for any shred of evidence that He was still alive – a pulse or a shallow breath – but he found none.  No heroic medical efforts were made to revive Him.

His body was then embalmed and left unattended in a dirty stone tomb which was sealed with a massive piece of stone.  Three days later the tomb was gloriously found empty.  And yet, the disciples were exceptionally skeptical.

Mark 16:11 says, “And when they heard that he was alive and had been seen…they did not believe.”   Jesus then appeared to two men on the Emmaus Road.  Those guys “went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them” (16:13).  

“Then He appeared to the Eleven themselves, while they were eating, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen him resurrected” (16:14).

There was less than zero inclination on the part of Jesus’ disciples to believe that He had risen.

But, in that room, they interacted with Him, face to face.  They could see and hear Him and touch Him.  They even watched Him eat (Luke 24:42-43).  That is when Jesus told them to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature – Mark 16:15.

The skepticism was gone and the conviction of a risen Savior gripped their souls.

So, James the apostle proclaimed the risen Christ to all Jerusalem.  But that’s as far as he got.  He was the first of the apostles to suffer martyrdom, being slain with a sword at the command of Herod in 44 A.D. (Acts 12:1-2).

Thomas was once a doubter, and yet he preached the risen Christ in Persia and India.   He was rewarded with a lance through heart by the order of the King of India

Bartholomew preached in Armenia and India.  Because he did, he was stripped of his skin and crucified upside down.    Andrew took the message to Greece where he was crucified on an X-shaped cross.

James, the half-brother to Christ, proclaimed the Lord in Jerusalem which provoked the leaders of Israel to take him up to the pinnacle of the temple and push him off.

Peter was afraid of the authorities which is why he denied Christ 3 times.  After meeting the resurrected Christ, he fearlessly confronted the authorities that had crucified Christ (Acts 4:10).  But his message eventually offended the emperor.  Nero had him crucified in an upside-down position.

Why did these men choose to face persecution and death?   It wasn’t to get rich, and certainly not to become popular.  They did it because the One who overcame the power of death and the grave asked them to do so.  

People will die for something if they believe it is true – even if it is not.   But they will not die for what they know to be a lie.

Those men were uniquely permitted to do an autopsy of sorts on their Messiah who was once verifiably dead.  And the consensus was, “He’s alive!”

A PRAYER: Lord over life and death – we worship You!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture references are from the NETBible®