Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: faith

a pink slip or a pat on the back? — June 26, 2024

a pink slip or a pat on the back?

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“Everybody is smoking grass.  Should I take my youth group home?”

Let me explain.  I was a desperate youth pastor.  My teens would never make the cover of Christianity Today.  Going to church was slightly more pleasant to them than a tooth ache. 

They were obese with knowledge but emaciated in their faith.  To them, Christianity was about ethical principles rather than the person of Jesus.  So, I put them to work.  I created challenges for them that were so difficult they would need to turn their heads upward.

I invited John to join the Christian band I was forming.  He wasn’t a super spiritual guy, and he didn’t play guitar, but I promised to teach him.  He signed on, and then he recruited others until we had ourselves a band.

We worked hard, even wrote our own material, and began to sing it.   Our equipment was janky and our skills jankier.  But when the boys sang for other teens, the kids really listened. 

After each concert, kids would seek out band members and ask questions about God or ask them for prayer.  My guys realized that they were in over their heads, and it pushed them to seek the Lord.  They were definitely growing!

But then John signed us up to sing at a fundraiser.  We followed our map to the end of a dirt road to a makeshift amphitheater.   We settled in and listened to the bands that preceded us.  Church this was not!

One band sang, “If you got bad news, you want to kick them blues, cocaine.”  Band after band was singing their hedonism with all their hearts as the acrid scent of marijuana wafted over the crowd.

I was thinking, “Oh man the parents of these kids are gonna throw a fit. There is surely a pink slip in my future.”  So, we huddled up and I told the boys that we didn’t belong there, and the crowd would never tolerate our message anyway.

But the boys, to a person said, “No this is exactly the kind of crowd that needs to hear our songs.”   Oh my!  I created a monster – or at least helped to cultivate a monster faith in those boys. 

So, it was finally our time.  Most of the bands were old and grizzled, ours had peach fuzz faces.  But they set those faces to proclaim the Gospel.  We started with the song, “Jesus is the Only Way” and several folks found another way – they left the concert.

We did a song called, “Oh No” about a boy who resisted the invitation to have sex with his girlfriend.   Most of the crowd was shocked but they listened with extreme interest.

The multitude was polite and they clapped after every song.  Soon after, we packed up for home.  I wanted to Fabreeze the boys but couldn’t find any.

A couple of weeks later, a stranger recognized our drummer from the concert.  He told him that he had recommitted his life to Jesus that day because of what we did.

Our guys beamed with sanctified pride over what God did to them and the way God worked through them.   I am happy to say that 35 years later those men are still doing life with Jesus. 

So how about you?  Could it be said that you too are obese with knowledge but emaciated in your faith? 

We typically lack in the faith department because we avoid situations that require faith.  We settle for security and comfort rather than risking something for Jesus.  And yet the author of Hebrews wrote, “Now without faith it is impossible to please Him” – Hebrew 11:6.  – NETBible ®

Move out of your comfort zone into a realm that requires faith. Teach the Junior high class; go on that mission trip; share your faith with your neighbor.  Pray as you do, and your faith will be met with wonderful fruit and a sweetened intimacy with Jesus.

A PRAYER: Lord, please push us out of the nest and help our faith to fly.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

the way we drive — May 15, 2024

the way we drive

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It occurred to me the other day that the way we drive a car tends to reflect the way we do life in general.  The reckless teenage boy screams around the corner assuming he is all but immortal.  The cautious elderly lady motors along a good ten miles below the speed limit.   We really do tend to express our personalities by the way we drive.

So, what if they traveled by car in the first century?  What if Jesus had entered Jerusalem in a Mustang convertible instead of on the foal of a donkey? 

Let’s start with Paul. I picture him in an ambulance, screaming along at 120 miles per hour, passing through town after town with the life-saving message of the Gospel.  He actually was quite a driven individual.

Peter, we might find pulled over by a car with red flashing lights.  The patrol officer says, “You were going 70 in a 50 mile an hour zone.  Peter says, “I did not!” “Yes, you did!” says the officer.”  “It wasn’t me!”  “Yes it was,” says the officer.  To which Peter replies, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  Then suddenly a song from Sheryl Crow begins to play on the car radio.

Clueless Philip, he would be the guy driving the wrong way on a one-way street. 

You might find doubting Thomas arguing with his wife in the car.  “Thomas the GPS says turn here!”  “I don’t believe it,” he says.

Diabolical Judas, he would be the guy who bypasses the traffic jam by driving on the shoulder of the road.  Ooh I detest that guy.

We might find the sons of thunder, James and John, duking it out over a parking spot.  

And Jesus, well He might just pick up every hitchhiker He saw.  And when they left His car He might say, “Go and hike no more.”

Goofy thoughts for sure, but it illustrates the fact that we express our personalities by the way we drive.

And I am ashamed to admit this – because my driving has often sent the wrong message.  When I was a young Christian, there was a bumper sticker that was popular with believers.  It said, “Honk if you love Jesus.”   People assumed I was a passionate Christian because I honked all the time – but it was out of frustration rather than a love for my Lord. 

I have been challenged by words like these in Titus 2:7-8.  There Paul encouraged Titus to… “be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss because he has nothing evil to say about us.”  

Titus was to be a good example in, “every way.”  This surely would have included his driving habits!  For him it possibly meant, “make sure you maintain a safe distance from the donkey ahead of you.” 

For us it means to be polite on the road.  If you are cut off don’t go racing after the perpetrator in rage.    Yield that parking spot to the elderly man in the station wagon.   Respect the laws including the speed limit. 

Paul told him that a good example should especially permeate the way that Titus delivered the Gospel message.   To do anything less would open the door to criticism and provide fodder for the Gospel foes. 

Oh my!  I know there were times when I had just taught a Bible study and then drove home in a way that tarnished the message I had just delivered.  Sometimes I would honk at someone and then hope that they were not from my church.

Well, I am glad to say that as the Word of God has taken root in my life, I am far more patient and attentive to the rules of the road than I once was.  I hope the same can be said of you. 

A Prayer: Lord I know I’ll be tested again in this area.  Help me to respond well!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

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

Scripture quotations are from the NETBible ®

an encouraging word — May 1, 2024

an encouraging word

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My wife has taken up the palette and easel to become a painter.   She is doing pretty well!  In fact, I encouraged her to send her finished art to our adult children to hang on their refrigerators.

I’m funnin’ ya’ of course, but that is certainly one way they could encourage her artistic endeavors.

Encouragement can come in the form of pictures on the ice box and other helpful activities, but let’s focus on verbal encouragement for now. 

Hebrews 3:13 tells us we all need a daily dose of it.  It says, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

This is a command directed to us and it is something that we should offer to those around us on a daily basis.

Most encouragement is kind of like milk.  It has a short shelf life.  It expires and then we have to run to the store to get more.  So, we need to encourage each other regularly.

The author tells us why.  He says, “so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”   There is a sin principle which is at work in this world.  Think of it as the sun at work on your skin.  The UV rays penetrate and damage your skin.  Get enough of it over time and you’ll end up with a leathery look.

Likewise, we are bombarded by the destructive lies and the lusts of this world.  It erodes our ego.  Over time it harms our souls and causes us to become insensitive and indifferent to spiritual things.

Encouragement is like sun block.  It keeps the UV rays of sin from penetrating and protects us from damage.

To experience encouragement, we need to be together.  Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…”

The author spoke of people who gave up the habit of church.  He pleads – don’t do that because being with other Christians is where encouragement is found.   

Sunday worship lifts us up, the message challenges us, the classes provide personal interaction and the casual conversation at the coffee table is sweet (especially if your church serves donuts as mine does). 

But Sunday worship is not enough. We need to be in relationship with people whom we know, love and trust. I have a friend who was chronically depressed.  He told me that he would often go to small group discouraged but leave feeling great.

So how do we speak encouragement to one another?

– Make it positive.  Sarcasm and encouragement do not get along.  A compliment bathed in sarcasm, is like a chocolate covered olive.

– Make sure what you say is true.  Flattery falls flat.  Don’t tell her she looks like a model when she doesn’t.  When we lie, we imply that the truth may be painful for them to handle – and they sense it.

– Our words should have substance.  To say you look nice – is nice, but insufficient.   Focus on issues of character and virtue and service.   Tell her that you are proud of the way she handled her surly boss.  Tell him that he did well when he shared his faith with his uncle.

It would be nice if we all lived home on the range where seldom is heard a discouraging word.  Ah, but we do not.

But we can change that.  We can start by being the first and most frequent to encourage others.  It’s crazy how the encouraged, will reciprocate.

My grandson was in the midst of potty training.  He would occassionally fail to succeed, but he always ended those sessions by saying out loud, “Good try.” 

I suppose that we could encourage ourselves, as he did – but it is so much more meaningful and powerful when it comes from someone else.

A PRAYER: Lord my own soul feels a little leathery, help me to create an encouraging community.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you!

Scripture references are from the New International Version.

shoe pile — April 10, 2024

shoe pile

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For 12 hours each day I taught the Bible to house church leaders in Beijing.  Sunday was my last day in China, and I was to bring the message at a clandestine house church meeting. 

My translator and I were the first to arrive.  Following the custom, we removed our athletic shoes and left them outside the apartment door.  My schedule was intense: preach, then quickly exit to drive to the airport to ride a 747 on home.  A tight schedule.

Folks began to show up.  Their arrival times were staggered so as not to draw attention from the authorities.  Eventually, about 100 of us were jammed together for a glorious time of worship. 

After the last Amen, I was alarmed to realize that I was seriously behind schedule.  I snatched my stuff and exited – only to run into a mountain.    

I found a pile athletic shoes that looked much like mine (maybe because they were all manufactured in China.)  I tore into them looking for my pair.  Shoes were flying around like it was the BOGO sale at the shoe store.   

I rifled through them and even gave a couple of pairs the smell test.

After 5 eternal minutes I remembered some wise advice that I once heard, “If the shoe fits, wear it.” 

Ah but they were all 2 to 3 sizes too small.  And then it hit me: look for the clown- sized shoes.  Found em – and I was on my way. 

Now I wonder if you might join me in my shoe search?  In Ephesians 6, Paul described for us the spiritual armor that God has supplied for the Christian.  Most of us understand the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

But our footwear is a little more puzzling. Paul told us to prepare for spiritual battle by “…by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace.”  – Ephesians 6:15  NETBible ®

He used the sandal of the Roman soldier as his model.   His “caliga” was a thickly-soled sandal that was strapped around the ankle in several places.   Nails studded the sole much like golf cleats.

Those shoes were not made for running but for standing.  The soldier needed stability for hand-to-hand combat. 

Paul tells us that the Gospel gives us that kind of spiritual stability and confidence.  It’s the “good news of peace” – a promise of being at peace with God. (Romans 5:1)

The shoes of the Gospel is the confidence that we who believe now belong to God, through placing our faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.  It is the conviction that Jesus is the way the truth and the life and that our eternal future is determined by what we do with Him.

The Gospel enables us to stand unwavering in our faith even while it is besieged.  And it is, isn’t it?  As always, we face a myriad of theological frontal attacks on our faith.   

Our culture insists on reshaping our theology.   We are pressed to transfer our faith from what the Scripture says, to what culture wants the Scripture to say.   Current statistics, in fact, indicate that the majority of younger Christians today reject the idea that salvation comes through Christ alone.  Looks like our inferior shoes are slipping.

My time in China was intimidating.  I was in hostile territory, speaking to people who had been indoctrinated from birth with Mao’s anti-God teaching.

I could have been arrested at any moment, but I was there anyway because I believed the Gospel with all my heart – that it was absolute truth, so desperately needed to spiritually liberate the Chinese.

I urgently needed my Gospel shoes in China, and thank God, I didn’t have to frantically hunt for them at the door.

The battle for the mind also rages in your community.  God, therefore, has provided shoes for you too – just your size.  Put em on and take your stand.

A prayer: Lord when the world pushes on us, may we stand immovable!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

what’s the plan? — March 20, 2024

what’s the plan?

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My wife and I are still reasonably healthy and yet – we recently moved into a nursing home.  We bought a house that was originally designed to be the last home of an aging couple. 

So, they built for themselves a practical one-level ranch.  Included were grab bars positioned next to the toilet and the bathtub for the day that their legs would lose their lift. 

There is a nice bench in the walk-in shower for a mid-shower rest.  And the halls in the house are wide enough to accommodate a king-sized wheelchair or a dump truck if needed.

They were thinking ahead and were therefore able to comfortably live out their last days in the home that they had built. 

The Lord applauds that kind of planning and preparation for the future.

For instance, Proverbs 21:5 says, “Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run.”   I believe ahead is quite a bit better than behind.”

Consider the ant for example. Solomon wrote, “Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do.  All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions.”  – Proverbs 6:6-8

The ant plans for the future.  He gathers and stores when he can, so he will have food when it is needed.

There will certainly be someone who would object saying, “Planning is contrary to believing.  We need to walk by faith and trust God for the future.”

Well, we certainly do need to trust God.   Proverbs 16:9 says, “We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.”  Our plans need to be made on our knees.  

But planning is not at odds with our faith.  Jesus said, “Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you…” –  Luke 14:28-30  Jesus clearly understood the need to plan.

So for what do we plan?

Sarah is headed off to college, – but she needs to check out the job market before she gets that degree in bagpipe technology. 

Lamar is so excited about his beautiful brand-new baby girl.  Oh, but there will be an expensive wedding in her future.  He may need to start setting aside a little money for that. 

I have friends who do a yearly inventory of their marriage, and then make specific plans for dates, trips and so on to help strengthen their marriage in the year to come.

Terrell and Tammy are in their fifties now.  They are finally starting to plan for retirement, but the projections are not looking so good.  They really regret not having started to save when they were younger.

Planning works with lesser things as well.  Who hasn’t gone on a trip and forgotten their toothbrush?  Consider downloading a travel checklist app or create your own.

Store the list in your computer and print it out and use it each time you pack for a trip.  You’ll never forget your toothbrush again, and the airline passenger next to you will thank you for it.

And what about your forever future?  We can plan and prepare for that as well.  John 3:16 says, “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”  NETBible ®

How does the old adage go, “When we fail to plan, we plan to fail.” Seems true enough to be in the Bible.  

As for me I am planning to go sit down and take a shower!

A PRAYER: Lord pry us from the present to help us plan for what’s ahead.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

(Unless otherwise noted, Scripture is from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

presuming on the provision of God — March 12, 2024

presuming on the provision of God

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When you need encouragement, you can’t necessarily count on a Bible scholar to give it!

I once had an opportunity to speak with a published professor from a Christian University. He seemed to take an interest in me, and asked what I thought my next step in life might be.   I told him that I was planning on studying at Dallas Theological Seminary where I would prepare to do ministry.

He immediately reacted , “How much money have you saved?”   This was not the kind of question I expected from a man of faith!

With embarrassment I told him, “$1,000.”  He shot back again with an authoritative tone, “Don’t go!  Don’t go until you have lots more saved!”   The implication was, “You won’t make it unless you go loaded.”

I began second guessing my goal.  The man had a doctorate in the ways of God.  He also had wallet wisdom.  He happened to be footing the bill for his son who was a student at DTS at that time.

Who was I to disregard his admonition – and yet – God put it in my heart to study there.  And I took His promise literally. “And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19

In early August I gathered up my goods, my wife, two kids, and my thousand bucks and headed to Dallas. I didn’t have the money yet to pay for my first semester’s tuition or buy books or to rent an apartment.  BUT by the first day of class I did.

God miraculously provided.  And I continued to have what I needed before each term began.  I graduated on time with no debt.

So, here’s a question!  Did I presume upon the provision of God?  Did I make a decision which forced God to cover it.  I don’t believe I did.  He directed me to go to Seminary and I have learned that, “God funds what God wills.”

That money was necessary to do His will.  So, He supplied as promised.

Is it even possible to presume upon the provision of God?   It is! 

We presume upon the provision of God…

– when we go where God does not will. 

If He wanted me to stay home and be a plumber, He would not have made it financially possible to do Seminary.  God does not fund what God does not will.

– when we confuse our wants with needs. 

He promised to provide for our essential needs.  According to the Sermon on the Mount these needs are food, clothing and housing.  (Matthew 6)

– when we expect God will fund our every financial decision. 

         Let’s suppose that 80% of my budget goes to needs, and 10% to wants. (setting aside 10% for giving.)  But I decide to buy a bigger house with a much bigger mortgage payment.   

Is God then obligated to increase my income to fund that decision?  No! It means that now 88% of the budget will go to cover needs, leaving 2% to spend on wants. 

– when we cheat on God.

         The promise God made to the Philippians was premised on that fact that they were generous givers.  They supported the ministry of Paul to the point where they impoverished themselves. (Philippians 4:10-18)  

God does not require a tithe from the New Testament believer, but He does expect us to give.  Paul wrote, “Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.  (1 Corinthians 9:7)

It really is foolish to presume – like the time I naively asked one of our ladies at church when her baby was due.  Hey, take it easy on me.  Her top looked like maternity wear.

You, however, are much wiser – so be careful about presuming on the provision of God.   

A Prayer: Lord sometimes the distinction between faith and presumption is not clear to us.  Please give us the wisdom we need.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. 

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

word keeper — February 28, 2024

word keeper

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It was the last day of the week at graduate school, and my friend was about to drive to Texarkana, Texas to attend his father’s wedding.  “It’s no big deal,” he said.   “This will be his fifth marriage.” 

The groom (whom we will call John Doe) had a sad history of matrimonial messes. Where did he even find a woman who volunteered to be Mrs. Doe number 5?

And his friends – well this would be the fifth time that they would show up with fondue pots and bath towels and make a dive for the ceremonial garter.

But one prankster friend came up with a novel gift idea.  He had some bumper stickers pre-printed and then distributed them to each wedding goer.  The sticker read, “Honk if you’ve been married to John Doe.”

The story is both funny and sad.  There were five different occasions where John stood before his friends and family and gave his word – saying, “I John take you, Mary, Bridget, Sandy, Anna and/or Lisa to be my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death; as God is my witness, I give you my promise.”

He promised! He gave his word, but he broke it at least 4 times at last count.

Is it important to be a word keeper?  It is – extremely important!   It’s a foundation upon which a functional society is established.   It’s tough to do government, or business or church or even family if we cannot trust what people say.

This obligation reaches down from heaven because God certainly expects us to keep our word – in marriage for sure, but in every other aspect of life as well.

In Psalm 15 King David asks a penetrating question.  He wrote in verse 1, “Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?” 

David was thinking of the tabernacle where the Lord was worshipped back in his day.  The ornate tent complex was set up on a hill in the city of David, just beyond David’s palace walls.  It was the place where the righteous would meet with God. 

So, David wondered, “Lord, what kind of person is most welcome at your house?”  Do you prefer a person who calls you, “Thee” when they pray?”  Or maybe you are partial to prolific personal evangelists. 

David, tutored by the Holy Spirit, offered several practical and truthful responses to the question.  Included in the short list is this, “(they) keep their promises even when it hurts.”  – Psalm 15:4

God throws out the welcome mat for those who do what they say.  They are word keepers.  If he promised to build the house; he will build the house.  If she told the kids that she would take them to the park; they go the park.  If he promised to stick with her till death; he sticks. 

But that last phrase is disturbing – “even when it hurts.”  This is to say that there are times we might make a promise, but circumstances change so that the promise is harder, even costly for us to keep.

The builder underbid the job, but he did it anyway for the amount that was agreed upon.   Mom was invited out to coffee, but she passed because she promised the kids a trip to the park.   She turned out to be less of a wife than he expected, but he kept his vows anyway.  

They kept their promises even when it hurt.  

What a wonderful world it would be if we could just rely on others to keep their word to us.  And what a wonderful start it would be if it began with you and me.  

A PRAYER: God Your Word calls us to be people of our word.  Help us to do that!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

manipulated! — January 19, 2024

manipulated!

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Oh Wow! I have been manipulated by a video game. The app is called Royal Match, but it is one of many apps that are similarly designed.

It begins with an enticing drop-down ad featuring lots of happy users.  The download is free and there are no ad interruptions, plus you can play offline.  It’s ideal.  It appears that there are no strings attached. 

So, I download and play. The developer made it so easy that even someone over age 12 can succeed. The gains are lavish. Scores of coins and bonuses are collecting, and the rush of success feels good. No downside, so I play on.

At certain points, they pit me against other players.  Peer pressure pervades.  At other times I’m forced to play against the clock.  The frantic pace keeps me engaged. 

I eventually reach a point where I’m stuck.  I need to spend some actual cash to get that extra boost to beat the next level.  This was not disclosed in the promo.   If I don’t buy, I’m warned that I’ll lose what I already have.  Pressure prompts my purchase. 

When I lose successive times, I’m forced into a 30-minute time-out.  Like a junkie, I keep checking the clock – is it time yet?

When I first picked it up, I could play and set it aside.  But now every unscheduled moment I work the app.  Sometimes I wake up at 3 a.m. and seek my device. 

I have to play – I must.  I’m in too deep to stop.

______________________

Honestly, it’s as if the app developer was the devil himself.  No, there is nothing evil about the game, but the way it manipulates me is so like the devil.

His essential work is to tempt us, by that which draws us away from God.  He is so identified with temptation that Scripture dubs him, “the tempter.”  (Matthew 4:3) 

Those of us that are planted on the rocky soil tend to fall away when tempted.  (Luke 8:13) Those planted in the good soil don’t always fare so well either.

Satan is relentless in his quest.  Consider his attack on Jesus, “When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time.”  (Luke 4:13)  Satan levied one unsuccessful attempt after another, until he punted and waited for a more opportune time.  

Honestly, it is uncanny how the manipulations of a video game, reflect the devil’s methods.

You have heard of William the Conqueror.  Time to meet William the Loser!   He also responded to a drop-down ad – one featuring an alluring young lady.   It wouldn’t hurt to click the image.  His wife didn’t know the password on his phone.  It’s ideal – no strings attached. 

He clicked and considered. She was lovely. He was stirred.  It made him feel good.   And it was so easy – no downside.   So, he chose to play on. 

But now they want money to see more.  If he doesn’t buy, he will lose the discount offer.  The pressure is on, so he makes his purchase. 

William’s wife enters the den.  He shutters the app.  It seems like an eternity as he waits on her exit.

When he saw that first image, he could look, and then set it aside.  But now every unscheduled moment he craves more.  Even at 3 a.m.  His life is unraveling, but he keeps on playing.  He’s in too deep to quit.

OK – with the gaming app, there really isn’t a terrible dark downside.  But with sin, the consequences are devastating. 

We may not struggle with William’s temptation, but the devil also knows our personal weaknesses and relentlessly seeks to exploit them.   So, here’s what we can do to counter his assaults.

1. “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”  (Luke 22:40)

2. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7)

3. Be careful with gaming apps that train us to give into temptation. 

A PRAYER: Lord it often feels like we are in over our heads.  Deliver us from evil. 

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Scripture references are from the NETBible

will it be enough? — June 7, 2023

will it be enough?

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I bought my car, thinking that I would drive it to the funeral home on the day I died.  The mileage was low, and it was a reliable car. 

It should have lasted, but then I became a Hospice Chaplain.  Now I use my car to travel all over East Texas, and the numbers on my odometer are rising faster than the national debt.   Now I wonder if I am going to have enough car left at the end of the year. 

I am guessing that this may be what the Jewish folk felt like when they trod the wilderness. 

They were famished and they let God know about it.  He provided in this way, “and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp. When the layer of dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the wilderness was a thin flaky substance, thin like frost on the earth.  When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” – Exodus 16:13-15

“What is it?”  My mom would have spanked me for insulting one of her meals like that.

Israel gave it a name. they called it, “manna” and it was delicious.  The text says, “it tasted like wafers with honey.” (16:31)

And with this manna they made all kinds of good things to eat like ba-manna bread and manna-cotti.   OK maybe not. 

An interesting tidbit – Jewish tradition suggests that manna adjusted to the culinary preferences of each individual who could, by wishing, taste in it anything he or she desired.  Why can’t bologna be like that!

Manna was nutritional and tasty, but its availability was perplexing.  God caused it to fall from heaven to the ground every morning.  By noon the manna dissipated.

Each person was instructed to gather an omer of it which was about 4 lbs. each day.  But God made sure, that regardless of how much they gathered, it always amounted to 1 omer.  (16:16-18)

So, suppose that Ezra and his family were starving.  And Ezra saw this food from heaven manna-fested on the ground.  He, therefore, gathered his daily share and maybe a little extra to store for the weeks ahead.  A wasted effort because God would deliberately reduce his gleanings to one omer.

Plan B: Eat less than an omer a day and save the excess for the future.  Unfortunately, God conspired with worms who would ruin the leftovers each night. (16:19-20)

There was but one exception.  They could gather excess on the 6th day to also cover for the Sabbath on the 7th. (16:22-23)

Silly Ezra went to gather on the 7th day as well, but God had withheld it, and there was nothing to gather. (16:27)

The Lord put His people in a peculiar situation.  He chose to provide for them strictly on a day-to-day basis.   They could not prepare for the future but were required to trust God for His daily provision.

When my fictitious friend Ezra went out to gather in the morning, he must have wondered, “Will this be enough?”  And yet, each day he found that it was – just enough, and continued to be for the forty years he lived in the wilderness. (35)

I guess I am too much like Ezra.  When I watch my odometer rack up the miles, I am gripped by the same kind of anxiety, “Will this car have enough life left in it to serve me into the future?”

I want to plan and provision my life to the nth degree.  I want to rely on my planning instead of my heavenly provider.

Perhaps Jesus was thinking about the manna when He taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”   Or in my case, “my daily miles.”

I suppose that this should become my prayer – maybe our prayer.

A PRAYER: Lord how silly we are to believe that our security rests in our self-made plans and provisions.  Help us to proceed each day by faith in 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.org. ®

does Jesus believe in you? — February 1, 2023

does Jesus believe in you?

/pickleheavenpress

My friend is an airline pilot who works for one of the major carriers.  He told me that he prays before every flight.  I replied, “What a coincidence – so do I!”   Do I trust pilots?  Well, not to the same degree that I trust the Lord. 

But there is a passage of Scripture that causes me to wonder if Jesus trusts me.  John 2:23 says this, “Now while Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover, many people believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing.”

He was in Jerusalem performing the miracles that validated Him as the divine Messiah sent from the Father.  Consequently, the many who witnessed these things came to “believe in His name.“

Fantastic.  That was exactly what Jesus wanted to see happen – people placing their faith in Him.   It was a great success – but there is a “but” that follows. 

“But Jesus would not entrust himself to them – John 2:24a.  

This is disturbing!   The New Testament was recorded in Greek and the Greek word for “believe” in verse 23 is from the word “pisteuo” – “they believed in His name.”   Ironically, the very same word was used in verse 24, “Jesus would not entrust (pisteuo) Himself to them.” 

They came to believe in Jesus, but Jesus did not believe in them.  This means that He did not fully open Himself to them or be vulnerable with them or share confidential things with them.     

Why?  John answered, “…because he knew all people. He did not need anyone to testify about man, for he knew what was in man.”  – John 2:24b-25.  Ouch – that hurts!  

You see there was a twofold strategy to the ministry of Jesus.  First: do miracles to validate the message and then deliver the message.   The miracles were easy for people to swallow – the message – not so much. 

Jesus presented Himself as more than a carpenter’s son.  He claimed that He came down from heaven.  (John 6:41).  Once the multitude heard this, “many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer.” – John 6:66

He knew what was in all men, and found it hard to trust them.

It’s true, that Jesus entrusted Himself to some more than others.  He did not trust the Pharisees at all (Matthew 16:6); He was wary of the believing multitude (John 6:14-15).

But He did let His disciples into His life; and then there was Peter, James and John who composed His inner circle who exclusively saw Jesus in the glory of His transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9) and the grief of Gethsemane.  (Matthew 26:3-7)

So why some and not others? 

Jesus was disappointed with the multitude that had deserted him, so He turned to the few that He had entrusted Himself to – His disciples, and He said, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” (John 6:67)  

Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!”  – John 6:68-69

We understand what it means to marry someone for their money. That seems to be what many did with Jesus.  But Peter and his comrades, they followed Jesus because they understood and accepted the person that He was.  Jesus was pleased to let in people like that.   

What about you?  Are you latched onto Jesus for the perks – or because you understand that He is the Holy One of God – your Sovereign Lord and author of eternal life? 

Does Jesus believe in you?  

A PRAYER: Lord, remind me when I selfishly begin to use you, and feel free to use me instead.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture references are from the NETBible.com