Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: Jesus

pulling my leg — March 11, 2026

pulling my leg

/pickleheavenpress

I have a friend who graduated to glory recently.  A story was told at her service that still has me laughing.   Cindy was relaxing at a friend’s Christmas party.  She was reclining on an upholstered chaise lounge chair

But she began to complain about pain in her leg.   A woman, who she did not know, happened to pass by, and Cindy asked if she would help her with her prosthetic leg.  She pleaded with urgency, “Would you please, please pull it off for me?”    

Touched with compassion, the lady grabbed her foot and began to gently pull.  It wasn’t coming, so she amped up her effort and furiously pulled– until Cindy began to giggle – because she did not have a prosthetic leg.      

The woman was quite upset with Cindy because – well – Cindy had pulled her leg. 

Have you ever felt that way when you read the Bible? – like God is just pulling your leg?   I know I have.

Consider John 1:12 which says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.”  So, it would seem, that a person has the freedom to choose to be saved – NASU.

And yet Ephesians 1:5 says, “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will” – NASU. So here it appears that God sovereignly chooses who will be saved.

And I wonder, “Is God pulling my leg?”  Both passages can’t be true, and yet the Scripture, in many places, affirms both concepts as truth.

Theologians try to resolve this conflict by choosing one side and diminishing the other.  “Well, God chooses those who He knows will trust Him.”  That might make sense to us, but it ends up misrepresenting both sides of the issue.  To choose one side at the expense of the other is to violate the clear teaching of Scripture.

But the real problem here, however, is not the Scripture, but our natural inability to understand it.  

God is our Creator.  His divine intellect is unsurpassed.  But we are the work of His hands.  We have been created by the master Creator.  Our wisdom is therefore absurdly limited as compared to His.   

Things that make perfect sense to Him, we are not even permitted to understand.  Moses reminded us, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God.”- Deut. 29:29. 

For 35 chapters in the book of Job, the suffering patriarch questioned the wisdom, and justice of God.  His friend Elihu finally asked “Who can understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion?” – Job 36:29. The answer, of course, is no one but God understands such things.  So, should our faith suffer because we can’t explain every theological nuance? 

God remained silent in the book until chapter 38, where He said to Job, “Who is this who darkens counsel with words without knowledge?” – Job 38:2. In other words, “Job you have no idea what you are talking about.”

Then He proceeded by reminding Job of the myriad of things in the world that God had created, that Job just couldn’t explain.  God poured cold water on Job’s hot-headed arrogance and the man was humbled.

“Then Job answered the Lord: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted; you asked, ‘Who is this who darkens counsel without knowledge?’  But I have declared without understanding things too wonderful for me to know” – Job 42:2-3.

If we could understand everything about God and His ways, well, He wouldn’t be much of a god would He?  I would not want to worship a god that I could fully explain. 

So, I am content to live with what appears to me to be theological contradictions, because I am confident that such things are perfectly understood by our Almighty God – and I’m not pulling your leg. 

A PRAYER: Lord, I trust you what You say, even when I don’t understand it

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress,com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Passages are from the NETBible ® unless otherwise noted.

submarine races — February 25, 2026

submarine races

/pickleheavenpress

It is very important to tell the truth, but is it ever better to wait to tell it? 

We were cruising in the moonlight along the Olentangy River Road.  Across the river was The Ohio State University.   As I gazed through the window, I noticed a very long line-up of cars that were parked along the river. 

I figured some big event was going on so I asked, “Daddy what’s everyone doing?”   He paused and said, “They are watching the submarine races.”   And I said, “Wow, dad, can we go?  Please?  I want to see the races too?”

If you don’t already know, “submarine race” is a euphemism – a figure of speech, from the 1950’s.  It was used to describe couples who were parked along the river for the purposes of making whoopee (which is another euphemism).

I wasn’t old enough then, to understand the attraction of the sexes, so dad ignored me and I stewed in disappointment over having missed the big event.

It certainly is important to tell the truth, but the situation and ability of a person to hear truth needs to be taken into account.  Consider Jesus.

He was gathered with His disciples for their last supper together.   The atmosphere was sober, even tense at times.  During the meal Jesus foretold of the things to come such as His betrayal (John 13:18-30); Peter’s denial (13:36-38); His departure from them (14:1-6) and their rejection by their world (15:18-21; 16:1-3). 

The guys must have been bewildered and disheartened to say the least, but then Jesus added these words, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” – John 16:12. 

Jesus still had more to say to them – more truth to impart, but He determined that they were just not able at that time to hear any more and to bear the weight of His words.

“But Jesus, didn’t they need the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”  Yes – they did – but it would be revealed later.  Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would pick up where He had left off.  The Spirit would soon come and guide them into all truth. (John 16:13)

I have often thought of these words as I have related to other people and have learned that there really are times that we should withhold the truth.  Not to lie, but to be wise about when we speak it.  

– For instance, we need to postpone truth telling when a person is physically not at their best.  If they are in pain, or physically worn out, it’s better to wait.

– We need to hesitate when the person is emotionally stressed.  If they have just lost a loved one they don’t need to hear, nor are they able to hear your well-intentioned advice. 

– When a person isn’t old enough or mature enough to understand the truth, we need to pause. A six-year old doesn’t need a rundown on the dire state of the family’s finances.

– Be considerate if a person is stretched for time.  It isn’t wise for her to talk to him about marriage concerns when he’s walking out the door to go to work.  

Is it important for a person to hear the truth?  It is!  Paul wrote, “each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor” – Ephesians 4:25.   But he also told us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). 

I have found that it’s usually better to speak the truth sooner rather than later but speaking the truth in love requires us to be sensitive to timing and circumstances.

Yep, my dad was wise in withholding the truth about what they were doing down by the river.  He did, however, eventually educate me when he gave me the talk on the birds and the bees (which is another euphemism). 

A PRAYER: Lord help me speak the truth, at the proper time so that it gives grace to those who hear.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

armed with a song — February 11, 2026

armed with a song

/pickleheavenpress

One of my Biblical heroes is a king named Jehoshaphat.  In fact, I kinda wish I had named one of my sons Jehoshaphat.  Can I do that retroactively?

The king had a serious problem, and yet isn’t every problem serious?  Some of them really are while others just feel like it.  We would like to trust the Lord to work out our problems.  But is there any evidence that we really and truly trust Him to do that? 

Well let’s consider Jehoshaphat’s problem as written in 2 Chronicles 20. A terrible trio of hostile nations were perched and ready to invade his Kingdom of Judah and things were looking grim. 

But the king had recently discovered that he mattered to God, and that God could be trusted to provide the security that he and his people needed.

So instead of seeking an ally, he called his people together to seek the Lord for help.  God’s spokesman answered saying, “You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the Lord deliver you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! Tomorrow march out toward them; the Lord is with you!” (20:17).

They were told to meet the enemy, then passively watch as the Lord fought their battle.  They went to meet their foes and did what God told them to do.  They waited and waited but nothing happened.  It was as if God was waiting to see evidence of their faith.

So, Jehoshaphat, “appointed musicians to play before the Lord and praise his majestic splendor.  He instructed them to march ahead of the warriors and sing a song, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his loyal love endures” (21).

Unbelievable!  The king gathered the temple worship team and said, “I want you guys to stand at the front of the column and when you meet the enemy, start singing that song I really like – the one that goes, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his loyal love endures.”

This song was used in the worship services of Israel.  This line was repeated at least 12 different times in the Old Testament in various Psalms   They knew it so well that they didn’t need a video projector for the words.

The singers were speechless, but they thought, “Are you nuts?  What about the archers and swordsmen?  Shouldn’t they go out first?  We left our camo at home.  King these hands were made for plucking a harp not a bow.”  But the King insisted.

So, the trembling tenors took their places at the front of the army, and the sergeant cried, “a one and a two and a…” and by faith they sang.

And then, “When they began to shout and praise, the Lord suddenly attacked the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated” (22). 

When they began to sing, the three hostile armies were confounded and then destroyed each other.  They were befuddled and disturbed by Judah’s confidence.

I love this story. Standing and watching was God’s idea. Using the Levitical singers – that was all Jehoshaphat.  And it appears that God was extremely pleased with his decision.

When a problem comes to visit us, I am pretty sure the last thing we want to do is to sing about how good God is.  Our lips are locked; our hearts are numb and there is nothing within us that wants to sing to the Lord

But Jehoshaphat teaches us to meet trouble with a tune.  This is something I have learned to do when trouble comes. 

My heart looks to heaven, and I sing to Him a simple hymn or chorus.  What I find is that my attitude is quickly turned around; and once that has happened, my circumstances are not always but often turned around as well.

When a problem sticks to us, we need to sing to Him!  Solid evidence that we truly trust Him with the problems we face.

A PRAYER: Lord, please give us that kind of courage

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

heads or tales — February 4, 2026

heads or tales

/pickleheavenpress

I think it’s safe now to finally tell my story.  If Sister Aimee Julie is still alive, she would be about 121 years old.  She was my eighth-grade teacher.   If you are reading this post and looking at the picture, I’m not the one in the black habit.  I am the spindly guy next to her. 

From the front of the classroom, sister launched us into a song and then exited the door in the back of the room.  Mario and I sat next to each other at the front of two rows. 

Mario was very Italian.  I’m pretty sure he sprinkled garlic salt on his Captain Crunch, but we were buds because I could make him laugh.

Once sister was gone, I began singing in falsetto – like a girl. Mario cracked up and did the same thing.  Pretty soon the entire class was giggling.  I felt pretty good about myself. 

However, Sister slipped in the back door and saw what was going on, but Mario and I didn’t know it because we had our backs to her.  She marched up the aisle, took Mario’s head in one hand and mine in the other and bashed them together.  We were on the floor – the desks were spilled, books were everywhere and we were seeing stars. 

We picked ourselves up and sat quietly for the rest of the school year.  She had certainly altered my behavior, but not my heart.  I was seething inside.  Still am! I was wrong for sure, but her harshness compelled me to try to justify my behavior.

Though she was a religious person, she was so unlike God. Romans 2:4 says, “Do (you) not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?”

When God corrects us, His goal is more than changed behavior, He is after a changed heart.  Harshness hardens a heart and alienates the guilty one, whereas kindness softens a hard-heart and draws us near. 

It was the apostle Paul who recorded Romans 2:4, and no one knew the kindness of God better than he.

He was a persecutor of the early church, known then as Saul.  He delivered Christians to prison and rejoiced when they were executed (Acts 26:10). Saul had legitimately earned a good head-bashing – but the Lord chose to confront his meanness with kindness.

God sovereignly arranged for Saul to be present when Stephen eloquently delivered the good news of Jesus for which Stephen was stoned.  A powerful Gospel seed was planted, and God, like a patient farmer, kindly allowed time for it to germinate in Saul. 

On the road to Damascus the Lord personally spoke to him saying.  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” – Acts 9:24. The Lord didn’t gossip about Saul to Michael the Archangel.  He spoke directly to Saul with his carefully worded concern. 

Nor did He attack him in anger but framed His words in terms of the impact of Saul’s actions.  He let him know that he was personally wounded by Saul’s choices.

He used a question not an accusation to start the conversation.  How wise!   Also, the tone of his words suggested that He spoke with sincerity rather than severity.

The Lord didn’t publicly embarrass Saul.  Those with him heard His divine voice but didn’t understand what was said.  His uncomfortable words were for Saul’s ears alone (Acts 22:9).

And instead of an unrelenting berating of Saul for his sins, the Lord gave him a grand positive vision of what he could and would be should he repent. (Acts 26:17-18)

Had Sister Aimee Julie sat us down and had a conversation like that, I would have responded appropriately and repented thoroughly, and I could have avoided my recurring headaches (just kidding about the headaches).  

She did not get the memo, but we have.  When the people in our lives hurt us, disappoint us, disparage us, betray us or even sing in falsetto, confront them with kindness. 

A PRAYER: Lord it is so easy to be cruel, help us to be kind.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com  

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible®

frozen with fear — January 28, 2026

frozen with fear

/pickleheavenpress

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 

/pickleheavenpress

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 ®

what’s his name? — December 23, 2025

what’s his name?

/pickleheavenpress

I love a good last name.  In the old days they were derived from the family business – like Shoemaker, Potter or Baker.   I once had a job tending 2 llamas. Would this make me Jimmy Llama-Keeper?

People can be quite creative with the first names they give their babies. Some name them after consumer goods like Nike and Infiniti.  I considered naming our son Liquid Plumber but my wife did not approve.

Some 2,000 years ago there was a young couple in Bethlehem that needed to name their baby.  It had to be a good one, because a person’s name was extra significant in their culture. 

To the Hebrews, a name was not just a tool to distinguish a person.  It was regarded as the equivalent to the person themselves.   Their name signified their worth, character, reputation, authority, will, and ownership. 

In ancient Israel to speak in “the name of” signified authority (I Kings 21:8-10).    To forget someone’s name was to forsake them (Jeremiah 23:26-27.)   To act in someone’s name was to represent them (Deuteronomy 25:6).  To blot out someone’s name was to destroy them (Deuteronomy 9:14) and to believe in the name of a person was to trust them (John 1:12). 

Mary and Joseph had to choose a name that would fit their newborn child.  This would be tough because their child was not just another manchild.  He was the very Son of God, and the eternal Son of God has always had a name. 

In the Old Testament He was known as the Captain of the Lord of Hosts; the Star of Jacob; Adonai; the Rose of Sharon; the Scepter of Judah; the Lion of Judah; Wonderful Counselor; Almighty God; Everlasting Father; Prince of Peace; the Son of David and the list goes on easily containing a hundred or more rich names – each one adding honor and a new dimension of understanding of the Son of God.

But the day came that the Son of God took on human flesh. This called for a new name.  The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary the mother-to-be and said, “You will… give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus – Luke 1:31.

The name “Jesus” meant “the one who saves.”  His name revealed His mission on this earth. 

Luke tells us when Jesus was given His name.  “At the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb”-  Luke 2:21. It was the Jewish custom to postpone the naming of a male child until the day of His circumcision which took place 8 days after the day of his birth.  

This causes me to stand in even greater awe of my Savior.   When Christ became incarnate, He laid aside His rights and privileges as Deity.  He set aside the perks of being God.   The one who created the sea and the mountains would one day stumble up a hill called Calvary. 

He gave it all up – the power, the immunity from pain, the praise and adulation of the angels and eventually His very life.  But the one thing He was able to retain was His name.  He may have lost His privileges, but He was still somebody because He still had His name. 

And yet, He gave that up as well.  Eight days would elapse between the time of His birth and the time that His name would be officially bestowed. He existed 8 days without a name. He went from bearing the eternal title of Yahweh, to nameless obscurity.

Jesus gave up everything for us – everything – even His name.  He chose to be nameless, that we might be blameless. He gave it all up for us. 

So, what can we give to Him?  Perhaps this Christmas season we can remind our family and friends that Christmas is all about that baby boy who Joseph and Mary named Jesus.

A PRAYER: Lord thank you for giving it all up for me.  I praise Your most wonderful name!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com.

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

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

Christmas dressing — December 10, 2025

Christmas dressing

/pickleheavenpress

My clothes were in style when I was a teenager – in the style of the previous decade.  When I got married, my wife became my haberdasher.  She buys my apparel at Goodwill Dior.   

But what about the clothes that Jesus wore?  They say, what you wear says something about you.  So, what can we learn about Jesus from His wardrobe? 

Luke 2:7 describes His first ensemble, “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes.” – KJV

The shivering baby Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes.  Why would Luke include a detail like this?  Why not tell us if He was a small baby or a big bruiser?  Or what was His Apgar score?   Uh huh – I know what that is.   

What color was his hair?  Tell me it was red – please?  Was he jaundiced?   Did He look like his momma?

Why focus on swaddling clothes?  And what are they anyway?  In those days, when a child was born, the child’s arms were laid at its side, and the child was snugly wrapped in strips of linen or cotton.

The strips were 5 inches wide by 6 yards long.   A band was also placed under the chin and across the forehead of the child.   The wrapping completely immobilized the child. 

It was believed that by doing this, it would straighten the posture of the child who had been cramped within his mother’s womb.   There was no miniature Dallas Cowboys jersey for Jesus. 

The swaddling clothes spoke of Christ’s incarnation.  As God, Jesus descended to earth to wrap Himself in the flesh of a man.  And just as the swaddling clothes restricted the movement of the baby, the humanity in which Christ was wrapped, restricted his movement as God. 

He was required to lay down the independent use of His divine attributes.   He was tightly wrapped in human flesh as He lived out His life as a man.

That was His first outfit, but the NT mentions Christ’s clothing about 31 times.  Many of the references tell us something unique about Him.

A woman touched the fringe of his cloak and was healed (Luke 8:44). His cloak spoke of His incredible power. At the transfiguration, His garments radiated a glorious light which attested to His majesty (Matthew 17:2).

He was girded with a towel as He washed the feet of the disciples. It was a symbol of His servanthood (John 13:4). 

Herod dressed Him in a robe to mock His claim as King (Luke 23:11) and the soldiers cast lots over His garments at cross (Matthew 27:35) pointing to His complete humiliation.

After He was crucified, “then they took the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes – John 19:40. – KJV

His lifeless body was tenderly covered – wound tightly with linen wrappings, much like a mummy.  The wrappings were imbedded with a mixture of myrrh and aloes. They were so tight it was impossible to escape them. They affirmed the certainty of His death.

But wait a minute!  The man wrapped in His burial clothes looked much like the infant, tightly wrapped in His swaddling clothes.  One seems to have foreshadowed the other.  It was like a linen thread that ran through Christ’s life.  

So, Luke deliberately focused on the infant’s swaddling clothes to help us understand that the Christ child was born to die. 

And we are so very grateful that Jesus did that for us.  But we’re also thrilled that He wore those grave clothes for only three days. 

John put it this way, “Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, arrived and went right into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, and the face cloth, which had been around Jesus’ head, not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself” John 20:6-7.  NETBible®

The empty wrappings spoke of the certainty of His resurrection.   What a truly amazing story His clothing tells!

A PRAYER: Thank You Jesus for telling the Gospel through your wardrobe.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with You

give it a rest — December 3, 2025

give it a rest

/pickleheavenpress

I love nature, unless it is on my porch and armed with stingers.  A family of yellow jackets decided to move into our home.  To exit or enter said home was a big risk.  So, I decided to tackle the problem. 

I sprayed the raiders with Raid.  They fell one at a time.  But with a nest of approximately 5,000, I would poison myself to death before the insects.   The peppermint oil that was recommended refreshed them instead of repelling them.

The fake wasp nest that was guaranteed to scare them to death just made them laugh.  I even caulked the entrance to the nest, but they tunneled around it.

Finally, I decided to go with green energy.  I took an industrial grade fan, set it up right under the entry to their nest.   The ferocious wind blew, and the jackets couldn’t pass through it to land. 

But oh, how they tried!  They would back up, get a flying start and charge toward the nest, only to be blown away.  It was sort of entertaining to watch.  Really soon the wasps began to drop like flies – completely exhausted, and there they died.

I finally had created a problem that they could not overcome.  Maybe they should have ceded the battle and moved in with a cousin in another nest.  Instead, they tried and tried, and the effort killed them.

Like those wispy wasps, most of us know what it is like to face a problem that cannot be overcome.   We are wired to be problem solvers, and we usually succeed.  But every so often we encounter a windstorm that defies our most valiant effort to tame it.

Now I believe that if we can solve the problem, then we certainly need to try, but what if it can’t be solved?  What if the doc says the cancer is terminal?  What if our spouse runs off and marries another?   What if our hair starts falling out and wrinkles line our faces? 

Some of us carry on!  We strive with all our might to change what can’t be changed.   And like the wasps, we exhaust ourselves – some even endangering our health in the process.

Is there a better way?  God has some good advice.  He said, “Stop your striving and recognize that I am God” – Psalm 46:10.   God has the power to change our circumstances if He should want to.  He also retains the prerogative of leaving things as they are.   The Psalmist urges us to get smart – to stop trying to force the sovereign will of God and rest in Him instead.

Sometimes we just need to trust God and learn to live with a problem. 

Great King David understood this.  He wrote in Psalm 131, “O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor do I have a haughty look” (131:1a).  There are times we strive not out of need, but out of pride.  “I will not accept defeat.”  David, however, humbled himself before his circumstances and his God. 

And then he wrote, “I do not have great aspirations, or concern myself with things that are beyond me” (131:1b).David recognized that there are problems that he could resolve, but there were also those he could not – things that were beyond him and his ability. So, he chose to cease his vain striving.

He continued, “Indeed, I have calmed and quieted myself like a weaned child with its mother; I am content like a young child” (131:2).  He replaced his striving with resting on the breast of God.  He likened himself to an infant that was no longer frantic to nurse but content to relax in his mother’s embrace.

This was what David did, and he encouraged his countrymen and you and me to do the same by ending the Psalm with “O Israel, hope in the Lord now and forevermore!”  (131:3).

Sometimes we just need to trust God and learn to live with a problem. 

A PRAYER: Lord help me to know when to strive, and when to let go

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you always

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

thrift store saints — November 25, 2025

thrift store saints

/pickleheavenpress

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.