Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: Philippians 3:10

waking up is hard to do — April 18, 2023

waking up is hard to do

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My mom was a big country music fan. As a teenager, I was not. Hence, she had a weapon to use against me.

Each weekday morning, mom, with a shrill voice, would cry. “Jimmy get up, time for school!”  I would shake it off and nod off again.  

So, one day, mom put a Tammy Wynette record on the turntable.  At 1,000 decibels Tammy began to wail in her Mississippi twang, “Our D-I-V-O-R-C-E becomes final today.”  I jumped up, rushed out and with fierce intolerance I shut it down.  Kudos mom.  Mission accomplished!

Waking up is hard to do – but it is so important!  Peter would agree!

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem.  There He would be betrayed, crucified and entombed.

What would His disciples think?  Would they stumble in their belief.  Would their faith grow as cold as the tomb in which Jesus would lay?  They needed to be prepared, so Jesus led Peter, James, and John up a mountain.  This is what took place there.

“As he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became very bright, a brilliant white. Then two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with him. They appeared in glorious splendor and spoke about his departure that he was about to carry out at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy…” – Luke 9:29-32a

As Jesus prayed, His glory as God, began to emanate beyond His flesh.  It was dazzling and blindingly bright – something that could not be manufactured by a charlatan.  Profound evidence of His Deity. 

Yes, He had performed many miracles that required a divine touch, but great and godly men of the past had also performed healings and miracles.  Who was to say that Jesus was not just another of God’s hand-picked prophets?

And yes, He seemed comfortable with those few who actually perceived Him to be God.   But there are crazies today who also pretend to be God.

But when His glory was revealed on that mount, it was inarguable.  He was clearly Deity wrapped in human flesh.

The disciples, however, missed it.  They had a case of the nods. They had seen Jesus pray before and it did not enthrall them.  But they woke up.  The passage says, “Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy, but as they became fully awake, they saw his glory.”  – Luke 9:32

I imagine Peter’s eyes were closed, but the brilliance of Christ’s glory lit up the inside of his eyelids.   He and the others were startled so they opened wide to see the dazzling display of Christ’s deity before them.  

This was far more effective than Tammy Wynette.

This physical waking became a metaphor for the spiritual awakening that also took place.  It was only when they were fully awake, that they saw His glory and understood what it meant – that Jesus was truly all mighty, all powerful and all together God.

Hooray for them, but what about us?  Could it be that some Christians today are still in their spiritual sleep number bed?  Like Peter we may have had some exposure to Jesus through His word, maybe even some experience with Him as He has answered our prayers. 

But there is so much more of Him to know and understand.  After many years of serving Jesus, Paul wrote, “My aim is to know him…” – Philippians 3:10

I can relate.  In spite of 7 years of formal Bible education, 32 years of service as a pastor, and 50 years in the faith. I am humbled at how little I know.

Fortunately, our Lord wants us to more fully know and understand Him.  That’s why He took the trio up the mountain.  Maybe if I ask, He’ll take me there too. 

A PRAYER: Lord we want to know more of You.  Overwhelm us with Your glory. 

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible®

suffering and string trimmers — August 11, 2021

suffering and string trimmers

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I have a string trimmer to tidy up my lawn.  It taunts me!  When it was new, it was ridiculously stingy in feeding out the line.  Frequently the line would break off so that I had to manually take the trimmer apart and pull out more.

Recently it has felt the need to atone for its sins.  It now feeds out the line with insane generosity – 3 times more than what I need.  Now it gets all tangled and I must frequently stop and stuff it all back in.   

When I get to heaven, I may need to apologize for the things I have said about person who engineered that thing.

Now before you start a GoFundMe page for poor Jim, please know that I have sufficient funds to replace it. I’m just cheap.

But I will say this.  Most every time I trim, I begin with a prayer, “Lord please let this be the day this thing bites the dust so that I’m forced to buy a new one.”

______________________

Sadly, I have a few friends that pray that same type of prayer. 

Their bodies are old and frail and their minds sluggish.  Some endure diseases they can’t pronounce.  Most feel useless – a burden to their families. 

In their beds, they lay and pray, “Lord take me home. Take this old body and give me a new one.”  They understand heaven and are frustrated that they must suffer and wait.

Because I am a chaplain, they sometimes ask, “Why does God keep me here?”  I tell them, “It may not be about you.”  

Your kids need an example: 

When you were younger, they watched you and learned how to work hard, and manage their money and how to treat their mate.  By example you taught them how to live well. 

Now they need to be taught how to die well.  They need to understand how your faith sustains you though your body is failing.  It was Paul that said, “Show yourself to be an example of good works in every way.”  (Titus 1:7)

The unconvinced need proof: 

The unsaved in your circle of friends and family need to see the divine spark in your faith.  I think of the thief, who watched Jesus on the cross.  The man began the episode as a mocker but was quickly gripped by the way that Jesus suffered. 

Peter described Jesus in this way, “When he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened no retaliation, but committed himself to God who judges justly.”   (1 Peter 2:23.)  The thief was divinely drawn to this person who handled His suffering with such grace.  You have prayed for your family and friends for years.  It may be the way you handle your final days that finally wins them to Jesus.

Through suffering we draw nearer to Jesus: 

Paul coveted something he called “the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings.”  He wrote in Philippians 3:10, “My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death.”  

Shared experiences, especially difficult ones, bind people together.  To suffer is to join Jesus’ unique fraternity of faith.  It is there that we find Jesus to be sweeter and more precious than ever before. 

You kids need to grow up: 

A good parent teaches their kids to take responsibility – for their room, their car, their job and so on.  It’s time that they learn to take responsibility for an aging parent.   The Lord was clear on this matter.  1 Timothy 5:8 says, “But if someone does not provide for his own, especially his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”   It’s true.  As we age, we certainly do become burdens – but burdens that God expects our children to shoulder.

BUT are you useless?  Far from it!  God is using you and your circumstances to accomplish rich things in the lives of others. 

“Why is God keeping you around?”  It’s not about you.  So, trust Him as you have in the past and endure with patience and grace until He calls you home.  

A PRAYER: Lord help me to suffer with grace and use me to extend grace to others who suffer.

Scripture references are from the NET Bible ®