Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: Word of God

the clueless coach — September 17, 2024

the clueless coach

/pickleheavenpress

When I was a kid, soccer was something you did to your sister. 

I had never actually touched a soccer ball until the first day of practice, but I had a first grader who was an aspiring Pele.  The coach concluded that first session with a plea.  He needed parents to serve as assistant coaches.  I got volunteered! 

Three times a week I showed up and ran the kids through the drills that the coach assigned.  They learned to dribble, pass, juggle, trap and do something called headers.

And I did my best to coach them with insightful commands such as, “Run faster; quit picking your nose and pay attention” and, “you kicked the ball in the wrong goal!”

Well, we did not have a winning season.  But the parents and kids were all very appreciative.  They gave thoughtful gifts to each of the coaches. Mine was a book – “Soccer for Dummies” and I am not kidding either.

The end of the season was kind of late to discover that there was an instruction manual available to me.

Now most of us are busy with things that are far more complicated and consequential than soccer.  Some are working through the snags of marriage.  Others are piloting the waters of parenting.  Some are overwhelmed by the challenges of the workplace.  Many of us are trying to pay the bills with a paltry income and some are spiritually ambitious but stuck.

What we need to know, is that the God who individually crafted us, has given us a fantastic resource to help us succeed.   Psalm 119 is a song that magnifies the value of the Word of God for life. 

For instance, this is where we find written, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” – Psalm 119:105. 

But also written there is this very interesting thought, “And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts” – Ps 119:45.

How incredibly ironic!   The Psalmist tells us that he lived a liberated life- a life of success and freedom – because he fastidiously was focused on knowing and living the truths that are written in the Word of God. 

He understood that the training he got in his home was insufficient.  He knew that his schooling was sometimes skewed.  He listened to podcasts that were broadcast by people with their own set of problems.  He knew that. 

So, he wisely zeroed in on that one singular inspired resource that provides flawless wisdom.

So many today want freedom but they believe it comes by improvising on the truth or even ignoring it altogether.  The Psalmist tells us that an enjoyable and effective life comes from closely adhering to the Word of God.

And it’s all there.  Fulfilling Marriage?  We are told to love and respect one another and are given particulars on how to do it in Ephesians 4:25-32 and 5:25-33.  Pleasant Parenting?  There are answers in Ephesians 6:4.

What about work?  “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” – Colossians 3:23.

We even have a financial advisor in the Bible.  For instance it says, “The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered” – Proverbs 11:25 (NASU).

Of course, it all is funneled through our spiritual frame of reference which is why Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” – Matthew 6:33.

The Scripture portions that I cited are not magic bullets but prime samples of the vast storehouse of wisdom in the Word of God.

Here’s the thing.  When your season ends, you don’t want to be given a Bible that is subtitled, “Life for Dummies.”   Pick it up now and experience liberty in your life.

A PRAYER:  Lord, I was almost twenty when I finally discovered, “Life for Dummies.” Thank you for your patience and the gift.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture references are from the New King James Bible unless otherwise noted.

potato slurry — November 2, 2022

potato slurry

/pickleheavenpress

Fresh out of Seminary, I was seeking a ministry position.  There was a church in Longview, TX looking for a youth pastor.  It seemed promising.

The leadership wanted to take a magnifying glass to my life, so we gathered at a steakhouse for the meeting.  I grabbed a tray and left my order with the cashier.  She gave me a Texas sized glass – 32 ounces of iced tea.  From there I headed to the salad bar to load up on the greens.    

But when I reached for the lettuce, I bumped and dumped my glass of tea.  The entire 32 ounces poured into a serving bowl of potato salad.   I slyly removed the glass from the bowl and made sure no one saw what happened.

Then I slipped away intending to report the salad bar slip-up to the manager.  “Uh sir, there seems to be a strange salad at your bar!” 

When I returned to the scene of the crime, I watched in horror as the senior pastor’s wife was filling her plate with a big ladle of strangely colored, watery potato salad.  I wanted to laugh – and cry!  

Did I warn her?  You know, I can’t remember.  I must have blacked out. 

________

I prefer pure potato salad.  In fact, most of us prefer pure.  We want our water to be uncontaminated and our honey to be unadulterated.  We want our air to be particulate free and we don’t want stir fry with E. coli.

However, we aren’t so particular when it comes to truth.  Sometimes we are OK with a half-truth   – just enough truth to make me feel like I am OK with God, with just enough non-truth to free me to do what I want. 

Some run from the truth, others reject it all together, but most are quite comfortable with tainted truth. 

The Apostle Peter had a directive for us.  He wrote, “Yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation.” – 1 Peter 2:2 NETBible.com

He wants us to emulate a newborn who frantically roots around at his mother’s breast for a meal.  Peter compared that milk to the pure milk of the Word of God.   

Recently a baby formula manufacturer was shut down by the FDA because their formula was tainted with bacteria.  There hasn’t been a recall on a nursing mother yet.  The milk is dispensed 100% pure.  Likewise, Scripture is an untainted source of spiritual truth. 

An infant doesn’t question the reliability of his mother’s milk.  He/she is eager to partake.  Nor do we need to question the integrity and reliability of Scripture.  It was originally delivered to us without error and has been maintained in that condition ever since.   

Did you know that an infant grows about 6 inches and gains about 16 lbs. during their first six months?  And yet all they take in is their mother’s milk.  The milk has everything that a child needs to flourish and grow. 

So it is with the word of God.  It is more than sufficient to grow us up into our salvation so that we think and act like the person God saved us to be. 

Peter tells us to cultivate an appetite for the pure Word of God.  When I snack on junk food in the afternoon, I have no appetite for the nutritious dinner that my wife has prepared.   

I am guessing the same applies to spiritual longings.  If we satiate ourselves with other stuff, it will stunt our appetite for the truth. 

Hey – I would encourage you to grab your Bible and drink from it as often as you can.  You can trust it implicitly – but beware of tea-stained potato salad.

A PRAYER: Lord may we think of that eager infant when we pick up our Bibles.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.