I never knew you

 

On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ – Matthew 7:22-23 (NLT)

Too many of us, clergy and laity alike, partition the Word of God into boxes. Do you know that there was a time when Scripture was read as one continuous scroll? That in the synagogue, the Rabbi could speak just a word or a phrase, and the people would know to what he was referring.  

There was no bible, so the ancients had to memorize the scriptures.

Then some “wise men” thought it best to punctuate it, divide it, and number it, without consideration for the amazing connection between its parts. And we further break that connection in the way we read and perceive the written Word. It is oftentimes disjointed, and we miss out on the conjoined meanings of the elements scripture contains.

For instance, the verse above, together with the verse that immediately precedes it, are often viewed in isolation to everything else that is written in Matthew chapter 7. Not only that, in this chapter, Jesus is winding up His incredible sermon which He began way back in chapter 5. Yes, what Jesus is saying in chapter 7, started with the Beatitudes.

It is a culmination of His entire sermon. As a matter of fact, chapters 5 to 7, are a continuation of His teachings on the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. – Matthew 4:23 (NLT)

On a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Jesus concludes His sermon by calling on His followers and on all of us today, to make a choice – live by the teachings of wisdom or the teachings of vicious wolves disguised as harmless sheep. One way leads to the Kingdom, the other to destruction.

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. – Matthew 7:21(NLT)

Jesus, throughout His sermon on the Mount, was giving His first century Hebrew audience and now us, a picture of the type of people who inhabit the Kingdom of Heaven; it’s a characterization of the Kingdom person, a true disciple.

A true disciple is one whose desire is to do the will of the Father in heaven. One who, above all else, wants God to have full control, not just in his life but the lives of every person. One who seeks God and His Kingdom first. One who longs for the lost to receive the salvation of Christ Jesus. One who prays, “your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” in earnest sincerity, so that God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – may take precedence in the lives of more and more people.

Beloved,

A Kingdom person does not judge others

A Kingdom person engages in effective praying

A Kingdom person follows the golden rule of “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you”

A Kingdom person willingly and gleefully travels the narrow, difficult road which leads to the gateway of life

A Kingdom person’s authentic actions produce good fruit, whatever he/she lays his/her hands on prospers

A Kingdom person “builds a house on solid rock”; though torrents and earthquakes assail, it doesn’t collapse

A Kingdom person can confidently call out “Lord! Lord!” assured that Jesus’ reply won’t be, “I never knew you.”

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “I never knew you” © October 8, 2025

 

 

Discipline your child

 

“If you refuse to discipline your children, it proves you don’t love them; if you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them.”

Proverbs 13:24

As a parent you want to ensure that your child, whom you love dearly, is heading in the right direction and to do so is to discipline her.

You want her to grow up to be a mature and responsible adult, and to experience a good and successful life.

So it is with God. When you are disciplined by God, your heavenly Father, it’s because He loves you.

You are His child, and like any parent, He wants the best for you. And, like any parent should, every time you go off course, He pulls you right back, with some form of correction.

Beloved, your heavenly Father’s desire is for you to grow up to be a mature and responsible Christian; if He were to leave you alone when you go astray, chances are you would fall into a habit of disobedience and disbelief, which are detrimental to both your emotional and spiritual well-being and in turn, your Christian walk.

So, as a child of God, keep His encouraging words in mind (Hebrews 12:5-6),

 “My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when He corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes those He accepts as His children.”

Amen †

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Discipline your child” ©2013 revisited October 8, 2025

“I Am the Light of the world”

 

 

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

Genesis 1:3 (NIV)

In the beginning, God spoke light into existence; it was on day one of creation, before anything else was created. On that first day of creation only one light existed, there was not yet any other source of light, no sun, no moon, and no stars, there was only the true light (John 1:9) reflecting the glory of God the Father, that is Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.

Christ Himself subsequently created the sun, moon and stars (Ephesians 3:9 KJV; Colossians 1:15-16 KJV) to serve specific purposes in connection with the earth and only for a limited time. But the Light of the world is eternal, shining forth from age to age and is so powerful that it still shines today and will continue to be a beacon for every human being in this dark world.

 

“God saw that the light was good...”

Genesis 1:4 (NIV)

God was pleased with the Light of the world that He called into existence for it was this Light, Jesus Christ, through whom man would be reconciled with God. Since then, God had already made provision for the restoration of fallen man through the light of Jesus Christ because it is in the light of Christ that we must examine ourselves in order to recognize our sin.

 

As believers we are engulfed in the pure white light of Jesus Christ:

• The light of Christ reveals the safe path on which to walk
• The light of Christ guides our way along our spiritual walk
• The light of Christ illuminates the clear path to reconciliation with God

God has given us much more than light for our path, He has given us His own Beloved Son, the Light of the world, in whom He is well pleased.

As the Light of the world, Jesus offers Himself to us as the one who brings clarity and a new perspective to our lives especially after long periods of dark trials and challenges.

It was the blinding Light of Christ that Saul encountered on that road to Damascus that utterly transformed his perspective forever, to the degree that he became a brand new person with a brand new name, unrecognizable from the man he was before. From an overzealous and arrogant persecutor of Christ to an ardent yet humble expositor of the Truth of the Gospel of Christ.

Jesus, the Light of the world, is the guiding light for everyone who chooses to follow Him (John 1:4; 8:12; 9:5).

“…and He separated the light from the darkness.”

Genesis 1:4 (NIV)

Remember Judas, and understand that if we choose to separate ourselves from the Light, then we’re walking in darkness, for the Word of God plainly states, “As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.” (John 13:30 NIV).

Judas chose to walk away from the Light out into the darkness of sin and betrayal. The more we walk in Christ’s light, the less appealing the darkness of sin becomes.

 

“I am come a Light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness.”

John 12:46 (KJV)

Beloved, when you recognize Jesus Christ as the Light of the world, the beauty of who Jesus is and who you are in Him is revealed, and you will not live in the darkness of sin.

Amen †

 

 

Shelley Johnson “I Am the Light of the world” (John 8:12) ©2013 revisited October 7, 2025

Your Harvest Will Come

 

Harvest Season has finally come and the reapers busy themselves gathering their abundance, but the seeds you’ve planted appear not to have yielded very much.

All around you, people are enjoying the fruit of their labour, but all you seem to be getting is a mere fraction, a pittance, a morsel of what others have coming to them. And you think, “Life is so unfair”, “What about me?”, “Why do I always have to be eking out a living while others are getting abundant blessings?”.

Is this you? I’ve been there, an onlooker to others abundant harvest, while all I seem to be afforded is a scraping. But I have learned that on this spiritual journey nothing is ever as it seems. What you see is never what is – there is a reality that exists far beyond our natural perspective.

Our Lord said,

“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work. For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.” (Isaiah 55:8-9 MSG)

When things appear to be happening a certain way, contrary to what God has promised you, remember that passage, and this verse too,

“…the word that I speak— it will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do.” (v 11 GNT)

Beloved, other people may be reaping a lucrative harvest all around you, but your harvest will come. Hasn’t God promised you life abundant? Then believe God, even if you’re struggling day after day, forcing ends to meet, always counting pennies and longing to be able to afford, everything.

Instead, you complain, and complain, to anyone in earshot. Endlessly lamenting to yourself, your family, your friends, colleagues, neighbours, and of course, to God. Haven’t you noticed that your endless griping has changed nothing? You’re still in a rut, scavenging for leftovers, never enjoying a full course meal.

Your message today is, “STOP!!!”

Stop complaining. Stop griping. Stop moaning. Stop sighing.

When Ruth, knowing that the poor were allowed to follow the reapers to gather up whatever grain the harvesters had left behind, went into the field, you can be sure that she was not expecting to receive the bountiful harvest that she eventually did.

Ruth did not complain or gripe. She went into that field with purpose – to glean so that she and Naomi, her mother-in-law, might have something to eat. Ruth graciously accepted the little that she got and she ended up marrying the owner of the field, a very wealthy man named Boaz (see the Book of Ruth). What a harvest!

Start thanking. Start praising. Start rejoicing. Start believing. Start expecting. Your harvest will come.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Your Harvest Will Come” © 2017 revisited October 6, 2025

 

 

Charitoo

 

The purpose of today’s devotion is to introduce you to a unique word used only twice in the Bible, and only in the New Testament. It is the Greek word “Charitoo”.

Charitoo, pronounced khar-ee-to-o, is a verb and the root of the Greek words used first in Luke 1:28 and then in Ephesians 1:6.

Luke 1:28 records the Angel Gabriel’s greeting when he was sent by God to a young, not yet wed virgin girl named Mary. The Virgin Mary was chosen by God to be an instrument of Life – God, the incarnate Word.

“And he came to her and said, Hail, O favoured one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you. Blessed (favoured of God) are you before all other women!” (AMPC)

And in Ephesians 1:6 the verb is used to tell of our adoption into the family of God through Christ Jesus.

“[So we might be] to the praise and commendation of His glorious grace (favour and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (AMP)

Charitoo, rendered “Full of Grace”, is a verb which is unique in that it is in the past, present, and future tense all at the same time.

In the first instance, Luke 1:28, it speaks of an action, that having already been completed, still has a powerful effect in this present day and will continue to have such an effect well into the future – an action with a permanent, continuous result.

In its second instance, Ephesians 1:6, though it appears to be more of a momentary action, one that is brought to pass, like the first, its effect is marked by continuity.

Beloved, in both occurrences God used this unique word, Charitoo, in His Word to reveal to us, His children, that we have been accepted, and approved, and completely, perfectly, and enduringly endowed with grace, grace that enables the capacity for the reception of Divine Life.

Amen †

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Charitoo” ©2013 revisited October 5, 2025

Photo: Virgin Gorda BVI courtesy Danae

Do as He did

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also”

Matthew 5:38–39

Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness, choosing the path he would take. In hunger and self-giving, resisting the urges to take control and unleash the penalties that we all deserve; it would've been the easy thing to do.

As easy as loving those who love us.

As easy as lashing out at those who hurt us.

It's far more difficult to love when we are truly despised. To turn the other cheek, when we've been slapped.

Yet Jesus loved and continues to love, even in the face of torture and humiliation.

As Christians, we are challenged to do as he did, we are called to live up to our spiritual discipline, to turn the other cheek, to show love in the face of hatred and exasperation. It's then that we must send a blessing for the other person. That person is also one “for whom Christ died” and are deserving of God's Grace.

Amen †

 

Reverend Mark Robinson “Do as He did” © 2014 

Photo: The Baths, Virgin Gorda BVI

Awaiting the Fulfillment of God's Promise

 ^“[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith…He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body…No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised. That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God).” – Romans 4:18,19,20,21 & 22 (AMPC)

Faith as simple trust in the promise of God, is what Apostle Paul is impressing upon us in Romans 4:18-22.

When a comprehensive understanding of faith is needed, Abraham, the progenitor of faith, is our best bet.  As an individual, he is the ultimate example of someone awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promise.

God wants every one of us to come to the maturity of faith where we, like Abraham, can confidently say, “we’ll go…we’ll worship…we’ll return” even while knowing that the worship involves an unthinkable sacrifice (see Genesis 22:5).

Beloved, sometimes you have to give up the very thing you so deeply love, in faith that God would keep His promise concerning the said thing. Therefore, you must be obedient in faith, for the proof of the genuineness of your faith lies in obedience.

James 2:14-26, lays this open for you, and Hebrews 11:8 is a reminder of Abraham’s obedience in faith, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he…obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” 

Most times you have to wait for what you may consider a very long time before you see the fulfillment of God’s promise. Such waiting requires patience. In this regard, read Hebrews 6:11-12 which takes note of the essential patience of faith. Also have a look at 2 Peter 3:9.

Peter gives us a different perspective of that required patience. He tells us that God is also patiently waiting. Quick to believe that it is God who is slow in keeping His promise, never for one minute does it ever cross our minds that God is being patient for our sake.

God patiently waits while you’re learning to walk in faith.

God patiently waits for you to finally rest wholly and absolutely on His word of promise.

God patiently waits for you to turn back to Him after you’ve grown tired of waiting.

God patiently waits for the constant ebb and flow of your wavering belief to settle down.

God patiently waits for you to realize that you’ve not been given a spirit of fear.

And the list continues on and on.

Beloved, it is not in vain that you trust God for the fulfillment of His promise to you. Be confident that when God makes a promise He is “able and mighty to keep His word”. God is so faithful, and full of love for you, that even if you become weary of waiting and expedite your own solution – which by the way, will fail – God will pick up the pieces of your shattered life, gently put you back on the path, and re-affirm His promise with you in such an incredible way that your doublemindedness is completely annihilated.

Here is the absolute truth:

God is a covenant God, so when He gives a promise He will not divert from His chosen course.

God neither lies nor changes His mind.

God will never speak and then not act.

God will not make a promise and not fulfill it.

Nothing and no-one can thwart God’s plan.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Awaiting the Fulfillment of God’s Promise” © 2016 revisited October 3, 2025