The GOAT

 

Everybody wants to be the GOAT – the Greatest Of All Time. People beam with delight and strut with pride on being named or referred to as the GOAT.

In Jesus’ day, there were two brothers, disciples James and John, who wanted to be in positions of greatness and said to Jesus,

“Let us share the great honor you will have as king. Let one of us sit at your right side and the other at your left.” – Mark 10:37 (ERV)

Jesus responded in verse 38,

“You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink from the cup that I must drink from? Can you be baptized with the same baptism that I must go through?”

Sometimes we ask to be elevated but we don’t understand what we are asking for, we don’t understand what it takes to hold such a position.

When my brother and I were young children, he told me something I have never forgotten. He said to me, “Never wish for what other people have because you do not know what they had to go through to get it.” Those were wise words out of the mouth of a pre-teen boy.

These sons of Zebedee hadn’t a clue of what Jesus would have to go through. They did not understand the price Jesus would have to pay.

Recently I’ve listened to certain celebrities speaking about the things they were forced to endure for fame, to be labelled the GOAT. Some have quit the business because being the greatest wasn’t worth it – the price was too great.

In their ignorance, James and John were undaunted, responding to Jesus’ questions with a resounding, “Yes, we can!” (v 39 ERV).

At another time, just after Jesus shared the last supper with His disciples, the question of greatness again showed its head.

Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest – Luke 22:24 (MSG)

Everybody wants to be great and being great at what you do isn’t a bad thing, but when it is saturated in pride is when there’s a problem.

In both instances, that saturation was very evident to Jesus, so He had to bring His disciples down many notches.

To James and John, Jesus said, Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. (Mark 10:43 MSG) and to the larger group, the greatest one among you must be like the youngest, and the leader must be like the servant. (Luke 22:26 GNT).

Pride must never be left to bloom; it must always be nipped in the bud. James 4:6, quoting Proverbs 3:34 says,

As the scripture says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (GNT)

Too many of us yearn to be the GOAT; it’s just as prevalent in the church as it is outside the church. Everybody’s vying for a label of one kind or another. Mind you, nothing is wrong with having aspirations, but humility must play a part.

Jesus said to the disciples,

Who is greater, the one who sits down to eat or the one who serves? The one who sits down, of course. But I am among you as one who serves. – Luke 22:27 (GNT)

Jesus also told them that the leader must be like the servant (v 26).

For all those who like to be known as the GOAT, do you know what the goat symbolizes in Scripture?

The goat is symbolic of the nature of sin. Leviticus 16:7-10 describes a ritual which was performed on the Day of Atonement where two goats had sin “imparted” to them to atone for the sins of the people.

The goat also symbolized a demon, and the goat was symbolic of the Greek general and emperor, Alexander the Great and his empire.

The goat could represent one who was ready to fight against God and Jesus said that on Judgment Day, the goats will be separated from the sheep, that is the unrighteous from the righteous.

Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. – Matthew 25:41 (MSG)

Still want to be the GOAT?

Beloved, Jesus Christ said,

The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness. (John 10:10 GNT)

The goat, as sin, steals, kills and destroys you spiritually, while life in all its fullness is to be found, not on the basis of status, but by humility, discipleship, service and in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “The GOAT” © 2026 October 17, 2026

Lust

 

When the topic of lust comes up, the problem is usually placed squarely upon men’s shoulders. Lust is a man-issue and not just a male-issue.

The truth is, we all have a problem with lust, as women also indulge in the perversion of love.

Ephesians 5:3 (MSG) says,

Don’t allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity…

So, we hear the word lust and immediately our minds think of unrestrained sexual cravings, and it’s true that lust is frequently associated with sexual desire so, that’s understandable but do you know that lust refers to much more than that?

As verse 3 to 4 go on to say, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect.

A single blog post can never thoroughly cover the gamut of lust. You see, lust is indeed an intense craving but it’s not confined to the sexual. We can lust after anything; we can have unbridled urges for something other than sex. But no matter what form these lustful passions may take, they all interfere with our relationship with God.

For be sure of this: no immoral, impure, or greedy person—for that one is [in effect] an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God [for such a person places a higher value on something other than God]. – Ephesians 5:5 (AMP)

Nothing and no-one are to be placed before God; He must be first. Overcome by lust, our passion is misplaced. Whatever is lusted after holds such a place of honour in our lives, that even when we know what’s best, we stubbornly refuse to let it go.  

Our obsession is more important to us than God; it becomes our god.

God said, in Exodus 20:3, 4 (AMP), You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness…[as an object to worship]. And we find the words, put God first in Proverbs 3:6 (TLB).

We fall in lust with it and out of love with Who.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. – 1 John 4:8 (NIV)

God is love and lust is an abhorrent to love. Lust is definitely not love; they’re driven by two completely different forces.

The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer. – James 1:14-15 (MSG)

Lust is rooted in selfishness, that’s the bottom-line. Human beings can develop a lust for just about anything; that’s how addictions are developed.

According to Matthew 5:28 (MSG), Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body

Lust is formulated in the heart. Lust erodes and corrodes our minds Lust causes us to make bad decisions and wrong choices. Lust devolves into destructive behaviours with devastating consequences.

Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible wrath of God is upon all those who do them. Don’t even associate with such people. – Ephesians 5:6-7 (TLB)

Certain people’s unbridled lust for fame, prominent social status, adoration, lavish lifestyle, attention and acknowledgement have all led to murder.

Certain people’s unbridled lust for gratification of any sort has enslaved them to a life of addiction.

Certain people’s unbridled lust for riches has committed them to a life of crime.

Certain people’s unbridled lust for power has them doing unspeakable injustices to their fellow man.

Certain people’s unbridled lust to love and to be loved has made them seek love in all the wrong places and from all the wrong people.

Lust, left to fester, can lead to obsession that is difficult to break free from, but there is a way of stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us (ref. Hebrews 12:1 AMP), for the fight against lust isn’t ours alone.

For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature. – 2 Peter 1:4 (AMP)

Lust is a struggle, but you can gain victory over it, you can break free from the gnawing addictions and the wounds they have inflicted.

It is the Holy Spirit that gives us victory, sets us free, and heals our wounds.

Beloved, we serve a God who is infinitely merciful and whose love never fails (ref. 1 Corinthians 13:8) – He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

So, under guidance of the Holy Spirit, take stock of your own life, to make sure that [you are] not going the wrong way. Ask Him to lead [you] on the path that has always been right. (Psalm 139:24 ERV)

Also, to avoid the enslavement of lust and be drawn into the freedom of love, watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. (Ephesians 5:1-2 MSG).

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Lust” © 2026 October 16, 2026

 

His Sheep

 

Jesus saw the many people and felt sorry for them because they were worried and helpless—like sheep without a shepherd to lead them. – Matthew 9:36 (ERV)

Sheep are the animals most mentioned in the Bible. They are described as lost, blessed, thirsty, hungry, fat, lean, separated from goats, blemished, unblemished, sacrificed, scattered, wandering, innocent, harmless, confused, easily strayed, offered upon the altar, found, rescued, led, exalted, eaten, gathered, persecuted, in need of feeding, helpless, fearful, responding to their name, protected, anointed, knowing the shepherd’s voice, righteous, known by the shepherd…

We are all these and more, since Psalm 100:3, describes us as the sheep of the Lord’s pasture.

Hebrews 13:20 tells us that Jesus is that great Shepherd of the sheep.

Therefore, we, as the sheep of the Great Shepherd, are to look to Jesus as the provider of all our needs. Only Jesus can thoroughly satisfy us in every way and in every aspect of our lives. Jesus’ deep love and undeniable care for us is clearly reflected in the words of Psalm 23.

As it is written,

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. – Psalm 23:1 (NIV)

Now, beloved, continue reading and reflecting upon Psalm 23 and pray that the Lord will grant you a deep revelation of who you really are as “the sheep of His pasture”.

Amen †

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “His Sheep” ©2012 (02-10-12) revisited October 16, 2026

Avad

In translating the bible to English different words were used to translate the same Hebrew word. One such Hebrew word is “avad”, where in some versions of the bible it’s translated as “worship” and in others as “serve”.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. – Exodus 8:1 (NIV)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. – Exodus 8:1 (AMP)

Same verse, different words; we see this happening throughout the bible depending on the version we read. So, which is it? Is it “worship” or is it “serve”? Because aren’t these two words describing two different things?

According to Google, to worship is the act of showing reverence, honor, devotion, and supreme worth to a divine being, or holding someone or something in deep, extravagant love and admiration, while to serve is to perform duties, work for, or provide something useful to a person, organization, or purpose.

But how does the bible define worship and service?

When it comes to the One True Living God, worship expresses itself in adoration, thanksgiving and service to Him. To worship God is to serve Him and not only by singing songs on a Sunday morning in church. It’s our responding to God with our entire lives.

When we worship God in service to Him, in what ever form that service may take, it demonstrates the depth of our devotion. Jacob’s service to Laban (Genesis 29:27; 30:36) or Joseph’s service to Pharoah (Genesis 41:46) are mere echoes of how we are to serve God.

But maybe you don’t want to serve the Lord. You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve. Will you serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River? Or will you serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land? You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15 (ERV)

“Avad” dominates Joshua’s admonition. This wasn’t a religious puff piece but a wholehearted declaration of allegiance to God.

Look at how Jesus Himself used the word “avad”. 

If anyone serves Me, he must [continue to faithfully] follow Me [without hesitation, holding steadfastly to Me, conforming to My example in living…If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. – John 12:26 (AMP)

It wasn’t long before early Christians apprehended Jesus’ concept of “avad”.

You see, Hebrew words don’t just describe an action, they also describe the outcome of that action. Serving God isn’t simply about performing a task in church; to serve Him is much deeper than that. God desires for us to encounter His manifest presence through our worship.

God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. – John 4:24 (AMP)

Beloved, “avad” does not denote passivity, it involves action and though service and worship are distinct, “avad” incorporates them both. The connection between service and worship is undeniable; every day your worship of God should take the form of service.

It’s not enough to worship once a week or serve every now and again, “avad” is about surrendering yourself completely to God in worship and in service.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Avad” © 2026 October 14, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

His Grace is Sufficient for you

 

Throughout your life you will be faced with difficult circumstances from time to time and when these difficulties arise the Lord does not want you to focus on them, instead He has given you the assurance that His grace is sufficient for you, for His power is made perfect in weakness.

“My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP)

Beloved, during the difficult times, look away from the difficulty and fix your eyes and keep them fixed on Jesus, for He will empower you with His all-sufficient grace so that you may have the strength needed to endure the temporary hardship.

Amen †

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “His Grace is Sufficient for you” ©2013 (4-Jun-13) revisited October 14, 2026

There’s more to Grace

 

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. – Colossians 1:1-2 (NIV)

Several New Testament writers, particularly Paul, would begin or end their letters with the blessing of grace.

When it comes to an explanation for grace, two verses taken from Ephesians chapter two are often quoted.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

Grace is, therefore, the medium through which God has effected the salvation of all believers. We do nothing to earn or warrant such a gift, it is the degree of favour, God determined to extend to all who have faith in His Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. – Titus 2:11 (NIV)

Grace has come to signify the unmerited favour of God to us human beings.

But there’s more to grace. Ephesians 2:8 & 9 are the familiar verses but there is another verse that sums it all up.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Looking at this verse, it may seem to contradict the preceding verses as it says that we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works yet just before, we are told that we aren’t saved by works. It is certainly not a contradiction.

The good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do aren’t of our own doing and the works, so that no one can boast in verse 9 are of our own doing (read Romans 4).

God is the One who equips us with more than enough grace to accomplish the good works of verse 10. Everything we do must be based on and rooted in this gift of grace. The grace of God can overcome any limitation or shortcoming.

Grace takes us from the realm of limitation and works to the realm of no limitation and good works which is the realm of heavenly power.

Paul had a limitation. Three times he pleaded for God to remove it, but God did not, instead He told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV). Then Paul wrote,

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Grace is not only the unmerited favour of God, grace is also an empowerment from God.

We are completely incapable of doing good works without the empowerment of grace. Attempting to do works apart from God is engaging in works of the flesh which do not operate effectively.

It is very important for us to apprehend the empowerment of grace we have been offered through Jesus Christ.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. – Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)

There’s more to grace, as grace also enables the believer to persevere in the Christian life.

Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. – Acts 20:32 (NIV)

Additionally, grace can refer to the capacity for the reception of divine life.

Regarding this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace [of God] that was intended for you, searched carefully and inquired [about this future way of salvation], seeking to find out what person or what time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glories [destined] to follow. – 1 Peter 1:10-11 (AMP)

Beloved, grace is not merely a one-time gift of God that secures your eternal salvation, there’s more to grace as it is the proverbial gift that keeps on giving.

Grace empowers you to do good works and enables you to persevere and gives you the mental, physical and spiritual ability to receive, experience and maintain your salvation throughout your life.

And now,

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you... (2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV)

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “There’s more to Grace” © 2026 October 12, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

What about Quartus?

 

What’s in a name?

God instituted a timeless tradition when He named the first human Adam. Since then, humans have been given names.

We are all intrinsically unique and being given a name just adds to our individuality and identity. Names once held much greater meaning than they do today and in Old Testament times, names were only given to persons in positions of authority. The person’s name signified that they were appointed a particular position, function or relationship.

For instance, as Rachel lay dying after giving birth, with her last breath, she named her son Benon, “son of my sorrow”, however Jacob, changed his name to Benjamin, “son who will be fortunate” (ref. Genesis 35:18).

Names were often determined by circumstances at the time of birth or changed as one’s status changed.

King Neco made Josiah's son Eliakim king of Judah as successor to Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim – 2 Kings 23:34 (GNT)

God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah, signifying a change to their destiny and in the same way, Jacob became Israel.

Other than position, function or relationship, people were named for animals, tribes, precious things, plants, characteristics, historical events and even for the work that they did. Names were sometimes connected to a promise or an aspiration.

In those days, people were given one name but by New Testament times, there was a slight change to that practice; having a personal and family name became common. Descriptive phrases were added and in this bilingual culture, names were used interchangeably.

Then he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “Your name is Simon son of John, but you will be called Cephas.” (This is the same as Peter and means “a rock.”) – John 1:42 (GNT)

Where Cephas is Aramaic, Peter is Greek and both mean “rock”.

Now, Apostle Paul, who was charged with converting the Gentiles had made his way to Corinth, this was his third missionary journey. While there he was compelled to write to the church in Rome which was facing challenges related to Jewish/Gentile issues.

Near the end of his epistle he wrote,

My host Gaius, in whose house the church meets, sends you his greetings; Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings. – Romans 16: 23 (GNT)

Here we have three names, Gaius, Erastus and Quartus who all sent their greetings.

Gaius, who we are told, hosted Paul and the Church in Corinth, must have been a Roman citizen since his personal name is of Latin origin, meaning “one who rejoices”.

The city treasurer bore the Greek name, Erastus which means “beloved”. Erastus may have been a freed slave; freedmen were often given positions to steward the city’s properties or manage the city’s financial affairs. Though former slaves, these men were often wealthy.

What about Quartus? While Paul gave brief but pertinent background information on Gaius and Erastus, Quartus is simply identified as, our brother. Quartus is the Roman word for “fourth”.

It was a common Roman practice to name children based on their order of birth, especially those children born to enslaved mothers. It is believed that Quartus was such a child. Under Roman rule, he was neither considered a citizen nor worthy of a proper name as the child of an enslaved woman. As far as Rome was concerned, a number was good enough.

Similarly, numerical names like Primus, “first”, Secundus “second” and Tertius “third”, were all derived from this Roman naming tradition.

Whoever was Quartus’ owner at birth, could never have imagined that this child identified only by a number meant to relegate him to a life of obscurity, would have lived on for thousands of years in the pages of the bible.

Quartus, like so many others in the bible, is only mentioned once but once is more than enough to validate him. The mere fact that the apostle considers him a brother speaks volumes. Quartus undoubtedly was a valued member of the Corinthian Christian community.

Beloved, your name is integral to who you are. The name that you now bear has meaning to God and even if others don’t know your name, God knows your name.

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him; the sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. – John 10:3 (GNT)

Your name distinguishes you just as Quartus’ name, though meant to identify him as a nobody, still distinguished him as somebody. God also knew his name and if you didn’t before, now you know his name too.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “What about Quartus?” © 2026 October 11, 2026