Love your Friends

 

The hardest people to witness to are those whom you know best, the ones that are close to you – family and friends. But what kind of friend would you be if you don’t share your Christian walk with your friends? Friends don’t let friends go to hell.

Reaching out to friends is just as important as your outreach to strangers. You are already in a relationship; the friendship has been long established, and you’ve shared a lot over the years, yet somehow you haven’t shared the message of Christ with them and have not been open about your spiritual journey.

Your desire to help your friends grow in the love and knowledge of Jesus must far outweigh any inconvenience or awkwardness you may encounter. There comes a time when you need to change the conversation, you’ve built the bridge of friendship, now cross it – cross over into a new dimension of the relationship.

Crossing that bridge assists in bridging the gap that your friends may be experiencing between themselves and Jesus; but how are you to know if you don’t venture into that area of their lives?

Jesus said that we must “go” (Matthew 28:19-20) however, many of us prefer persons to “come”, come to us on our terms. But it’s not about us, it’s about their salvation.

No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends. (John 15:13 AMPC)

As followers of Jesus, He calls on us to lay down our lives by not letting selfishness or pride be our guide; we are to be humble, and honour others more than ourselves and not be interested only in our own lives, but care about the lives of others too (ref. Philippians 2:3-4).

You lay down your life by emulating His love, the abiding love of Jesus in you that flows out from your relationship with Him, however, if you are not truly in relationship with Christ, then you won’t be willing to “lay down” your life for your friends.

Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. (John 15:4 AMPC)

You are to bear the fruit of love that comes from abiding in Jesus. There’s a song that says, “They will know we are Christians by our love”, love that identifies you as Christian. Can your friends identify you as a follower of Christ by your love?

Christian love is not to be contained within the walls of the church and is certainly not a grand performative gesture to be displayed in front of your fellow church members, it is meant to be an outward expression of genuine love and care and kindness and much more (see 1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal… but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1, 3 NLT)

If you don’t love your friends enough to care about their spiritual well-being by sharing with them the Gospel of Christ, then they would gain nothing and you would have gained nothing.

Beloved, you cannot continue hoping that your friends will somehow “catch” Christianity, like how you “catch” a cold. Give them the same opportunity that was given to you to live their best life ever by becoming a follower of Jesus.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Love your Friends” ©2026 April 30, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tough Love

 

The expression, “tough love”, conjures up certain images in one’s mind. Perhaps you see a drill sergeant hammering the troops under his control into submission.

Spiritually speaking, that’s not what tough love is about; it’s not about displaying a rough, hard-nosed demeanour or forcing Christianity upon your relatives or beating people over the head with your bible.

Apostle Paul says that if a Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help him back onto the right path… (Galatians 6:1 TLB)

Tough love is exhibited in gentleness and self-control which are elements found in the Fruit of the Spirit…

what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection…We find ourselves…not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. (ref. Galatians 5:22, 23 MSG)

Tough love is displayed when you do what’s best and not what’s easiest for you, in like…

Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them, but love your neighbors as you love yourself. (Leviticus 19:18 GNT)

And…

But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:44 GNT)

From a spiritual perspective, exercising tough love is indeed tough to do but if you don’t correct your children, you don’t love them. If you love them, you will be quick to discipline them. (Proverbs 13:24 ERV)

However, decisions have spiritual implications, so before exercising tough love you must pray about it as Proverbs 9:8 (GNT) advises to never correct conceited people; they will hate you for it. But if you correct the wise, they will respect you.

In as much as you may be exercising tough love toward others, remember that choices have consequences so you must be willing to receive the tough love that is meted out to you; Galatians 6:1 says that even as you are leading others back onto the right path, you must keep in mind that next time it might be one of you who is in the wrong.

Tough love is another way to lay the foundation for leading others to Jesus Christ.

Beloved, God shows His love for His children in many ways, and you and I must follow His lead because according to 1 Corinthians 13:8, godly love never fails, it endures forever and that same unfailing love is the reason God Himself exercises tough love from time to time.

For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. (Hebrews 12:6 AMPC)

Both experiencing and exercising tough love opens your heart to the lesson it brings. Tough love shifts your perspective when you recognize that it’s not punishment for punishment’s sake but a divine gift to be appreciated, as it cultivates a sense of mindfulness that enriches your spiritual journey.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Tough Love” ©2026 April 29, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relational Love

 

I am YAHWEH, your mighty God! I grip your right hand and won’t let you go! I whisper to you: ‘Don’t be afraid; I am here to help you!’ – Isaiah 41:13 (TPT)

Our best example of relational love is experienced from being in relationship with God – Father, Son and Spirit.

Relational love speaks of connection. God says that He grips our right hand and He won’t let go. Now that is some connection. Our connection to God is of utmost importance and should be mirrored in our connection to and relationships with others.

We need to invite God into all the relationships we’re already in and those we are about to enter. You see, inviting God into our relational dynamics, allows us to cultivate healthy connections grounded in mutual respect and understanding.

That “getting along together and understanding of each other” connection is vital in promoting free and open communication. It is that freedom and openness that is the key to relationships that thrive.

Relational love is the embodiment of God’s love and must be present in our relations with others.

Relational love empowers us to respond to situations with intention rather than reacting impulsively based purely upon an emotional knee-jerk.

Too often love is lacking when we relate to others.

When “love” is laced with manipulation and is demanding in a puffed-up way, it’s not relational love.

When “love” is exhausting and emotionally draining, it’s not relational love.

When “love” is driven by envy or jealousy, it’s not relational love.

There is no deceit, paranoia, betrayal and confusion in love; if there is then it’s not relational love.

When “love” is unsafe, it’s not relational love.

When “love” is weaponized, it’s not relational love.

When “love” is physically, emotionally or verbally abusive, that’s abuse masquerading as love and that love is not love at all.

When “love” is control disguised as care, it’s not relational love.

Relational love is not the possibility of love; it is authentic love. It is love that is gentle, kind, giving, forgiving, nurturing, thoughtful, honest, helpful, safe, caring, trustworthy, selfless, grounded, devoted, loyal, committed, grateful, playful, happy and most importantly, rooted in God.

Seeing all our relationships through the lens of authentic love can transform our interactions into opportunities for spiritual growth, not just for ourselves but for those around us as well.

Beloved, the love we feel for our family and friends is relational love that comes easily, but relational love which concerns people in general, does not come naturally to us, it’s not automatic; we must rely on Spirit to develop relational love within us for all people.

It’s that love that causes us, like the “Good Samaritan” of Luke 10:25-37, to be willing to help and offer care to a stranger.

It’s that love that feeds our need to connect with other people and in certain instances, to find ways to stay connected.

It’s that love that leads us to get involved in others’ lives in a meaningful way, genuinely sharing their concerns and engaging in the things they enjoy.

It’s that love that healthy relationships are built upon, both physical and spiritual.

Without relational love, our message of God’s love will carry no weight because there’ll be no relationship behind the words. Jesus related to individuals and then met their spiritual needs, and He is our example to follow.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Relational Love” ©2026 April 28, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conditional Love

 

Some of us on this spiritual walk, create a step by step list of tasks to accomplish, and next to each task is a checkbox that we tick off every time a task is completed.

For instance,

• pray daily between the hours of 3am and 4am (tick)
• read my bible from 4am to 5am (tick)
• listen to worship music from 5am to 6am (tick)

and the list goes on and on, and you check off those boxes on a daily basis.

Every day you religiously go through your list, sincerely believing that by doing this you can earn God’s approval and by extension, His love.

But the bible clearly tells us that God’s love is not earned; it is a gift, He cannot help but love us because He is love.

What happens to us, is that we tend to project our imperfect human characteristics onto a divinely perfect God and that includes the way we love.

Our human offering of love is always conditional, we seldom, if at all, love unconditionally. We may proclaim our love to someone saying, “I love you unconditionally” and we may honestly believe it to be true but mostly it’s not.

You see, if we really think about the way in which we love, we’ll realize that there is some kind of string attached. We feel that others must earn our love. We say things like,

“I am not going to love him until he…”

“You better do … otherwise I can never love you”

“I’ll love her if she…”

“I’ve fallen out of love because you don’t do…for me anymore”

“I love you because you do…for me”

If God were to love us only if we did something noteworthy, then heaven help us. God’s love is not a reward for our perfection. God’s love has no conditions attached. We don’t have to earn it or search for it, but we must surrender to it and abide in it by allowing it to abide in us.

God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him. – 1 John 4:16 (AMP)

We don’t recognize that all our relationships are transactional, whether romantic or not, it’s always about what’s in it for me.

A friend, referring to a guy with whom I’d just got into a relationship, asked me, “So what has he brought to the table?” I was taken aback because that never crossed my mind.

These days the concept of love has been watered down and commercialized to the extent that we are unable to grasp the unconditional nature of love; it is that love that God wants us to show to each other.

love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. – John 13:34 (ESV)

Jesus has shown us how to love without condition and as believers in Him, we need to acquire a perception of love from a divine perspective.

God is the definition of love and He loves us unconditionally. Nothing we do makes Him love us more, and nothing we do makes Him love us less.

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8 (NIV)

Our first step out of conditional love toward unconditional love is to surrender our love to God so that He may replace it with the fullness of His love.

First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. – 1 John 4:19 (MSG)

Beloved, only God can release you from the constraints of conditional love, and thrust you into His radical unconditional love, where love is experienced in a whole new way. God’s love is your example of how to love.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Conditional Love” ©2026 April 27, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practical Love

 

Have you been trying to lead your family to Jesus, specifically those living with you? It can prove a daunting task and if you haven’t been able to make headway, perhaps you may want to change your methods, or maybe it’s your behaviour that needs an overhaul. You see it’s just as Jesus said in Mark 6:4 (NLT),

“A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”

That’s no surprise, since your family knows the real you; those with whom you live everyday know your character and witness your behaviour, godly and ungodly.

What’s the example you’ve been setting? How have you been treating your parents, your siblings, your spouse, your children or even the housekeeper, the gardener, the plumber or any other service provider?  

Have you been demonstrating practical love?

Too often it’s the godly person’s treatment of others that leaves much to be desired. Seeing them in action and observing their attitude toward others leaves the onlooker scratching their heads in disbelief, wondering: How could the Christian be so mean-spirited? Why is the Christian so rude? Is this person really a follower of Jesus Christ?

I am sure that you have encountered this type of person right under your own roof, the same relative who comes to you to chat about Jesus. Why would anyone want to become like that? And if it’s you who can draw the string of that cap, then you need to check yourself.

Look closely at yourselves. Test yourselves to see if you are living in the faith. Don’t you realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Of course, if you fail the test, he is not in you. (2 Corinthians 13:5 ERV)

Think about it for more than a moment. You know we never see ourselves the way others see us, so, in denial we say, “Nah, that’s not me”, never bothering to take an honest look at yourself.

Instead, you continue to strut around, high and mighty with your self-exalted self, giving instructions, barking orders and making demands as if you are king but that position has already been filled – Jesus Christ is King and He practiced practical love – love that is not judgmental, love that seeks the well-being of others, love that is not self-seeking, love that is heart-felt, love that is rooted in sacrificial service.

But you seem to conveniently forget that truth, especially when it suits your agenda. You don’t seem to realize that you are behaving the same way as “those other Christians” whom you complain about and criticize.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3-5 NIV)

Beloved, the people around you must see Christ-like authenticity in you demonstrated in your behaviour, your actions and your attitude; let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:18 NIV).

Jesus must be lifted up, not just in the words you speak but in the way you act. Jesus said that if He is lifted up, He will draw men to Himself (see John12:32) but no one will be drawn to Jesus if His followers are treating them with scant courtesy, rather than showing forth the transformative power of the Gospel.

Your life must be a sermon worth preaching. Your love for Christ should never be confined to an outward display at church, but real vital Christianity has to be fostered in your home.

We must all aim to exemplify the tenets of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 in our everyday interactions, for that is practical love in action.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Practical Love” ©2026 April 26, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Little Flower

 

See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. (Matthew 6:28 NIV)

How big is your vision?

Have you ever thought about what God could do through you that would impact someone else’s life?

Jesus Christ gathered together a diverse group of twelve men to gain a vision that was so big that it wouldn’t just impact one or two lives but would impact the entire world.

He told them that He “came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). And as His loyal followers, they were and we are to do the same – to seek the lost and guide them to the path of salvation.

When I was a young teenager, church leaders who came to my school to teach “Religious Knowledge”, would quote from Matthew 28:19, telling all the young people that it was our mission to “go and make disciples of all nations”, then they would proceed to give us instructions on how we were to make disciples. I never liked their one-size-fits-all approach since even at that young age, I believed that because of people’s different personalities and experiences, everyone’s approach couldn’t be the same but must be a fit for each individual.

Introducing someone to Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God is the main goal but how it’s done can’t be the same for everyone – for the introdu-cer and the introdu-cee.

Recently, I read about a teenaged girl, not yet fifteen, who was determined to join the convent, Lisieux Carmel. She had a heart for Jesus and from the age of four she already knew her calling to religious life. Her name was Thérèse, but she was nicknamed the Little Flower.

To this end she said,

“It is impossible for me to grow up, so I must bear with myself such as I am with all my imperfections. But I want to seek out a means of going to heaven by a little way, a way that is very straight, very short and totally new.”

What’s quite interesting about Thérèse is that she became a cloistered nun, so after entering Lisieux Carmel, she never left. She did not go on missions, she did nothing heroic, she never started a religious order, she never went out to evangelize, but she had a big vision of standing at the foot of the cross, collecting Jesus’ blood and giving it to the lost.

Thérèse devoted herself to loving Jesus and praying for sinners. She abandoned herself in complete surrender to Jesus and continual acceptance of His will. She practiced what she termed the little way – doing small things with tremendous love, and every little thing she did, Thérèse wrote down.

Thérèse’s vision was to be realized after her death, as those writings were published and she became one of the most famous saints in the Catholic Church. Ironically, she is the patron saint of missionaries.

Beloved, the Little Flower did not step out of the convent, yet she has influenced countless lives. Her approach to the spiritual life was simple and practical. There was no fanfare, no gimmickry, no pretence or awkwardness, just genuine love for Jesus Christ. The Little Flower with a big vision for mission and evangelism in a completely different way.

Every path, though headed in the same direction, is not the same. Every method to lead others to Jesus cannot be the same for every person. Thérèse looked to Jesus and so should we.

Let Spirit be your guide. Let Spirit lead the way and show you how to share your faith and the more than good news in a practical and personal way suited to you so that you don’t come across as disingenuous.

The Little Flower practiced evangelism in its purest form, sharing with the world what Jesus Christ had done in her life, you should too.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “The Little Flower” ©2026 April 25, 2026

 

 

 

God Speaks

 

Your hurt is incurable; your wound is grievous. (Jeremiah 30:12 NRSVUE)

Imagine going to a doctor and receiving this diagnosis. No one wants to hear this, especially if it’s coming from God. But this is exactly how God admonished the people of Israel and Judah through His prophet Jeremiah.

These were a recalcitrant and obstinate people who were living in captivity, a result of becoming blind to their own sinful behaviour and taking no responsibility or accountability for their actions.

But God had made them a promise of deliverance, of freedom and a return to their own land.

However, the words of Jeremiah 30:12 conveyed a sense of hopelessness, like driving for hours on a long stretch of road that ends in a cul-de-sac – nowhere left to go. We may feel that our situation is beyond repair and hopeless, but God does not forsake His children, He gives hope.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. (Psalm 62:5 NIV)

Our hope comes from God. Resting in Him and placing our trust and confidence in Him fuels our hope.

Israel and Judah, inflated with pride, were filled with false confidence that is rooted in self and anything but God; they ceased to entertain hope in Him, instead they were lulled into a hope that was terribly misplaced.

They hoped that they would serve a two-year period of punishment, but that was not for them to determine, only God could prescribe the time not them and it was set for seventy years.

God’s words through Jeremiah were meant to sting, a wake-up call and a means of preparing them for patient waiting. He spoke to lead His people to a serious acknowledgement of His judgment of a scourge of seventy years that they were to endure – their hurt incurable and their wound grievous.

However, look at the adjective “grievous” used here to describe “your wound”. It speaks of the wound being difficult to heal but not impossible of healing, for with God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37).

Beloved, even after all that we may have done and do, God still recalls us to Himself. And just as He gave the people of Israel and of Judah the hope of restoration and return, He will do the same for you and me.

But before that, we too must be held responsible and accountable for our actions. God speaks the truth before He provides the hope. God speaks in order to expose our hearts so that we see our need for change.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “God Speaks” ©2026 April 24, 2026