Why is she crying?

Simon, a Pharisee, invited Jesus to his home to eat with him. I guess word gets around town because, a woman in the city who was a sinner, having learned that He was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment and standing behind Jesus at his feet, weeping, began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair, kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment (Luke 7:36-38 NRSVUE).

Why is she crying?

The bible isn’t clear about the reason for her tears, and although many reasons have been offered, perhaps a deeper dive is required. So, let’s see what we might dig up.

We read the text and we make a judgment regarding this unnamed woman’s character because of one word, “sinner” as if we haven’t all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But what are these verses saying to us about this woman?

First, there is a word that we don’t ever take into account; it’s basically ignored and though it is only three letters, it’s important to her identity, that word is “was”. We are told that the woman was a sinner, that her designation had changed and she is now a believer.

The text is saying that this woman who approached Jesus is a believer.

Next, she brought with her, an alabaster jar of ointment. Now this same event is recounted in Mark’s Gospel, chapter 14, where we are told that the alabaster jar contained expensive perfume made from essence of nard which is worth at least a year’s wages or 300 denarii, an amount equivalent to $45,000.00 US dollars today. This fact should not be overlooked because it’s another important clue about the woman as it tells us that she is a woman of means.

Then she anoints Jesus’ feet with the entire jar of oil. This woman did not count the cost; she places Jesus far and above any and every thing she possessed. She has a clear understanding of what commitment to Jesus means – she knows discipleship.

Another clue that she understood the role of a disciple lies in the position she adopted – she is at Jesus’ feet.

Kissing Jesus’ feet and wiping His feet with her hair indicate that this woman is displaying absolute adoration of the divine, it is a sign of her deep love, devotion and worship.

Then verse 38 reveals to us what the Pharisee thought of this woman,

“If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”

Did she have a reputation? Simon the Pharisee only knew who she had been but didn’t know who she had become, so Jesus, tuning into Simon’s thoughts, gives him a lesson on forgiveness (read Luke 7:40-47).

Jesus presented a case of two men in which the Pharisee judged rightly but in the woman’s case, he has not. The Pharisee, as many of us do, pronounces a misjudgement.

Simon, the Pharisee, represents the Law – he says that she is a sinner. Jesus, through whom grace was realized, says she was a sinner.

Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? (Luke 7:44 NRSVUE)

Simon, the Law, can only see the sinner; that’s all the Law, under the old covenant, is capable of seeing as it is the ministry of condemnation. Jesus, the fulfilment of the Law and the institutor of the new covenant of grace, sees the woman, as it is the ministry of righteousness (ref. 2 Corinthians 3:7-9).

Jesus sees her, yet she is crying, for she understands discipleship, she understands adoration, she understands lovingkindness, but she has not apprehended the reality of forgiveness.

Jesus sees her, yet she is crying, for she has not grasped the concept of righteousness by faith’s immediate verdict of “not guilty”.

Jesus sees her, yet she is crying, for she believes in Jesus, but she is unable to reconcile her past with her present.

Jesus sees her, yet she is crying, for she has memorized the “thou shalt nots” but change sometimes proves difficult.

Jesus sees her, yet she is crying, for she knows how to live under the old covenant of the Law with its sacrificial sin offerings, but she’s unsure of how to live under the new covenant of the gift grace.

She has never truly been seen but Jesus sees her, and He speaks grace to the Law (see Luke 7:44-46). The Law provided nothing, but grace provides everything that is needful.

Mary, when she sat at Jesus’ feet, showed that she understood that only one thing is needful (see Luke 10:42) and David knew it too.

I will not offer [pour out offerings of] blood to those idols or even speak [take on my lips] their names. No, the Lord is all I need [my portion and my cup]. (Psalm 16:5 EXB)

Through all her tears, the woman knew what was needful, she believed but the Law wants to keep her out because according to the standards of the Law, she is unclean; it is grace that allows her to approach Jesus without reproach. Grace gives her full access to God through faith in Jesus.

Jesus turns away from the Pharisee and addresses the woman,

“Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:48, 50 NRSVUE)

Jesus reminds the woman that her sins are forgiven.

When grace spoke to the Law, Jesus gave Simon the reason her sins are forgiven,

I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little. (Luke 7:47 NRSVUE)

She was a sinner who was forgiven once and for all and whatever her life had been before, she arrived at Simon’s house knowing that her life had changed because of her faith in Jesus. There, she expressed her gratitude for the forgiveness of her many sins by showing great love to Jesus, her Saviour.

Beloved, this woman’s story is our story; our sins are many, then we believe by faith and all our sins are forgiven, but we don’t fully grasp the magnitude of forgiveness and we cry but then the Holy Spirit reminds us of our righteousness in Jesus, then we love much knowing that we have been forgiven much.

Your sins are forgiven, separated from God as far as the east is from the west, you aren’t, your faith has saved you, now go in peace.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Why is she crying?” ©2026 May 31, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe

 

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40 NIV)

Let’s pray…

O Lord my God, the only true and living God, my faith and my trust are in You alone; for You alone are faithful and in You there is no variation nor turning shadow.

You are not inconsistent and You do not waver.

With You my steps are sure, so continue to lead me and teach me; guide me into all Truth by Your Spirit working in me.

Each and every day I place my hope in You for You are my Saviour and my God.

Lord, I believe Your Word that says that You will do what You say You will do; I believe that Your Word does not come back to You without results.

Your Word says that Your plans for me are good – plans to prosper me, plans to give me peace, plans to care for me, plans to show up for me and deliver me, to save me and keep me safe, plans to give me double for any former trouble, plans of complete and utter restoration, plans to give me hope and a great future, plans to send the former rains and the latter rains, plans to satisfy me fully, plans to work wonders for me.

I place my trust in You and thank You for all Your promises.

Fill me, O Lord, with all joy and peace as I trust in You, so that I may overflow with hope in You alone, for my expectation is from You.

You have planned a wonderful future for me, and I thank You. I thank You for Your providential care and Your love that endures forever.

Lord, I believe in You and I look forward to the manifestation of Your incredible promised plans in my life.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “I believe in You” ©2026 May 29, 2026

 

Perfect and Imperfect Tense: A Language Lesson

 

Beloved, have we been getting things wrong? Have we grown so accustomed to using fragments of bible verses that we’ve created, for ourselves, a lack of understanding of spiritual things?

For the most part, the New Testament was written in Greek, and in the Greek language, much like English, verbs have different tenses; past, present, future and so on. However, in Greek, there are two that are not exactly like those used in English – perfect and imperfect tense.

Let’s briefly delve into a language lesson.

The perfect tense is used to indicate an action which happens just one time and even though it’s never repeated, it has an ongoing effect into the future. This can be seen in John 19:30 (ESV),

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

“It is finished” is rendered in Greek with one word, “Tetelestai”. This word is written in the perfect tense which denotes, as previously mentioned, an action completed in the past with results that carry on into the future indefinitely.

This final word from Jesus as He hung on the cross, “It is finished”, signified that His mission on earth was complete, accomplished or brought to an end, yet it had only just begun.

Similarly, the perfect tense is at work in 1 John 2:12 (ESV),

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.

Here, it’s used in “are forgiven” referring to “your sins” – once and for all, past sins, present sins and future sins have been forgiven, “for His name’s sake” because “It is finished”.

The imperfect tense, on the other hand, describes an action that is continuously repeated; it’s habitual, it’s incomplete.

And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. – Matthew 27:30 (ESV)

Taken at face value, this can be interpreted as a one-time occurrence, but the verb used in Greek, “etypton”, rendered in the imperfect tense, indicates that this was a repeated action, Jesus was hit on His head over and over again.

And this perfect and imperfect tense language lesson takes us into the real topic at hand concerning our use of fragments of bible verses.

As Christians, we like to say to other Christians as a threat or a warning or condemnation, “Sin separates you from God” and I wondered if that’s biblically correct, not as a blanket statement but more so as a direct charge levied by believers upon believers. I never bothered to look into it until recently while researching the “conviction of sin” doctrine for a previous blog post.

You see, if Romans 10:9 says that a person who confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in their heart that God raised Him from the dead, will be saved and if 1 John 2:12 says that your sins are forgiven (perfect tense), which means for all time as far as the east is from the west, and if Jesus declared “Tetelestai” from the cross, then why would sin separate a believer from God?

Of course, if it’s believed that the Holy Spirit convicts believers of sin, then it’s not far fetched to believe it’s because sin separates the believer from God. This must have arisen from somewhere. Then voila, I found it in Isaiah 59:2 (ERV),

It is your sins that separate you from your God. He turns away from you when he sees them. 

It’ s right there, plain as day, in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. There’s no doubt about this truth; sins separate you from your God but that’s only one verse from an entire chapter. What’s the reason for this separation?

That’s because your hands are covered with blood from the people you murdered. You tell lies and say evil things. You can’t be trusted, even in court. You lie about each other and depend on false arguments to win your cases. You create pain and produce wickedness. (v 3-5)

This and much more was the diagnosis of the sins that caused the separation from God of a people who persisted in doing evil but the problem was not with God. God still possessed the power to save, to hear and to answer but these people were mired in sin. God was not obligated to save them if they refused to acknowledge their iniquitous condition and dire need of saving.

Under the old covenant there was separation, the people could not even approach Mt Sanai and it was not uncommon for God to forsake mankind and hide His face from them, for in Deuteronomy 31:17 (ESV) God Himself said,

Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’

Isaiah had prophesied about the coming Saviour; a prophetic word which pointed to a new covenant,

Yet it was our grief he bore, our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, for his own sins! But he was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace; he was lashed—and we were healed! – Isaiah 53:4-5 (TLB)

So, it is clear that sin does separate people from God, that is not being disputed, however Isaiah’s prophecy is also quite clear, in that, for believers, Jesus Christ was wounded and bruised for our sins; Jesus paid a very heavy price for the sins of every one of us

We—every one of us—have strayed away like sheep! We, who left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet God laid on him the guilt and sins of every one of us! – Isaiah 53:6 (TLB)

In that day, the people were told of future events, things to come and when that time came, Jesus Christ was separated from God for us (Psalm 22), so that as believers we would never be separated from God because of the new dispensation – the covenant of grace – inaugurated by the death of Jesus, the propitiation for our sins.

He died in our place to take away [is the atoning sacrifice/propitiation for] our sins [his death pays the penalty and removes God’s anger from us] and not only our sins but the sins of all people [the whole world]. – 1 John 2:2 (EXB) [see also 4:10; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17]

Jesus saved us by dying in our place to take away all our sins, so that we may live free in this present time (perfect tense).

for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. – Romans 3:26 (NLT)

Anyone who believes in Jesus with a sincere intention to follow Him, the grace of God instantly takes effect in their life like a spiritual safety net. God could show no greater love for sinful mankind by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us (Romans 5:8 AMPC).

Beloved, when God laid the sins of the entire world upon Jesus Christ, the gap of separation was closed for whosoever accepts and believes by faith in Jesus; they will have peace with God (see 2 Corinthians 5:18-21) and can no longer be separated from Him for any reason.

As believers, our sins have been forgiven – the proof is written in the perfect tense – but that is not an invitation to sin. As Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the believers in Rome,

All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end. – Romans 5:20-21(MSG)

What then [are we to conclude]? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under [God’s] grace? Certainly not! And having been set free from sin, you have become the slaves of righteousness [of conformity to God’s will and purpose].  – Romans 6:15 &18 (AMP)

Through His crucifixion Jesus fulfilled the old covenant (Matthew 5:17) and instituted the new. Our coming to the cross is a very tangible experience (see Colossians 2:14); to be covered (atoned for) with the Blood is a real power (see Ephesians 1:7) – it’s not just a covering but a thorough washing.

As a believer, God’s Spirit lives inside you (see Romans 8:9) so, God never leaves you nor forsakes you (Hebrews 13:5) and, according to Matthew 28:20, Jesus is with you forever.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Perfect and Imperfect Tense: A Language Lesson” ©2026 May 28. 2026

 

 

Prayer for the spiritual journey

 

Lord God Almighty, I pray that I will never become lazy on my spiritual journey.

Help me dear God to remain eager, fervent, zealous, and steadfast.

Thank You for giving me strength for the journey and for clearing the path I need to take.

Thank You for giving me energy that will enable me, through faith and practice, to go the distance without becoming weary.

Thank You for steady feet that keep me from falling.

As I journey, help me not to focus on the length of the road ahead but to keep my eyes fixed on You.

I pray to walk closely with You Lord each and every day and that I will not be tempted to give up.

I make this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour.

Amen †

 

  

Shelley Johnson “Prayer for the spiritual journey” ©2026 May 27, 2026

 

Blessings, Let us Pray

 

Proverbs 10:6a (NIV) as it is written,

Blessings crown the head of the righteous

Dear God, thank You that this promise is for me because I have been made righteous through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ my Saviour and His finished work.

I believe therefore I speak words of abundance into my life.

I am receiving now, the fullness of God’s blessings that crown my head that are reserved for the righteous!

I expect these blessings to pour down upon me and surround me on every side.

I thank You O God for Your bountiful provision!

I thank You that I am blessed beyond my imagination!

I seal this prayer in the matchless name of Jesus Christ my Lord.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Blessings, Let us Pray” ©2026 May 26, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sin, Righteousness and Judgment

Because I have heard it, I am sure that you must have heard it too, and that is,

“It’s the Holy Spirit that convicts us of sin.”

Haven’t you heard that before? I have, many times, and I believe it to be biblically sound doctrine. After all I have only heard it from Christians. But I wondered where it came from, so I went searching through the bible for book, chapter and verse, and voila, I found it in the Gospel of John.

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin – John 16:8 (ESV)

Jesus was talking to His disciples, preparing them for what was to come after His death and in this verse, He’s referring to the Holy Spirit. So, herein lies the justification for our belief that the Holy Spirit convicts us.

But this is not the whole verse; this is just a fragment of the verse, there’s more. Jesus did not stop at the word “sin”, he went on to say, and righteousness and judgment:

The entire verse tells us that there are three things that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of,

•        Sin
•        Righteousness
•        Judgment

This was news to me. This is showing us three separate groups; so, what is this verse really about? What was Jesus really saying to His disciples then and is saying to us now?

Every person in the world is in one of these groups; you’re either in sin, or in righteousness, or in judgment but you can’t be in more than one group and there’s no overlapping and we come to this conclusion because of verses nine to eleven that follow,

• concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 
•  concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 
•   concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

And then we’re confronted by the pronouns “they”, “you” and indirectly “he”.

When it comes to sin, Jesus uses the pronoun “they”. Why? Who is Jesus referring to? He is talking to His disciples, believers in Him, therefore the “they” could not be them, otherwise He would have said “you”.

The disciples believe in Jesus, so “they” who do not believe are unbelievers. The first group in verse 9 is group one – the “Sin” group, unbelievers to whom the conviction of sin is specifically targeted. They are convicted, proven guilty, concerning their sin of unbelief in Jesus.

The Holy Spirit convicts unbelievers of sin, for those who do not believe in Jesus, that conviction is a wake-up call for them to recognize that they are in the wrong group and in need of the Saviour, Jesus.

Group two – the “Righteousness” group of verse 10. For this group, Jesus uses the pronoun “you”, a clear indication that this verse is directed to those He is speaking to, the disciples, who are believers. Believers are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ERV)

The Holy Spirit convicts, bears witness to, believers of their right-standing before God (see Romans 8:16). Jesus is no longer in the world physically but has given us His Spirit so that we can still believe in Him (see John 12:36).

The conviction of believers’ righteousness is to reinforce that those who believe in Jesus are always in right-standing before God because of the finished work of Jesus whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood (Romans 3:25 GNT). People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood (Romans 3:25 NLT).

The third group, group three – “Judgment”, verse 11. In the last group, Jesus is speaking about the ruler of this world, Satan, who is convicted, found guilty, by the Holy Spirit, of his judgment because he is already judged and pronounced guilty as charged.

Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. – John 12:30-31 (NLT)

Within these three groups everyone who is in the world is accounted for,

•         Unbelievers
•      Believers
•       Satan

It is a list of persons that are mutually exclusive, since as mentioned previously, no one can be in more than one group and taken as a whole, they make up the entire world so it’s collectively exhaustive.

Beloved, fragmenting bible verses is a dangerous practice as it leads us into erroneous doctrine. The verse that has been used to base our “conviction of sin” doctrine, plainly demonstrates that point.

Reading the verse in its entirety, together with the accompanying verses that follow shows that there are three actions that the Holy Spirit performs and these actions are applied to three separate groups and attached to each one is a reason for targeting each group.

So, this is merely the proverbial tip of the iceberg concerning the intriguing topics of sin, righteousness and judgment. Apostle Paul takes us much deeper in his letter to the Romans in which you will find a detailed and comprehensive look at all you need to know about sin, righteousness and judgment.

Incidentally, this “conviction of sin” doctrine is not new, the apostle dealt with it in his day and had to set things right (see Romans 8) but that’s a topic for another blog post.

For today, we have seen from John 16:8-11, that there is no basis for believing that believers in Jesus are convicted of their sins by the Holy Spirit, or by the Father, or by the Son but the Holy Spirit does remind those who believe in Jesus that God has declared them innocent because of His Son, Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Sin, Righteousness and Judgment” ©2026 May 25, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As long as you have Jesus

 

photo courtesy Chionsu Barclay

It’s important for us to see verses from a different and deeper perspective, especially those familiar, often-quoted verses. Keep in mind that the Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12); it has the ability to manifest when we speak it,

Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. – Psalm 119:89 (ESV)

God’s Word is powerful, it is unchangeable, does not return to Him with no effect (Isaiah 55:11) and it is the creative activity of God, so, we must be cognisant of what we are saying when we are boldly declaring the Word over our lives.

After all, if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, then God will do it for you (Mark 11:23 ERV), more so with His own Word.

It is from this mindset that we are going to look at a verse from Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians that we have committed to memory to quote at will.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

Straightforward enough but is it as straightforward as we think? What prompted the apostle to write this to the Philippians?

Philippi, though small, was a bustling city. It’s location in Northern Greece made it a major trade route which exposed the Philippians to many people from various cultures who passed through the city. It was the gateway to the East.

After the battle of 31 B.C., Philippi was constituted a Roman colony and the leading city in that part of Macedonia (Acts 16:12 ERV), making the Philippians Roman citizens just as Paul was however, unlike Paul, without Jewish influence, they were purely pagan.

Apostle Paul’s visit to Philippi as the first European city to hear a Christian missionary, informed his choice of the strategy of his evangelism. As his fellow Roman citizens, his manner of teaching could not take its usual form of Rabbi and disciple but was more of a partnership rather than that typical relationship; it was a mutual relationship, unique in this regard.

Additionally, Paul uses language and concepts that the people of Philippi would understand, so this letter is not like his usual letters.

Several remarkable conversions to Christianity and miraculous events occurred in Philippi (see Acts 16) which created an intimate friendship between the apostle and the members of the Philippian church. Even though the congregation consisted of Gentiles, they were Paul’s joy and crown (Philippians 4:1), in whom he saw the future of the church as the fruit of faith in them was unmistakably evident.

I am so happy, and I thank the Lord that you have again shown your care for me. You continued to care about me, but there was no way for you to show it. – Philippians 4:10 (ERV)

Paul, imprisoned for his faith and for spreading the Good News, was writing from gaol to the church. Their long-time concern and support for the apostle never wavered even though at times they hadn’t the opportunity of showing it. Paul’s letter was occasioned by their gifts of funds, clothing and other favours. But he wanted them to know that those things did not constitute their friendship, partnership and faithfulness.

This letter covers a gamut of complex matters and in the final chapter, where our favourite verse resides, Paul is mostly focused on his persecution for the sake of Christ, yet because of his deep affection for and gratitude to the Philippians, he is not only giving them thanks but encouragement for their own troubles as well.

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. – Philippians 4:11-12 (ESV)

These verses, which lead us into verse 13, must be taken into account if our oft-quoted verse is to be properly understood. Here, Paul speaks of being “content” in any situation, the Greek word he would have used is “autarkes”.

“Autarkes” is self-sufficient, which was in Roman philosophy a favourite virtue among the stoics and cynics and signified the ultimate mastery over one’s own life. Paul was using this to signify something even deeper by aligning it to Jesus Christ.

He is conveying to the Philippians and to us that he is content, not in his own strength but that his ability to be content, to be self-sufficient comes from somewhere else. Paul’s self-sufficiency was empowered by God through his relationship with Christ. Even imprisoned, he was “autarkes”.

And it is with all this in mind, we can now read what Paul wrote in verse 13,

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Paul had previously identified the source and power of his affection (1:8) now he was identifying the same source as the source and power of his strength.

As long as you have Jesus, you are “autarkes”. This verse has nothing to do with personal goals and ambitions. This is about finding contentment in Christ and not in anything else or anyone else; it’s detachment from the things of this world and attachment to the Kingdom of God.

Beloved, you can do all things – everything and anything – through Jesus who gives you the strength to do so. It is Jesus who gave Paul the ability to survive on very little and it is that same Jesus who gives you that same ability.

Paul was leading the Philippians to rely on and experience the dependence on God to meet their needs just as God met his needs and, this passage about needing very little, as long as you have Jesus, still rings true today.

As long as you have Jesus, you can rely on Him completely, not needing the things of this world for your joy and satisfaction.

As long as you have Jesus, you can live on little, centring every part of your life on Him.

As long as you have Jesus, you must spread the gospel, struggle for it and give everything to ensure that everyone hears the better than Good News.

And it is in all these pursuits that Jesus gives you His strength; strength to do all things that you may think you’re not good at or the things you believe you’re not worthy of doing or equipped for or meant for.

You and I, as long as we have Jesus, we can do all things through Him who gives us strength to stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. (Philippians 1:27-28 NIV)

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “As long as you have Jesus” ©2026 May 24, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praying necessary prayers

 

Pray always. Pray in the Spirit. Pray about everything in every way you know how! And keeping all this in mind, pray on behalf of God’s people. Keep on praying feverishly, and be on the lookout until evil has been stayed. And please pray for me. Pray that truth will be with me before I even open my mouth. Ask the Spirit to guide me while I boldly defend the mystery that is the good news— for which I am an ambassador in chains—so pray that I can bravely pronounce the truth, as I should do. – Ephesians 6:18-20 (VOICE)

Apostle Paul understood that he, as a leader of the church, was in dire need of prayer. He wrote to the church in Ephesus exhorting them not just to pray always and about everything and in every way and to keep on praying feverishly but he also made a plea for them to pray for him.

We seem to think that there’s no need to pray for members of our clergy. Priests, pastors, ministers, vicars, bishops, deacons, apostles and preachers need our prayers. Even the pope is in need of prayer.

Praying necessary prayers for our spiritual leaders is crucial so that, according to Paul, truth will be with them before they even open their mouths, the Holy Spirit will guide them while they boldly defend the mystery that is the Gospel and they bravely pronounce the truth as they should do.

Hold your church’s leaders up before God, giving thanks for them in Jesus’ name.

Pray that divinely directed words will be on their lips and their mouths will not transgress in judgment.

Pray that their hearts remain in God’s hands and they will remain obedient to God’s leading.

Pray for God to bless them and make them a blessing to His people.

Pray for lovingkindness, compassion, mercy and faithfulness to preserve them.

Pray that their ways and actions will always please God.

Pray that they will listen carefully to God’s voice and that your church is elevated by uprightness and is in right standing with God because they take heed.

Pray that if there is anything for which they need to repent, that they will do so without hesitation.

Now declare that your church is established and made secure by righteousness and is stable in the Lord because your leaders are genuine men and women of God.

Beloved, as you pray, mention the names of those for whom you are praying necessary prayers, trusting that what you say will happen.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Praying necessary prayers” ©2026 May 23, 2026

Why are you holding on?

 

Recently, I came across something that I had never thought about before and was immediately struck by a certain bible verse. But before I divulge the verse, let me tell you about what led to this lightning bolt.

Looking at a globe of the world, if you were to travel north from anywhere in the world towards the Arctic or North Pole, after reaching that point, anywhere beyond it, you’ll then be heading south; right?

And if you continue making that entire longitude circumference journey, you will always go from south to north or from north to south.

However, it doesn’t work in that same way when you’re heading in an easterly direction on the globe to get to the west. You just continue heading east.

North to south and vice versa is finite but heading east is infinite, you’ll always be heading east. Traveling along that line of latitude in either direction is a continuous journey.

You probably know this already but for me, it was something that never crossed my mind, yet still, that wasn’t even the mind-blowing element. My mind exploded when, pondering this new discovery, Psalm 103 came dancing into my thoughts, not every verse – verse 1, verse 2 and I thought nothing of it until, suddenly, skipping over several verses it came to rest on the one that says,

as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.

Verse twelve was the verse that catapulted me into praise mode. How could it not?

I had a brand-new understanding of what David was saying.

“As far as the east is from the west” is an endless, incalculable distance; it’s never-ending, immeasurably more than we can ever imagine, extending indefinitely beyond what we are able to fathom.

says the Lord: For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:10, 12 NRSVUE)

The author of Hebrews reiterates that same promise in Hebrews 10:17, which incidentally, is the repeating of a prophecy found in Jeremiah 31:34.

Beloved, God does not hold on to our sins, why are you holding on to the sins of others? If God can let go of our sins, remove them as far as the east is from the west, cast all [our] sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19) and remember [our] sins no more, why are you holding on? What is your reason for not letting go?

Do you weaponize the sins of others to use against them? Because that’s exactly what some of us do. Even those of us who stand at pulpits.

And then there are those of you who keep replaying your own sins in your mind, living guilty and punishing yourself as if Jesus Christ never hung on the Cross.

As long as you keep remembering your sins and the sins of others, that God, in His love, compassion and mercy, has already completely forgiven, you are crucifying Christ again and again.

Why are you holding on? What is your reason for not letting go?

You know of God’s wonderful gift of forgiveness through His beloved Son Jesus, but haven’t you truly accepted it? If you had, then you would not be holding people’s sin over their heads and condemning them every chance you get.

Holding on to any sins without forgiving the perpetrator of said sins, yourself included, reveals a problem of love.

Holding on to any sins without forgiving the perpetrator of said sins, yourself included, is tantamount to a rejection of divine love.

Why are you holding on?

God has forgiven and forgotten our sins, so who are you to keep holding on to them?

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Why are you holding on?” ©2026 May 22, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lovingkindness

 

Psalm 123 

I lift up my eyes to You, O You Whose throne is in the heavens. See, the eyes of servants look to the hand of their owner. The eyes of a woman servant look to the hand of her owner. So our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He shows us loving-kindness.

Show loving-kindness to us, O Lord. Show loving-kindness to us. For we have had our fill of hate. The proud have laughed at us too long. We have had more than enough of their hate.

In most translations of Psalm 123, “mercy” is used instead of “loving-kindness” but we so seldom use or display lovingkindness that the word seemed to glare at me when I came upon it in the New Life Version’s translation of the psalm.

Lovingkindness is one of those words that carry a depth of meaning as does its Hebrew counterpart, “hesed”; It’s not a disposition but more of an attitude than anything else, that is born out of a place of authenticity.

There is no pretence in lovingkindness, it cannot be feigned. This is a heartfelt, loyal love that is divinely implanted. It is love that expects neither repayment nor reward. It’s love that doesn’t count the cost and when it refers to God, it’s that how wide and how long and how high and how deep love that is meted out to sinners (you and me), in unmerited kindness.

God’s lovingkindness designates His great faithfulness, grace and mercy.

Remember Your loving-pity and Your loving-kindness, O Lord. For they have been from old. (Psalm 25:6 NLV)

God’s lovingkindness is priceless.

Of what great worth is Your loving-kindness, O God! (Psalm 36:7 NLV)

God’s lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. (Psalm 136:1 NLV; 2-26)

On a pilgrimage to worship the Lord, the psalmist is asking the Lord to show lovingkindness after the pilgrims have experienced their fill of hate and, centuries later, that hasn’t changed, for when we are in distress, we too seek lovingkindness from our Lord.

We long for God to show us lovingkindness but we, like the priest and the Levite in the parable of the good Samaritan (see Luke 10:25-37), are hard pressed to show even the faintest love to our fellowman.

We’re so focused on the road we are on, that we forget there are others traveling on the same road. And worse than that we keep our eyes cast down, preferring to ignore those on the road who are injured, gravely hurt or deeply wounded.

It’s easy to hide our faces from the ills that others face – the hate and the injustice – especially when it isn’t affecting us directly. We curl up in our comfortableness not wanting to have anything spoil or interrupt our journey.

Because our lives are normal by the world’s standards, does not mean that we are going the right way or that we’re doing the right things or making the right choices.
 
So, take a good look at where you’re headed. When was the last time you looked up to really see what’s going on around you outside of your own experiences? Have you been lifting your eyes to God, Whose throne is in the heavens?
 
With everything that is going on in this world today with all the pain and suffering, conflicts and wars and the abuse and killing of innocent children, it’s sometimes difficult to lift your eyes, you probably don’t even want to. You're not alone...

Lately, we’ve all been looking down but we need to lift up our eyes, not to focus on the world but to see above and beyond the hills to the hand of our Lord, as we continue our ascent.

We need to look to the Lord our God, until He shows us loving-kindness by planting its seed deep into our hearts so that we may be able to show lovingkindness to others along the way.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Lovingkindness“ ©2026 May 21, 2026

Encore

God knows the heart of each person. He knows what you need and when you need it. And in certain instances, God will take you through something that you’ve been through already.

Perhaps you need to be reminded about something or perhaps you need to see something from a different perspective or perhaps He is taking you to a higher level of understanding, so you need to dig deeper.

Whatever the reason for this encore, today God is taking us through something we have been through before – Eternal Life.

When we think of the word eternal, we think of it in terms of duration, both distant past and future time, either way it’s thought of simply as a long time. However, in Scripture, particularly in the gospel of John, “eternal” is paired with “life” where it refers not to the past but instead mingles the future and the present.

In John’s gospel, “eternal life” is not about duration but about a quality of life in which we, as God’s children, share in His eternal being, participating in the life of God by means of faith.

John 17:1-3 (NIV) gives us Jesus’ definition of eternal life.

Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 

All who belong to Jesus, have access to His gift of eternal life but it’s not a done deal, for we are required to “know…the only true God and Jesus Christ”.

This knowing is not about knowing the facts about God and Jesus Christ, this knowing is not about memorizing bible verses, this knowing is not about performing in church, this knowing is about being in relationship with God and Jesus Christ whom He sent.

That they may know You, is speaking about connection. It’s about faith in knowing that He now dwells in us and we in Him. Eternal life is unity with God in the present, meaning that it is in effect now.

We have truly underestimated the value of the cross. Jesus Christ’s shed blood provided eternal life to all those who God has given Him.

I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:4-5 NIV)

Eternal life is in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Eternal life is not about going to heaven.

Eternal life is now.

Eternal life is not about duration it’s about depth.

Beloved, the faith to know that you have been given eternal life is not for later, it has to take effect now because it affects how you live in the present.

John 10:10 is very clear,

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (NIV)

The thief comes to steal what you know, understand and believe, to kill your faith and destroy the life Jesus died for you to have, making you physically alive but spiritually dead.

Jesus speaks of life, life that is full and abundant – eternal life – and is waiting for us to have.

Jesus did not come simply to help us escape this world; Jesus came to show us how to live in it.

Your life may be good, but God wants your life to be so much better, hence this “Eternal Life” encore.

God wants you to have life to the full – the best time of your life here on earth, right now.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Encore” ©2026 May 20, 2026

 

Living Cherubim

 

We picture Cherubim as ornamentation, like the two made of beaten gold that adorned the two ends of the mercy seat above the Ark of the Covenant (see Exodus 25:18-22), or those that were embroidered into the curtains that hung in the Tabernacle (ref. Exodus 26:1 & 31) and the many that populated Solomon’s Temple (ref.1 Kings 6:23-38).

All those cherubim were static but remember, God placed living cherubim at the East of Eden,

He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. – Genesis 3:24 (ESV)

And in Psalm 18:10 (ESV), David sings of God riding a cherub,

He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

Cherubim are much more than artwork; they are alive and Ezekiel chapter one gives us a vivid description of these living heavenly creatures.

As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. – Ezekiel 1:10 (ESV)

The four faces of each of the cherubim represent the four excellencies of the created order:

the lion – the greatest of the wild beasts

the ox – the greatest of the domestic beasts

the eagle – the greatest of the birds

and man – the crown of creation

God riding a cherub is symbolic of His absolute sovereignty over creation in all its variety of life; it shows that creation is subject to His intervention and is at His disposal.

We also see a similar description of living cherubim in the Book of Revelation.

the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. – Revelation 4:7 (ESV)

In Revelation, the living cherubim are the bearers of the judgments that follow the breaking of the first four seals (see Revelation 6).

Their symbolism goes even further in that each of the faces typifies the nature of Jesus Christ. How? Let’s look at each face.

Jesus as Lion:

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” – Revelation 5:5 (ESV)

On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. – Revelation 19:16 (ESV)

As King, Jesus is like a lion, the king of the beasts. He is our King.

Jesus as Ox:

A firstborn bull — he has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall gore the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth; they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. – Deuteronomy 33:17 (ESV)

Jesus is powerful, yet submitted to service and suffering. He is the suffering Servant.

Jesus as Eagle:

that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places – Ephesians 1:20 (ESV)

Jesus has a free Spirit, lives in the heavenly realms, watches over us from high above, is swift and powerful to rescue us and destroy His enemy.

Jesus as Man:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14 (ESV)

but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. – Philippians 2:7-8 (ESV)

Jesus is the beginning and the end, the first and the last; our heritage is only found in union with Him, the Lord from heaven, the Heavenly Man who came to earth to rescue mankind.

Beloved, the living cherubim carry an enormous weight of symbolism, much more than the capacity of this blog post.

Each of the four faces parallels the character and Person of Jesus which can be seen in the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And four, being the number that represents universality (everywhere and everyone), must not be overlooked, as the gospels are to be taken to the four corners of the earth, proclaimed throughout the whole world.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Living Cherubim” ©2026 May 19, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Remember me

 

Beloved, have you ever felt that God has forgotten all about you? It seems like ages since you’ve been calling and crying out for help, according to Isaiah 58:9 but you haven’t received an answer as Isaiah promised.

But that verse comes with a caveat; have you done everything that you were supposed to do? Have you been obedient?

Here’s what Isaiah 58:9 (NIV) says,

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

And the “ifs” continue for a few more verses and it’s only after the “ifs” that the “thens” are fulfilled.

We are always asking God for this and that but aren’t always willing to do our part and then we wonder, “Doesn’t God remember me?”

We pray, Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people (Psalm 106:4 NIV) yet you refuse to do His will, you refuse to forgive, you refuse to repent, you refuse to turn the other cheek, you refuse to give up your sexual misconduct, you refuse to let go of whatever God has been telling you to release, you refuse and refuse and refuse.

You find it hard to show others favour but you want God to show you favour? You won’t even give way to other drivers on the road for goodness sake.

You refuse to follow the “Golden Rule” that I’m sure you’ve heard time and time again since childhood, from your mom or grandmother but probably did not realize that it’s something that Jesus said,

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you (Matthew 7:12 NIV)

Despite your behaviour, God has not forgotten you, He certainly remembers you, after all He has engraved you on the palms of [His] hands (read Isaiah 49:14-16). However, before God gives to you, He is waiting for you to give to Him.

God is waiting for you to give Him your will and your way in exchange for His will and His way. God is waiting for you to give Him your worries and anxieties (see 1 Peter 5:7).

In 1 Samuel, we are told of a woman named Hannah who in her desperation to have a child, a son, made a promise to God,

“Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” (1 Samuel 1:11 NIV)

And God remembered Hannah (also v. 19) and her son Samuel grew up in God’s presence (1 Samuel 2:21).

You can’t be asking God to give to you and not be willing to give back to God no matter what it may be.

When my own children were born, I gave them back to God, not by taking them to live with the priest as Hannah did, but I understood that they belonged to God.

Beloved, if you want God to remember you when you pray, you must remember Him for who He is and not only for what He can give you.

Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. (Psalm 25:7 NIV)

Remember God for His love.

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42 NIV)

Remember God for His forgiveness.

Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love. (Nehemiah 13:22 NIV)

Remember God for His mercy.

Lord, you understand; remember me and care for me. (Jeremiah 15:15 NIV)

Remember God for His care.

O my God, [earnestly] remember me for good and imprint me [on Your heart]! (Nehemiah 13:31 AMPC)

Remember God for His goodness.

The same God who remembered Noah and Sarah and Rachel and Joseph and Hannah and Daniel and Job and the thief on a cross and Cornelius, is the same God who remembers you and me.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Remember me” ©2026 May 18, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

What about Bithiah?

 

Before we answer the question of Bithiah, we need to ask: What about Mered? Because the answer to Mered will partially answer the question of Bithiah.

Mered appears in the first book of Chronicles, in chapter 4 verse 17, as it is written,

The sons of Ezrah:

Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. (NIV) 

Mered descended from the tribe of Judah (v 1) and had two wives. One, an unnamed Judean woman and the other was Bithiah.

(His wife from the tribe of Judah gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soko, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) These were the children of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, whom Mered had married. – 1 Chronicles 4:18 (NIV)

Long story short…

According to the above verse, Bithiah was Pharaoh’s daughter, therefore she was an Egyptian but no ordinary Egyptian, Bithiah was royalty.

Jewish tradition suggests that Bithiah was the one who discovered the baby Moses among the reeds in the Nile however, in Exodus, Pharaoh’s daughter is not named.

Bithiah, an Egyptian princess whose name means “daughter of God”, married a Hebrew who would have undoubtedly worshipped God.

Was Bithiah’s naming prophetic, a sign of her change of allegiance from the idolatrous worship of the gods of Egypt to the God of the Hebrews? We can only speculate, for the bible does not say, so we do not know and will never know because Bithiah’s biblical story ends as quickly as it begins.

Something else we do not know, is why only one of Mered’s wives was named, but there is something to be learnt from his marriage to Bithiah.

This was a marriage not just between two people, it was a marriage between two countries, two very different cultures and two drastically different religious beliefs.

Theirs was like so many marriages these days where Christians marry non-Christians. I know of several couples like this and have often wondered but never asked for details on how it works.

For Bithiah, it appears that she adopted her husband’s culture and religion, as 1 Chronicles 4:17 (NIV) tells us that their children bore Hebrew names, Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah.

Some changes in life bring changes in allegiance. For Bithiah, her Egyptian heritage was changed to the Jewish way of life, so much so that she is included in the genealogy of Judah.

It wasn’t too long ago that persons who married Roman Catholics were required to leave their denomination and join the Roman Catholic church or, failing that, raise their children in the faith. Is this still a requirement?

Many years ago, when I got married to a Catholic, he expected that we would raise whatever children we would have as Roman Catholics. I am not Roman Catholic and as an active member of the denomination to which I belonged, refused. This became an issue for us as a newly married couple but after discussion and prayer, we came to a decision that worked for both of us and the two children that we eventually had.

In this instance both people belong to the Christian faith, but as more and more couples mix cultures and religions through marriage, important decisions must be made even before their lives are joined.

Questions concerning worship must be answered. The Word of God speaks of being unequally yoked.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. – 2 Corinthians 6:14 (AMPC)

Mismatched spiritual alliances can become extremely complicated. When fundamentally different religious perspectives are combined, friction can ensue and couples and families are torn apart especially if children are involved. Which religion the children follow becomes a bone of contention.

How is this reconciled?

As Christians, our allegiance is to God through Jesus Christ our Saviour. So, if we find ourselves in such a situation, we must take it to God in earnest prayer even before it escalates, to ask for His guidance.

Beloved, life happens and it’s not impossible to find yourself in a conflicting position as far as love and marriage and raising children are concerned. These concerns must be addressed before you take the proverbial plunge; decisions that will affect your individual life as well as your spiritual life must be taken into account.

Continue to worship God with heart, mind, soul and strength and to trust Him to lead you in the way you must go.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “What about Bithiah?” ©2026 May 17, 2026