“I thirst”

The Bible tells us that, “Jesus, knowing that all was now finished (ended), said in fulfillment of the Scripture, I thirst.” (John 19:28 AMPC). This was one of seven sentences Jesus uttered from the cross, where He suffered every kind of physical pain and mental anguish; from the unspeakably severe to the seemingly tolerable thirst, Jesus Christ bore it all for us on that cross.

Jesus said “I thirst” as a final reminder to us that we never have to be thirsty again. A final reminder because Jesus had already told us so in John chapter four, when He said to the Samaritan woman at the well, 

“I offer water that will become a wellspring within you that gives life throughout eternity. You will never be thirsty again.” – John 4:14 (VOICE)

Just as Jesus had uttered seven sentences from the cross, He made seven statements that day at Jacob’s well, which changed a woman’s life forever. That unnamed woman’s conversation with Jesus applies to all of us. 

“Seven” signifies a completed work, divine completion, a perfect work accomplished or finished – “It is finished!” (John 19:30), words spoken by Jesus just after He said “I thirst”, seemed like the end, but it was the beginning of something new, it was the commencement of salvation.

Wasn’t it also the commencement of the Samaritan woman’s salvation when, as she was about to draw water from the well, Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (John 4:7 ESV)? That first statement initiated an encounter like no other. 

In those days, for Jesus, a Jew and a man, to utter anything to her, a Samaritan and a woman, was inconceivable and defied the day’s code of moral conduct. But Jesus did not conform to this world’s patterns but came to transform by doing God’s perfect will (see Romans 12:2; John 6:38) – He came to save and save He did. Jesus, on His way to Galilee, did not have to pass through Samaria, but He knew that there was need for salvation.

Jesus’ command for water gained the woman’s attention, arousing her curiosity enough to want to know more and He did not disappoint. Jesus’ seven statements to that woman revealed to her, and reveals to us, needs that only Jesus can satisfy. God knows our needs (see Matthew 6:8) and His command for us to give to Him exposes our inability to comply and our desperate need for someone who is able but that ability does not lie in man. You see the water from Jacob’s well satisfied for a time, because man’s provision can only meet the needs of the flesh but the water Jesus provides is living water, able to quench thirsty souls, a “wellspring within”.

The beginning of the Samaritan woman’s transformation and ours starts with the realization that we are desperately thirsty for more than water from man’s well. When we realize that nothing and no-one but Jesus can satisfy that thirst in us, is when we realize our need for Jesus and cry out, "I thirst!".

Amen†

“I thirst”

Shelley Johnson March 20, 2017

No “Cattle-Boil” for God

Let me begin, by explaining, for those of you who may not know, what the term “cattle-boil” means: it’s jokingly used to refer to a “stye” (a small inflamed swelling on the eyelid) received as a penalty for taking back anything that was freely given.

Do you know that when God gives you a gift, He will never take it back? The truth is, God does not give and then withdraw the gift, that’s not how He operates. He’s not going to make you a promise, then renege on that promise. 

God is not a liar, with Him there is no shadow of turning, no going back on His word, no changing of His mind(Numbers 23:19; James 1:17). As Romans 11:29 says, His gifts and His call are without repentance, which means that God is not going to capriciously retract them – no “cattle-boil” for God because He will never take back what He has freely given to you. For Him to do that is a violation of His nature and His character.

Such is the character and nature of God, that even if you make a mistake and stumble along the way, or happen to slip off the path of your spiritual journey, He won’t shake His head and say, “Okay, don’t bother. I’ve changed my mind, whatever I gave you I want it back.” Instead, God can, and is willing to get you back on course. 

What God has determined to happen will happen, no matter what, but you also have a part to play. Don’t expect that you could fly in the face of God, purposely go off course and want to jump back in just so…no. You must be abiding in Christ, so quickly recognize your error, repent – change direction – and get back on the path – God will gladly and lovingly open the door and welcome you back.

Amen†

No “Cattle-Boil” for God

Shelley Johnson March 17, 2017

Peter’s Peril

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”

(John 21:15-17 NLT)

What is this conversation between Jesus and Peter? What was its significance to Peter? And does it hold, for us a lesson to be learned?

By this time Jesus had already been resurrected. Peter, lost without his Lord and friend, and not having a clue what to do now, had decided to go back to what he knew best, fishing. Other disciples joined him. Jesus appeared on the beach, made them breakfast and after they had eaten (engaged in fellowship) with Him, Jesus turned to Peter and this was the exchange that ensued (see John 21:15-17).

You see, years before, on hearing of the coming Messiah, like most Jews of the day, Peter anticipated a deliverer who was militant – a fierce warrior, a man of war, a great military leader. He believed that this promised Messiah would storm in and vanquish the enemy. All through his walk with Jesus, that was Peter’s hope, and because of this, he strongly opposed Jesus’ prediction of His sacrificial suffering at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes (Matthew 16:21-23). That Peter was still hopeful even to the end at Gethsemane is evident, for when they came to arrest Jesus, ready for battle, he drew his sword struck Malchus, the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear (John 18:10).

What bravado! But was it really? Sometimes when we are passionately hoping for or expecting something to occur that isn’t happening exactly as we’d like, we can display behavior that can only be described as irrational, even fearsome. We act hastily in our own efforts to bring about or initiate our expectations. Peter often exhibited a ferocious aggression but perhaps it was in an effort to conceal his own fears, and cowardice. Beneath Peter’s bravado was a man who was more insecure than courageous, a person in peril – exposed and laid open to ruin because of pride, arrogance and a fear of failure and defeat.

Peter, full of courage while walking beside the miracle-working Jesus, reduced to a coward after Jesus’ arrest. 

“So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance.” – Luke 22:55 (NLT)

With the apprehension that everything he imagined Jesus, the Messiah, would be and do was but a dream of his own making, Peter shrunk under the clout of the reality of truth, his superficial bravado all but a fading memory. He could only cravenly follow at a distance, as he conceded that all of his aspirations for Jesus and himself were now completely shattered.

Just mere hours before, Peter had asserted, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.” But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” – Luke 22:33-34 (NLT)

…and Peter did exactly as Jesus had predicted when three times identified, he three times indeed denied.

Like most of us, Peter was deluded about his own character and also the character of the Messiah. But God knew Peter perfectly, just as He knows you and me perfectly, and He revealed Peter to Peter. God sees past our façades. God knew who Peter could be and what he could do, and used this knowledge to teach Peter an invaluable lesson about himself, love and leadership. A lesson that should not escape us.

Three times Peter’s character was revealed through his three denials of Jesus, so that, three times Christ’s character could be instilled in him. In that conversation on the beach, Jesus reaffirmed His love for Peter and gave Peter an opportunity to reaffirm his love for Jesus. At the same time, Jesus assures Peter of His trust in him by affirming his call to ministry and leadership: 

“feed my lambs,”; “take care of my sheep,”; “feed my sheep.”

Peter, now completely humbled, would never again associate leadership with military might or force, for leadership in God’s Kingdom is about service to others, it’s about being a shepherd – laying one’s life aside to take care of and feed the Lord’s sheep. Jesus told Peter then and is telling us today to follow His example of true leadership (see John 21:19). Despite Peter’s behavior – his bravado, his pride, his insecurity, his opposing Jesus, his speaking out of turn, his denial of Jesus Christ – God lovingly restored him. Beloved, if you too have wandered away in the direction of peril, simply turn back and follow Him, He will lovingly restore you to the fold. 

Amen† 

Peter’s Peril

Shelley Johnson March 16, 2017

Set Joy before You

Amidst deep suffering, where do you go for joy? It is difficult to even imagine happiness during times of struggle and pain. When problems overwhelm you, challenges seem to be never-ending, and heartache is just too much to bear, joy is hard to grasp, but our Lord Jesus in His darkest hour, focused on the joy set before Him. 

“Jesus, who, over-against the joy set before him -- did endure a cross” – Hebrews 12:2 (YLT)

Jesus, faced with the inevitable crucifixion, looked beyond that cruel and rugged cross to what awaited Him. And, what He saw was the joy unspeakable that was His to possess and it is on that that Jesus fixed His eyes. Jesus saw His loving Father and what He had in store for Him – He saw His Resurrection and His place of honour and glory at His Father’s right hand. Jesus saw what His death would accomplish, He saw the joy it would bring, and His heart filled with enduring love for you and me. 

Beloved, if Jesus could take that cross and its associated shame, despise them and completely focus on the coming joy, then you can do the same with your suffering. Look past the heartache, pain, hurt, problems, circumstances, challenges, and suffering and see the joy which lies beyond. 

“The deepest pains may linger through the night, but joy greets the soul with the smile of morning.” – Psalm 30:5 (VOICE)

Yes, through the vilest storm, look beyond the wind and rain; through the darkest night visualize the joy that’s waiting to greet you in the morning. Jesus endured His cross, if you’re finding it difficult to put up with your ‘cross’, perhaps you’re too focused on it and not seeing the joy which lay ahead. Perhaps you need to back away until your perspective has changed. When you’re too close, problems appear as mountains, it’s only when you back up that you recognize the molehill.

Hebrews 12:2 says to, “Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor”, on whom your faith depends. He has experienced the ultimate in bearing insufferable pain by focusing on the joy set before Him, so imitate Him even in this. Do not give in, do not give up, do not throw in the towel, instead know that not one minute of your trial is meaningless. Count it all joy, for it is indeed a perfecting of your faith (see James 1:2).

Amidst deep suffering, where do you go for joy? Look to Jesus, He brings you a joy you cannot truly express in words, set His joy before you.

Amen† 

Set Joy before You

Shelley Johnson March 15, 2017

I’ve been a fool

According to the Bible’s description of a fool, I’ve been a fool. Being foolish is one thing but to be a fool of biblical proportions is an entirely different matter, that’s no ordinary fool. I must humbly admit that from time to time, I’ve been a fool as biblically defined.

I am quite sure that I’m not the only one. God’s word is rife with descriptions of fools and foolish behavior. There were just too many of which I could choose, so I’ve pulled verses only from the Book of Wisdom – Proverbs, if you can relate to any of these then you too have been a fool.

After reading through this list, you will realize that you actually know some biblical fools, but it's not about them, it is about you, and with this in mind, I encourage you to be honest in light of the Word of God, examine yourself, take a good look inwardly, repent and re-order your life under God. 

Here goes…

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 1:7 (NLT)

Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. 

Proverbs 1:32 (NLT)

Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. 

Proverbs 12:15 (NLT)

A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. 

Proverbs 12:16 (NLT)

The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness. 

Proverbs 12:23 (NLT)

Wise people think before they act; fools don’t—and even brag about their foolishness. 

Proverbs 13:16 (NLT)

It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them. Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. 

Proverbs 13:19-20 (NLT)

The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves. Fools make fun of guilt, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation. 

Proverbs 14:8-9 (NLT)

Fools believe every word they hear, but wise people think carefully about everything. 

Proverbs 14:15 (ERV)

The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence. 

Proverbs 14:16 (NLT)

Wealth is a crown for the wise; the effort of fools yields only foolishness. 

Proverbs 14:24 (NLT)

The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. 

Proverbs 15:2 (NLT)

Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise. 

Proverbs 15:5 (NLT)

Fools hate to be told they are wrong, so they refuse to ask wise people for advice. 

Proverbs 15:12 (ERV)

A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash. 

Proverbs 15:14 (NLT)

Intelligent people think about what needs to be done here and now. Fools are always dreaming about faraway places. 

Proverbs 17:24 (ERV)

Fools don’t want to learn from others. They only want to tell their own ideas. Fools say things to start arguments. They are just asking for a beating. Fools hurt themselves when they speak. Their own words trap them. Let people finish speaking before you try to answer them. That way you will not embarrass yourself and look foolish. 

Proverbs 18:2,6,7,13 (ERV)

Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling. 

Proverbs 20:3 (NLT)

The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.

Proverbs 21:20 (NLT)

Fools cannot understand wisdom. They have nothing to say when people are discussing important things. 

Proverbs 24:7 (ERV)

Don’t speak against someone without a good reason, or you will appear foolish. 

Proverbs 24:28 (ERV)

Singing happy songs to a sad person is as foolish as taking a coat off on a cold day…

Proverbs 25:20 (ERV)

Like a dog that returns to its vomit, a fool does the same foolish things again and again. People who think they are wise when they are not are worse than fools. 

Proverbs 26:11-12 (ERV)

Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears. 

Proverbs 26:17 (NLT)

Wise people see trouble coming and get out of its way, but fools go straight to the trouble and suffer for it. 

Proverbs 27:12 (ERV)

Even if you pound fools to powder like grain in a bowl, you will never force the foolishness out of them. 

Proverbs 27:22 (ERV)

If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure;

Proverbs 28:26 (MSG)

…The foolish man [ignores logic and fairness and] only rages or laughs, and there is no peace (rest, agreement). 

Proverbs 29:9 (AMP)

Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.

Proverbs 29:11 (NLT)

Three things are too much for even the earth to bear, yes, four things shake its foundations— (#2) when a fool gets rich…

Proverbs 30:21, 22 (MSG)

If you have been foolish enough to become proud and make plans against other people, stop and think about what you are doing.

Proverbs 30:32 (ERV)

Amen†

I’ve been a fool

Shelley Johnson March 13, 2017

The Rejected Stone

“In God’s eyes he was like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. But in our eyes there was no attractiveness at all, nothing to make us want him.” – Isaiah 53:2

When I read this verse, I wondered how a stranger on the shores of a great lake could have been able to compel others to drop what they were doing to follow him. The disciples literally gave up their careers to follow a man who, even if they’d heard about him, they did not know. So, I figure that this stranger on the beach must have had some form of beauty. Clearly this verse must not be speaking to Jesus’ physical appearance but must be, symbolically, referring to something else, something spiritual because there is no way that He, as sinless and divine as He was, could not have been anything other than perfect in appearance.

Sadly though, it was and still is, that many cannot see the beauty in Jesus and the spiritual journey He has called each of us to walk. They see “no attractiveness at all, nothing to make [them] want Him” – the One who made atonement, once and for all, for sin. For them, Jesus is the Rejected Stone.

“The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.” – Psalm 118:22

They build their lives without even considering Jesus. He does not fit into their plans nor the material goals they have made. He does not conform to their lifestyle. He isn’t even gathered among their building blocks. What a pity. Even for some raised in Christian homes by Christian mothers and fathers, there’s no appeal and no desire for Jesus, and indeed no care for the spiritual journey. Instead, just like the guards who mocked and beat Jesus, those who have chosen to reject the Stone, mock Him and the people who have chosen to walk with Him.

To the ones who have chosen the Stone, Jesus gives His own glory and they become “partakers of the divine nature” (see 2 Peter 1:4) – not the very nature of God but one which is divine in origin and character, that same nature intended in the beginning when God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26). What a privilege and an honour and oh so humbling an experience.

“As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him-- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 2:5-6 (NIV)

And, as you progress along the spiritual path, you too become as a living stone, aligned with the Living Stone which was laid before any other at the bottom, supporting the weight of the stones. Jesus is your sure foundation, but even believers can be stone rejecters. 

When God places any challenge before you that you refuse to take up, you have deliberately rejected a stone, since God-given challenges are stepping stones to higher levels in life. Rejecting these stones is to willfully reject the next level of your journey, it is to reject your own progress and your own blessings.

Beloved, if you are one who is rejecting Jesus as your Chief Cornerstone, He will become a Stone of Judgment in your life (see Matthew 21:44); continuing to build your house without Him as The cornerstone will eventually lead to ruin (see Luke 6:47-49). 

Today I implore you, as you gather the blocks to build your life here on earth, take a good look at this Stone, for this is the stone that will turn out to be the most important of all. 

Amen†

The Rejected Stone

Shelley Johnson March 10, 2017

Why are you Offended?

Someone makes a comment and immediately you take offense. You overhear a flippant remark and you get so angry steam is literally escaping from your ears. An associate expresses an opinion not in line with yours and you’re disappointed to tears. You say something that others don’t necessarily agree with and you see it as an affront. You ask a loved one a question, they answer you in a way that you think they ought not to and you automatically view it as a personal attack, now you’re angry and hurt. 

Why are you offended? Why do you think that you are constantly under siege? Why do you feel that everyone should be in agreement with you in every regard? Why do you measure and analyze everything that others say and do in the light of negative criticism?

God made us all different and that includes our opinions. Sometimes we’ll agree and a lot of times we won’t…and you know what, it’s okay. 

Offense occurs when you have a false sense of security, misplaced expectations, a need to be always commended for your actions, a desire to be seen as a good person, a feeling that your concerns have been violated, you’re seeking value from the opinions of others, continuously believe that even the most casual remark is a pot-shot at you, and that you are the target of another’s criticism. No matter what others say you’re easily slighted – the most innocent of comments said in, what you perceive as off-handed, send you into a tail spin of “it’s about me…boo-hoo”.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that people don’t deliberately set out to be offensive and to cause hurt but I am saying that you don’t have to claim it. You do not have to take responsibility for the opinions of others. You do not have to place infallible expectations on imperfect humans.

Solomon, by his God-given wisdom, said this, “Don't pay attention to everything people say—you may hear your servant insulting you, and you know yourself that you have insulted other people many times.” (Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 GNT)

People, even you, say a lot of things, but you don’t have to take it to heart. Being offended is rooted in ‘self’. Self-centeredness causes you to believe that everything is about you, and as long as you think that way, you’ll always take offense, even at little things, even this Blog Post. This can only change when you take your eyes off of you. Your value, security and confidence must be rooted in Christ, not in yourself.

Jesus said this, when the woman with the alabaster jar was publicly criticized, “Leave her alone. Why are you attacking her?” (Mark 14:6 VOICE)

When your value, security, and confidence is rooted in Jesus, He will always defend you. Keep your mind fixed on Him and He will keep you in perfect peace (see Isaiah 26:3). Jesus actually shows you how to deal with offense in 1 Peter 2:23 which records that Jesus let God, the Just Judge, take care of the offender. 

You are not called to retaliate, to seek revenge, or even to answer back; instead you are to do this,

Cover offenses: for the sake of love, don’t sweat the small stuff

“…love covers all offenses” – Proverbs 10:12 (HCSB)

“Above everything else be sure that you have real deep love for each other, remembering how ‘love will cover a multitude of sins’.” – 1 Peter 4:8 (Phillips)

Overlook offenses: forgive the offender, focus on love and not on the offense

“A wise man restrains his anger and overlooks insults…” – Proverbs 19:11 (TLB)

“Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.” – 1 Corinthians 13:5 (TLB)

Love is the antidote to the poison of offense. Pray that God will so fill you with the love of Christ that your tendency to get offended will be eradicated.

Amen†

Why are you Offended?

Shelley Johnson March 9, 2017