“Worthless Religion”

 Worthless religion, that’s what James calls the practice of someone who is careful to observe all the duties of his faith and at the same time talks at will, saying whatever he wants to, and even distorts the truth by taking Scripture out of context, changing God’s eternal Word. James says that that person is delusional.

“You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless.” – James 1:26 (ERV)

It is quite possible to regularly attend church, teach Sunday School, be the choir master, the organist, a steward, or even the preacher, and yet practice worthless religion – saved but still walking in error.

Beloved, if you consider yourself a genuine Christian, then you need to be mindful of your words.

In Matthew 15:11 Jesus Himself warns, “Listen, and take this to heart. It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life, but what you vomit up.” (MSG)

Your words can be your downfall; they are the expressions of your heart, which is that place deep inside you beyond your conscious thoughts. Jesus, quoting from Isaiah said,

“This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me...” – Mark 7:6,7 (NKJV)

Heed the Word of God and keep a tight rein on your tongue.

You’re not obliged to let every single thing come out of your mouth.

You are responsible for guarding your tongue. Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived said that there’s “A right time to shut up and another to speak up” – Ecclesiastes 3:7 (MSG)

Until you bring your words under submission to God, your service will be useless, and you will continue to walk in error.

Beloved, as a Christian, if you believe that it’s okay to say whatever you want because “That’s just who I am, a direct person…I don’t hold back, I speak my mind.” you are self-deceived and practicing lawlessness (read Matthew 7:20-23).

God’s law, His Word, tells us what to do, how to behave – and we do not “do” to keep up appearances but out of a love which motivates us to please God.

Only by sincerely searching God’s Word, developing your relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, and allowing His Spirit to truly teach and guide you, will you be able to come out of worthless religion and into God’s “perfect law of liberty” (read James 1:22-25).

Amen†

 

Shelley Johnson “Worthless Religion” © 2016 revisited July 7, 2025

Hiding your story

 

Every person on this earth has a story. Our lives relate our story. Your story, even though it is your own personal tale, is not meant to be hidden. Stories are for telling. 

What has God done in your life? How has Jesus rescued you? 

Your story has tremendous potential to expand the Kingdom of God but you’re hiding your story.

“I will sing the wondrous story Of the Christ Who died for me. How He left His home in glory For the cross of Calvary.”

God has given you this new life through Jesus Christ and that story must be told, after all, your story is a unique life message that He has given to you. 

Time is short and people are dying to hear the story you have to tell, they’re dying to hear of the victory that Jesus has given to you over sin and death. 

Won’t you tell your story?

“I was lost, but Jesus found me, Found the sheep that went astray, Threw His loving arms around me,
Drew me back into His way.”

Yes, it’s true that your story may contain some things that you’d prefer to remain hidden, especially those things you never want to remember or speak about but people need to hear. 

People need to know of how wonderful it is to be in relationship with Jesus. 

Sharing your story with others gives glory to God.

“I was bruised, but Jesus healed me, Faint was I from many a fall, Sight was gone, and fears possessed me, But He freed me from them all.”

When you tell your story, as difficult as it may be, Jesus will bring to you and to others, through you, great healing, and renewal. 

Jesus made your life new and He wants to do the same for someone else too, if you’d only stop hiding your story. 

Beloved, people are longing for a new life and if you continue hiding your story, it never gets told and you rob them of the greatest gift – a relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Saviour. 

Won’t you tell your story?

“Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story Of the Christ Who died for me, Sing it with the saints in glory, Gathered by the crystal sea.”

Amen†

 

 

Hymn: “I Will Sing the Wondrous Story” – words by Francis H. Pritchard (1886) & Ira Sankey (1887); music by Peter P. Bilhorn (1886)

Shelley Johnson “Hiding your story”  © 2016 revisited July 6, 2025

 

Freely Give, Freely Given, Freely Receive

 

St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church
Maracas Valley Trinidad

“All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.”

The opening lines of today’s post make up the first verse of the hymn written by Judson W. Van De Venter, All to Jesus I Surrender. Some of you may know it and have sung it, and for those of you who have, how many of you really owned it by taking it to heart, truly meaning every word you’ve sung.

“All to Him I freely give” – what a line. Have you freely given all to Jesus? It’s difficult, I know, but do not be afraid to do so. 

When you freely give Jesus everything, you will be freely given everything for God Himself will bless you and when He does you must freely receive them with thanksgiving.

“Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.” – 1 Timothy 4:4 (NLT)

“All to Jesus I surrender” – complete surrender, if you’re honest, is pretty daunting, but do not be afraid to do so. 

Let us look at Joseph and Potiphar (see Genesis 39). Potiphar, a wealthy officer of Pharaoh, was Joseph’s master therefore Joseph was Potiphar’s slave, to serve and to help him. But Potiphar saw something very special in Joseph and completely surrendered everything to him, making Joseph master over his entire household and over his field. Joseph, like Jesus, had two distinct characters, Servant and Master.

Looking at Joseph as a type for Jesus, like Potiphar, you must give everything to Jesus. Come to the complete surrender of everything to Him – all that you are, think you are, and all that you have. 

Too often we see Jesus as Servant only, there to serve our every need; we say that we love Him and trust Him yet we do not see Him as Master but He is Master also and we are to treat Him as such – placing Him over every area of our lives.

“He put him in charge of all his personal affairs, turning everything over to him. From that moment on, God blessed the home of the Egyptian—all because of Joseph. The blessing of God spread over everything he owned, at home and in the fields, and all Potiphar had to concern himself with was eating three meals a day.” – Genesis 39:4, 5, 6 (MSG)

If God blessed Potiphar in such an incredible way, how much more would He bless you if you put your entire life into Jesus’ hands? God will surely cause blessings to spread over everything that concerns you, inside and outside.

Say:

Today, I make Jesus Master over everything that concerns me. I surrender all to You Jesus – my inner life and my outer life; my soul, body, intellect, relationships, money, time, marriage, home, household, children, business, career, job. Every single thing, Jesus, I give to You, all that I am or think I am; all that I possess and all of my cares. Take complete control and cause me to live in Your presence daily. As I empty myself, I rest in the blessed assurance that as I freely give to You, I will be freely given, and I am now open to freely receive. Amen†

Shelley Johnson “Freely Give, Freely Given, Freely Receive” © 2016 revisited July 5, 2025

 

Two Fishing Trips: Something to think about

 Scripture tells us of two fishing trips; one can be found in Luke 5:4-7 and the other in John 21:3-11.

On the first fishing trip, Peter and the other disciples, after having been on the water all night had caught nothing. Now tired and despondent, Jesus tells them to try again but this time launch out into deep water and let down the nets everywhere to catch “a great multitude of fishes”.

The narrative goes on to tell us that the haul was so great that “nets were breaking” and boats “began to sink”. As you know, Peter and the others were career fishermen, they knew how to fish, so what was Jesus doing?

Jesus was showing them, in a very meaningful way, what they were to become, “fishers of men”, in other words, instead of catching fish they would be catching people.

Jesus told Simon. "From now on you will be catching people!" – Luke 5:10 (HCSB)

What happened on this first fishing trip caused such an impact that immediately thereafter, the disciples left what they were doing and followed Jesus (see verse 11).

We too are being told to venture into the deep to fish for people everywhere. No specific location has been given, rather we are to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15-16) so long as time exists.

Notice that Luke, in his account of this first trip, has given us something to think about – he was very careful to let us know that this gathering of an untold endless number of “fish” from everywhere will cause nets to break and boats to sink. Luke is telling us that adverse consequences come with catching so many fish, but Jesus tells us, “Don’t be afraid” (verse 10).

photographed by O'Reilly Lewis

The second fishing trip occurs between Jesus’ resurrection and His ascension. Yet again, after an all-night-no-fish session, Jesus, standing on the beach at daybreak unrecognizable, tells Peter and the disciples to cast their nets on the right side of the boat, and yet again a multitude of fish were caught.

In this account we are told that the number of fish was 153, and there was neither breaking of nets nor sinking of boats.

Jesus was very specific with His directions to the disciples this time round, instead of casting their nets everywhere, they were told to cast their nets on the right. This is reminiscent of Matthew 25:33.

“He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left.” (HCSB)

We’re told that when Jesus returns for the redeemed, those on the right side would inherit the Kingdom (see Matthew 25:32-34).

Notice that John, in his account of this second trip, has given us something to think about – he was very careful to let us know that there is a specific number of fish on a specific side of the boat, the right side.

 Jesus wants us to be specifically identified as being on the right side, in fellowship with Him and other believers. He wants us to not be afraid to launch out into deeper waters.

Beloved, today, you’ve been given something to think about.

 

(see also the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds Matthew 13:24-30 & the Parable of the Net Matthew 13:47-50)

 

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Two Fishing Trips: Something to think about” © 2016 revisited July 4, 2025

Mitzraim

 

I came across a new word recently – Mitzraim. Mitzraim is the Hebrew word for Egypt, the place where the Hebrews lived in bondage and oppression for over 400 years. But Mitzraim is more than just a place name or geographical location, Mitzraim typifies spiritual bondage and enslavement to sin.

Mitzraim is the plural form of the word matzor, whose root word is tzar, and this root word speaks of something that causes pain and suffering and relates to a place of narrowness, limitation, pressure and constraint. In biblical texts, matzor is associated with double difficulty or difficulty that is most extreme.

When we simply skim over Scripture, we tend to miss its layers of meaning and that entire recounting of the Jews captivity in Egypt, in Mitzraim, is just one of those instances.  

We see that many of the bible’s heroes, at some point, all descended into Egypt – Abraham, Joseph, then Jacob’s entire family – then came the 430 years of both physical and spiritual bondage.

Today we also descend into states of mitzraim where we’re stagnant, stuck, unable to move forward in life, not progressing; we can feel trapped, caged, being held captive by guilt and shame, by our past, by mistakes we’ve made, things we have said or done that we believe cannot be erased.

Beloved, Mitzraim, Egypt is not just a place taking up space on a map, it is a place taking up space in your heart. And the very good news is that, like those biblical Jews, you too can be delivered out of that place, out of that space.

God took them out of that state of spiritual bondage, narrowness, oppression, and everything else that Mitzraim represents, and He will also take you out – you can experience your own exodus.

“Tonight I will go through Egypt and kill every firstborn man and animal in Egypt. In this way I will judge all the gods of Egypt and show that I am the Lord. But the blood on your houses will be a special sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over your house. I will cause bad things to happen to the people of Egypt. But none of these bad diseases will hurt you.” – Exodus 12:12-13 (ERV)

The Blood delivers you out of your spiritual bondage – into a place of spiritual liberation, freedom.

“So if the Son makes you free, then you are unquestionably free.” – John 8:36 (AMP)

When God takes you out of Mitzraim it is an expression of His love for you. God has provided a way out of your bondage, beloved. It is through His only begotten Son, Jesus.

Jesus is our Deliverer, yours and mine. He suffered on the cross giving you an opportunity to gain freedom from mitzraim; to liberate you from anything that keeps you from living fully.

The Blood that Jesus shed makes us “free from the power of darkness” and brings us “into the kingdom of his dear Son. The Son paid the price to make us free. In him we have forgiveness of our sins.” (Colossians 1:12-14)

Beloved, God is willing to bring you out of Egypt, out of Mitzraim but it is still up to you to accept His offer to place the Blood on your house. Will you?

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Mitzraim” © 2025 July 3, 2025

 

 

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 mole hill.

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 Jesus 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†

Shelley Johnson “Set Joy before You” © 2017 revisited July 2, 2025

 

 

There’s light at Evening Time

 

A few nights ago, as I lay awake reading, I came across verse seven of Zechariah chapter fourteen which the author had quoted. It wasn’t the entire verse that leapt out at me, just the very last part, it read, 

“…but at evening time there will be light.”

Those words conjured up a vision in my head, of a natural day with its cycles and I began to imagine the various times of the day and what they might represent spiritually. To me, the daylight period is like a time of close communion and fellowship with God. A time when you feel an incredible connection to Father, Son, and Spirit. A time when all is well with your soul – a happy, carefree, and exciting time.

The day time reminds me of when you’ve only just started your spiritual journey and a new world is opening up right before your eyes because God has given you a brand new perspective on life, and life is great. This period seems as if it would never end – there’s so much light, an illumination of biblical truths once deemed incomprehensible.

Yet, as the day wears on, ever so gradually the light begins to fade, and eventually evening comes and you become keenly aware that soon it will be night time, a period of darkness comparable to times of trial and testing sore. You’re not ignorant of the fact that evening always ushers in the night. But as I imagine the evening time, with its setting sun, all I could envision is the beauty that the diminishing light creates and it is at that very moment that I hear, “…but at evening time there will be light.” 

There’s light at evening time. What a sobering thought…

Even when it appears as though the light is dwindling, and you begin to question if what you’d experienced with God during the day time was real, and the more the light fades the more it feels as if God Himself is drifting further and further away from you, and the onset of a sense of loss, rejection, and abandonment is unmistakable, God is still there, for God is Light and He is always present, no matter what. And this is what you must keep in mind – at evening time there’s still light, and that light creates a beautiful sight. 

It’s a vision you must hold on to as you enter that period where you begin to feel completely disconnected from God. Do not rely on your feelings, now is the time when you must draw on the confidence you had in God when the light was at its brightest because it is in the coming darkness that He intends to complete the work He is doing in you.

Beloved, please understand, if you are to grow spiritually, evening time must come and night time must follow. These are necessary periods of transition on your spiritual journey. 

During the day time many things are revealed and you gain a better apprehension of the spiritual, but God wants you to enter into an even deeper level of communion, fellowship, and understanding and that involves a time when you’re not going to be able to see the very next step in front of you, a time of not knowing, a time when you simply have to trust God. 

Amen†

Shelley Johnson “There’s light at Evening Time” © 2016 revisited July 1, 2025