The Ultimate Sacrifice

Do not underestimate the Sacrifice of the Cross, an invaluable gift which removed our sin, made us the righteousness of God, healed our diseases, gave us eternal life, and life in eternity.

When God looks at us, He sees the Ultimate Sacrifice, His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ death was a gift to a sin-wrought population, who does not seem to truly understand its awesome value.

This sacrifice didn’t just remove our sin, but it enabled the destruction of the invisible adversary. One Man, one Cross, one death, resulting in total destruction, and many lives saved.

We should be elated and ever so willing to present our bodies as living sacrifices, walking crucifixes, proclaiming this one-of-a-kind great news.

The Ultimate Sacrifice became sin for us as He took all the sin of the whole world. Please, let that sink in for just a moment, as we read The Message translation of 1 John 2:2,

“he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s.”

Have you ever taken the blame for someone else’s mistake? Then you understand that feeling of absolute devastation, knowing that you are innocent but being accused of something you did not cause, suffering the humiliation and punishment for something not of your doing. So, imagine that multiplied a gazillion times. It is the sins of everyone in the entire world who lived, lives, and will live. Sins that were committed, will be committed and have not been committed yet. Even our unintentional sins – those unknown sins.

The animal sacrifices under the Law of Moses can never compare to the sacrifice of Jesus, which is far more valuable to God, the Father. Jesus’ sacrifice on that Cross, the blood that He shed, provides infinite forgiveness and enables multitudes to enter into Life.

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.” (John 3:16 MSG)

God did not make this Ultimate Sacrifice for a select few, it was, and is, for “anyone” – whosoever believes. (see John 3:15)

The theologian responsible for Methodism, John Wesley, concerned about human salvation said in a sermon,

“the grace or love of God, whence cometh our salvation, is free in all, and free for all”

Free for All…we should be shouting “Grace! Grace!” in unrestrained gratitude to God, “for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8 NIV). Thank God for His grace and His mercy!

Where would we be, were it not for this gift of God, the Ultimate Sacrifice?

Beloved, to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice is our ultimate sacrifice.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “The Ultimate Sacrifice“ © March 14, 2025

Spiritual Sacrifices

In ancient cultures, sacrifices were a way of life. Sacrifices were made to deities for any and everything. They believed in the slaughtering of animals and humans to atone for their wrongdoing and to receive favour. At various times of the year, the people would perform ritual sacrificial offerings to appease the gods.

Then in so-called biblical times, there was the Levitical priesthood who performed various sacrificial offerings to God. However, this earthly form of sacrifice was inadequate to remove the stain of sin. At that time, God had given these rituals to the Jews, under the Laws of Moses, to lead them to the Messiah. (see Galatians 3:23-25)

“Now that the time for faith is here, the Law is no longer in charge of us.” (verse 25)

Today, it is not necessary for Christians to engage in that form of sacrifice as Jesus came, died, and was resurrected. Jesus was the fulfilment of those rituals and sacrifices. Now seated at the right hand of the Father, He is our ultimate Sacrifice. Physical sacrifices are no longer needed but we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), offering up spiritual sacrifices in the form of praise, thanks, and prayer, to God.

“Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 2:5

And Hebrews 13:15 says,

“Let us, then, always offer praise to God as our sacrifice through Jesus, which is the offering presented by lips that confess him as Lord.”

Ephesians 5:20 says,

“In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father.”

While 1 Thessalonians 5:17 simply tells us to “pray at all times”

Spiritual sacrifices also involve the manner in which we treat others, for we read in Hebrews 13:16,

“Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.”

Mind you, this has nothing to do with pretence, spiritual sacrifice is a heartfelt activity. God will not be fooled by your half-witted falsities. As it is written,

“Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant.” – Galatians 6:7

God gave us His best, in the sacrifice of His own beloved Son. Are we not to give Him our best?

Amen †

(Please note that all Scripture passages are from the Good News Translation)

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Spiritual Sacrifices“ © March 13, 2025

Let us Repent of…Unbelief

There is so much that we can get into regarding unbelief; a brief blog post cannot properly accommodate its massiveness. So today’s post will be the proverbial tip of the iceberg. My hope is that you will be encouraged to dig deeper.

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” – Mark 9:24 (NKJV)

Unbelief is not uncommon, it happens. Like the boy’s father in Mark 9, we believe but still there’s a modicum of doubt that lingers within us.

This father had brought his possessed son to the disciples first, but they were unable to cast out the demon. Jesus was not at all happy about that. His frustration towards His disciples is evident in His reaction,

“How unbelieving you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy to me!” – Mark 9:19 (GNT)

Jesus’ disciples were with Him day in and day out, experiencing an intimacy with Him like none other, eyewitnesses to His incredible miracles, listening to His wonderful Spirit-filled teachings, and hearing His dynamic sermons, yet they, like the boy’s father, were plagued by unbelief.

Imagine, after all that those disciples went through with their beloved Rabbi, even after Jesus’ resurrection, there was still unbelief. The disciples were hiding out in a locked building “for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19); understand, the building, it was locked, and when Jesus appeared in their midst, those disciples, His own disciples, were terrified and filled with unbelief.

We believe in Jesus, we have experienced His Hand in our lives, we believe in His love, mercy and compassion, we pray but when He shows up, we’re doubtful that it’s Him and full of unbelief that He can fix our situations.

So, we pray repeatedly and nothing happens, we cry out, “if you are able to do anything, help us!” (Mark 9:22 NRSVUE)

but Jesus is saying, “If you are able! All things can be done for the one who believes.” (Mark 9:23 NRSVUE)

We believe to a point. We need to believe absolutely.

Beloved, the issue isn’t a lack of faith, it is too much unbelief. Understand that faith and unbelief can co-exist but unbelief, which is very subtle, counteracts our faith, so it must be removed. Let us repent, change course, and “Only believe!” (see Mark 5:36)

It is through the power of Jesus’ Spirit at work in us that we can overcome our unbelief, but we need to allow Spirit to invade our hearts to remove the hard layers of its outer shell, transforming our hearts by relieving our fears. When we invite Jesus to walk with us and talk to us daily, suddenly we have that “Peace be with you“ moment, as we realize that deliverance has occurred, and our unbelief is gone.

Please don’t think that this will happen in an instant, for a few it might but for most it is a process. Know that the measure of faith that you’ve been given is more than enough as long as that pesky unbelief isn’t present counteracting it.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Let us Repent of…Unbelief” © March 12, 2025

Let us Repent of…the Sin of our Lips

 I said, “There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (GNT)

This is recorded in the book of Isaiah, chapter six, verse five. Isaiah, standing before the Lord Almighty in His Throne Room, was confronted by a scene he had never before seen. All around him was beaming with the holiness of God, and immediately Isaiah became conscious of his own unholy self, causing him to confess the sin of his lips.

That was the day that Isaiah was commissioned as a prophet. A prophet to speak and deliver God’s Words. Cleanliness of speech was a requirement as it ought to be still.

“Out of the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. These things, my brothers, should not be this way [for we have a moral obligation to speak in a manner that reflects our fear of God and profound respect for His precepts]. Does a spring send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?’ – James 3:10-11 (AMP)

James is telling us that we cannot have it both ways; we cannot be offering blessings while at the same time spewing curses.

What have you been saying?

Jesus says,

“But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.” – Matthew 15:18 (NLT)

What have you been allowing to pass your lips?

We all need to take the time to reevaluate the words that are coming out of our mouths. Watch our tone, control our tongues to cancel any negative and destructive words.

“Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.” – Proverbs 21:23 (NIV)

Repentance is surely required. We say things that bring down ourselves and others; restrictive words spoken which stunt our spiritual growth and theirs.

When we repent, we open facets of God’s provision. God sent His beloved Son as a sacrifice for our sin, yet even though we are aware of this, somehow, we don’t truly grasp the enormity of it. We take this life and His Life for granted. Beloved, we must understand that He is the Sun, and we are stars that are to reflect His Light in this dark world. The words we speak must therefore be a reflection of His glory, His warmth and His love.

The price that Jesus paid was too high for us to now be using our lips to accuse, condemn, judge, curse, ridicule, chastise and criticize.

“but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” – James 3:8 (NIV)

It is so easy to speak, and more often than not, our words are unkind, mean, negative and deadly. We even trash talk God, when we say that we’re not being provided for, that our needs are not being met, when we bad-talk the leadership in church – elders, deacons, ministers, priests, pastors and preachers. Are we saying that God has placed the wrong persons in authority? (see Romans 13:1) Even if we think that they’re doing a lousy job then it is not our place to complain but we should pray for them instead.

Today, recognise that we are men and women of unclean lips and need to repent of the sin of our lips. Let us ask God to let a coal from His altar touch and purge our lips.

Lord, I thank You for the price You paid in Your unfailing love for me. Help me to guard my heart and mind so that whatever comes from my lips will bring You glory and honour, not dishonour or defilement. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Let us Repent of…the Sin of our Lips” © March 11, 2025

 

Let us Repent of…Dis-Obedience

 

“…Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams.” – 1 Samuel 15:22 (NRSVUE)

In this Season of Lent, we commit to sacrificing all sorts of delights and pleasures and that is all well and good but what about our obedience to God. Have we ever considered sacrificing our obedience? Surrendering it to Him?

In the verse above, the prophet Samuel was talking to King Saul. You see, God had given Saul strict instructions concerning his dealings with the Amalakites, however, Saul did it his way. He did not follow God’s commands precisely, and to top it off he erected a monument in his own honour at Carmel before traipsing off to Gilgal. Crazy, right?

Yet how many of us do the exact same thing. We may not “put up a tall stone to give (ourselves) honour” but we certainly beat our chests and boast on our accomplishments that did not involve anything that God told us to do.

“Samuel said to Saul…listen to this message from the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It is time to punish the Amalekites! When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Amalekites attacked them. Now go and attack the Amalekites. Completely destroy everything…But Saul and the army let King Agag live. Also, they did not kill the best sheep, lambs, cows and fat calves…You think that you know what is right better than God does…You decided not to obey the Lord's command. Now the Lord has decided that you will not be king any longer.’” (verses 1-3, 9, 23)

Saul won the war, but he certainly lost the battle. Saul lost everything.

That is what happens when we bypass God’s instructions and go about doing our own thing. Like Saul, by doing a version of God’s plan we smugly believe that we have done it right, but a version is an aversion to God.

Partial obedience is disobedience. Dis is a prefix which has a reversing force. Dis-obedience is therefore, not a form of obedience. 

When we are disobedient, we “ruin” God’s work, and He is not pleased. Not because the outcome of our disobedience affects Him, but because it affects us and not in a good way. Fortunately for us, we are living in the dispensation of grace through Jesus’ Blood, so we have the opportunity to repent and change course.

God’s wisdom is so much greater than our own. Why do we, every one of us, continue to forge our own paths? Hearing God’s directions but refusing to listen.  Feeling inspired but ignoring the pull. Getting a message but not paying heed to it. Like king Saul, we simply want to do our own thing.

I have a little granddaughter, who when she was a wee tot, made it quite clear that she did not want to obey her parents, pre-school teacher, or any adult for that matter. When asked why, she said, “I want to do my own thing.”

Beloved, whether we understand what God is doing or not, the truth is we still have to be obedient. Trying to figure out the whys, the wherefores, the because, the therefores, the what fors and so on don’t matter; the answers may come in due time or they may not. What matters is our obedience. Our job is to obey God because He is God and He actually knows what’s best. (see Isaiah 55:9; Jeremiah 29:11; Matthew 6:32; Ephesians 3:20)

Obeying God is empowering, it is liberating, cultivates discipline, causes us to grow spiritually and takes us beyond our natural limitations.

Dis-obedience should never be an option. None of us want to end up like king Saul.

So, when God tells us to do something, let’s do it, not halfway but all the way, not half-heartedly but wholeheartedly.

Amen? Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Let us Repent of…Dis-Obedience” © March 10, 2025

 

Let us Repent of…Self-Assurance

The theme, in this season of Lent, begins with “Let us Repent”. It is a call for us to repent of something. But, exactly what does it mean to repent?

Repent is a verb, a doing word, and so, this is an invitation to act. Simply put, to repent is to change course or direction but more so, it is a profound change of mind, involving the changing of the direction of your life from that of self-centeredness, to God- or Christ-centeredness.

Today’s theme, “Let us repent of…self-assurance”, may be somewhat puzzling as there are many publications that encourage us to be self-assured, so now to have to repent of it seems unusual. But exactly what does it mean to have self-assurance? The simple definition, to have confidence in one’s own abilities and character. I’m sure you’re beginning to see that the theme isn’t so farfetched after all.

Many people think that the stories in the Bible aren’t relevant for our modern world, but everything written in the Bible is for every age.

In Genesis chapter 15:1-12 and 17-18, we see Abram, before his transformation to Abraham, having an encounter with God. A revolutionary concept 4,000 years ago, since in those days, that was unheard of. A human did not have a relationship with a divine being. Humans, to find favour, were required to perform certain sacrificial acts to appease the wrath of distant, detached, petulant gods but in this story, here is a God who wants to, is willing to, and plans to do something for a person.

Abram is being invited to believe God, trust God, have confidence in God, to know, without a doubt that this God is good, faithful to His word and has his best interest in mind.

Abram need not have confidence in his own abilities or his character but can rest assured in God’s abilities and God’s character. This God would be faithful to Abram even if he makes a grand mess of things.

And guess what, Abram changed his mind and believed God and God “credited it to him as righteousness”. (see Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3,22, Galatians 3:6,James 2:23)

Abram and God cut a deal. It was an agreement with a twist because God, represented by a smoking fire pot, goes through the process alone while Abram falls into a coma-like sleep. (see Genesis 15)

God commits to uphold both ends of the agreement, so even if Abram fails to do his part God will still be faithful to the deal. That speaks to God’s indescribable character.

Most certainly, by the time of the New Testament era, this was a story that would have been told and retold over and over again. So how come Jesus’ audience just didn’t get it? A story worth telling and preserving throughout antiquity was lost on His listeners. A story of a God who willingly provides for us, calling us into a better way of life was indeed a giant leap forward but by that time they should have understood, but then again, in this time, do we?

Do we truly understand what it means to be in a binding relationship with a God who insists that we trust Him and His assurances and are not dependent on ourselves?

Do we understand that it’s about a human being having a relationship with a living God?

A particular type of relationship with a particular type of God, in Abram’s time, this was a new idea, but today this ought to be understood. A God who is good, all the time, generous, kind, merciful, trustworthy, faithful, caring, dependable, and oh so loving should not be a strange concept.

In this relationship, there was no need for self-assurance then and there is no need for self-assurance now.

For Abram, it was, and for us, it is, an evolution in human thinking about the Divine. We can continue in our anaemic understanding, to limp along life’s journey in our self-assurance, or we can take that leap forward in a new direction – a change of mind, and a change of course – into the blessed assurance that God offers.

Let us make a U-turn, moving away from self-assurance to having complete confidence in God, His abilities and His character.

Amen†

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Let us Repent of…Self-Assurance” © February 16, 2022

 

 

 

Let us Repent of Self-Reliance

Awaiting the theme for today’s devotion, I started to feel a bit impatient since nothing was coming to mind and time and tide, as usual, were not waiting. With time ticking on, I started thinking of what I could possibly write about.

I must admit that as I continued to sit with my brain devoid of any sensible thought, and on the verge of slipping into a woe-is-me mood, I had to laugh, as I realised the irony of my self-manufactured plight. You see, I was relying on myself rather than just being patient and waiting, as I normally do, for Spirit’s guidance.

“Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;” (Psalm 37:7 NRSVUE)

Lesson learnt, I promptly repented, gave up my own thought process, changed direction and turned to God.

What have you given up in this season of sacrifice? Are you fasting as our Lord Jesus fasted in the desert? Are you relying on God to see you through or are you trudging on relying on your own unreliable fleshly self?

Shortly after He was baptized by John the Baptist and anointed by the Holy Spirit in the River Jordan, Luke 4:1-3 tells us that it was the same Spirit who led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

During this time, Jesus was tempted to the utmost regarding each one of the instinctual needs of humanity. It was a period of extreme testing – a spiritual battle between His divinity and His humanity.

We often give up indulging in the things we most enjoy, and though our sacrifice can never be compared to what Jesus endured in that desert, we do experience our own battle with the same temptations.

But how can we endure such trials?

The entire time that Jesus spent in that desert, He did not rely on His human self, instead with every offer of Satan to get Him to compromise, Jesus responded with Scripture.

He stood firm and defeated Satan’s temptation to take a shortcut to nowhere. If His integrity had been broken then, where would we be now?

Like our Lord Jesus, we must remain steadfast in our resolve to not yield to the devil’s enticements. We must hold fast to the Word of God, rely completely on the Holy Spirit’s leading and fill the atmosphere with praise and prayer.

In Romans 12:1, and 8:13, Paul exhorts us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, and to “put to death the misdeeds of the body” by complete submission to the Holy Spirit of God. Paul is speaking about the spiritual sacrifice God desires, the true Lenten sacrifice.

In this season of Lent, and beyond, I encourage all of us to focus on higher things rather than our comforts and pleasures, follow Jesus’ example as outlined in Luke 4:1-13…

And as we reflect on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, may we trust the Holy Spirit for guidance as we continue…on our spiritual path, and let us determine to turn away from our self-reliance and turn to God in utter dependence.

Amen†

 

Shelley Johnson “Let us Repent of Self-Reliance” © March 8, 2025