The best life is a God First life
“GO” is something we just can’t do by being still. Jesus said,
“GO into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.“
Mark 16:15
Jesus also said;
“GO therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”
Matthew 28:19
God First!
I would like to recommend my “Life-Coach highly.”
We were introduced when I was very young. Unfortunately, I moved far away and lost touch with him for a very long time. In those years, my life was chock-full of unnecessary and often self-inflicted, avoidable hurt and struggles. I came to realize I missed my Life-Coach and how much He could and would’ve helped me with my choices and understandings in those difficult times. If only I had not chosen to move so far away from him. Eventually, I did reconnect, and He greeted me with open arms, excited to see me return. My life Coach has worked side-by-side with me ever since, helping me stay on track and avoid many potentially harmful choices.
He now sits with me, listens to me, puts his arms around me, walks with me, and has taught me how to be joyful in challenging and good times. He provides me comfort that surpasses any understanding.
I highly recommend my “Life Coach” his name: “Jesus.”
He’s not the kind of coach you pay for, in fact; He loves all people so much he gave his life through in a horrible death so that we could all choose to embrace him as our Life-Coach and follow His teachings forever. He came down from heaven and conquered death, was raised from the dead that we might all have hope for eternal life in heaven.
Jesus lives! He is the King of all Kings, God’s only son who was with God from the beginning. The arms of Christ are outstretched to any who will choose to “put on” Christ and follow him. We find how to “put on” Christ in the God-breathed words of scripture, The Bible, our “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.”
Jesus is the Ultimate Life Coach!
God First!
“Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
Romans 13:10 Esv
God First!
“Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)
This verse really stands out to me; why? Because I spent years with my priorities skewed. I spent years doing what I wanted, seeking more fun, money, adventure, and things. I attempted to find and express my worth to self and others through what scripture refers to as “worldly means.”
At this time in my life, I found wisdom in my own eyes. It was self Indulging manipulating wisdom. As a result, I spent those years treating Our Creator as if He only mattered when nothing else did.
The big issue here is I knew better! I had an understanding of “The Good Life,” The one that is given to us by God through scripture, and I knew much of what I was doing went against God’s will for us. As a result, I lived those years apart from God, not truly realizing the negative impact I could have on others.
To look back and pine for those old times and start longing for that old lifestyle indicates my love for Christ is neither hot nor cold but rather lukewarm, and by not looking toward Jesus, the path I plow would become crooked. I would effectively be longing for a time when I was ”apart from God.”
How then would I be fit for the Kingdom of heaven?
Jesus Tells Us:
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.“
Revelation 3:16-17
“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,”
HEBREWS 10:26
God First!
Some spin God’s word to accommodate their desire rather than God’s plan, and others follow them. There are many reasons people do this, but I personally believe the main reason is not intentional but rather willful ignorance. Willful in the sense that one must have a willingness to study and accept scripture as a whole, and this takes effort and time. When we hear or read something different than what we actually practice, then why? For me, I want to know what Scriptures support that practice. Does it add or take away from God’s Word? Deuteronomy 12:32 and Revelation 22:18
The Lord’s path is straight and is available to us through God’s inspired word. We have no excuse for not exercising due diligence with self-study.
We are always learning, so; we can be mistaken; the real question is: Do we seek to correct ourselves when we realize we are wrong, or do we decide it’s a non-issue and do nothing? The bible is an accumulation of God’s Word and took thousands of years to come about. When we dismiss any of it as a non-issue, are we not effectively telling God His words are not important, we know better? (2 Timothy 3:16)
Paul is addressing the false prophet Bar-Jesus in Acts 13:9-10…
“But Saul (also known as Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at him and said, “You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness – will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?”
God First! Every second of every day!
Written by: Wayne Johnson
I read an article about a man who was the founder of many U.S. companies. I read of the great wealth he amassed, the many jobs he created, the respect he had earned. The man died in 1934, and today… Virtually NO ONE knows him or his name.
Jesus tells us:
When we love as described in these commandments, we love as one who is “poor in spirit” as we recognize the power of God’s Love and know we are unworthy, yet we are grateful for God’s Grace. We embrace the need for God’s help rather than thinking we can do it on our own.
While there’s nothing wrong with amassing great wealth, The real challenge is to keep our hearts focused on the treasures of heaven, keeping God First in our hearts, keeping his commandments, doing his will through actions of love for Him and Others.
Earthly treasures are but a mist in time while love transcends for eternity
Thank you, Lord, for loving us!
God First!
written by: Wayne Johnson
Many people have been separated from loved ones in care facilities because of Covid-19, powerless to be with their loved ones during those final moments on earth; this saddens me. I empathize with the hurt and pain of their hearts as they wanted to be with their loved ones. So, I leave you this thought in hopes that you will find comfort in it, as I do.
Our family was not physically with my dad when his soul departed his failing body and mind on that trip to Paradise back In Nov 2019; Although we were not physically with him when he passed that morning, I’m confident dad was not alone. I believe angels of God carried his soul to Paradise just as they did Lazarus in the illustration story that Jesus told of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:22). Jesus said: “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.”…
Dad was a Christian. He lived the life of a Christian, so we look forward to that day when we see each other again apart from physical bodies and mind and get to spend eternity together.
God First!
written by: Wayne Johnson
We are God’s creation; We are the focus of God’s love! During the steps of creation, we find this phrase stated several times “And God saw that it was good” However, it was after God created man in His image that scripture tells us, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 )
Jesus died that we might have eternal life with Him, That our souls could have never-ending life in heaven in a new heavenly body. (2 Corinthians 5:1-10)
What can we give to God?
God wants us to love Him; He’s given us every reason to love Him. Our love is the only thing we can give God because it’s all we have to offer.
What does God want from us?
God wants us to recognize that He is, our God, the only God. He created us and everything we know and understand. He has made us a home beyond this world if; we chose to accept His grace and keep His commandments.
May we all seek God First in our lives, Love each other as Christ has loved us, and show Jesus that we love him by keeping his commandments.
God First!
written by: Wayne Johnson
Several days each week, my sister-in-law Julie and her two teenage children meet to go on evening walks with some other brothers and sisters in Christ. Yesterday, on the ride there, in an attempt to spark conversation with her teenage son, she asked him this question: “If you were to die tomorrow, what would you wish you had gotten done today?”
She expected a secular answer, but his response: “Be Baptized.”
This lead to further discussion, and my nephew Michael Jr. Johnson (affectionately known as Mikey) made the absolute best decision any of us ever make in this life. Mikey decided he wanted to have eternal life in heaven by being baptized and following Christ for the rest of his life.
So, last night, Michael Jr. confessed Jesus as the Son of God and was baptized into Christ in the name of The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of his sins. Later, Mikey told me he had been thinking about it for a while. You just never know what’s on someone’s mind.
The timing of his mother’s question and a follow-up question of “why wait?” Seemingly perfect.
Welcome to the Lord’s Church, Michael Jr. Johnson
God First?
written by: Wayne Johnson
On the day of Pentecost when Peter preached the first gospel sermon, Do you wonder Why?
Why is it that when Peter and the other Apostles (in Acts 2) were asked by the crowd whose hearts had just been pierced by the message of Christ: ”Brothers, What do we do?” Why did Peter NOT answer the crowd’s question with: “accept Jesus into your heart and recite with me these words in a prayer and you will be forgiven, you will be saved.”
WOW, if only the Apostle Peter, who was; filled with the Holy Spirit, had known what many people claim today. That they could “just” accept Jesus into their hearts and recite a prayer to be saved; however, that’s “NOT” how Peter answered.
Peter never said: “baptism is an outward sign of an inward decision.” In fact, No such prayer is found in God’s Word. INSTEAD, Peter, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, tells them exactly what God wanted them to do… “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38 ESV) None of Peter’s responses indicates any of God’s instructions were mutually exclusive.
In verse 41, God’s Holy Word says: “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”(Acts 2:41 ESV)
So, right after they received the message of Christ, they immediately went to all the trouble of following the Apostle’s instructions, and were immersed in baptism.
They could have set appointments, they could have done so in small groups over weeks, but instead, we find urgency is implied, “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41)
That day, about 3000 souls were added to the Church! (Don’t you know that took a while? )
These scriptures show us that; hearing, believing, repentance, and being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ is how we obtain the Holy Spirit.
Who did the adding? Who was being saved? Verse 47 “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47 ESV)
Please, Don’t take my word for it. Take God’s word for it. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
Below are several passages on Grace, belief, repentance, confession, and baptism to consider. God First!
• Grace: – Ephesians 2:8, Romans 3:24, Titus 2:11, Acts 15:11
• Belief/Faith: – Hebrews 11:1, John 8:24, Romans 10:17, Acts 3:19
• Repentance: – 2 Cor. 7:9-10, Luke 13:3-5, Acts 17:30
• Confess: – Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 10:32-33, Luke 12:8-9
• Baptism by immersion: – Matthew 16:15-16 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Matt 28:18-20, Ephesians 4:5, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12, Acts 8:36-39, Mark 1:9-10, John 3:23
God First!
written by: Wayne Johnson
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