Tag: Love (Page 1 of 3)

Our Hearts

January 30, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

So many of us try to protect our hearts by hiding them and shielding them behind tough exteriors. Yet, when we actually take the risk by extending our hearts and sharing them with others, we really make a difference, not just in the lives of others but in our own lives.

The risk is worth the effort.

God’s Word tells us to Love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love our neighbor as ourselves and not hide the light of our hearts under a bushel; let it shine!

I am very grateful to those who take the risks. Your compassionate and giving attitude of love lights up the lives of others and makes the world a better place. You are a needed encouragement.

Thank you!

Mark 12:30–31
Mark 4:21-25

God First!

Hearing our names

January 14, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

I went to my room tonight and immediately heard Virginia say my name over the baby monitor, “Wayne?”

To see what she wanted, I went back downstairs, drawing closer to her so I could hear her better and give her my full attention. Basically, I just comforted her, gave her another peppermint kiss goodnight, and went back upstairs, telling her on my way out of the room how much I love hearing her say my name.

This is also true of my son calling me “Dad,” my grandchildren calling me “Grandpa,” my nieces and nephews calling me “Fantastic Uncle Wayne.”

or even a brother or sister in Christ calling me Brother.

I’m grateful for all these designations, as each one warms my heart in its own unique way.

I believe God and Jesus feel much the same way. They love hearing us say their name with respect, as we do when we approach them in love, through prayer and supplication

Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, Father God, in Jesus Name… All designations of love that reach for the heartstrings of our Heavenly Father, drawing us closer to Him and Him closer to us.

James 4:8, Scripture tells us: ” Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you…” One way we do that is through prayer. We are told to pray without ceasing, and to cast our burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain us.

So, why not take a moment right now and pray, calling upon the name of the Lord, let him hear you call his name.

He wants to hear from you!

1 Corinthians 1:2
Acts 2:38–41
Psalm 145:18
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Psalm 55:22
1 Peter 5:7
Isaiah 41:13
Matthew 11:28–29
Philippians 4:6
1 John 5:14
Psalm 116:2

God First!

Supplementing our faith; If you do this, you will never fall.

January 8, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “supplement” as: 1 a: something that completes or makes an addition

The ESV uses the phrase “supplement our faith” in 2 Peter 1:5. Other versions use the terms

Support your faith
Give all diligence, add to your faith…
Add on your part all diligence

What an admirable pursuit for 2026

To pursue making our faith more complete by adding the attributes in this scripture, and bettering ourselves.

“For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.“

2 Peter 1:5-11 ESV

God First!

Update on God First Cup efforts,

January 7, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

I have now given several cups to strangers and invited them to visit the congregation I attend. In doing so, I have noted what they can expect during their visit, stating: we are not an “entertainment church,” but rather we are a Church that focuses on teaching and studying God’s Word.

This point is made because I have been invited by others to visit their church with the preludes, “It has a great band,” “You will love the band, “The lead singer in the band is awesome,” and so forth. So, I want people to understand that I am not inviting them to be entertained, but rather to worship and learn.

Before giving away a mug with its message, I generally ask one or two questions

Do you believe in God? These answers have been: Yes, No, sort of, I believe in a higher power, and I am a Buddhist. If they are Believers, I often ask, do you go to Church somewhere? Yes, No, I’ve been looking for one, not yet, I’ve been thinking about it, and I don’t believe in God.

I ask these questions to avoid offending the disbeliever by giving them a cup they don’t want; however, for everyone else, my desire is to plant seeds by giving them this cup of inspiration that states, “the best life is a God First life.”

Recently, I talked with a young lady at the carwash who said she did not go to church anywhere and sort of believed in God. I still offered her a cup, pointing out the message of love on and inside the cup, while giving her a Buford CoC card with service times, address, website, and phone number, and invited her to visit and learn more.

Opportunities abound. I stopped and gave mugs to a family down the street with two small children. They are outside a lot and exchange waves with us when we drive by. As they received their cups, they told me they had been looking for a Church. We also have a new family across the street with three small children who currently attend a church. I gave them cups and invited them to visit. We’ve given cups to people on our daily park walks, and yesterday to the receptionist, where we had our dog Casper groomed, and invited her to visit.

It’s my hope that these gifts will inspire some of these people to attend and learn, but at the very least, this God First message is planting seed and being seen in their homes, cars, and hands, so I pray for open hearts and fertile soil.

If you’re interested in using the cups to help you plant seeds or invite others, reach out to me. Although I cannot afford to give all of them away, I am reselling them for pennies above my actual cost and including the paper message inside each cup. By having others purchase some of the cups, I can buy enough to get reasonable prices and do it over and over.

God First!

Does God love some more than others?

January 6, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

As I contemplated this question, I concluded God loves the “response” of some more than others.

Like parents and children, one child might do as directed most of the time while the other doesn’t. Parents do not love the obedient child more than the other; however, they do love the obedient child’s response more than the disobedient response. The obedient response shows a desire to please the parents by doing as told. (its a response of love)

In Scripture, we learn that Jesus died for everyone in the world and that God shows no partiality. Scripture also tells us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and Jesus said if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.

David was considered a man after God’s Own Heart; why? God tells us: “He will do my will.” Saul, on the other hand, lost his kingdom for doing “his own” will, not God’s.

King David made many huge mistakes and, unlike Christ, was far from perfect, yet David constantly turned to and relied on God; David pursued righteousness. (Respecting God and doing His will mattered to David)

We all have the same choice!

We can choose to follow God’s will by study, learning, and following the commands and examples of Scripture, to the best of our ability, or we can choose to follow our feelings, our ideas, or those adopted from others, then woefully expecting that if we are wrong, God will be ok with us because we had good intent. However, that is not what Scripture tells us, and when we do this, we set examples that mislead others from following Christ according to the directions God gave us in His Holy Word.

When we follow God according to His will, we spend our lives pursuing righteousness. In James chapter 5, we find the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. To have our prayers accomplish much, pursuing righteousness should be our goal so that our hearts may be where King David’s was in devotion to God.

John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

“So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.” Act 10:34-35

“And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom He testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’” Acts 13:22 ESV

“But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over His people because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” Samuel 13:14

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16 NASB

God First!

Godly Sorrow, Repentance, Forgiveness, Baptism, Salvation, Accountability, Responsibility

A story Change

January 5, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

I caught him stealing; he had broken into our home. I was upset and nervous as I held the gun. Then, he began begging me not to call the police, let him go, insisting he would not come back. We started talking, and he told me the harsh circumstances of his life that led him to this moment of crime. I began telling him about Christ and the forgiveness of sin available to him through Christ, how, if he would repent of his sins, change the direction of his life, and put on Christ in baptism, he could have forgiveness and eternal life in heaven, as well as a better life here on earth.

We sat at the table, opened a Bible, and studied for several hours. He came to understand God’s gift of grace, the Sacrifice of Jesus that offers us eternal life if we will pick up the cross and follow Jesus according to His will, not ours. We also discussed how following Christ does not relieve anyone of accountability for their actions.

During our study, this criminal came to believe in Christ, experienced godly sorrow, and wanted to begin making things right, so he reached into his pocket and handed me the jewelry he had taken. By doing so, he began taking responsibility for his actions and attempted to make things right. He informed me he wanted to be baptized. After hearing the word of God, he repented, confessed Jesus as the Son of God, and we took him to the pool and baptized him for the forgiveness of his sins, immersing him in water in accordance with Scripture.

After baptism, he understood that his decision did not absolve him of the consequences of his actions. His heart had changed; he now wanted to take responsibility and accept accountability, and I applauded his decision. We then called law enforcement.

Because of his sorrow and request that I forgive him; I did so and chose not to press charges. His decision to make things right was admirable, but it would be costly for him, since he had also broken into other homes and entered our country illegally. He knew, in his heart, that he needed also to correct these wrongdoings.

At least now, when he is deported to his country, he takes with him a greater purpose: to spread what he has learned about the message of Christ with others. Maybe he will return to America legally someday. I gave him my study Bible and contact information. I look forward to hearing from him about his efforts to share Christ.

While this story is fictitious, it’s also possible.

Following Christ does not negate accepting responsibility and accountability for one’s actions; it enhances it. If we genuinely love Jesus and righteousness, we will want to do what’s right, even if it means exchanging our loss of earthly freedom for eternal life in heaven. (Matthew 16:24-26, John 14:15, Romans 6:1-14, Mark 16:15, Philemon 1)

Scripture’s definition of Godly Sorrow: (2 Corinthians 7:9-13)

God’s Grace: Ephesians 2:8, Romans 3:24, Titus 2:11, Acts 15:11

Hearing the Gospel:– Romans 10:17, John 8:32

Belief/Faith: – Hebrews 11:1, John 8:24, Romans 10:17, Acts 3:19

Repentance of sin: – 2 Cor. 7:9-10, Luke 13:3-5, Acts 17:30

Confess Christ: – Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 10:32-33, Luke 12:8-9

Baptism by immersion for forgiveness of sin: – Matthew 16:15-16, 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Matthew 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!

NOT EVEN 10, Maybe toleration led to apathy

January 2, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Not even 10 Righteous were found in Sodom and Gomorrah.

“Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.”(Genesis‬ ‭18:32‬)

I wonder how many righteous originally built Sodom and Gomorrah; what happened?

Maybe, in the name of love, they began tolerating sinful actions, leading them to exclude and distance themselves from God, calling good evil and evil good.

Maybe as tolerance grew in popularity, fear of standing with God equated to fear of ridicule and fear of physical harm. Maybe, over time, the righteous became silent, and when the righteous are silent, so is their example.

Anything familiar here?

To tolerate everything is to stand for nothing. We cannot spread the truth with silence.

James 4:8 (close or away)
Matthew 12:30 (with or against)
Revelation 3:15–17 (Luke warm)
Matthew 24:10-14 (warning)

God First!

December 7, 2025 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

My desire in printing these cups is that when seen and read by a good heart, they will provoke thought and seed discussions. That God, through His Word, will provide growth, and with this growth, more people will come to know the Joy, peace, love, comfort, and assurance that come with putting God first by doing God’s will, God’s way.

The message is a reminder that each of our lives has meaning, and our examples impact others. When one follows Christ, it’s inevitable to have great beauty in one’s path.

For me, the cups are a mission to share Christ and the message: A God-first life is the best life one can live. I’m not looking for profit by selling these cups; I paid a few cents less than the $4 selling price. Included in each cup is also a message for the recipient (as seen in the picture below)

Putting God first is both a life- and soul-saving message. “God First” is NOT a slogan; it’s a way of life. I know this is true because of my own choices.

Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandment’s” doing so glorifies God in every aspect of our lives— following Christ is not about completing a checklist of do’s and don’ts, it’s about our hearts and minds desiring to please our creator to the best of our ability showing our love and appreciation for God which in turn demonstrates our belief, trust, and faith in Jesus. God First!

Yesterday, my wife and I went on one of our local park walks. Because of her Alzheimer’s, I try to be prepared for the unknown. I keep a backpack cooler with us wherever we go, filled with supplies and a Bluetooth speaker to play our music, and carry it on every walk.

I’ve mentioned this before, but we talk to, or at least say hello to, everyone we pass, and a large number of them get hugs from Virginia, and she tells them she loves them.

At the end of yesterday’s walk, we came across a young lady with a big white dog named Aries, and as we talked, I asked her if she believed in God. She said yes, so I told her I wanted to give her something and retrieved one of the God First cups with its messages from my pack. She was overjoyed with the unexpected gift and its messages. I loved the Joy it seemed to bring her as she read the cup, and her face lit up. She then asked if she could give me a hug. Virginia, of course, also hugged her and told her she loved her.

Attached is a copy of the message found inside every cup, which finishes with: “You are loved!”

Rainbows and Promises

March 3, 2022 / Wayne Johnson / 1 Comment

Yesterday, The Morning light gifted us with the rainbow-colored patch seen in this picture. As I pointed it out to Virginia (my wife), I thought, how cool! Its presence then sent me down a pathway of thoughts I needed for the day.

Like the rainbow in the sky, this simple patch of colors reminded me of God’s promises. That God cannot lie and will always be with those, who love Him. How Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

While sipping my morning coffee, my mind kept highlighting snippets of God’s Word, “God is the God of All Comfort,” “the closer we draw to God, the closer God will draw towards us,” “Ask, and it will be given, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will open,” “Pray without Ceasing!”

It is comforting to remember how much Jesus cares for us and tells us to be humble and cast all our anxieties on Him. This little patch of light reminded me that Faith includes Trust. “Never give up on doing good” Lean on Jesus, especially in times of trial when the challenges of life are heavy, and things don’t make any sense.

So much brought to mind in this little patch of rainbow light.

Jesus has prepared for those who love Him a place with many rooms where tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more. It gives me peace to remember this world is but a temporary home; our forever home is, as a song states: “Beyond the azure blue.” Scripture tells us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world,” All this world and its desires are passing away but, “whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

Hebrews 6:18
Titus 1:2
Proverbs 8:17
John 14:15
James 4:8
Romans 8:28
Galatians 6:9
1 Peter 5:7
Galatians 6:2
1 John 2:15-17
John 14:1-3
Revelation 21:4

The Best Part of our Story

February 15, 2022 / Wayne Johnson / 1 Comment

I don’t like giving “Off-the-cuff” answers to questions as my response often seems inadequate; I prefer to think before responding. Last night was no exception when a young man asked: “What do you think is the best part of being married for so long?” (We must have really looked old, to him) I had just met the lad about 90mins before when Virginia and I were standing at the restaurant counter reviewing the menu. We were trying to decide, stay or leave.

It was Valentine’s day and our Anniversary. So far, the evening was not going according to my plan. I intended to have an early dinner at a nice Italian restaurant, but we started late. The restaurant website indicated they were NOT booking reservations, so I assumed “first come, first serve,” but when we arrived, I saw the dreaded sign at the doorway “call for reservations.” It was about 5:30 PM; the place was almost empty but, they would not seat us. This snafu put me under pressure to find someplace quickly; Virginia was hungry, and I still hoped to beat the main crowd.

We found a restaurant we had never tried before. It was not fancy nor the type of food we typically eat; In fact, entirely out of the norm for us. It was a family-style Cuban Restaurant called Papis. We entered and talked with a young man behind the counter, mentioned it was our Anniversary, looked at the menu, got his recommendations, and decided to stay. They sat us in a quiet booth where we enjoyed some flavorful dishes. Although we were apprehensive at first, we found that being out of our norm added to the evening and made it even more enjoyable and memorable by night’s end.

We showed our waitress a FB picture I’d recently posted of us over the years. Then, before we left, she presented us with a complimentary dessert, one of our favorites, “Flan.”

As we were leaving, Virginia went to the lady’s room as I waited at the counter. I thanked the young man for his food suggestions and began some casual conversation when he asked: What do you think is the best part of being married for so long? (I was not prepared for that question). I thought for a brief moment looking for a quick answer and said: Contentment – We are both very content with each other now. Then, a short moment longer, I added: When you’re young as you are, jealousies, and things like that, often get in the way, but with a good wife, you don’t have to worry about that. Shortly after that response, I finally hit the nail on the head and Stated: but actually, the best part was when we decided to include God in our lives and live that type of lifestyle. The young man acknowledged my final answer and said: Really? Yes, Really!, Putting God first is the best thing we ever did for our marriage. The young man then thanked me and said: I really appreciate it. I wish my last response had been my first so I could have expanded on it.

Choosing to make God’s Word “The Standard” for our lifestyle has been the most important decision Virginia and I ever made in our marriage. I could expand for hours on all the facets of why our marriage is strong, but the bottom line is: The decision to put God First has by far been the best part of our story!

Matthew 5:6
Acts 5:29
Proverbs 16:3
Matthew 6:24
Galatians 2:20
Galatians 6:9-10
2 Corinthians 8:6
Acts 10:35
Matthew 13:44-46
Proverbs 3:5-6
Proverbs 19:14
Proverbs 31:10
Ephesians 5:44-33

God First!

Tag: Love (Page 1 of 3)

Hearing our names

Supplementing our faith; If you do this, you will never fall.

Does God love some more than others?

A story Change

NOT EVEN 10, Maybe toleration led to apathy

Rainbows and Promises

The Best Part of our Story

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