The best life is a God First life

Month: March 2021

If you were to die tomorrow, what would you wish you had gotten done today?

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

Written for a reason

Someone brought us Jell-O with fruit last week, and we enjoyed having a little each night for a dessert. Last night I decided to make some myself. The directions on the box looked very simple. (2 cups of boiling water, stir 2 min., mix in 2 cups cold water, refrigerate 4 hours). I added banana and pineapple.

I have made Jell-O successfully a couple of times in my life, but admittedly, rarely.  After 4 hours in the fridge, I picked up one of the containers to see if the Jell-O was set. The lid was loose, and liquid Jell-O splashed all over the refrigerator and onto the floor.

This morning,  “being a lot more cautious,” I found the Jell-O still Not Set and threw it all away. I looked at the box carefully to see what I could’ve done wrong, and guess what I found?

I found it essential to read all of the instructions and the notes written on the box as they were written for a reason. By not reading them carefully, I wasted my time, effort, and money, which caused me to fail at the most simple task.

Not that much different from God‘s Word.  Everything in “The Word of God” was put there for a reason and put there for a reason by God.

2 Timothy 3:17-17

God First!

written by: Wayne Johnson

America’s Greatness (Canceled)

Our forefathers (for many, this is distant relatives) suffered, fought, and gave their lives in battles for independence, for “Liberty and justice for all,” and in 1776, America was born. “We The People” celebrate America’s independence on the 4th of July each year.

Fast forward 245 years, and it seems almost half the nation wants to give away the independence our forefathers fought and died for; half the nation seems “Ok” with the idea of socialism and would rather whine and have government be our babysitter than take personal responsibility for their role in Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Our country did not become great from our ancestors sitting on their tushes and wallowing in self-pity, expecting a government to provide for them. Our country became great as our ancestors meet overwhelming struggles head-on. Dreaming and working to make those dreams reality, legal immigrants became Americans, and those Americans came together, working and striving to better their lives through hard work and big ideas.

American’s of all shapes, sizes, colors, and beliefs made the seemingly impossible possible. They forged wilderness into the country of vast convenience we know today. Our American families had to work hard to get us to this point, and we have to work hard to maintain it.

Sitting on our tush and expecting others to provide for us will destroy our nation. Let’s honor the lives of those who fought and died to give us freedom; let’s take pride in the work we each do—One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We need to find as many legal ways as possible to stop America’s Cancelation! Our constitution is under attack, our freedom of speech under attack, our voting system under attack, freedom of religion under attack, the list keeps mounting.

While it’s true that our ultimate home is not of this world for Christians, those of us who live in America have been blessed to live in this land of the free and given the opportunity to share God’s Word, According to God’s Word, let us study, learn, and spread the seeds of Christ’s message. Let us make a difference today before our children suffer the consequences of only having Satan seed the land we were blessed to live in.

God First!

”Oops, I almost forgot to take my eyes out.”

Or, “Got to put my eyes in” This type of language is called: “hyperbole.” It can be engaging to the listener by bringing more attention to an otherwise dry statement.

In today’s culture, especially in our news, hyperbolic language is often distorted and twisted to be ”Literal Language” no matter how obvious the exaggeration. By treating hyperbolic statements literally, one might call someone a liar or twist their statement’s intention to make it sound like it was meant to be disrespectful to something or someone when there was no such intent.

My point is: We would do well to pay more attention to the intent of messages rather than getting caught up and inflamed by spin. Generally, the intent of a hyperbolic statement is obvious; unless you’re looking to change the message to further a different agenda, you should get it.

In my case, I’m referring to my contact lenses. By the way, I have used hyperbolic language naturally for many, many years. Long before I learned, it had a name and definition.

Definition:

hy·per·bo·le [hīˈpərbəlē]

NOUN

* Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

BE THE ROCK

BE THE ROCK to those around you. Be the stability of Christlike love they can count on. Do not waiver from righteousness when the winds of desire or difficulty blow. Stand Firm! Study and Know God’s will, Pursue God’s will, For if God is with us, who can be against us. Be the Rock of faith that inspires others to be rocks of faith. Love others as Christ loved us. For the closer we draw to God, the closer he draws to us.

Trust in God!

God First!

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

John 13:34 ESV

I love this Biblical story! What do you take from it?

“There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. Then I said: “Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard. Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good.” (Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9:14-18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

God is my refuge

Thankful that with God, we don’t have to face life’s difficulties alone.

Cast your Anxieties on the lord. (Share in prayer)

“casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7 ESV….

No need to be Anxious

.“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

God of All Comfort

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

God First!

We have authority

In Matthew seven, Jesus spoke as one who had authority because, Jesus has authority.

We have been given authority also. Christians have been given the authority to share the message of Christ to the world. With this authority comes an obligation that is driven by our love for others and Christ.

This love motivates us to study and understand what it means to keep Jesus’s commandments according to the will of God. Sometimes in our attempt to understand or please, we edit God’s instructions, His teachings, precepts, and commands. When we do this (Accidently or not), we are demoting God to being less than perfect and promoting ourselves to having better ideas or ways than, God. Maybe this, in part, is why we are instructed not to add or take away from scripture. (Rev 22:18-19)

God’s way is the best way, its from God!

We do not have the authority to change the message of Christ!

We do not have the authority to do things our way!

God is the creator of everything we know and understand. We are servants to the King of Kings, and Jesus is our loving master. The perfect Son of God sacrificed his life, that we Might live forever.

What can we offer God? We can offer the one thing God wants from us. The one thing that all the laws of the prophets are summed up into, Our Love. We can be examples of God’s love for others by our efforts and actions. We can do everything in our power to share it all, God’s Way!

  • Matthew 22:34-40
  • Matthew 28:16-20
  • Deuteronomy 4:2
  • John 3:16
  • Matthew 7:1-29
  • Genesis 11:1-32
  • 1 Timothy 6:1-21

God First!

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