Category: Heaven (Page 1 of 3)

Life Coach Recommendations

May 6, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

I want to highly recommend my “Life Coach.” We were introduced when I was young. Unfortunately, I moved far away and lost touch with Him for a very long time. Those years were chock-full of unnecessary hurt and struggle that my life coach would’ve helped me avoid had I not chosen to move so far away.

A few years ago, I reconnected with my “life coach,” and He has worked side by side with me ever since, helping me avoid many potentially harmful choices. He also sits with me, listens to me, reassures me, and holds my hand as I navigate through both enticing and difficult times. He has provided me comfort that surpasses any understanding. He is not only my life coach but my most reliable friend.

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 that He actually gave His life through a horrible death for all of us, so we could choose to follow His lead and be with Him forever. He conquered death, raised by God, that we might have hope for eternal life in heaven. Jesus lives today! He is the King of all Kings; God’s only son who was with God from the beginning. The arms of Jesus are outstretched to anyone who chooses to “put on” Christ and follow Him. We find how to “put on” Christ through God-breathed scripture, the Bible, which is, as someone coined it, our…

Basic

Instruction

Before

Leaving

Earth

Jesus is the Ultimate Life Coach!

(John 1:1-5) from the beginning
(2 Timothy 3:16) God-breathed
(Galatians 3:27) put on Christ
(Romans 6:1-23) United in Christ

God First!

Carried by the Angels

May 1, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

During COVID, I saw several posts and news stories of people separated from loved ones in care facilities because of quarantines; they were not allowed to be with loved ones during their final moments on earth. This saddened me, and I empathized with the pain in their hearts, knowing they wanted to be with their loved ones. So, I leave you this thought, which helped me when we lost my father.

Our family was not physically with Dad when his soul departed his failing mind and body for Paradise. Although we were not with him physically the morning of his passing, I’m confident Dad was not alone.

I believe that, just as in Jesus’s illustration of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, the angels of God were with Dad and carried him to paradise. How awesome will that be?

I believe this because Dad was a Christian, a man who lived as a true disciple of Christ, diligently following Jesus and striving to keep His commandments in accordance with scripture. I also expect we will see each other again in new heavenly bodies as we spend eternity with our Lord and Savior.

God is good; God is Love!

Luke 16:19-31 (Rich Man and Lazarus)
Philippians 3:20-21, 1 John 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:44-49 (new body)
2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Revelation 21:1-27

God First!

Worldly Wealth Ends, Love Transcends

April 26, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

I read an article about a man who founded many U.S. companies. He amassed great wealth, created many jobs, and earned much respect. The man died in 1919. Today, few know much about him.

Jesus tells us:

~ It’s not about this world.
~ to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven.
~ Where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.
~ if you love Me, you’ll keep My commandments.
~ The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
~ The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves.
~ There is no greater commandment than these.

When we love as described in these commandments, we love as “the poor in spirit.” Although all are sinners and unworthy of God’s love, the poor in spirit recognize and appreciate the greatness of God’s love, God’s grace, and the sacrifice given in our stead. The poor in spirit realize that all good gifts come from above, that accomplishments are not ours alone but happen as blessings from God, with God’s help, so joyfully proclaim to God be the glory!

While there’s nothing wrong with amassing great wealth, the challenge is keeping our hearts focused on the treasures of heaven: keeping God First in our hearts; keeping His commandments; and doing His will through our actions of love for Him and towards others, remembering that our accomplishments are blessings, far from ours alone.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

Thank you, God, for loving us. To God be the Glory!

John 18:36
Matthew 6:19-21
John 14:15
Mark 12: 30-31
Matthew 5: 3-12
Mark 16:16

God First!

If the world embraced God the way we love our sports, we would excel at learning everything about our Creator, and Jesus would be prominent in daily conversations.

Love of Sports, Love of God

April 11, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

A lot of people get very excited about sports. It’s a topic of numerous conversations. Seldom am I with a group of men where sports is not immediately part of the conversation or dominates it.

Many parents rightfully recognize the benefits of raising their children to embrace the positive principles of sports and starting them in sports at a very early age. Lifelong friendships form as parents help each other with rides and mutually encourage their children and one another. As a result, Money, Time, and Schedules are eagerly managed so that parents can support events, practice meets, or games by attending, and the value of teamwork is fortified.

Families unite over sports talk, laughs, and jokes, discuss sports greats, sportsmanship, and teamwork, and often spend countless hours watching professional sports together. These bonding moments are excellent training and help build solid friendships and good character in our young adults, helping them navigate life.

Isn’t this precisely how we should prioritize, teach, and share Christ in our lives?

Shouldn’t our conversations and social media presence include glorifying and sharing the blessings of Christ, and showing concern for others?

If we showed our love for God the way we show our love for sports, how would our lives change?

What would it look like if our interest in God took priority over our interest in sports?

Would we start our children attending bible classes early in life?
Would we prioritize our schedules to ensure committed involvement in Church activities?
Would we prioritize teaching our children the love of Christ?
Would we encourage their understanding and development of leadership skills?

Imagine how excellent this world would be if the same effort we put into sports were put into following and sharing Christ’s message with everyone we interact with?

We would excel at learning everything we could about our creator. Jesus would be prominent in daily conversations and taking His name in vain, absent.
We would seek to be as Christ-like as possible, making every effort to do God’s Will according to what God tells us in scripture, and we would arrange our time so that we could be involved in as many good works as possible.

If everyone embraced God the way many embrace sports, we would put our service to God above all else, and our children would take notice. Just as they will notice, if we make exceptions, making exceptions sends the message that we believe it’s ok to deprioritize God from Time to Time, and that’s never ok!

Sports may bring a lifetime of happy moments, but they should never take priority over God. With God, our blessings go far beyond this lifetime and lead us to our eternal home, a glorious place without tears, pain, or woes, forever Joy!

Acts 20:32
Jude 1:25
2 Timothy 3:15-17
1 Corinthians 14:26
Philippians 3:21
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Romans 1:12
Ephesians 4:15-16
John 3:16-17
John 17:3
Matthew 6:23-24
1 Timothy 1:17
1 Corinthians 2:9
1 Corinthians 8:6
Luke 15:7
Matthew 7:21-23
Matthew 25:46
Philippians 3:20-21
Revelation 21:9-12
Revelation 12:4

God First!

What can we give to God?

April 10, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

During the days of creation, we find the phrase, “And God saw that it was good,” repeated several times. However, it was not until 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)

We are God’s creation!

“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 )

God is the creator of everything we see and comprehend; everything our minds think we know and understand; it’s all from God. So, what can we offer to God that He wants?

God wants us to recognize that He is the only God and that Jesus is His Son, who was with God at Creation. (John 1:1-5) He wants us to know that salvation comes only through the innocence of Jesus, who was sacrificed for our sins and then raised by God to sit at his right hand in heaven; King of Kings, Lord of Lords, only through Christ do we have hope of eternal life with God. He wants us to know that Jesus has prepared a heavenly home for us beyond this world if we choose to accept His grace and keep His commandments. God wants us to know that on the day of judgment, our souls will be given new heavenly bodies for our never-ending life, and He tells us so in His Word. ( See 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, Philippians 3:20-21, John 14:3-10)

So again, what can we offer God that God really wants?

God has given us every reason to love Him; He has given us the freedom to choose good over evil, and He wants us to love Him.

LOVE, love is the only thing we can give that God seeks from us, not by force but by choice.

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. This is what God seeks, it’s what God wants, and what God wants to reward us for.

The Greatest Command: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-34

Genesis 1:1-31
John 3:16
John 14:15
John 13:34

God First!

Wow, if only the Apostle Peter knew

April 3, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

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 (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 that 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 followed the Apostle’s instructions and were immersed in the waters of 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, repenting, 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)

“Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.” (2 Peter 1:20)

Below are several passages on Grace, belief, repentance, confessing Jesus’ name, and baptism for study.

• 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!

Comfort in little things by knowing God’s Word

March 29, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 1 Comment

We were gifted with the morning light as it cast these rainbow colors across our tile floor. As I pointed it out to my wife, I thought, how cool! Its presence then sent my mind down a pathway of thoughts to carry.

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 to be reminded to be humble and to 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 was 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 (God’s Promises)
Titus 1:2 (Eternal life promise)
Proverbs 8:17 (Love and seeking)
John 14:15 (love means keeping commandments)
James 4:8 (let God to draw near)
Romans 8:28 (of those who love Him)
Galatians 6:9 (always do good)
1 Peter 5:7 (Cast Anxieties on God)
Galatians 6:2 (Bear each other’s burdens)
1 John 2:15-17 (question your desires)
John 14:1-3 (A heavenly home)
Revelation 21:4 ( no more mourning, tears, or pain)
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (God of all Comfort)

God First!

SATAN IS THE EVIL ONE

March 28, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

– If you feel farther away from God today than you have in the past, the question becomes, WHO MOVED? HINT: it was NOT God.

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 ESV

It stands to reason that the opposite is also true if we move away from God.

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,” Romans 1:28 NASB

– If there is any evil in it, it is not from God

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” James 1:13 NASB
“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him, there is no darkness at all.” (1 JOHN 1:5 NASB)

– God is Love

“The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 JOHN 4:8 NASB)

– God is Good

“For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.” PSALMS 100:5 ESV

– All the Time

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” ISAIAH 5:20

Sometimes, we are tempted to blame God when our hearts are torn in anguish and pain. We struggle to reason why tragic things happen to good people, innocent children, loved ones, or maybe to ourselves. We might ask, why me? Why us? Why them? We may experience a tragic loss or have other life-altering events we don’t understand. Crime, Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Covid, Heart issues, Blood or Breathing issues, accidents, Lyme disease, to name only a few.

We want an explanation, we want to assign blame, but blaming God is misplaced.

As we see from the scriptures above, there is NO evil in God. There is, however, refuge, hope, and prayers answered. There is the possibility of eternal life in heaven for those who choose to become “In Christ” and keep His commandments according to God’s will, NOT our own.

“For He makes the sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45)

Satan is the evil one; take refuge in Jesus. When we move away from Jesus, we are moving closer to Satan; closer to forever tears.

Jesus is our only hope for eternal life, where there are no illnesses, pain, or tears. Where our souls will live with new bodies, and our hopes become reality forever in heaven with pure love.

Acts 2:38-41, 1 Peter 3:20-21, Colossians 2:11-13, Romans 6:4-5, John 3:5, Mark 16:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Titus 3:5, Matthew 28:19–20, Acts 10:48

God First!

When the pangs of life seem overwhelming

March 10, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

The pangs of life can seem overwhelming at times, if only for a few minutes. Our hearts may hurt and feel squeezed and empty, leaving us emotionally consumed and gasping for breath.

Our shield of faith may grow heavy in our arms and, during our human weakness, be carelessly lowered, allowing the darts of evil to strike and drift us into the shadows of a bleak despair.

However, even in these darkest of moments, with Christ, we can overcome.

We must reach out!

Reach out in prayer, reach out to our brothers and Sisters in Christ, spend time in God’s word, and meditate on all the countless reasons we trust in the Lord.

Scripture tells us the closer we draw to God, the closer he draws to us. If we keep God First in our lives, we have what we need to overcome even in our weakest moments.

Ephesians 6:16 (shield of faith)
1st Peter 5:7 (cast your burden on the Lord)
Galatians 6:2 (share with one another)
James 4:8 (as we draw closer to God, he draws closer to us)
Matthew 11:28-30 (I will give you rest)
Matthew 6:33 (Seek First)

God First!

Clarity is found in Jesus.

February 25, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Doing what’s right is not always the easiest thing to do, but it’s always the best thing to do.

If you’re not sure if something is right or wrong, you have your answer!

Choose wisely, and you avoid regrets.

“and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

God First!

Category: Heaven (Page 1 of 3)

Life Coach Recommendations

Carried by the Angels

Worldly Wealth Ends, Love Transcends

Love of Sports, Love of God

What can we give to God?

Wow, if only the Apostle Peter knew

Comfort in little things by knowing God’s Word

SATAN IS THE EVIL ONE

When the pangs of life seem overwhelming

Clarity is found in Jesus.

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