Tag: Obedience

Missing the mark so closely can have dramatic results.

October 24, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

One day, while cutting down a tree on our property, I ”missed the mark.” I missed it by a couple of inches, dropping the large dead tree in the opposite direction of my intention. My cut was slightly below the wedge I’d removed. I realized it when the tree clamped down on my chainsaw, and it became stuck in the tree. I shut it off and walked away with my brother. As we contemplated the next step, a branch fell from the tree. Shortly after, we watched as the whole tree slowly leaned and fell. The bar on my chainsaw then looked like a twisted metal pretzel.

It’s eye-opening to think about how “missing the mark” so closely changed the results so dramatically.

Thankfully, the result of that day’s mistake didn’t matter much, and nobody got hurt, but it sure reinforces the importance of “hitting the mark” when missing so closely can result in disaster.

It’s also important that we “hit the mark” in doing God’s will; being careless can have dire consequences.

In Matthew 7:21, Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

We really have no excuses for not doing the will of God according to God’s will, as we have the complete word of God (The Bible) readily available. However, scripture does not come by osmosis; We can only know scripture through study. It’s so important that we really can’t allow others to do it for us. We all need to understand Scripture as we are each responsible for working out our own salvation.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” Philippians 2:12 ESV.

See also: James 1:22; 2 Timothy 2:15; Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:24–27.

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Live as if you soul's eternity depends on your choices

Choices make a difference

October 12, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Deuteronomy 30:15–20

15 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;
16 in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.
17 But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,
18 I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it.
19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,
20 by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Joshua 24:14–15

14 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Matthew 7:13–14

13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

John 3:16–18

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Related passages (NASB1995)

Romans 10:9–10: “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Hebrews 2:3: “how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,”
Hebrews 3:12–15: “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, ‘Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.’”
2 Thessalonians 1:7–9: “and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,”

Love God. Love Others. The two greatest commandments God First!

God’s Greatest Commandments: Love Him First, Love Others Always

September 28, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Mark 12:29-33

Matthew records the same teaching this way: “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40). They do not erase the rest of God’s will. They show what every command is for: wholehearted love for God, and real love for people.

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Love your neighbor as yourself.

“Love your neighbor as yourself” assumes we already seek our own good; it does not teach self-worship but we cannot claim love for God while refusing to love others as ourselves. These are not mutually exclusive (1 John 4:20–21)

Jesus calls us to follow Him daily. He knows what is best for us. Luke 9:23 says that following Him means denying ourselves and taking up the cross daily. Are we drawing closer to Him in prayer and study? Or are we so occupied with everything else that we rarely think of our Savior, or even take time to pray?

Jesus does not treat love as a warm feeling we can have while ignoring what He said. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). He also gave a new command: love one another as He loved us—not only as we love ourselves (John 13:34; John 15:12–13).

That’s A LOT OF LOVE!

“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

In the above verse, James calls double-minded people to repent. Drawing near means turning from a split loyalty—not merely adding a brief prayer to a crowded day.

In Christ we can have the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, as we bring our requests to Him with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6–7). Prayer, however, is not a substitute for the Word. God’s Word cannot teach us if we leave it closed. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved… rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

2 Timothy 2:15
John 13:34
John 14:15
Mark 12:29-33
Matthew 22:40
Philippians 4:6–7
1 John 4:20–21
James 4:8
Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Leviticus 19:18; John 15:12-13; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14; 1 John 4:7-11, 19-21; Luke 9:23; Philippians 4:6-7;

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Not my will, but yours be done. Ultimate Control through love our salvation Follow Christ example - Love your enemy's

Exercising Control in the Face of Injustice

August 14, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Sometimes, controlling anger at injustice is a real challenge, and exercising control isn’t what we want; it can feel as if we’re choosing to absorb pain instead of doing something to stop it. The pain can feel unbearable at times, but with God, all things are possible, and it’s well worth staying the course and following Christ’s example.

Jesus exercised ultimate control; at any moment, Scripture says He could have called 12 legions of angels, and a Roman legion numbered about 6,000 men. The point is, Christ could have stopped absorbing all the pain He suffered, but he didn’t; Christ’s love for God and mankind was greater than every temptation to lose control or call it quits. Consumed with love, Jesus was determined to do His Father’s will; for this we should all be eternally grateful, for without His loving sacrifice we have no hope for eternal life in Heaven.

The trickle-down effect of Christ absorbing all that pain was our salvation. Jesus’s life, death, burial, and resurrection demonstrate God’s love for us. Every soul has the opportunity and promise of eternal life if we accept God’s grace with our obedient faith; Heaven becomes our home.

Jesus could have gotten angry and lashed out, as many of us might. He could have ended all of us at any moment, but instead, Jesus, being consumed with love and compassion, exercised ultimate control.

Jesus had experienced rejection before, and He knew what He was about to suffer was far beyond anything He had experienced. Knowing what was about to happen, Jesus was sweating blood on the Mount of Olives. He even prayed for a different solution, but if not, he wanted to submit to God’s will, not his own.

“And He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him. And when He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father if you are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” LUKE 22:39-44

Jesus submitted to God’s will, but instead of showing anger, He demonstrated love and restraint; Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. I admit this is difficult sometimes, but if it were not for our betterment, Jesus would not have told us to do so.

Also, remember what Jesus says in Romans 12:14-21 and trust Him.

Matthew 26:53 (12 legions of angels)
Matthew 19:26 (all things possible)
Luke 1:37 (nothing’s impossible)
Philippians 4:13 (Christ who strengthens me)
Matthew 5:39-44 (love your enemies)
Matthew 22:37-40 (Encompassing)
Romans 12:14-21 (I will repay, says the Lord)
1 Peter 2:21-23 (Christ’s not retaliating when reviled or suffering)
Isaiah 53:7 (the silent Suffering Servant who opened not His mouth)
Philippians 2:5-8 (Jesus humbling Himself, obedience even to death)
Hebrews 12:2 (enduring the cross for the joy set before Him)
John 15:13 (greatest love is laying down one’s life for friends)
Matthew 26:39 (praying “not as I will, but as You will”)
Romans 5:8 (God demonstrating His love while we were still sinners)

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No Exceptions Needed: Following Scripture to Heaven

August 7, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

I am certainly glad that our eternal salvation does not depend on others. Each individual chooses to live their lives in faith and obedience to God or not; the choices of others do not change my outcome. I heard the following story many years ago: A lady stated: “I don’t attend church services because there are hypocrites there.” Her friend then responded: “I would rather attend services with hypocrites than spend eternity with them.

According to Scripture, we are each responsible for working out our own salvation; no one can work it out for us. Others may share Christ with us, but it’s up to us to study and discern from Scripture if what they shared is truly by God’s authority; in other words, found in Scripture according to God’s word, because if we don’t, are we not putting our faith in that person’s teaching rather than God’s own Words?

We are all individuals, collectively seeking eternal life in heaven, and we need to pick up the Cross to follow Jesus as stated in Scripture. If we do so according to God’s Word, we don’t need to seek or hope for exceptions to His Word not found in Scripture to gain eternal life. Nope, we can know by simply doing His will; heaven is our home. Following the ideas of others over what is actually found in Scripture is dangerous, no matter how widely accepted.

“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:22-24

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” Philippians 2:12

Acts 17:11, Luke 9:23, Matthew 16:24, Romans 14:12, Galatians 6:5, 2 Timothy 2:15, James 1:22, John 14:15

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I believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

February 27, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Anybody who knows me should know that I believe in God and that the Bible is absolute, 100% God’s Word.

I believe Jesus is the son of God who lived a perfect life. Jesus allowed Himself to be sacrificed on the cross as it was the only way you and I could be redeemed, forgiven of our sins, and become eligible for eternal life in heaven with our creator.

We cannot EARN forgiveness of our sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us.

NO, we are told by scripture (Acts 2:38-42) that it’s through God’s Grace that salvation is offered, and with Great sacrifice.

Nonetheless, to ACCEPT God’s Grace, we must be obedient to God’s will, and the Bible tells us exactly how.

I did not come to these conclusions by osmosis, but rather through much study. I am a strong advocate of personal study of God’s Word and encourage all to set aside what others have told us and seek truth through self-study.

Scripture tells us we are to each work out our own salvation. (Philippians 2:12) Here is the Rub, we can’t do this without truthful knowledge. (2 Tim. 2:15)

This said, I love sharing God’s Word and the salvation God has extended to everyone through Jesus. Scripture instructs believers to share the love of Christ with the world, both boldly and lovingly, and to do so without adding to or taking away from God’s Holy Word.

GOD FORCES NO ONE TO LOVE HIM.

God has supplied us with thousands of years of history (reasons to believe) in 66 books of Scripture, that we may understand why we should want to believe in Him and follow Jesus.

Likewise, I do not verbally or in writing push my understanding on anyone, as all have the option to skip or ignore my post.

Still, instead of ignoring them, I hope you read and find yourself challenged enough to study God’s Word, as my intent is to share God’s Word according to His Word, not as mine, and why I typically include scripture for consideration.

* 1 Peter 4:8
* 1 Corinthians 16:14
* 1 John 1:7
* 1 John 3:1-24
* Matt. 26:27-28
* Romans 6:3-11
* John 15:13

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!

Tag: Obedience

Missing the mark so closely can have dramatic results.