LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Zephaniah 3:17   The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

My mind is flooded with words that start with the letter “s”. Obvious words relating to faith, like salvation, sacrifice, and sin. Less obvious words also appear, like solitude and security. But I wonder what words come to other people’s minds.  I can hear them now. Sex. Super Bowl. Selfish. Stupid.

Words that come to our mind are a good indicator of the priorities of our life. They are also an indicator of what we think about other people. Let me illustrate.

When unsaved people think about Christianity, what word do you think comes to their minds first – sin or salvation? I think that whichever word they think of is an indicator of what they hear us talking about the most. If the most frequent topic of our conversations with people is sin, then that’s what word will come to their mind when they think of Christians. The same is true for salvation. If we consistently talk about the joy of our salvation, then other people will think of salvation when they think of Christians.

That seems simple.

I’m saved!

Our God is mighty to save! He takes great delight in us. In the midst of any storm, He quiets us with his love. When He looks at us, He rejoices over us with singing. Let it be obvious in me all day and every day.

Simple. Saved. Singing. Sharing.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

1 Peter 3:15   “Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…”

Today’s word is RESPONSE.

Several years ago my wife and I led a Life Group at our church.  On one particular night, we watched the next to last session of the Truth Project, a video series that teaches a Biblical world view. The session focused on our jobs and how labor and work are designed by God for His glory, for our fulfillment, and for the benefit of serving others with a generous spirit. During his presentation, Dr. Dell Tackett said something that really hit me hard. In essence, this was it – If work and labor are to reflect the nature of God, then shouldn’t Christians be the most valued of all employees in the workplace? Why are employers not specifically seeking Christians to fill their vacant positions? Why are they not rejoicing when they find out they hired one?

That got me thinking about what most Christians believe about work. To many it is a necessary evil, and because of that they display attitudes that are less than Christ-like while they are in the workplace. But to God, work is an opportunity for us to present the secular world with a vision of God’s grace and love. People who see work as a part of God’s plan to reveal Himself to the world will have very different attitudes and responses to the hardships that we all endure at work and in society.

What kind of attitudes do you display when things don’t go your way? We may tend to avoid answering because it cuts too deeply into our hearts and forces us to face issues we may have kept buried for too long. But we must answer so we can learn how to respond to difficulties with the grace of God.  Whether you are an employer, employee, or customer, your life can reflect the grace, mercy, and compassion of Christ. Unfortunately, far too many Christians don’t look or act any differently than an unsaved person.

When we grumble and complain because things are tough, we are not looking at the finish line of faith, but at our immediate need for gratification and satisfaction. That’s PRIDE. When we speak poorly of other people and withdraw from them because we think they are doing something contrary to our preferences – that’s PRIDE. When we get gloomy and depressed about our finances, we cannot be standing on the promises of God but are standing on our own desires. That’s PRIDE.  When we participate in the negativity of conversations about our government, its officials, and the impact their decisions have on our lives, we are placing our hope in this world and not in Jesus Christ. That’s not just pride, it’s IDOLATRY.

Pride is idolatry. Think about it. We are to worship God alone as the one who provides us with position, purpose, and provision. He alone is the one who qualifies us and gives us value. Anyone or anything else, including self, that we allow to validate our lives is an idol. Pride is idolatry.

I know things are tough in life. But that’s the exact context into which the Holy Spirit inspires Peter to write today’s verse. But to fully appreciate it, you must read what comes before it. Peter is talking about tough times and how we as God’s people are to respond differently than the way the world responds. Here’s what he says – But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

How much tougher can it get than having to suffer for being right? But when we do, we do not respond as the world does – with fear. Why? Because we have set Christ on the throne of our hearts. We recognize Him as LORD, and we have surrendered to Him in faith. Our suffering becomes the proving grounds of our faith, and our proper response to the suffering is hope.

Here’s how the Apostle Paul says it in Romans 5 – Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

It is sad and embarrassing to see so many Christians – including me – respond to difficulties with hurtful words and shameful behavior. Pride shows up when the hope of glory should be evident.

We live in a most opportune day. It is a day in which the world is falling apart on many levels. It is a day in which we ourselves are suffering. It is a day in which our hope should shine because by grace we stand in the presence of Almighty God. When times get tough, we rejoice in the hope of glory because God will never disappoint us. If we respond with hope, then get ready – we will be asked to explain the hope that we have, and people will get to hear good news instead of grumbling.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, October 15, 2018

Psalm 131:2  “I have stilled and quieted my soul.”

 We follow up last Friday’s devotional on the presence of God with a further study of stillness. Today’s word is QUIET.

There is yet a deeper meaning to the idea of being still before God so that we may know Him. It is reflected in two passages of Scripture, one which we have above. On Friday it must be our priority to let down our guards and be still before the Lord that we may hear Him. But hearing Him is not enough. We must be doers of what we hear. That is the idea behind King David’s statement that he not only stilled His soul, but he also quieted his soul.

What’s the difference between being still and being quiet? To be still means to be able to listen. But the Hebrew word for quiet goes deeper. It means to not only be silent, but to make it permanent. It is used in a couple of places in Scripture to refer to the silence of the grave. In Psalm 131, David refers to the silence of the soul. By that he means this – when I am still before the Lord so that I may hear Him, I also need to put my own desires, wants, and needs (my soul) to death so that I may respond in obedience to what I hear.

It is the nature of our soul to be self-sufficient because of sin. Our natural tendency is to weigh all information on the scales of personal benefit and then make our decision. We even do that with what we hear from God. We are proud people, and pride is the enemy of quietness. Before David makes his statement about being still and quiet he says, “My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty.” (verse 1) He knows that pride is not the companion of obedience. It is not sufficient to be still and listen – that can be done in pride. Listening may be nothing more than courtesy without commitment.  We may already have made our minds up about what we will do with what we hear. At the least, we tend to reserve the right to obey until after we have heard all the information. We have been still, but we have not quieted our soul.

This brings a whole new level of understanding for me to the book of James in the New Testament. James says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”

James continues later by saying “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Our pride causes us to claim faith but not act upon it. We have not quieted our souls. We have not died to self so that we might live for Him who saved us. James says it boils down to surrender to God – to quiet our souls before Him. He says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Do you struggle with obedience? With sin? It may be because you have declared those things to be worthless and meaningless. You have chosen to believe the lie of Satan that those things have some value to you. You have chosen to believe that sin will benefit you in some way. You have heard God’s word, but you have chosen to weigh those words on a scale that lies. Satan has his thumb on the scales of your soul, and he will not release his grip until you submit to God by quieting your soul.

Put to death whatever is of the flesh, and choose now to obey whatever God says.

Be still and be quiet. Put your hope in the LORD, both now and forever. (Psalm 131:3)

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, October 12, 2018

Psalm 46:10  “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Today’s word is PRESENCE.

I feel overwhelmed. I’m sure I’m not the only one who does. Life just doesn’t let up. Even breaks from the routine turn into energy-sapping, brain-draining events. When we do something to relax, we aren’t really relaxing because we are doing something. We end up just as tired after recreation as we do after work. And if we just sit and do nothing, the guilt of inactivity wears out our emotions. I’m exhausted just writing about exhaustion, and that’s no exaggeration. Where’s my coffee? I need caffeine. I must keep going.

With my performance-based filters in place, even the Bible convinces me that I must keep going. Over and over I read in Proverbs about the consequences of being slothful. My very character is brought into question when I read verses like “One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.”  It is easy for me to jump to the conclusion that anything that isn’t work is ultimately destructive, when in reality the opposite is true.  In fact, the word slack in that verse is the exact same Hebrew word as “still” in today’s Scripture verse. Seems contradictory, doesn’t it. We’re wrong if we’re slackers but we can’t know God unless we take time to be still.

I want to challenge you to do something. It’s going to be hard for some of you. I’ll give you some information that will help you get started. I want you to read the first chapter of Ezekiel. Here’s what you will discover. Ezekiel has a vision of the glorious Presence of God. Allow me to make a practical life application of this powerful passage that declares the glory of God.

The four living creatures can represent you and me.  At first, they appear to be all-powerful and self-sufficient. They are imposing beings, just as we try to be. They have the faces of men, but also have the faces of a lion, an ox, and an eagle, representing authority, power, and vision. That’s pretty revealing of our own prideful nature, isn’t it? We claim to have all the authority, power, and vision we need to make life work. At the end of that paragraph you’ll find a verse that perfectly describes most of our lives – The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning. Work hard. Play hard. Die hard. That’s us.

The next thing you’ll see in the vision are the wheels. The wheels can represent our work and our culture. The wheels moved in conjunction with the creatures. In fact, it tells us that the spirit of the creatures was in the wheels. How true is that? We pour our entire being into what we do. When we move, everything moves with us. Our lives are wrapped up in our activity. We must keep the wheels turning. Moving wheels make lots of noise. Noise proves function. Function proves value. Movement proves worth. These are the lies we have been led to believe.

Then the truth is revealed. Read this carefully, starting in verse 24. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. (The Hebrew word for still and lowered is the same word used in Psalm 46:10.) Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

WOW! I don’t know about you, but that truth has powerfully affected me today. It’s time for me to let down my wings and quit flapping. When I do, I will hear the voice of God. I will realize that behind everything I do is His power. Behind everything I think I am and try to prove I am, God is the great I AM. Behind every turn of the wheels of life is His authority. Every direction I move is controlled by His vision.

Oh Lord, let me be still, and know that You are God. I choose to live life more quietly in your PRESENCE.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, October 11, 2018

I Samuel 15:24-26  Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’S command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD.” But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!”

The word for today is OPINION. Here’s a word riddle for you. An opinion is like an irrational onion, with layer after layer of randomness. Message me if you figured it out.

Opinions have always been dangerous. Yet today we live in a world where they are respected as truth. It’s a problem that has existed in the hearts of man since the beginning.

It was an opinion that caused the first sin. Eve was asked to make a judgment about the consequences of eating the fruit of a specific tree. She made her judgment based on misinformation. That is the basis for the definition of opinion. According to dictionary.com, an opinion is a belief or judgment that rest on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty. It is a personal view, attitude, or appraisal. Another dictionary I have says that an opinion is a belief not so strong as knowledge. In other words, opinions are not necessarily truth.

Eve got into trouble when she moved from standing on the truth to forming an opinion about the truth. That’s what makes opinions so dangerous – they are usually based on something other than absolute truth.

We form opinions because we have the capacity to think and reason. That thought process is tainted by our sin nature, which forces us, apart from Christ, to seek self-fulfillment. When not formed and based in truth, opinions are nothing more than our attempt to promote and enhance self. We form opinions based on what we think we need or on what makes us feel most comfortable. Our opinions can be motivated by the need for acceptance. That was the case in King Saul’s life in today’s Scripture reading. Our opinions are powerful and can be used to influence people for good or evil. But the bottom line is that unless they are continually regulated by God’s truth, they become dangerously selfish.

I don’t know about you, but I’m really tired of public opinion polls. I understand their perceived usefulness in providing public input so that our representative form of government is maintained. Where I have my problem is when public opinion is elevated to the place of truth, especially when it stands opposed to God’s truth. In politics, the majority rules. Not so in the Kingdom of God. And not so in the church.

Personal opinions and preferences continue to be a deadly weapon of Satan against the body of Christ. We live in a church culture that is the product of allowing personal opinions to be validated as truth. It seems that the basic truths of God’s Word have been supplanted by the need to be accepted. Opinions have become the message that tickles the ears of hearers who are offended by the truth. We teach and preach what is politically correct. Even when we do present truth we sugar coat it, so it comes across as opinion, because opinions are not offensive. We’ve been taught to tolerate opinions. Unfortunately, we no longer tolerate truth.

We must guard our hearts from allowing opinions and preferences to dictate our actions. Elevating opinion over truth causes us to become self-focused, and we cease to be effective at reaching others for Christ. I think we would be shocked if we would seriously reflect on the number of personal opinions we have allowed to govern our lives. We must return to building our lives, our attitudes, and our actions on truth rather than opinion.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any areas in your walk with Jesus where you have chosen personal preference rather than truth to guide you. Let Christ also show you how His church is being hurt by the promotion of opinion rather than truth. Be open to allowing Christ to show you how you may be a part of that church problem.

Then, choose to let your opinions be subject to the truth of Jesus Christ, and reject any opinions that aren’t. Let the layers of irrational randomness be peeled away, and let truth be the source of all you believe.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

In the late 1920s a newly married couple moved into the husband’s old family home. It was a clapboard house with a hall down the middle. In the ’30s they decided to tear down the old house and build another to be their home for the rest of their lives.

When the house was done, the wife was dismayed. Many of the materials of the old house were re-used in their new house. They used old facings and doors, and many other pieces of the finishing lumber. Everywhere my grandmother looked, she saw that old house—old doors that wouldn’t shut properly, crown molding split and riddled with nail holes, unfinished window trimming. It was a source of grief to her. All her life she longed for a new house.

Contrast that with one of my favorite television shows from a few years back called Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I remember the story of Alice Harris of South Central Los Angeles. ABC Network producers volunteered to demolish her house. In 2003, a flood had left the community activist and her family, who had no insurance, living in one bedroom. Worst of all, the waters had ruined a stash of Christmas toys Harris had collected for poor children. Harris said, “I figured no one was going to come to Watts and help us. No one had ever done that.”

But Extreme Makeover: Home Edition found her. Its bullhorn-wielding host, Ty Pennington, shipped Harris and her family off for a week’s vacation in Carlsbad, California, while over one hundred workers and neighbors tore her home down to the foundation and built a new, bigger one. They replaced the Christmas toys and donated appliances, mattresses, and landscaping to her flood-stricken neighbors. They even threw in a basketball court for the neighborhood kids.

On the one hand, we have a rebuilt home that used old materials, while on the other we have a rebuilt home that is completely new. One house represents religion’s attempts to restore mankind. One house represents God’s restoration plan. Religion attempts to put old materials into a new context. God destroys the old and makes ALL things new.

The extreme home makeovers on tv all had something in common: an outsider comes in with a plan. First, that outsider sees the possibilities you couldn’t see. Second, that outsider does what you couldn’t do. Third, that outsider pays for what you could not afford to pay.

With much more perfection, that’s what God did for us. Life – our house – was in shambles because of sin. No amount of renovation could make it livable for long. But God saw what was possible if all the old was removed. He sent Jesus to remove the building materials of sin, and they were destroyed in His body on the cross. Jesus was then raised completely and eternally new. The old was gone. The new had come.

All of that is possible in our lives right now. The old can be put to death by faith in Jesus Christ. Life can be completely and eternally new. But each one of us must do what every person on the tv show had to do – be willing to let the old be destroyed. When we agree to that, God makes us a new creation in Christ Jesus. No more longing for a new house based on reminders of the old one. Everything is forgiven and gone. Everything is new, and better than we could have ever imagined.

Go ahead – open the door.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Titus 3:4-5   But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Since doing a study on reconciliation recently, I have been overwhelmed with a new and powerful understanding of the spectacular gift of salvation. I feel like every day I’m on a treasure hunt, and that daily I’m going to uncover another chest full of gold coins and jewels. The deeper I dig, the more I discover. The simple truths take on greater significance with every discovery. The biggest problem is deciding what gem to share first. Imagine being up to your knees in a cave of treasure and then having to choose which piece to show first to an onlooker. That’s how I feel.

One starting place for me has always been the book of Nehemiah in the Bible. It’s the story of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem by a remnant of people, while most of the nation of Israel is being held in captivity in Persia. For me it is the spiritual allegory of rebuilding lives that are being held in captivity of sin. In the story we find all the elements of personal salvation depicted by national restoration. There’s confession of sin and repentance from sin. There’s forgiveness. There’s reconciliation. There’s restoration. But for me the most powerful and meaningful elements of the book show up after the walls are completed and the celebration of their salvation begins. The history of God’s people is reviewed, and in that time of reflection there is a huge emphasis placed on the mercy and grace of God. These two intertwined gifts of God to us are spectacular.

Very simply stated, mercy is “not enforcing deserved justice.”  Grace is “giving undeserved favor.” In other words, God’s mercy is expressed to us by not giving us the punishment that we deserve for our sins, and God’s grace grants us the underserved gift of eternal life. Mercy empties. Grace fills.

When Nehemiah gathered the people to celebrate the completion of the walls of the city, they had quite a worship service. We’re told in chapter 9 that they read from God’s Word for a fourth of the day. That’s three hours of Scripture reading. Then they spent three more hours in confession of sin and in worship. It was a six-hour worship service. Don’t worry, I won’t use that as my time pattern for Sunday. But what I will use is the pattern of God’s Word being the foundation of worship, and the celebration of God’s mercy and grace as the basis for our worship. As the history of the people is reviewed, there came to them a sudden and fearful realization of their guilt before a holy and righteous God. They became deeply aware of their hopeless condition of sin. They even remembered the judgments God had brought down upon them in the past because of their sin. Then we read these words of mercy –

But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them…

Four times in this chapter the mercy and grace of God are celebrated, culminating with this statement –

You are a gracious and merciful God.

I am at a loss to explain this any further. My mind is captivated by the glory of God’s mercy and grace. His mercy has emptied me of my guilt. Mercy withholds God’s judgment that I deserved. His grace has filled me with life. Grace grants God’s gift of eternal life that I could not earn. I am His child forever. I can come to Him boldly. When I come to Him I find constant mercy that overwhelms my sin with forgiveness. From Him I receive unending grace to carry me through any times of need.

My dear friends, please don’t pass this over lightly. Let the marvel of mercy and the grandeur of grace overwhelm you with worship. Let us celebrate the splendor of our salvation. There is no greater treasure.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, October 8, 2018

Romans 5:8   But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

But for the love of God, we would be lost forever in the consequences of our sin. But for the love of God, His justice would demand our separation from Him for all eternity. But for the love of God expressed in the giving of His Son as the sacrifice for our sin, we would suffer the wrath of God against who we are because of our sin nature. It is the fearful realization of sin in contrast to God’s holiness that makes His love most glorious.

We tend to not trust love. We doubt that anyone’s love can bring us back from the depths of our depravity and restore us to intimacy. We question the ability of people to truly forgive us if we are seen by them at our worst. What we reveal about ourselves is cautiously measured based on our expectations of acceptance. We fear taking full responsibility for our actions because we doubt that love will forgive. We have a shallow understanding of the love of God.

We miss out on two huge blessings of faith when we fail to fully comprehend the holiness of God, His hatred of sin, and the love He has for those deserving of His wrath.

First, we miss the blessing of unconditional forgiveness which allows us to experience the fullness of His love for us. If we place limits on confession, only admitting sin to the level of our perceived acceptance, then we miss the incredible gift of unconditional forgiveness and the full expression of God’s love to us. However, we can experience the love of God to the degree that Paul describes in Ephesians when he says, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” We will only know the fullness of God’s love if we first experience the awesomeness of His holiness and the fullness of our own sin.

Second, we miss out on the blessing of fully loving Him. Jesus taught this principle to a Pharisee named Simon. Here’s the story:

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

 “Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

As I consider the love of God, it helps me to begin to understand its fullness when I start with a proper view of God’s holiness and my sinfulness. I praise God for the faith He gave me to trust that at my very worst He would forgive me, accept me, and save me. Nothing needs to be hidden from Him. No measure of self-worth needs to be protected. My nature of sin has already qualified me to be the object of His wrath. The activities of sin are only the product of the nature that was mine from conception in my mother’s womb. Every attempt to defend our activities to maintain some level of self-respect and self-worth will fail to produce acceptance. The acceptance we are looking for is found only in absolute abject abasement before an awesome God, who forgives completely because He loves unconditionally. Once we reach that level of brokenness before Him, we will not only experience His great love for us, but we will be overwhelmed with overflowing love for Him.

Don’t be the one who seeks to be forgiven only a little, for you will be the one who loves only a little. Let us grow to be filled with the love of God that surpasses knowledge, filled with love to the measure of the fullness of the Father. Let’s get loaded with love.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, October 5, 2018

Titus 3:4-7  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

I was on a trip when I heard a story while listening to a Christian radio station. A woman caller to the station told a story of kindness. She had been praying for days that God would reveal Himself to her in a meaningful and undeniable way. That day, on her way to work, she noticed a tire on her car going flat. She stopped by the auto shop to have it repaired. When the mechanic came back with her keys he told her that there would be no charge. He said that he had gotten in her car to drive it into the shop and noticed that she was listening to a Christian radio station. He felt the Lord saying to him to pay for the tire repair himself, which he did. She was overwhelmed. God had revealed Himself to her at a time when she was starting to doubt Him even more. Just when she thought things were getting worse, God made Himself plain to her.

As Paul writes to his pastoral trainee named Titus, he tells him how bad things are for all of us. He says, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

In another place, writing to the people at Colossae he says, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.”

Can it get any worse? Our sin made us the enemy of God and completely alienated us from Him. Our sin put us in a position of deserving the wrath of God. But instead of revealing Himself to us in wrath, God chose to reveal Himself to us through kindness.

Here is the central theme of Christianity. When we were in a place of hopelessness because we were unable to do anything to change our condition, God determined to change our condition for us. When everything we were stood opposed to the holy nature of God, and we were by nature the objects of His wrath (Eph. 2:3), His mercy took over. He poured out His love on us through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ and has given us eternal life. We could do nothing to earn it. It was totally His kindness that conquered our condition.

When we talk to people about Jesus, this is the preferred starting point. It is the kindness and love of God that provides people with the opportunity for salvation. It is His mercy that saves. It is Christ’s example of love and kindness that is the foundation of our relationships. It is also the basis for our attitudes and actions towards our enemies.

The wisest man ever to live – King Solomon – knew well how to win people, especially enemies. He said, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.” Centuries later, in his letter to the church at Rome, after quoting this saying of Solomon, Paul said, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

In these words, and in the example of Christ, we find the foundation for the sharing of our faith – kindness. Acts of kindness to people will open their hearts to Christ. Our enemies need to see the love and kindness of God. It is His kindness that draws people to Himself, and His kindness has only one dispenser – YOU!

We have a strong tendency to be judgmental. We seem to take pleasure or find fulfillment in condemning the activities, behaviors, and even appearances of others. If God, who alone is holy and has every right to condemn, chooses to be kind, then shouldn’t we?

Read carefully these words from Paul in Romans 2. “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?”

Do you see it? It’s right there at the end. God’s kindness leads us to repentance. That is to be the basis for our ministry to others who need Christ. We are to be kind. Let the kindness and love of God show up in your life. People will get saved.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, October 4, 2018

1 Peter 1:6-9  So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are filled with a glorious, inexpressible joy. Your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

Life is tough. Bad things happen, even to good people. Tragedies abound. The economy goes up and down. Our jobs may be threatened. Our families are stressed. Friends have forsaken us. Words we have said have been used against us. Our cars break down. Our houses flood. Our health fails. This world is bound by the demands of corruption that were imposed upon it when the human race chose sin over the sacred. Everything deteriorates towards destruction. It’s no wonder so many people are unhappy.

Today’s Scripture passage is vital to understanding how to survive in such a world. Our word for today is JOY. How is it possible to be truly glad, as Peter says?

It starts with definitions that clarify the distinction between happiness and joy. Happiness is an emotion that responds to positive input. When things go right, we are happy. When things go bad, we are sad. By contrast, joy isn’t an emotion. Joy can produce emotion, but joy is not emotion. Joy is the product of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Savior. Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. Joy is permanent, and not contingent upon circumstances.

Have you ever experienced inexpressible joy? It happens to me quite often. You can tell when I’m experiencing it by the uncontrollable tears streaming down my face. It happens most often when I’m thinking, speaking, or looking at the subject of salvation. Several weeks ago, I broke down during a worship service while we were singing the song, “My Jesus, I love Thee.” I was overwhelmed with an inexpressible joy that caused my mouth to stop working and my eyes to start pumping. I was filled with the joy of my salvation.

That is the context of Peter’s challenge to be truly glad. Go back and read yesterday’s post if you need to review. We find permanent joy in the permanence of our salvation, even though we may experience unhappiness because of the problems with our circumstances.

Unhappiness is caused by our focus on the condition of our circumstances, rather than on the condition of our heart. Peter tells us it’s necessary to go through the trials and troubles of life, so that God can test and strengthen our faith. The trials are tests of trust. The tough times are portals to praise. We do not praise Him for the trouble, but we praise Him that the trouble doesn’t change our salvation, but only strengthens our faith. That’s where joy is found. That’s how to be truly glad!

The joy that you will experience when you begin to praise Him for your salvation is not even the fullness of joy. Peter says there is more wonderful joy ahead. Every trial brings greater joy, until one day all trials will be gone, and we will experience the fullness of joy in the presence of our Lord.

The next time a circumstance robs you of happiness, remember that in Christ nothing can steal your joy. It just takes a change of perspective. Rise above your clouds, and be thrilled with the glory of the Son. He has saved you, and you are His forever.

Culture may change but it can’t change your position in Christ. Circumstances can change but they can’t change your identity in Christ. Christ is your constant. Rejoice – and let the joy of your salvation become inexpressible.

Pastor John