LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

1 Peter 1:3-5 All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him.

An inheritance can be pretty exciting. I remember a story I was told by a woman who had been a widow for 18 years. Her husband had been a pastor.  She told us that when her husband died, she was left with only $2000 in the bank after his funeral. Her social security income would not cover her expenses. Then she received a phone call from a lawyer. One of her uncles had died, and he had not left a will. After going through probate, it was determined that she and several other relatives would receive equal shares of the estate. It was a large estate. She now lives in a beautiful assisted living facility in the Twin Cities. She is quite comfortable. God gave her an inheritance that supplied all her needs. Her faithful service in the ministry, where very little was assigned to retirement benefits, was rewarded.

Our faithful service in ministry to the King will also be rewarded with an incredible inheritance someday. We have been made joint heirs with Jesus of all that is in eternity. Imagine how much that is. If the city in which we will live has streets of gold, imagine what our mansions will be like. If the homes built for us to live in are paid for completely from the resources of glory, and we get an equal share of all those resources, imagine how much that is. Now before we get too carried away, we must be careful to not get overcome by self-centered theology. Our hope of reward is not to be our primary motivation for ministry. However, the knowledge of a reward is certainly a part of the gift of salvation that does motivate us. We have an inheritance coming, and it’s far more than any rich uncle could ever give us.

It’s not wrong to look ahead to the hope of glory and the priceless inheritance God has reserved for His children. In fact, it’s wrong not to. When we stop looking ahead we begin looking around. I love to look around when I’m driving. It drives my wife nuts. How many times has she had to verbally correct a steering error because the car is moving in the direction of my eyes?

The same is true of our spiritual lives. The more we look ahead, and keep our eyes fixed on the finish line of glory and the inheritance waiting for us there, the less time we will spend looking around at what the world offers as alternatives. Looking ahead keeps us fixed on our goal. Looking at the dead deer in the ditch just might lead to us becoming his decomposition buddy. It certainly puts us at risk.

No earthly substitute can be found for the inheritance that awaits us in glory. No retirement fund beats the eternal one. No earthly purchase can match your heavenly purpose.

The prophet Isaiah says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.”

The risk of taking our eyes off the final inheritance in heaven is that we will settle for mediocrity now. That’s what happened to the church at Laodicea.  Look at what Jesus says to them. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich.”  They were ineffective in ministry because they were invested in what the world could offer them.

The same will happen to us if we don’t keep investing in the eternal kingdom. Where your treasure is, that’s where your heart will be. Let’s start building bigger investments into our eternal inheritance. The stock we buy in God’s Kingdom will never crash.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

2 Corinthians 4:16  Therefore we do not lose heart…

My heart is heavy, but it remains healthy. The heaviness is being caused by a disease I see that is affecting vast numbers of people. It’s not a new disease, but just a new form of an old one. It is highly contagious, especially to those who have weakened immune systems. It’s unfortunate that the immune systems of so many are so weak.

The disease has taken on many forms through the years, so it has become increasingly difficult to diagnose. In its early stages it was generally diagnosed as liberalism. As the disease progressed and mutated it became identifiable by symptoms like legalism and permissiveness. I know those sound like conflicting symptoms, but that’s exactly why this disease has been so hard to specifically diagnose.

Other symptoms developed as time passed. The disease affected people’s ability to understand and accept truth as truth. It “opened their minds” to new definitions of what everyone used to call sin. In the church, it produced an overwhelming need for social acceptance, resulting in symptoms of emotionalism and secularism.

To appear to have healthy hearts, those affected by the disease have united with others in so-called “faith communities” based on socially accepted similarities. The premise of acceptance is that there is no need for distinguishing truth from error.  The disease has progressed by giving rise to social conscience at the expense of sound doctrine. The very truths of God’s nature and character have been rewritten to become acceptable and understandable to modern man. Only the characteristics of God that result in temporal benefit to mankind are emphasized. The disease has succeeded in its evil purpose – the destruction of the truth of God and the hardening of the heart of man.

There has always been a name for this disease. It is the same disease that split the angels of heaven. It is the same disease that separated man from God in the first place. It is the same disease that destroys the hearts of people today. The disease is called pride. Its single most recognizable symptom is self-centered living. It is deadly when left untreated. It is destroying churches that exist to please people. It is destroying people who think that God exists to satisfy them.

But there is a cure. And it is possible to restore one’s immune system and have a healthy heart. The cure is Jesus Christ, and the correction of the immune system is accomplished through commitment to the truth.  While the disease has progressed to a point of deep infiltration into the church, and can be labeled as pandemic, I believe it is possible to save individuals from its infectious consequences. It will require us to take a stand that will not be popular, but we are not seeking popularity. We will be persecuted for our stand, but our stand is based on truth that results in healthy hearts.

The Apostle Paul wrote about this disease way back in the first century when he sent a letter to his friends at the church in Corinth. These words help me to be resolved to stand strong with a healthy heart. I know they have strengthened my immune system so I can fight off the disease. I hope they do the same for you.

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body…

…Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, October 1, 2018

Samuel 17:4   Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was a giant of a man, measuring over nine feet tall!

Nine years ago, I met an inspirational family. It was their first visit to our church. I first saw them after they had already carried their son into the church in his specially designed wheel chair.

At the time I only knew a short version of the story as told to me by their friends who invited them to church. When their son was 22 months old, he had a heart attack from a birth defect, and he nearly died. His brain was starved for oxygen and has been permanently damaged. At the time, the doctors gave little hope that he would ever grow intellectually and that he would have almost no physical ability. He would probably never reach out and initiate a hug with his parents.

Yet to watch these parents was inspirational. He is their son, and they love him unconditionally. What inspired me most about them was their attitudes. They were not pouting in self-pity. They were not cowering in the corner of fear and doubt. They were being courageous. They were facing this giant of a problem head on.

Yet in the few moments I spent with them it was obvious that they were searching for spiritual meaning to it all. They needed hope that surpassed their abilities. They knew there was still something missing in their lives, and their previous spiritual backgrounds had not offered them any real answers. They were looking for the truth that would help them conquer their giants. That truth is found only by faith in Jesus Christ and in the absolute control of God to bring about His good and His glory for those who love Him.

Giants are constantly stepping out of the ranks of life and challenging us. They appear at the most inopportune times. They come from the most unsuspecting places. It’s a fact of life that nothing stays the same for very long. It’s also true that life moves in the direction of disaster and destruction, and unless we look at life with spiritual eyes we will only see giants too big to overcome.

That’s what the nation of Israel saw when they saw Goliath. This giant of a man stepped out of the ranks of ordinary army life and challenged the Israelite army. Their first and biggest mistake was to let the giant set the rules for combat. They let the giant control them. They were scared when they should have been strategizing for success. For forty days they would go out and line up to fight only to fall back in fearful retreat at the sight of the giant. They knew what they wanted to do, but they gave the giant permission to stand in their way. Giants do that to us all the time.

Then one day a young man named David came to the battle front. He was experienced with giants. He had faith in God that conquers the fear of giants. He had fought hand-to-hand combat with bears and lions and been victorious. He wondered how one man could stand in the way of God’s army. He laid aside all of man’s armor that had been given to him, and he stepped out with nothing but a sling and five smooth stones. Nothing, that is, but his faith in his great and mighty God. When the giant stood over him and verbally reduced him to nothing, David responded with the words of faith, not fear. He said, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”  Goliath moved forward. David ran to meet him. He slings a stone and slays the giant. There is no giant that can stand in defiance of God. They will all fall just as Goliath did.

We all have giants in our lives. They may not look like giants to others, but they are to us. Every giant is a test. You have two possible responses – fear or faith. You’re going to battle some violent opposition; you might be tempted to retreat. But keep in mind, God is with you.

You’ll face overwhelming odds; you’ll be incredibly outnumbered. Fear would be your natural inclination. But keep in mind, God is with you.

This fight may not be over in ten minutes or ten weeks; there may be no quick solution. If you think it’s taking too long, keep in mind, God is with you.

In the words of Moses, who challenged Joshua to lead the people into the land of giants, “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The LORD your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6)

The choice of how you respond to the giants in your life is yours. You can let the giant dictate the rules of engagement and hold power over you; or you can stand against the giant and overcome him with the Word of the Lord. Grappling with giants doesn’t sound like fun, nor is it easy when done in our own strength. But we never have to fight in our own strength. Don’t let the giant convince you that he is greater than God. Don’t give in to the giant’s demands. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God is with you!

We are more than conqueror’s through Him – Jesus Christ – who loves us!

Pastor John