LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, October 3, 2019

One-hundred-thirty years after the resurrection of Jesus, a stoic philosopher named Marcus Aurelius came to power in Rome as emperor. He brought a degree of civility to the people, and allowed the citizens to speak freely without fear of retribution. It was a time of peace for the nation, and people began to thrive.

In less than three hundred years the nation would collapse. Much has been written about the fall of the Roman Empire, and many reasons are given, including one that blames Christianity. But in all humility, recognizing that I am not an historian, there is one thing that guarantees the collapse of all man’s efforts – pride.

When we attempt to create empires of any kind – from family to financial, from political to personal – and then maintain them according to our own standards, we have set ourselves up against the very nature and heart of Almighty God. Then, to seek to remove the potential consequences of our actions, we deny the existence of God. But it doesn’t change the outcome. Our pride will end in destruction.

Just look at the prophecy that is spoken by God through Isaiah to the nation of Babylon. Its ruler will join all the previous rulers of pompous political powers in the hopelessness of the grave. They will have to face the fact and admit the truth that their pride ended in destruction.

Isaiah 13:11 and 14:10-11  I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. They will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us. All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.”

The same is true in our personal lives. The things that we do for self will cause us to ultimately suffer. The things we do for the Savior bring us security. The treasures we build on earth will all be lost. The treasures we build in heaven are safe – eternally safe.

The key is to be humble, and submit to the will of God not the will of man. It all starts in our minds. The Apostle Paul said,

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. (Romans 12:1-2 New Living Translation)

If only the people of the Roman Empire had held on to this truth. They had the truth. They had Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome. They were also challenged by the words of their emperor, Marcus Aurelius, to be humble and guard their minds and thought life from pride. He wrote,

‎”You are what you think – not what you think you are…….Think as a man who acts, and act as a man who thinks. The most important things in life are the thoughts you choose to frame.”

So how’s your thought life? Maybe you think it’s irrelevant to your life. Maybe you have just accepted all the thoughts that speed across the back of your eyes as a part of the human experience. We must understand that according to God we are responsible for every thought. The Apostle Paul made it clear that we are responsible when he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write,

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

It is our pride that makes us pretentious and sets us up in opposition to God. We must take responsibility for our thoughts and bring them under the control of the Holy Spirit. When we do, we will be able to experience the perfect peace of God because we are living in the perfect will of God.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Years ago I heard a song on the radio that captivated my heart. It was sung by David Robertson. Here are the lyrics:

I hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind
and it’s closer now than it’s ever been

I can almost hear the trumpet as Gabriel sounds the chord
at the midnight cry we’ll be going home.

I look around me, I see prophecies fulfilled
the signs of the times they’re appearing everywhere

I can almost see the father as he says “Son go get my children”
at the midnight cry, the bride of Christ will rise.

When Jesus steps out on a cloud to call his children
the dead in Christ shall rise to meet him in the air

Then those that remain shall be quickly changed
at the midnight cry we’ll be going home.

The thought that at any time of any day now we who know Jesus will hear the sound of the trumpet of Jesus as He returns to the earth to take His children home to glory. Hallelujah! Let it be today!

Soon – very soon – we will hear the sound of a mighty army of saints and angels led by Jesus Christ himself as He calls us up to meet Him in the air. Then we will become a part of a mighty army that will one day return to earth – people from every land, nation, tribe, and tongue – and we will watch as Jesus conquers the world with His spoken Word. The Day of the LORD is coming, and those who know Jesus as Savior will be on the winning side of the war.

But wait. If you listen carefully you can already hear the sounds of God’s activity.

Isaiah 13:4-6, 9   Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war.   They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens—the LORD and the weapons of his wrath—to destroy the whole country.   Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty…See, the day of the LORD is coming—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.

In your heart you can already hear the trumpet of Jesus. You are already under the influence of a new song. You already march to a new drummer with a new beat. As followers of Jesus we are already listening to the trumpet of Jesus, just like my favorite old contemporary group the Imperials sang years ago…

I listen to the Trumpet of Jesus, while the world hears a different sound
I march to the drumbeat of God Almighty while the others just wander around
I’m a member of the Holy Ghost traveling band, we’re moving on up to a better land
I hear the voice of a Supernatural Singer like only those who know Him can

So march today to the drumbeat of God Almighty. You are a member of the Holy Ghost traveling band. And as you march…keep listening for the final trumpet call.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

 The first time it happened was 19 years ago. It took 32 years of trying to accomplish it for the first time. During that time I had tried over 4,000 times to do it and had never accomplished it. What a moment it was when I was successful for the first time.

Since that first time I tried over 1200 times to do it again. I remember the day I was successful. My son Josh was with me when it happened. What a thrill to watch from the tee box as that little white ball plopped into the hole. I shouted – loudly. People from adjoining holes shouted with me and raised their arms in a gesture of success and admiration. My son shouted. We high-fived. Two men from the next tee box came running over and peaked into the hole to verify what had happened. They wanted to be witnesses of a very special moment for any golfer.

I can’t remember how long Josh and I stood on that tee box yelling and jumping and raising our arms, but it was a long time. I will never forget that moment. I can’t wait until it happens again. I’ve come close several times, but I will keep trying because I love the pursuit of perfection and the feeling of accomplishment.

As I look at the plaque on the wall commemorating that event, I am feeling rather guilty. No, I didn’t lie or cheat. I’m feeling guilty because of the public display of emotion that I showed over a single golf shot and what that says about my life. I’m feeling guilty about the passionate pursuit of a “one” that seems to be more significant than the passionate pursuit of the “One.” I wonder if I stood cheering the golf shot with my arms raised longer than I had cheered my Lord and Savior with arms raised in church just hours earlier. I wondered if my enthusiasm for the things of God is still more evident than my excitement over a game of golf.

Then I came to this point of puzzlement – have I pursued the one lost soul with the Gospel of Christ as persistently as I have pursued the “one” on a scorecard? Think about this a moment. How many attempts have you made in the last 19 years to lead someone to faith in Jesus Christ? When did you stop trying? When did the church lose the enthusiasm of salvation and the persistence to witness no matter how long it takes to win even one? Why is worship in church so casual and non-expressive? Where are the shouts that attract people from adjoining properties? Where are the people running to be witnesses of what is happening? What has happened to us?

Isaiah 13:2  Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.

My friends, this is a serious matter for us. Every day God does incredible things in us and all around us. Where is the cheering? When I stood on the tee box, I didn’t stop to think for one minute how much attention I was drawing to myself. I didn’t care for an instant what other people were going to think of me. I exploded with enthusiasm over accomplishing something I was pursuing.

So why is it that in church we are so reserved in our worship of the King who saved us from eternal death and gave us the free, fully-paid-for gift of eternal life? Why is it that we so rarely celebrate the victory of seeing one person come to Christ for salvation? Why have we stopped carrying our spiritual golf clubs out into the world’s courses of life to pursue the elusive “one”?

I think it must have something to do with what we really love.

Pastor John