LIFELINK DEVOTIONAL
Monday, April 13, 2020

Yesterday was amazing. The celebration of the resurrection was better than ever because for the first time in a month, Calvary joined together in a separated kind of way and had drive-in church. 35 cars with over 100 people honking their horns in a snow storm to celebrate Jesus Christ. I was extremely blessed.

I think what encouraged me the most was the two families who came with their newborn sons and celebrated their first church service in the car in a snowstorm. What a statement of their love for a Jesus, and their desire to start their child’s adventure of life by teaching them to follow Jesus.

Jesus is always calling people to follow Him. He called fishermen to do follow Him. He called tax collectors. He called those who had no notoriety. He called those who would eventually betray Him. Jesus is always calling people.

Next Sunday, we begin a sermon series on the Gospel of John. It will be a verse-by-verse study how we can know Jesus and follow Him. Each weekday, there will be a LIFELINK devotional to assist you in your study. Here’s the first few thoughts for you to consider.

John’s Gospel is significant because rather than being historical story-telling like Matthew, Mark, and Luke, his is a narrative of the heart of Jesus for people to follow Him.

So who was John? We know that he was one of the fishermen who followed Jesus. We also know that he was the disciple that Jesus loved. Not that he didn’t love all of them, but John and Jesus had a special bond that went beyond duty and activity. They had a relationship that thrived on emotional and spirituality intimacy. That’s why John was chosen to write the Gospel that best describes the heart of our Savior.

Relationships thrive when there is emotional and spiritual intimacy. Think about that in your own life. What qualifies someone to be your best friend? Is it duty? Activity? Or is it deep heart connections of understanding, compassion, forgiveness, and grace?

I think all of us long for relationships based on grace and truth. John declares grace and truth to be the most significant descriptions of Jesus when He was revealed to us.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

For today, reflect on your relationship with God your relationships with people. Are they defined by grace and truth? If not, what will you do to begin to develop the intimacy of deep relationships like that of Jesus and John, so that you can be known as a disciple Jesus loves?

Pastor John