LifeLink Devotions

Friday, December 3, 2021

As you are reading this I am either preparing for surgery, in surgery, or recovering from surgery to repair the meniscus in my right knee. I appreciate your prayers as you read.

Do you remember the Bible passage that started this whole study on the behavior of mature Christians? Yes, this is a test. Do you remember? Did you take the Word of God into your heart and meditate on it? Have devotions become just an exercise in pleasing the pastor because you can say you read them or is it a true time of spiritual growth and development? I believe for most of you it is the latter, and that you do remember the passage from Ephesians 4 that goes like this:

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

As we have studied, we have grown. We have become more mature by being hearers and doers of the Word of God. We have taken on the personal responsibility of growth in the Lord. Growth is a choice for each of us.

1 Peter 2:2   “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation…”

2 Peter 3:18  “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

As we bring this particular study to a close, let’s focus on the progressive nature of our maturity. We have been given an indescribable gift – the gift of the indwelling presence and power of God Almighty in the Person of the Holy Spirit through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Savior. We have been spiritually born again, and in that context we are justified and sanctified – declared “not guilty” and made perfect forever. But our flesh is in conflict with our spirit. It is very important that you read Romans 8:1-14 as Paul describes this conflict:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you… Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation – but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.“

My main point for today is this – we are all a work in progress: a work that is able to be accomplished by the Spirit of God in us. He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Other than for purely selfish motives, there is no reason to remain in your sin and let it continue to control you. Bring it under the control of the Spirit of God and put it to death, and your mortal – your physical body – will have life.

Each of us is personally responsible for whether we live according to the standards of the flesh or the victory of the Spirit. Every day is an adventure in learning that. Every day is a part of the process of maturing and growing into Christ-likeness.  Make the most of this day. May it be said of your life as Paul said to the church a Thessalonica. “Your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.”

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions (Click Link for audio version)

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Today we come to the last in our series on the characteristics of a mature Christian. All of them have been significant, but the last two, taken along with today’s subject, are the true tests of one’s intimacy with Jesus Christ. We discovered over the last two days that God’s love is being perfected in us through all of the pressures and fires of life so that our lives reflect the brilliance and purity of His love through the forgiveness that we offer to others, just as we experience the fullness of God’s love through His forgiveness of our sin. But for that love to even be offered there had to be a sacrifice. Every act of true love is an act of sacrifice and giving.

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

1 John 4:10 “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 

John 10:17-18a “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.”

Paul says, “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” John says, “God loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice.” Jesus says, “I lay down my life.“

I believe with my whole heart that the degree to which a person sacrifices self for the sake of serving others, including enemies, is the single most significant measurement of spiritual maturity in the heart of God. God does not measure our value by our doctrinal position or by our ability to defend it. He does not measure our intimacy by the social and moral issues we stand for or against in society. He does not measure our effectiveness as His servants by the quantity or even quality of the work we do for Him in the church or other ministries. He measures our maturity by this one thing- sacrifice: do we consistently and willingly lay down our lives for the sake of others? 

Two of my favorite yet most challenging Bible verses are found in Romans 12:1-2, and they say, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Do you see the three characteristics of maturity we have been mentioning the last three days? There’s forgiveness. It’s right there in God’s mercy. There’s love in our spiritual act of worship. And there’s sacrifice in the offering of our bodies to live holy and pleasing lives to honor the One who forgave us.

My friends, I repeat what I said two days ago: the world will beat a path to our door and then beat down our door to come in and experience the wonder of God when we begin to fully live these three characteristics of spiritual maturity: love will generate sacrifice resulting in forgiveness. Be prepared for people to come near to you and ask you about the incredible hope that is in you. Be prepared to tell them what you have been showing them – that God so loved the world that He sacrificed His own Son Jesus so that we could be forgiven.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

In yesterday’s devotions we called forgiveness a multi-faceted gem. I like to think of that gem as a diamond, the world’s most precious of all gems. The formation of diamonds is a fascinating process. According to science, the carbon that makes diamonds comes from the melting of pre-existing rocks in the Earth’s upper mantle. There is an abundance of carbon atoms in the mantle. Temperature changes in the upper mantle forces the carbon atoms to go deeper where they melt and become new rock when the temperature reduces. If other conditions like pressure and chemistry are right then the carbon atoms in the melting crustal rock bond to build diamond crystals.

Diamonds are nothing more than carbon that was in the form of crusty rock that has been forced way down, melted by intense heat, put under excruciating pressure, and then pushed up toward the surface again. Once discovered, they have no visible relationship to the crusty rock they once were, yet their chemical foundation is the same. Instead of being all black and bumpy, they are crystal clear and able to be cut to a perfectly smooth finish.

Compare that to what happens in the growth process of a maturing Christian. At the moment of our salvation we were lavished upon with the love of God so that we became his children. God’s love forgave us and restored us. Love became the foundation, or the basic chemical compound of our existence. However, we looked and acted pretty crusty in those early days of our spiritual journeys. Pride interfered with God’s love in a variety of ways. But God knew how to bring out the brilliance of His love in us. He led us into situations where we would be forced to put self to death. He melted our selfish hearts so that they could be reformed in the image of His love. This process was excruciatingly painful and stressful, but it allowed the purity of love to finally be seen in us. Once visible, the Master Gemologist carefully plans and then cuts at just the right place so that the total beauty and brilliance of His love is visible to everyone.

Here’s what God’s Word says about the love of a mature Christian.

Ephesians 5:1-2a  “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us.”

1 John 3:1-2  “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

God’s magnificent love provides all that is necessary for the multi-faceted gem of forgiveness to be formed. By His love we are forgiven, made His children, and empowered to reflect that love to others. Each one of us is being exposed to the purifying fire and pressure of God’s discipline so that we will be able to love others as we are loved by God. Do not get discouraged with the process. Do not ask to be relieved from the pressure too soon. Let God complete His work in you. When He does, you will be the most precious of all the gems of humanity. You will be a child of God who reflects the love of God. The world will see it and will know that you are God’s.

Pastor John