LifeLink Devotions

Friday, September 23, 2022

After Philip Yancey and his wife reached their 25th wedding anniversary, he reflected on their experience:

“Before marriage, each by instinct strives to be what the other wants. The young woman desires to look sexy and takes up interest in sports. The young man notices plants and flowers and works at asking questions instead of just answering monosyllabically. After marriage, the process slows and somewhat reverses. Each insists on his or her rights. Each resists bending to the other’s will.

“After years, though, the process may subtly begin to reverse again. I sense a new willingness to bend back toward what the other wants—maturely, this time, not out of a desire to catch a mate but out of a desire to please a man who has shared a quarter-century of life. I grieve for those couples who give up before reaching this stage.”

Unfortunately, many couples do give up before they reach the stage of surrender and submission again. We generally call that the mid-life crisis. It’s that age where unfulfilled dreams and goals become over-exaggerated and attack our sense of worth. We feel slighted by the life we are living. Men begin to see greener grass on the other side of the fence. They become self-centered, which, if left unchecked, will lead to self-serving choices. Women may be tempted to engage with men who communicate, understand, and validate their dreams. Their perception quickly changes, and they begin to believe that submission will never accomplish any grand purpose in their lives, and that God has left them to fend for themselves.

I think today’s verses from Peter give us a key to understanding this. In his final statement about the true beauty of a woman, he gives a warning. I believe the whole discussion on the subject of submission hinges on this one point.

1 Peter 3:5-6   “For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.”

Peter says to be careful not to give way to fear. What kind of fear is he talking about?

To begin with, I do not believe he is talking about being afraid of another person. He is not advocating ignoring fear caused by potential or real physical harm from an abusive husband. In the context of his whole discussion on submission, it seems that Peter is referring to the fear that is self-generated by pride. It is the fear that stems from the false belief that self cannot and will not be fulfilled or satisfied by obedience to any other person. Fear like that is the product of distrust. Not distrust of people, but distrust of the promise of God. Distrust of God will lead to internal thoughts like “I’m not being satisfied,” or “He’s not meeting my needs,” or “When do I get to fulfill my dreams for life?”

Ladies, I’m not assuming that every husband is perfect, but if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, and your husband, saved or unsaved, is willing to live with you, support you, care for you, and love you, then the true beauty of Christ will be seen in you by trusting God to use your husband to fulfill you. Do not give way to the fear that God will not fulfill His promise to you. Do not let fear cause you to run from doing what is right and turn instead to self-fulfillment. Be patient, and trust God. Put your hope in Him, not in what you think the world will provide for you. There’s way too much self-gratification going on. There’s way too much denial that it is. Surrender to Christ. Submit to others. Be the servant of those God has put into your life and trust Him to exalt you.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Thursday, September 22, 2022

What am I going to wear tomorrow? I actually ask that question to myself every night. I usually get up much earlier than my wife, so I lay out my clothes in the bathroom the night before. The rationale I use to make the decisions are simple – what’s the weather going to be like and what am I going to comfortable in accomplishing my tasks. Very rarely do I ever consider how it will make me look or what others will think of me. I know what you’re thinking – maybe I should consider those last two things more often. Tough! It’s not going to happen.

On the other hand, the question of what to wear each day is a huge dilemma for some. I know for a fact that it’s a lot more serious decision for women than it is for men. Author Billie Hawks of Columbia, Missouri, shares some insights into solving this issue of true beauty.

“For most ladies this is a daily dilemma because we want to look our best. Some women consult the latest fashion magazines for hints on hairstyles, clothes and makeup. But, believe it or not, the Bible offers tips on fashions that never go out of style. Here are some of the requirements for the well-dressed Christian woman:

1. A gentle and quiet spirit  (1 Peter 3:3-4). This does not mean we must be silent or never speak our mind. It does mean that we should not be loud or boisterous, or call attention to ourselves by being bawdy or brazen.

2. Contentment (Heb. 13:5). We may not have a big, fancy house or the latest car, but we need to remember to count the blessings we do have and to be content with them. Nothing is less attractive than a jealous spirit.

3. A smile. This is a reflection of a joyous heart. Christians have every reason to be happy because we have hope above all hope (John 16:22). Why would others desire to serve Christ if they see us wearing pained expressions on our faces? Don’t forget that smile!

4. Inner peace (Rom. 5:1). God gives us strength and peace in facing whatever we encounter every day.

5. Confidence…not necessarily in ourselves so much as in Christ (Phil. 4:13). He is our strength and our refuge (Ps. 46:1-2).

6. Kindness. Before we act, react or speak we should always consider the feelings of the other person. How would you feel if you were in their shoes (Matt. 7:2)? Treat them kindly, gently, with compassion.

If you remember to wear these things daily you still may not make Blackwell’s Best Dressed List, but you will make Christ’s list. Which is more important to you?

Another famous author, Jill Briscoe, offers help in facing the tensions felt when we place an unnecessary emphasis on external beauty.

“One day I had a speaking engagement in Florida and I shared a table with three elegant young women. I felt fat, forty, and somewhat futile.

“Suddenly and unexpectedly God inquired of me, “Why do you think everyone is so tense?”

“Competition,” I replied with sudden understanding.

“I distinctly heard his next words: “Jill, you’ll never be competitive.”

‘For the first time I thanked God for my ordinary good looks. I could be a big sister to women, a friendly mother, an aunt. I could relax, knowing I would never threaten anyone. God had made me just right for my ministry of teaching women, and that was all that mattered.”

God has made us all “just right” for the purpose of serving Him. Stop spending so much time trying to improve on what He made. And stop letting your life be ruled by the law of the world which defines beauty as skin deep. God says beauty emanates from the heart.

1 Peter 3:3-4   “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

Speaking to all you ladies as a man, I can tell you that the beauty of your heart makes you beautiful in every way. Real men know that. Real men love that!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

I saw a cartoon in a Leadership Journal some time ago in which a preacher had prepared the pulpit area like a fortress. He was peering through the crack of a machine gun nest. The caption read, “Today my text is 1 Peter 3:1, ‘Wives submit to your husbands.’”

If you did your homework from yesterday and reviewed the principles we find in First Peter 1:3-4, you have a better understanding of what it means to be submissive. I’ll assume that’s true and step out from behind my fortress. I want you to notice today that the command to wives to be submissive to their husbands is not contingent upon whether they are saved. These are not special instructions to wives who have unbelieving husbands. They are to be the guidelines for all women. The admonition to be a Godly woman of purity and reverence is given to all wives. The instruction to be beautiful from the inside out and have a gentle and quiet spirit is given to all women. If the husband is not a follower of Christ, these qualities he sees in her wife will be his best chance to be won to Christ. If the husband is a believer, these qualities in his wife will bring him the greatest blessings in marriage.

I also want you to notice the distinction Peter makes between behavior and characteristics. He does not instruct women to act as if they have these qualities of Christ, but to actually be the living example of these attributes of their Lord. Behavior is not to be an act. Behavior is to be the product of a pure heart which reflects the nature of Christ.

Jill Briscoe, wife of Pastor Stuart Briscoe, relates this story about her married life:

“Stuart and I brought our families and religious heritages to our marriage. My father, a quiet, gentle man, considered himself head of his home: protector, defender, and provider. My mom was a sweet, Scottish- born Presbyterian. She believed in the sovereignty of God and her husband. My father adored my mother, put his considerable business assets into her name, and looked to her to raise the children. When my sister came of age, my father supported her when she became an excellent car mechanic and raced cars. Eventually she took her place at his side as partner in his successful car business.

“Stuart’s family was strict, conservative evangelical. His father was an elder in a small local assembly of believers, and he took seriously his responsibility to rule the household well. He considered himself the authority in his family, while his wife, a bright, articulate, efficient lady, considered herself in subjection to her husband in everything, carrying those convictions to her dress, her hair style, and silence in the presence of men at the church.

“Newly converted at a college in Cambridge and having just been introduced to Stuart’s family, I remember wondering greatly about this amazing mode of doing things. I sensed an unconscious frustration of unexplored desires and frustrated gifts in my mother-in-law. It was as if those gifts sat meekly inside her heart with eyes downcast and wearing a hat.

“In that moment as a new believer, I believe I stumbled on an important truth of what submission isn’t. Submission isn’t sitting down on the outside while you’re standing up on the inside.”

Submission is not an act. It is not an obligation. It is not simple obedience to a command. It is a reflection of the very nature of Christ within us. Jesus submitted to the will of the Father because He loved Him. He gave Himself up for us because He loved us and wanted what was best for us – forgiveness of sin. We do not truly reflect Jesus unless we are living lives of submission and surrender to Him. That, in turn, will cause us to submit and surrender to those we love so that their best might be accomplished.

Submission is never selfish. Check yourself on this in your marriage today. The issues and problems you may be facing are probably your own fault (sorry for the finger pointing) because your selfishness is showing. Let the quiet and gentle spirit of Christ captivate your heart, and surrender. It’s the guaranteed way to experience the fullness of love.

 Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

One of my favorite television shows when I was a kid was Lost In Space. The show was a space-age adaptation of the novel Swiss Family Robinson. It was about a family that was – you guessed it – lost in space. They had crashed on another planet that could sustain their lives, and no one knew where they were. The weekly adventures included contact with aliens and monsters of all types as they fought for survival.

One of the characters was a robot with no name. He was the constant companion of Will, the son of the captain. One recurring line from the robot keeps playing through my mind this morning. Whenever the robot sensed something was wrong, red lights would go off on his head and he would begin to flail his arms wildly and yell, “Danger, Danger!” As we begin the next chapter of our study in First Peter, I think the robot is yelling.

Submission is a dangerous subject. When taught in the context of beauty it becomes even scarier. So before we attempt to tackle it, I’m going to lay a necessary foundation for it, and then let you think about it until tomorrow so our hearts are prepared to hear God’s truth.

1 Peter 3:1-4  “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands, so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

Peter uses four extremely important words to introduce this subject of submission. He says, “in the same way.” In what way? As we look back into chapter two, we discover that he has been teaching submission for a while already. He has told all Christians to submit to the governmental authority under which they live. Then he told Christian employees to submit to their employers. Within both of those directives, he gives us some principles for how to be submissive. Here’s a quick review that is to become the foundation for his next teaching about submission within the context of marriage.

• Live as aliens and strangers to the world – 1 Peter 2:11
• Become famous for your good deeds and bring glory to God – 2:12
• Seek to be commended by others for doing good – 2:15
• Don’t use your freedom or rights to cover up for sin – 2:16
• Be a servant to others – 2:16
• Respect others – 2:17
• Love others – 2:17
• Honor authority – 2:17
• Be willing to suffer unjustly – 2:19
• Follow Christ’s example of suffering for a righteous cause – 2:21
• Never retaliate for insults – 2:23
• Never make threats – 2:23
• Trust God’s judgment and justice –  2:23

If we are going to understand Peter’s admonition to wives to submit to their husbands, we must understand these principles he has already taught, because he says to submit “in the same way.” So, what we all need to do today is take some time to review the list of submission principles above, and make sure we embrace them as God’s truth for our lives. Then tomorrow we will be able to make the application of those principles to our marriages.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Monday, September 19, 2022

We had friends in South Dakota that raised sheep. They quit because they were too hard to take care of. My best friend from high school also raised them and quit for the same reason. They would always jump or break through fences. They weren’t trainable. They had a rebellious and free spirit. They were very self-willed.

Sound familiar. Reminds me of a look in the mirror. But there’s a huge difference between someone who raises sheep and a shepherd. Mutton farmers simply grow sheep for slaughter with no real personal or consistent involvement with them. They pen them up, keep them fenced in, and feed them. They get disgruntled and discouraged by the work they demand when they escape their boundaries.

Shepherds, on the other hand, have the same ultimate goal – to raise sheep for slaughter. But they do so in a far different way. They live with their sheep. They invest their time in their sheep. They only pen them up at night for their own protection, not for his convenience. And they allow them to roam while they watch and care for them. If one gets out of line, he pursues it with the love of a father for a child. The sheep are the focus of his heart, and he would give his life to protect them.

1 Peter 2:25b   “…you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

Jesus called Himself a Shepherd in John 10 when he said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” This must be what Peter had in mind when he wrote about the death of Jesus making it possible for us to return to the Shepherd of our souls. How wonderful to know that Jesus is a Shepherd and not a mutton farmer.

Back in July of 1941, the men of Block 14 were digging gravel outside the Auschwitz concentration camp. Suddenly, the sirens began to shriek. There’d been an escape. That evening their fears were confirmed: he was from their block.

The next day, the block’s 600 men were forced to stand on the parade ground under the broiling sun. “At the day’s end,” wrote reporter Connie Lauerman, “the deputy commander, Fritsch, arrived in his crisply pressed uniform and shiny jackboots to announce the fate of the terrified men in dirty, striped prison suits. ‘The fugitive hasn’t been found,’ barked Fritsch. ‘In reprisal for your comrade’s escape, ten of you will die by starvation.’”

The men slated for starvation were selected. One of them, Franciszek Gajowniczek, a Polish army sergeant, was sobbing, “My wife and my children.”

Then a Polish Franciscan priest, Maximillian Kolbe, pushed his way to the front as S.S. guards sighted their rifles on his chest. “Herr Kommandant,” he said, “a request.”

“What do you want?” barked the commandant.

“I want to die in place of this prisoner,” pointing to Gajowniczek. “I’ve no wife and no children. Besides, I’m old and not good for anything.”

A stunned silence, and then “Request granted!”

What a gift! However, the voluntary gift of the life of our High Priest is beyond comparison with the gift of the Polish priest. Why? Because He rose from the dead to be our Shepherd and Overseer. He guarantees us life. The Polish priest’s gift was only for that day. Our Shepherd’s gift is for eternity. He is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls forever. Hallelujah!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, September 16, 2022

1 Peter 2:24-25  “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.“

Dr. J. H. Jowett was a powerful preacher from England. In 1911 he became the pastor of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York. Then, in 1917, he accepted the call to become the pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, succeeding the famous G. Campbell Morgan. While on the ship crossing the Atlantic back to England, an officer of his boat told him that they had just passed over the spot where the Titanic went down. He contemplated all that life and wreckage beyond the power of man to recover and redeem. He thought of the great bed of the deep sea, with all its held treasure, too far down for man to reach and restore. “Too far down!” Those words stuck in his mind.

This led him to think of all the human wreckage engulfed and sunk in oceanic depths of nameless sin. He found himself speaking out loud to the ship’s officer. “Too far gone! For what? Too far down! For what? Not too far down for the love of God! Listen to this: He descended into hell, and He will descend again if you are there. “If I make my bed in hell, thou art there” (Ps. 139:8). “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20). “He bore our sin” (1 Peter 2:24); then He got beneath it; down to it and beneath it; and there is no human wreckage lying in the ooze of the deepest sea of iniquity that His deep love cannot reach and redeem. What a Gospel! However far down, God’s love can get beneath it!“

Jesus has already been to the depths and depravity of man’s sin. “He who knew no sin became our sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) He suffered the totality of God’s wrath against our sin. He substituted Himself for us in death. Then, with shouts of victory on His lips, God raised Him from the dead so that we might be victorious over sin as well. By His wounds we have been healed!

Friend, you are not too far down for the Savior to find you. You are not too deep in your sin for Jesus to get under you and lift you out of it. You are not so overwhelmed with guilt that His grace cannot restore you. You are not so lost that the Shepherd cannot find you.

He is looking for you right now. His arms are extended. His reach is limitless. Don’t resist the tug you feel. It is the hand of the Lord lifting you to Eternal Life. Turn to Him and embrace Him. He will forgive your sins and accept you as His own.

 Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Thursday, September 15, 2022

One of my favorite newspaper comic strips is Frank and Ernest. One episode I remember shows Frank exiting a Stress Relief Class. As he approaches Ernest, he says, “We learn to take things as they come and not stress out.” Ernest responds with, “It’s an ‘Oh-Well-ness’ program.”

I believe it would benefit each of us to say “Oh well” a little more often. There’s far too much stress in our lives, and much of it is self-generated. In today’s Scripture, Peter points out to us one way in which we generate stress: we seem to suffer from a growing epidemic of “wrong-righting.”

1 Peter 2:20-23   “But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

Wrong-righting is the prideful pursuit of self-serving justice. It is our attempt to make sure everyone knows when we are right, and to fix it when they don’t. It’s pretty stressful having to defend oneself all the time. It’s overwhelming to take on the total responsibility for one’s own image. Wrong-righting stands opposed to Oh-Well-ness.

I suspect that our lives would be much more enjoyable if we weren’t constantly under pressure to prove ourselves. In Aesop’s fables, a traveler was entertaining some men in a tavern with an account of the wonders he had done abroad.

“I was once at Rhodes,” said he, “and the people of Rhodes, you know, are famous for jumping. Well, I completed a jump there that no other man could equal within a yard. That’s a fact, and if we were there I could bring you ten men who would prove it.”

“What need is there to go to Rhodes for witnesses?” asked one of his hearers. “Just imagine you are there now and show us your leap.”

Many who say they follow Christ have only their words to try to prove it. But true followers of Christ prove their commitment by walking in the steps of Jesus. They trust their lives, their reputations, and their image to the One who judges justly. They do not seek human justice. They wait patiently for God’s justice, and as they do, they know the life of Jesus will be revealed through patient endurance of suffering.

We have been called to such a commendable lifestyle. We have been granted the grace and the faith to graduate with honors from God’s Oh-Well-ness program. Bad stuff happens. Oh well. Friends accuse us of wrong-doing when we know we are innocent. Oh well. Bosses fire us for what someone else did. Oh well. Injustice invades our lives every day. Oh well.

Our natural tendency is to fight. Our flesh says fix it. Our pride demands protection of our reputation. Our faith says Oh well.

Instant stress relief. Someone else is responsible for the outcome. We have a great example of a perfect outcome – the resurrection of Jesus to glory. So forget the bad stuff. Forget your image. Don’t worry about your reputation. If you’re following in the steps of Jesus, it won’t matter what people say. And when all those people, whose opinion you’re so concerned about today, stand in front of Jesus to be judged, they’ll see you standing beside Jesus, and they’ll have to give glory to God because of how you lived your life.

Pastor John

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Shortly after I turned sixteen, I got a job at a local grocery store on the east side of St. Paul, Minnesota. I was hired originally as a bag boy. I worked hard, and went out of my way to do more than what was expected of me. I earned the respect of the storeowner, and before long, I had been promoted to stock boy. Shortly after that, I was put in charge of my own aisle. I was completely responsible for ordering and stocking breakfast cereal.

 Then came another move up the grocery ladder. I was transferred to the dairy department and made responsible for all the milk and cheese. By the time I was seventeen I was again promoted, this time to the meat department. I started out just cleaning up all the equipment, but before long, the meat manager recognized my desire to learn and the positive work ethic implanted in me by my parents, and he began teaching me how to cut up beef, pork, and chickens. Later that year we moved out of the city, but when I returned for college, I was immediately given my old job back.

 But everything about this job wasn’t always perfect. While I was in the dairy department, something happened that scared me a little, and made me mature a lot. I had gone down to the basement of the store where the cheese cooler was. I was doing inventory and ordering. I shut the door of the cooler behind me, not knowing that the latch had broken and there was no way to open the door from the inside. I was trapped inside a small walk-in cooler in the corner of the basement. It was 38 degrees and I had no jacket on. The cooler was very well insulated, which also made it soundproof. I was in that cooler for over an hour before someone finally came looking for me.

 When they found me, I was taken to the boss’s office. Even though the owner of the store had already promoted me three times for my proven work ethic, I was accused of sloughing off and finding ways to avoid work. I was docked two hours pay and given a written warning that went into my file. I did not fight. I did not defend myself. I submitted to the authority of my employer. I know I could have stood up for myself, but in all honesty, I wanted to honor God more than defend myself. Sounds a little weird for a teenager, but it’s true.

 Later that day I was called back into the boss’s office. I sat in front of his desk, and heard these words – “John, I’m sorry. I acted rashly. I went down to the basement and checked the door. It is broken. I was wrong to discipline you. Please forgive me. And thank you for the respect you have shown me as your boss.” The disciplinary letter was removed from my file, and my pay was restored.

 Two days later, I was honored with a new nickname around the store. The story of what had happened spread quickly. One of the men in the meat department shouted it out the first time as I walked past the meat counter. “Hi Preach!” I looked around to see if he might have been talking to someone else. There was no one else around. Soon everyone in the store was calling me Preach. I know I had spoken to some of them in the past about my faith. I know they all knew my dad was a pastor. But it wasn’t until my life modeled the humility of Christ that they said I was preaching.

 I’m sure that some of you are struggling with your employers right now. Some of your bosses are probably not very nice.  But rather than whine, complain, and let a bitter attitude invade your spirit, why not consider how your life can be commendable to God. 1 Peter 2:18-20   “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.” 

Keep serving faithfully. Let your life preach the truth of God’s grace as modeled by the submissive spirit of Christ. Your boss is watching. Let him see Jesus in you.

 Pastor John

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

FREEDOM! That single word elicits a variety of responses from people, most often defined by the current circumstances in which they live. The Bible talks a lot about freedom, and Peter challenges us today to understand God’s perspective on how to live in freedom.

1 Peter 2:16-17   “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.”

First, the freedom we have in Christ because of grace can never become a cover-up for evil. The Apostle Paul said it this way – What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (Romans 6:1-2). Freedom is the result of the removal of restraints. It is not, however, the disregard for discipline. Far too many people think that freedom releases them from responsibility, when in fact it carries the highest regard for responsibility.

Missionary author Elisabeth Elliot said it this way: “Freedom and discipline have come to be regarded as mutually exclusive, when in fact freedom is not at all the opposite, but the final reward, of discipline. It is to be bought with a high price, not merely claimed …. The [professional] skater and [race] horse are free to perform as they do only because they have been subjected to countless hours of grueling work, rigidly prescribed, faithfully carried out. Men are free to soar into space because they have willingly confined themselves in a tiny capsule designed and produced by highly trained scientists and craftsmen, have meticulously followed instructions and submitted themselves to rules which others defined.“

So, point number one is this – don’t use freedom as a means of accomplishing your own objectives and fulfilling your own desires. Use your freedom to responsibly serve the One who gave it to you.

Second, we must respect others in our culture and in our churches. Walls of disrespect have been built between races, genders, and socio-economic groups. Here’s a story that touches on one aspect of respect. It’s told by Raleigh Washington in a 1993 article in Moody Magazine entitled Breaking Down Walls. You will discover from reading the first line of the story that Mr. Washington is a black man.

“As a young teen, I worked summers for a white grocer. Albert Soud made me his unofficial butcher. One day a girl who lived with her single mom and four other kids in the apartment above us came into the store and asked for 25 cents-worth of baloney. The family was very poor, so I sliced about three times that much, wrapped it up, and wrote 25 cents on the package. When the girl took it to the cash register, Mr. Soud looked at the package and threw it on his own scale. He rolled his eyes at me, but said to the girl, “Twenty-five cents, please.”

“After we closed, Mr. Soud said, “Raleigh, I work hard to try to make ends meet, and you defrauded me. I believe you were trying to help that young lady, but you helped her at my expense. Next time you want to help somebody, ask me, and I’ll respond. But don’t steal from me.”

“Albert Soud was sensitive to the reason for my action, and unwilling to embarrass me in front of the girl. He’d talked to me with respect, like a father to his son. I developed a real love for that man.“

So point number two is this – good intentions don’t excuse disrespect for authority. It is in that context that Peter says “Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” Freedom and respect are inter-connected. Our freedoms are not our right to disrespect others. When freedom and respect are combined, they produce a servant, and according to God’s social system, being a servant is the greatest expression of freedom.

 Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Monday, September 12, 2022

1 Peter 2:13-15   “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.”

Peter issues a call to humility; to trust in the sovereign rule of God. It is an opportunity to let the world see the heart of Jesus in us. It will require sacrifice. It demands balance. Extremism has no place here. It can only be accomplished if we first understand our true citizenship.

As members of the family of God and devoted followers of Jesus Christ, we are first and foremost citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. That grace-bestowed citizenship must captivate us and dictate all responses to all other kingdoms. This causes great tension, because the Kingdom standard of love and grace so often conflicts with the application of righteousness and justice in a sinful world. But one thought helps me resolve this tension – our hope is in the return of the King, not in the return we get on our investments in other kingdoms. Our primary purpose as citizens of heaven is to recruit more citizens, not change the culture through political action. Jesus modeled that in His life on earth. We must live as He did.

Granted, I am concerned about the political condition of our country and other countries around the world. My heart breaks for the people who suffer under tyrannical and terroristic rule. My soul cries for the millions of people who are starving because government leaders are greedy. My soul weeps violently for the millions of babies who are murdered every year because of the selfishness, sexual immorality, and pride of people. Yet my heart also mourns over the death of the doctor who provided those abortion services. All human life is precious – even those who have no regard for it.

God’s heart is more deeply affected by these things than our own. He cares. He will act. He is in control. O Lord, give us peace based on our faith in your sovereignty. Give us patience based on our confidence in your righteousness. Give us hope based on your Word and its promises. Give us love for others – especially those who reject you and rebel against you – that will model to them the love that Jesus has for them.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer understood the balance between Christ-centered living and social action that should exist in the Christian’s life. He was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian. He was also a participant in the German Resistance movement against Nazism. His involvement in plans by members of the Abwehr (the German Military Intelligence Office) to assassinate Adolf Hitler resulted in his arrest in April 1943 and his subsequent execution by hanging in April 1945, shortly before the war’s end.

 Bonhoeffer stated that there are three possible ways in which the church, or individual Christians, can act toward the state:

1. It can ask the state whether its actions are legitimate and in accordance with its character as state, i.e. it can throw the state back on its responsibilities.
2. It can aid the victims of state action. The church has an unconditional obligation to the victims of any ordering of society, even if they do not belong to the Christian community. “Do good to all people.”
3. It can choose to not just bandage the victims under the wheel of government, but to jam a spoke in the wheel itself. Such action would be direct political action and is only possible and desirable when the church sees the state fail in its function of creating law and order and bringing about the good of God.

Unfortunately, many Christians jump to step #3 and do not model a humble, submissive, and servant heart towards their government. This is wrong. It is contrary to the commands of Scripture given to us by Jesus. “Give to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar, and give to God the things that belong to God.” Paul said “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. And Peter wrote, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men.”

Good citizens of heaven make good citizens on earth. Why? Because they understand submission and sacrifice. They know what love is and how to live it. They live the life of Christ by loving others more than self. They win the culture war by influencing culture with Christ. No matter how bad it gets out there in the world, love will always conquer a multitude of sins. Let your citizenship be identified by the love of God others see in you.

Pastor John