LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, February 15, 2024

There’s an old saying that suddenly means something new to me in the light of today’s Scripture passage. The question was asked, “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Here’s how the Apostle Paul describes his evidence:

2 Corinthians 6:3-4 “We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way we act, and so no one can find fault with our ministry.  In everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God.” 

When the world looked at the way Paul lived, how could they tell he was a follower of Jesus? Without any detailed explanations, here is the list Paul gives us in verses  four through ten that can be the measuring stick of our own spiritual integrity as we live for Jesus in a lost world. Let each point convict you where it must and encourage you where it can.

1. Patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind, including beatings, jail, angry mobs, being over worked to exhaustion, enduring sleepless nights, and going without food. 
2. Prove yourselves by your purity, your understanding, your patience, your kindness, your sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Go back and slowly read each of those again and let each one sink in and have an impact on your spirit and mind.
3. Faithfully preach the truth. Be a consistent witness for Jesus Christ.
4. God’s power has been working in us. Can the people of the world see the power of God in how we live or do they just see a powerful person?
5. We have righteousness as our weapon. Knowing what is right and then doing what is right no matter what the outside influence is on our lives gives us the strength to both defend ourselves and to mount an attack against the evil of our day.
6. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are not people pleasers but instead we honor God by serving Him and serving people no matter what they think or say about us.
7. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are well known, but we are treated as unknown. We do not compromise for the sake of recognition.
8. We live close to death, but here we are, still alive. We have been beaten within an inch of our lives.The body may be bruised, but our spirit cannot be broken. We are alive from the inside out.
9. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy.We may be emotionally drained, but the joy of the Lord is our strength.
10. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything. The treasures of heaven outweigh the treasures of earth, and we are content.

Simply stated, the hardships of life are to become the evidence of our faith and trust in God. Take time to consider your evidence.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Wednesday, February 14, 2023

Philippians 1:9 “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more…”

2 John 1:6 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

There are a lot of joybells ringing today. Cards, gifts and flowers are being delivered to people all over the world as an expression of deep and sincere love. Everyone wants to have a valentine and to be a valentine to someone else. But the holiday for expressing love may be tainted by the motivation of the gift-giver. In the best-case scenario, the gifts are well thought out and have been planned for days or even weeks in advance. These gifts are the expression of true love that considers the other person first with no thought for the return benefit. The giver of the gift is stating clearly, “No matter what happens in life or regardless of your response, I will love you and give myself for you because you have captured my heart. Nothing in life can separate me from you.”

But other gifts are designed to elicit a certain response from the recipient, and in varying degrees are manipulative and self-serving. The giver has planned a gift that they know will be meaningful to the recipient, but the purpose of the gift is to have a reciprocation that makes them feel loved. In their mind they are saying, “I know this will make you express your love to me so that I can feel like a valentine to someone.”

And still others are scrambling to find that last minute card or gift in an attempt to avoid the appearance of not caring, when in fact the lack of planning to express love may reflect the self-centered nature of the gift. This person is saying to himself, “Oh no! I had better find something good to cover up for the reality that I didn’t care enough to plan this out. If I can find just the right thing, they will never have to know that other events in my life were more important than they were.”

Selfishness affects us all. But it has never affected God. His gift of love to us in the person of Jesus Christ was planned before the foundations of the world. Read with joy the following passage from the heart of God:

Ephesians 1:3-8 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love hepredestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

God gave His gift with no strings attached and no need for reciprocation. John 3:16 quotes Jesus when He says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  His gift was an expression of His heart and His unconditional love. Paul says in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  God gave the perfect Valentine – His Son – to die for our sins so that we might know what real love is. And now that we know, we are privileged to live in that love in relationship to others.

 So today when you give your cards, flowers, and gifts to the one you love, let it be an expression of God’s love – unselfish, undemanding, and with no need for reciprocity. Let your gift be an expression of your love and commitment to another person regardless of their response, and then let your love be lavished on that person in such a way that it honors God and demonstrates the reality of His love in your heart.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 

Years ago a very good friend of mine went through a terrible hardship in his family. His daughter was diagnosed with cancer at age 18. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions that lasted for several years with ongoing issues even today. Numerous surgeries were performed, each one giving them hope that it would be the last, and then their hopes would be dashed by more complications. They literally felt the sentence of death in their hearts. They knew what it was to be at the end of their rope. They translated Paul’s phrase in our Scripture passage today “we despaired even of life” into a two-word statement – “this sucks.”  Please forgive the crudeness of how that sounds, but it’s true. Sometimes life hurts so bad that we can only look at it in despair. We are under such pressure that it is beyond our ability to endure, and certainly beyond our capacity to resolve.

But this family did not stay in that condition. They relied on the grace and comfort of God. They learned that in the experience of death, even if only in their hearts, there is the experience of the resurrection power of God who raises the dead. The same God who raised Jesus from a death caused by the compounded effect of all mankind’s sin can raise us from the individual sentence of death we are experiencing. Human logic dictates this truth. If it has been proven that a man can lift 250 pounds over his head, then it is entirely logical to assume that he can lift one pound over his head. Since God was able to raise Jesus from the dead, and the death of Jesus was caused by the total weight of all mankind’s sin, then it is logical to believe that God can easily raise one sinner from the dead.

That’s exactly what my friend’s family believed. Against all human logic and hopelessness, they trusted God to be their strength and courage to endure the hardship. Today they are the living examples of hardship-constructed character. The daughter is now married to a wonderful man of God who stood by her during all the years of her battle with cancer. My friend and his wife have learned what it means to trust God every day, and to use every hardship as an opportunity to rely on the God who raises the dead. They illustrate today’s truth that hardship produces trust in God. Smooth sailing results in self-trust. Rough waters cause us to turn to the Master and let Him handle the storm.

So whatever you are going through right now, stop trying to control it. Stop trying to fix it. Stop trying to change it. Just look at it and in whatever words are appropriate for you tell God that you “feel the sentence of death.”  Then trust Him completely to handle the situation and bring about an outcome that honors His name. Then you will be able to say with Paul, “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.” (2 Cor. 1:10) 

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Monday, February 12, 2024

 Introductory note: Last Friday we completed a study of encouragement. The last passage of Scripture I wanted to use on that subject is also the first passage I want to use to introduce our next study. You can see how they are connected when you read today’s verses.

Hebrews 12:4-7 “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.  And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” 

If the average person who calls himself a Christian was asked how he knows he is a son of God, he would probably not come up with the answer described in today’s Bible verses. Granted, it is not the only answer, but it is a significant one. In addition to the more common responses like “I obey God’s commands” (1 John 5:2), “I love the brothers and sisters in Christ” (1 John 3:10), and “I hate sin” (1 John 5:18), we should also be able to say that we know we are a child of God because He disciplines us. It may not be the first response we think of, but it is the only response that I can find that has encouragement connected with it.

Hardship is a universal fact of life. Everyone suffers in one way or another – sometimes in more than one way at the same time. But if we are going to be encouraged by the words of God that describe suffering as discipline, then we must consider the nature of our suffering. Not all suffering is discipline, because not all suffering is a struggle against sin. Some suffering is the result of sin. I see very clearly here that there are two types of Christians. First, there are those who continually struggle with sin and suffer the consequences of their sin while seeking the forgiveness of their Father. They understand grace, but they don’t experience victory. The second type of Christian is the one who continually struggles against sin. He also suffers consequences, but they are not as a result of his sin but rather his stand against sin. His hardships are caused by a sinful society that persecutes him for his faith.

The author of Hebrews tells us that both types of Christians are experiencing the discipline of God. The Christian who sins is rebuked by God because God loves him as a son and wants his behavior to change. This is corrective discipline. The Christian who struggles against sin and then suffers for it is also being disciplined. It is not corrective discipline but rather constructive discipline. His character is being constructed to be the character of Christ. Both types of discipline are for our good, and we must submit to them. Later on in this passage in Hebrews we read “God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Consider the maturing process that should occur in all Christian’s lives. As a father and a grandfather, I would not be satisfied if my children and their children stayed at the level of needing corrective discipline. As they grow and mature, there should be less correction and more construction of character. A much higher level of intimacy is achieved between parent and child when construction of character is being accomplished.

That is to be the model for our Christian walk as well. As we grow in our faith, there should be less sin to struggle with and more strength to struggle against sin. Then we will experience the depth of intimacy with Christ that He said is possible. Then we will understand the fullness and abundance of life that He promised. Do not be satisfied with sin. Do not consider it a necessary reality of human existence. You do not have to live with the consequences of sinful choices. You can grow up into a Christian who struggles against sin rather than with sin. You will still have to endure hardships, but they will not be ridden with guilt and shame. Sinful choices bring sinful consequences and shameful experiences. Sacred choices may result in painful consequences which the world intends to shame us, but we have One who has given us a model to follow. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (emphasis mine).

Be encouraged. If you are sinning and suffering for it, God is disciplining you because you are His child so that you can grow up. If you are struggling against sin and suffering for it, God is disciplining you as His son to make you just like His Son. Do not grow weary of the discipline. Do not lose heart. You are being trained to share in the holiness of God. That’s good!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Friday, February 9, 2024

We all have days where we want to be left alone and just crash with no responsibilities. I am so thankful for today’s verse of Scripture because it tells us we are normal to feel unmotivated.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

Paul makes it clear that there are two aspects to encouragement from God that are equally important in our lives. First, there is the encouragement that comes from knowing that we are eternally His and that the hope of eternity is always at work in our lives. On most days this is sufficient to keep us going. With our eyes fixed on the finish line and the rewards of glory in the presence of Jesus Christ, we press on. The knowledge of the love of God and His gift of grace to us motivate us to live faithfully in His service. But then with an understanding of human nature and its emotional instability, Paul asks God to encourage our hearts for the everyday routine. Looking at the eternal does not eliminate the need to deal with the immediate, and God knew we would need daily help with the immediate.

The word translated encourage in these verses literally means to call near. It is the same basic word that Jesus uses to describe the Holy Spirit when He told the disciples that he would send them a Comforter. When I go to bed at night and want to fully relax, I pull the comforter on our bed up close to my face and snuggle in.  I love the feeling of contentment and security it produces. But comforters are only able to do that when we draw them near to us. Looking at one from across the room never accomplishes that.

When we came to Christ for salvation, He sent the Comforter to wrap us up with the contentment and security of our eternal relationship with God. But our daily routines draw us out from under the comforter. The promise of glory in heaven is folded neatly on the bottom of the bed when we head out to tackle the necessary obligations of the day. Every once in a while we may take a look at the Comforter, and we may even long for the end of the day when we can crawl back under it and snuggle up. Sometimes we may even do that in the middle of the day. But most of the time we just look at the comforter from across the room. But looking at eternity from across the room doesn’t make life better. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could carry the comforter around with us all day, like Linus’ security blanket, so that we felt safe all the time? That’s exactly what God knew we would need, and He did it for everyone of His children. God did more than simply wrap us up with the Comforter – He made it possible for us to have the Comforter with us every moment of every day. The Comforter actually indwells us and is constantly encouraging us in our everyday routine. The eternal hope of glory became our daily help for the grind. We are encouraged by His presence to carry out every good deed and word. God provides comfort, contentment, and security for the immediate while we wait for the eternal. We have been granted constant nearness to God. 

Today is not one of those unmotivated days anymore. It is one of God’s days. With my eyes fixed on the finish line, I run the race that is set before me because the Author and Finisher of my faith is running right with me. His presence is not just the reward at the end of the race; it is the reality during the race. So take your eyes off of the eternal for a moment, and look at the immediate. You’ll see Jesus there giving you comfort, encouragement, contentment, and security. Keep running. Jesus will give you the strength.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Thursday, February 8, 2024

How can we encourage a person who has just shared their hurts, disappointments, and discouragements with us? We could tell them about our own struggle with some of those same issues and how we got through it. We could give examples of other people who have survived. We could try and refocus their attention on some other area of life that is showing signs of success. Or we could just sit and listen and comfort them with our friendship and understanding. One response that probably doesn’t get used very much or even considered in such times of suffering is to talk about the imminent return of Jesus Christ to take us to heaven. I wonder how people would respond to us if after intimately sharing their hurts and pains with us we said, “I understand, but Jesus may come back today.”  

At the church in Thessalonica there was much discouragement. Paul had been able to spend only three weeks with these new Christians when he planted this church. He had not had sufficient time to adequately disciple them to stand against the trials that would come because of their new faith. The people of the church were being persecuted by their own countrymen, some even to the point of death. Paul needed to get them some basic information that would strengthen them and encourage them to remain true to the faith. In his letter to them he reminds them of the quality of their faith. He tells them how encouraged he is by the reports of their faith and works. He sent Timothy to them to encourage them, and Timothy returned with a great report of their growth and commitment. He tells them how well they have done at imitating the example of his own life of perseverance and productivity for Christ. And yet Paul knows that there is still one thing necessary to truly encourage them and keep them from letting the hurts and pains of everyday life drag them down into despair. They must keep their hearts and minds focused on the return of Jesus Christ to take them to glory or the world would quickly smother them. The imminent return of Jesus Christ to rescue us from this world of sin and suffering is the one thing that truly gives us hope and encouragement to press on. And after telling them about Christ’s return, Paul says this:

1 Thessalonians 4:18 “Therefore encourage each other with these words.”

When I was spending time with my mother before she died, I observed this hope in her life. Not a day went by that she didn’t look for the return of Jesus. She wanted Him to come back and take all of us to glory together. Even as her body weakened and the reality of the day of her death approached, she didn’t stop looking for Jesus to return. The knowledge that all of life’s losses would be totally obliterated by the gain of glory kept her smiling and at peace right to the end. She was encouraged by the promise that Jesus was coming for her, and she was looking for Him. She was not looking for man’s solutions to earth’s problems. She was looking for Jesus. She prayed for healing so that she might live longer on the earth, but she was content in knowing that the ultimate healing is to live forever in glory. One of the songs she used to sing was, “To be with Him will crown it all.” She not only sang it, she lived it.

Maybe you and I have spent too much time trying to encourage others by looking for man’s solutions to earth’s problems. I think it’s time we add some new responses to our vocabulary that can be shared with hurting people. But these responses will only be an encouragement to others if we truly believe them and live them ourselves. Here are some ways to encourage others with the hope of the imminent return of Jesus. I’m sure you will be able to think of more. Don’t let Satan convince you that they are shallow or unfeeling or insensitive or that they lack true understanding and compassion. They are the greatest words of hope anyone can hear. Use them to strengthen your own faith, and then use them to encourage others.

• It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.
• Because He lives we can face tomorrow.
• All this will seem so small when we see Jesus.
• Look at the present through the promise – Jesus is coming.
• And if Jesus comes back today why will this matter?

Let me close with the words of a great hymn written in 1955 by Jim Hill. Be encouraged by them and use them to encourage others.

“There is a coming day when no heartaches shall come-

No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye.

All is peace forever more on that happy golden shore.

What a day, glorious day that will be.

There’ll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,

No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there.

And forever I will be with the One who died for me.

What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,

And I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace.

When He takes me by His hand and leads me through the promised land,

What a day, glorious day that will be.”

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Some days it’s hard to get going. It’s easy to be convinced at the beginning of the day that the events of the day will produce a less than desirable end to the day. As a result of such emotional speculation, we struggle to even get started. “Why try?” becomes the predominant question that influences our decision-making process. We begin to wonder if anyone else has ever had to go through what we are currently experiencing, and if they did how did they survive and keep going. We start to believe that our situation is uniquely difficult and uniformly misunderstood by others. There is no one to whom we can relate or rely upon. We are alone to face the trouble, and no one seems to care. We might as well quit.

Sounds depressing, doesn’t it? But it is far too often true of our attitudes when times get tough.  Here’s a story that will help.

“One day I decided to quit. I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality. I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

“God”, I said. “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”

His answer surprised me. “Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”

“Yes”, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

“In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.”

He said, “In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit.”

He said, “Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant, but just six months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.”

He said to me, “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don’t compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come.”
 
God said to me, “You will rise high.”

“How high should I rise?” I asked.

“How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return.

“As high as it can?” I questioned.

“Yes.” He said, “Give me glory by rising as high as you can.”

Romans 15:4-6 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Somewhere in God’s Word is the example of someone who struggled as you are. The Bible is full of stories of God’s faithfulness to bring His glory out of human tragedy. Search them out. Study them. Let your knowledge of God’s character as seen in His activity in other people’s lives encourage you to trust God to raise you up above your circumstances. Others have done it – so can you. God himself will encourage you and give you endurance to press on. Don’t quit. Keep trying. God has a glorious result planned, and if you stop now, you’ll miss it. It may seem like your life is covered in dirt and you can’t see through it. But let me tell you what I see from out here on this side of the dirt. I see God warming the dirt with the Son. I see God watering the dirt with the Spirit. And wait, I think I see a sprout poking through the dirt. It looks a lot like the top of your head, and any moment now you’re eyes are going to see God’s plan. Rise up, and rise as high as you can for the glory of God. You’ve been given a strong root system grounded in the Word of God. Trust it and rise as high as you can.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Acts 11:22-23 “News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.”

The early church is in transition. God is moving the Jewish people out of their comfort zones by opening the door of the church to Gentiles. When the Apostles in Jerusalem heard that Greeks and Romans were getting saved, they sent Barnabas to the city of Antioch to check on what was happening. The choice of Barnabas was significant. The Apostles could have sent someone with more theological training to evaluate the truth of what was happening. They could have sent someone with more authority who could have put a stop to any non-Jewish activity. But they chose the man who was known as an encourager. This indicates that the Apostles were not closed-minded about the church but were already convinced that this was a move of God. They wanted to send someone who would encourage these new believers and who could motivate them to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.

When Barnabas arrived in Antioch he was overwhelmed with the evidence of the grace of God. He was thrilled to see that God’s grace for salvation was being offered to the Gentiles, and he was overjoyed that the Jews in Antioch were accepting the Gentiles as joint-heirs with Christ of all things in eternity. There was no racial discrimination or religious secularization taking place. All people who came to Christ for salvation were considered equals in the church. What a marvelous testimony to the grace of God when all racial, cultural, social, and religious issues are removed as barriers to true fellowship. When the people of God who have met Jesus Christ as their Savior truly love and accept one another as equal members of the body of Christ it is the full manifestation of the grace of God. Barnabas experienced that at Antioch, and he was glad and encouraged the people to keep it up.

I want to encourage you to keep it up as well. Church can be a marvelous place of grace, where people, no matter who they are, can meet God as they are, and begin a journey of growth that begins with acceptance by everyone else. The church of Jesus Christ is to be a place where grace abounds. When there are needs, reach out and help. When people are hurting or rejoicing, join with them in their pain or their celebrations. Simple things mean so much when they are done in the grace of God.

One morning I received an email from a family our church had helped in a time of need. It expresses perfectly the way that grace heals, and it encourages us to keep modeling it to anyone and everyone. I have permission from the family to share this information with you. I have removed the names so that God gets all the glory.

“Dear Pastor John,

“I was checking mail this morning and realized once again how much love was poured out on our family.  I did not believe there was a church that still practiced this kind of Grace.  I was so hurt when we came to you, but I have been persuaded that there is hope.  I want you to know that I have caught a glimpse of the risen Savior through the love and support of his people.  God has not abandoned us.  For a while that is what I believed.  My husband and I are slowly coming out of our safe place and learning to trust again, only because our place of safety has changed.  We no longer need to trust in ourselves, but we can again put our trust in the Lord and lean on His people.  It was all of you just being you, consistently.  Thank You.”

WOW! If you’ve been tempted to think that your time, energy, gifts, and words of encouragement have no impact, then go back and read the letter again. God healed two people’s hearts through gifts of grace. You are being an encouragement to someone else and they see the risen Christ in you. Keep it up! Stay true to the Lord with all your heart and continue to model His grace. People are noticing.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Monday, February 5, 2024

Acts 4:32 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”  

In contrast to the philosophy of most Americans today, this passage of Scripture stands out as one of the most incredible statements of commitment to the Lord in the entire Bible. The church of Jesus Christ is brand new. It is not popular. Its members are being persecuted. It would be acceptable in our minds for the people to go into hiding and protect what they have. It would be expedient for them to keep quiet about their faith and resume a traditional social lifestyle. After all, one’s personal faith should not become a point of contention with culture, should it? Why should what we believe about God interfere with our social and economic pursuits? Why would anyone ever intentionally put themselves at risk of persecution or poverty?

We have a powerful propensity for the pursuit of worldly prosperity. We may make contributions to a good cause, but only to the extent that it is affordable and doesn’t interfere with our personal economic goals. What a huge dissimilarity exists between our attitudes today and the actions of the early church. While we pursue economic security through investments, the early church sacrificed their possessions to meet the immediate needs of people. Now let me clarify – there is nothing wrong with being rich and secure, so long as we don’t put our trust in those riches to provide our security. Riches are a gift from God to be used for God’s purpose, not for self. We don’t have any indication that the people of the early church sold their only home or their only piece of land. In fact, the people who sold land and homes are described as having more than one. No one was asked to give up their only home. But those who had investments were not selfish with them and surrendered all of their value to the Lord when it became necessary so that God’s purpose could be accomplished.

It is in this context that we are introduced to a man named Joseph, who had been given a new name by the Apostles. They determined that there was a characteristic of this man’s life that was worthy of recognition, and they gave him a name that described who he was. They called him Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement. In him we see one of the ways in which we as Christ’s children are called to be an encouragement to others. Barnabas modeled for us how to encourage others by giving gifts to the Lord that will meet their needs. 

Barnabas was a part of a Christian community that understood and accepted God’s purpose for them – to boldly testify to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The early church believed that their number one priority was to tell the world about Jesus and not back down for any reason. All the believers were one in heart and mind about this. They knew their purpose and they determined to accomplish it at all cost.

That meant social rejection and persecution. Many lost their jobs. Many were financially insecure. But none were in need. Isn’t that incredible? There were no needy people among them. Every time a need was realized, someone who had plenty gave up what they had worked so hard to achieve so that the body of Christ could be cared for. Barnabas is singled out as the prime example of one of the people who used their resources in this way. I believe it’s because God wants us to realize what a ministry of encouragement this is. The first thing we need to know about encouragement is that it requires the availability of everything we own. If we are not willing to give up what we have for the sake of someone who has less, then our words of faith and encouragement are of no value.

Listen to what James the brother of Jesus says.  “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”  Listen also to what the Apostle John says. “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” God places the highest priority on putting faith and love into action by encouraging others who are in need with sacrificial gifts of our resources.

Encouraging others begins with putting people’s needs ahead of our own personal financial goals and security. That is only possible if we truly trust God and believe that He will provide all of our needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. Let’s pursue His purpose and use whatever we have for His glory, trusting Him to provide for all of our needs as He uses us to provide encouragement to others while we meet their needs. Maybe then the church will experience the power of God as it did in Acts, and we will see people saved from their sin and death.  

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions

Friday, February 2, 2024

Read Job 16:1-5 

Do you have a “Why” brain, a “How” brain, or a “Who” brain? I am naturally a “How” brain. Since I was a small boy, I wanted to know how things worked. I loved taking things apart and putting them back together, trying to use all the pieces with no leftovers. Until God called me into the ministry, I was planning on being a doctor. Knowing how things worked and using all the pieces would have been very important. I still ask lots of questions whenever I’m at the hospital. My mind has a deep desire to know how things happen.

Some of you are “Why” brains. Do not confuse yourselves with people who are “Why use the brain” people. You are people who need to know why things happen the way they do. You may not care so much about how something works, but you certainly want to know why it should work. You are the people that need to have a purpose for everything. While I may be satisfied to know that something could work, you want to know why we should even try to make it work. And when something bad happens, your brain goes into overtime trying to figure out why it happened.

When God tested the faith of Job by allowing Satan to destroy everything of value in his life, Job went through a time of serious contemplation of his life. Even though he made it clear that He trusted the character of God, he still had some serious questions about the activity of God. At a time when he needed encouragement, his four closest friends showed up to show him sympathy and bring him comfort. Their grief was so overwhelming that they sat in silence with Job for seven days before anyone spoke a word to him. Then, following words of despair from Job, the three friends speak. The first friend to speak is Eliphaz, and he has a “Why” brain. He is convinced that Job’s suffering is the result of his sin, because the innocent never perish. He thinks the best way to comfort Job is to help him figure out why all these things have happened.

Bildad speaks next, and he has a “How” brain. The first word out of his mouth is “how”. He wants Job to know how to fix the problem. His diagnosis results in the prognosis of repentance. If Job repented of his sin, his life would start working out right again.

The third friend to speak is Zophar, and he has a “Who” brain that has been warped by pride. He wants Job to focus on God’s nature and character, but he does it in a condescending and judgmental way. He actually tells Job that if he really understood the deeper things of God he would realize that his sin has made him deserving of more judgment than what he has actually received. Eliphaz, the “Why” brained one, jumps in at this point and agrees, telling Job another reason why this has all happened: “You don’t fear God enough.” 

It is at this point that Job stops his friends from talking and tells them that they are miserable comforters. Job is frustrated that in his time of deep need his friends can do nothing but accuse him of wrong. If they were in a similar situation Job would be able to do the same thing, but he says he would never do that. Job understands that when we are hurting and hopeless, we don’t need reasons and fixes, we need healing and hope. Job says he would make sure his words were encouraging and comforting so they would bring relief. Job admits to his friends that his hope is gone, and that his heart needs healing. It is obvious that his friends didn’t hear what he said, because Bildad responds to Job by saying, “Look, here’s how it works. God punishes the wicked, so you must be wicked.” Both of the other friends agree, and Job is left to defend himself as a righteous man who understands God, and he succumbs to pride and reviews all of the ways he is a good man. It is time for the youngest friend Elihu to speak.

Elihu rebukes the other three friends for being “How” and “Why” brained. He warns them not to presume they have God figured out. Then he rebukes Job for pridefully defending himself and not being humble before God. He then asserts God’s justice, extols God’s greatness, and proclaims God’s majesty. Elihu has a true “Who” brain. But before we praise him too highly, God speaks and puts even Elihu in his place by saying that no man can truly understand the mind of God. When God is done speaking, Job repents of his pride and his heart is healed and his hope is restored.

So what is the point of all of this? If you want to be a true encourager of others, learn to comfort them with words that direct their attention to who God is. Forget the how and the why and focus on the WHO! The knowledge of God is our greatest comfort. Don’t try to figure out causes and solutions to their trials. Instead assure them that God is with them no matter what their circumstance, and He never fails. Here’s what Job admits when all is said and done:

“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without  knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” (emphasis mine)

One purpose of God in our trials is so that we may see Him. When your friends need you, the best healing you can bring is the hope that comes from seeing God in all of His glory. Help them see Him. Become a person with a “who” brain and let the “who” be God!

Pastor John