LifeLink Devotions for Friday, February 28, 2025

When God runs to us with forgiveness and acceptance, He grants us equal standing with all others who by faith have trusted Jesus for salvation. That’s a powerful truth revealed to us by the Apostle Peter.

2 Peter 1:1  “Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:”

Think about it. Isn’t this the same Peter who walked on water? Isn’t this the guy whom the resurrected Jesus told to take charge of the sheep? Yes it is! Sure he had his problems. He had to be rescued from the water as his faith grew weak. He denied the LORD three times. He made brash statements about his superior faith and commitment but had no follow through – at least not prior to the resurrection. And even in the early church age he had to be corrected by the Apostle Paul for his segregation from the Gentiles. Yet this was Peter, the one whom Jesus transformed from an arrogant self-exalting fisherman to a humble, Christ-exalting servant-leader of the church.

I am amazed that this man of God, a hero of the faith, can say to all of us that we have obtained a faith of equal standing with him. The same faith that God granted Peter to be His servant is the faith that we have to be servants of the LORD. WOW!

How is this possible? Because our standing before God is not based on anything in us, but on the righteousness of God that has been granted to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul said it this way in Second Corinthians 5:21 – “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” The righteousness of God gives every follower of Jesus Christ equal standing before God.

That’s hard to believe. We tend to envision our place before the throne of God being somewhere near the back of the crowd. Literally millions of people are much more “qualified” to be closer to the throne than we are. Their lives of perseverance under severe persecution, even to the point of death, gives them a huge advantage on throne room placement. Their consistency of faith in the face of financial loss, family crisis, and fear puts them way up the list of invited guests to be honored. Who are we to think that we would ever be able to stand next to Peter in the presence of Christ?

But wait – we are qualified! We have an equal standing with all the saints in glory. There is no single Bible hero or Christian who has ever lived that has more righteousness than we do. The same righteousness of God has been imputed to us ALL in Jesus Christ!

What an amazing thought. What a bondage-breaking truth that sets the prisoner free from the chains of approval and affirmation. We have obtained through our Savior Jesus Christ the same faith that brings the righteousness of God and grants us equal standing before the Father in heaven.

Let that truth sink in and set you free from the comparison game you’ve been playing. Let it release you from the chains of seeking affirmation and approval from people. Let it liberate you from the bondage of earning anything from God. You and I are completely and eternally accepted by the Father, and we will ALL stand right next to Jesus in the throne room, for we are all equal in His sight.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, February 27,2025

Has the sun ever not risen in the eastern sky? Since the days of Noah, have the rains that water the earth ever not fallen anywhere in the world? As surely as the sunrise and the spring rains can be expected, so can we expect the LORD to come to us. That’s what we are promised in the last part of Hosea 6:3 that we are currently studying.

“Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

The LORD’s coming will eventually affect us all. Working backwards from the end of all things, His final coming will bring ultimate and eternal judgment to all who reject Him. Prior to that He will come to rule the earth in His glorious Kingdom in which we His people will serve Him. Before that He will come to remove His Bride – the True Church – from the earth so He can prepare the world for His Kingdom reign. And prior to that – even now – He will come as the sunrise and the rain to those who press on to know Him.

No matter where you are or what you have done, if today you choose to turn your back on it all and press on to know the Lord, He will come to you. He will come as the sunrise at dawn, spreading light and warmth across your cold dark heart. He will come as the spring showers to water the dry and hardened soil of your heart so that the seeds of truth can be planted and grow to produce a harvest of righteousness. Because of the LORD’s great love and mercy, He will come to you.

The LORD will come to you if you break up the unproductive soil of your sinful heart and seek Him. “Break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD,  that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.” (Hosea 10:12)

The LORD will come to you with healing and refreshment to restore life to you. “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” (Malachi 4:2)  “He dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.” (2 Samuel 23:4)

If you ask Him to come, He will. “Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give you showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.” (Zech. 10:1)

The promise of the LORD Jesus is that He will not leave you alone as if you were fatherless. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” 

Right now the LORD will come to you. Even the smallest step of turning towards Him is rewarded with His coming. His eyes are watching for the repentant prodigal to return to Him, and when the LORD sees you turn from your sin and press on towards Him, He runs to you. He runs! He comes with arms of forgiveness extended to embrace you with acceptance. He will come to you. He died on the cross so that He could come to you. The debt of your sin has been paid so there is no longer any barrier to His coming. Turn to Him, and He will come to you. He will run to you! As the song lyrics say,

“Almighty God, The Great I Am, Immovable Rock, Omnipotent, Powerful, Awesome Lord. Victorious Warrior, Commanding King of Kings, Mighty Conqueror and the only time I ever saw him run, was when He ran to me, He took me in His arms, Held my head to His chest, Said “My son’s come home again!” Lifted my face, Wiped the tears from my eyes, With forgiveness in His voice He said, “Son, do you know I still love You?”

He caught me By surprise, when God ran…and He will run to you.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, February 26, 2025

This morning I am overwhelmed with this simple yet profound thought – I am privileged to know the LORD personally and intimately! My passion to press on to know is completely satisfied in the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD. As a result, I can choose to make that my constant priority.

Let’s review the progression of truth we find in Hosea 6:3.

Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

1. We press on – it is our passion, regardless of the pain it involves, to press on toward the prize of the high calling we have in Christ Jesus.
2. We press on to know – it is our privilege to be able to know. We have been created in the image of God with the ability to reason – to think rationally. Praise God for this privilege.
3. We press on to know the LORD – it is our priority to use the privilege of knowledge to know the Lord Jesus Christ intimately as Savior and LORD.

Many times privilege is taken for granted and ceases to be a priority. The value of privilege is diminished by our choices. The passion to pursue the fullness of the privilege is lost and replaced with what we think are more significant, meaningful, and rewarding objectives, usually based on nothing more than a deep need for immediate gratification. Oh how quickly we turn from the priority of our privilege to know the LORD to the priorities of life as we assign value to their importance.

Once there was nothing, followed by everything being spoken into existence by the voice of Almighty God. Beyond the limits of what we can see and know is the One True God of eternity, with no beginning and no end, no boundary or limitation, and with no need of anything outside of Himself for His sustenance. His knowledge is limitless, His power cannot be diminished with time or exertion, and His presence is not limited to time and space. His thoughts are beyond our thoughts, and His ways, plans, and purposes are beyond our understanding. He answers to no one, seeks the counsel of no one, and needs the approval of no one. He exists as One God in three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – each one fully and completely God in Himself, a mystery that is received by faith in the Word of all three and yet unexplainable in human understanding.

Yet – oh the glory of this thought – God has made Himself known to us and has invited us to know Him! How long has it been since we have basked in the splendor of that privilege? And if indeed we say we believe that He is all that He is defined to be in the Bible, then why is the privilege of knowing Him not our highest priority? Why have we replaced Him with things that are less than Him? Why do we press on to know more about financial freedom, job security, personal relationships, sports, politics, business, or any other secular and social pursuit when we have the privilege of pressing on to know the LORD of all those things? We are settling for less than our privilege permits.

We are living beneath our privilege. We have forsaken our first love. We have set as the priority of our lives the pursuit of this life rather than the eternal life we have been granted in Jesus Christ. We who were created in God’s image for God’s glory, sacrifice His glory for the temporal benefits of sin. Yet God, in His infinite grace and love has extended Himself to us in Jesus Christ, to reconcile our relationship and offer us restoration of intimacy. We have the privilege – how glorious this thought and yet how indescribable it is – we have the privilege of pressing on to know Him in a personal, intimate, and fulfilling relationship that provides all that we need for life and eternity.

My friends, I am writing in tears. My LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, God’s revelation of Himself to sinful mankind, was sent to earth to reconcile us to God through His own sacrifice for sin on the cross. He has guaranteed us permanent relationship with the Father through His resurrection from the dead. Yet we press on to know the world more than we press on to know Him. We have lost the passion of our privilege. May this not remain true any longer!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Let’s do a little mental exercise. Finish this sentence – I have an insatiable need to _____________.

I can only imagine some of the answers that are coming from all of you. Finish first. Make money. Be successful. Find love. Be known. That last one is the one I spend the most energy trying to resist. The answer that best describes me is know. For as long as I can remember I have had an insatiable need to know everything I can about everything that is relevant to my life.

As a child, I took things apart to see how they worked and to challenge myself to make them work again. I investigated everything I was told in order to understand the truth of it. I took classes in high school specifically to learn everything I could about electronics and how radios and televisions worked. I tore lawn mower and car engines apart to learn how they worked. Don’t leave anything broken lying around, because if I have time, I will attempt to fix it. I read instruction manuals. I read rules for games before playing them. I have an insatiable need to know.

However, that need to know is my biggest flaw in my spiritual life. Why? Because the need to know seems to get stuck in the intellectual mode most of the time rather than in the relational mode. That’s not healthy.

It is one thing to seek to know about God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but it is quite another thing to press on to know Him personally. The prophet Hosea says, “Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD.”

Those of us who get stuck in the intellectual mode have a serious problem, because that’s the Devil’s territory. The Apostle Paul reminded us of this in his letter to the church at Corinth when he said, “We know that all of us possess knowledge. This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1) Herein lies the contrast between pride and love – the intellectual versus the relational. People who know a lot about God tend to become judgmental and critical of others who don’t “measure up”. People who know God are filled with the nature of Christ – compassion, love, joy, and peace.

One night at 2:00 AM I woke up from an intense dream. I cannot tell you what it was about, but my whole body was on the verge of quivering with tension. It took me a long time to go back to sleep. During the first period of time I was awake I thought about how to get back to sleep. I searched my memory for tricks I had used in the past. Then I started trying to figure out how to solve many of the issues that were on my list of responsibilities. I figured that as long as I was awake I might as well put my mind to good use and fix some problems.

But oh how I wanted to sleep. Finally I realized that what was needed was some relational time with the Lord, so I started praying, not for solutions or answers but for intimacy with my Lord. I wanted to know His peace that passes all understanding. I wanted to know His love and His care for me. I pressed on to know Him, not to know what He could do for me or what I should do for Him. That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up at 5:30.

So as you try to figure out what your greatest need is, and what you will press on to achieve, think about this: an insatiable need to know the Lord relationally and personally will satisfy all of your other needs.

Press on to know the LORD!

Pastor John

Today’s Text:  Hosea 6:3 (ESV)  Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

True passion originated in the Bible. Our English word passion is the translation of the Greek word paskho, and is translated 39 times in the New Testament as suffering. That’s why the time of our Savior’s life between His arrest and His resurrection is called the passion of Christ.

So what does this mean for us today? Pressing on requires the courage to suffer for what one believes in. There is no true passion in a person’s life without the willingness to suffer as they press on to achieve what they believe in.

A rock-climber has a passion for reaching the top, which means they will suffer whatever physical pain and contortions of the body are necessary to accomplish it, all potentially based on a love for adrenaline and the belief that the meaning of life will be found in the view from the top.

A single mom has a passion to protect and raise her children in a safe environment, and will endure whatever financial and emotional suffering she must to see her children grow up strong and stable.

A football player has a passion to be the best at his position, and will endure whatever pain he must to recover from injury and play through pain to become the MVP of his league.

Passion always requires the courage to suffer for what one believes. It is the same in pressing on to know the Lord. We cannot claim to be passionate for Christ while living our lives in fear of rejection or retribution from the world. It is unreasonable to state that we are passionate for the Lord and press on to know Him through consistent prayer and Bible Study, using our busy schedules as an excuse. We dare not claim to be passionate for the souls of the lost while we hide our faith in public and seek to be accepted by our culture.

Passion always requires sacrifice. Passion always requires suffering. It is the nature of the word that originated with Christ, and is fulfilled in the context of Christ’s life in us. Pressing on to know Christ is our passion, because Christ’s passion was His love for us that He courageously expressed in His sacrifice for our sins. He suffered for us, so we who are His children willingly suffer for Him. He is our passion, and His passion becomes our life. We will press on to know Him no matter what it costs or how it hurts.

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, February 21, 2025

I have done some very foolish things in my life. Fortunately, none of them got me in serious trouble. But they could have. I remember one time in particular when I crashed a car because I was trying to show off. I ended up in the ditch with the car leaning against a tree. That was a costly mistake based on a foolish choice made spontaneously to try to impress people.

It bothers me how quickly we can move from reason to impulse, especially when the rewards of impulsive actions seem so appealing. But the Bible calls all such choices, foolish, and it calls the person making those choices a fool. That’s because wisdom rationally considers every choice in light of both immediate and future consequences. Impulse eliminates the consideration of the future.

Listen carefully to how King Solomon personifies folly as a seductive woman who cannot see beyond the immediate.

Proverbs 9:13-18  “The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house; she takes a seat on the highest places of the town, calling to those who pass by, who are going straight on their way, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.”

Here’s what Solomon warns us about the folly of impulsive behavior.

• Its temptation is loud and demands to be considered as valid.
• It offers immediate gratification without the need for knowledge of consequences.
• When followed, it reveals a person’s lack of common sense.
• The fool does not consider how others have failed and fallen from being foolish. Their pride tells them it can never happen to them.

My friends, as we draw to a close this study of the first nine chapters of Proverbs, which serve as an introduction to the individual bites of wisdom that follow, my prayer is that it has made you wiser and more alert to the deadly consequences of foolishness. I trust you have grown in your understanding of the value of following God’s wisdom, which is the foundation of all abundant life. I also believe that if God’s people, those born of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, would live wisely in this wicked world that more people would want what we have in Christ.

Control your impulses. Look beyond the pleasures of this world. Seek the wisdom of God and start where God tells you to start. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, February 20, 2025

I wonder how many people have died because of foolishness. It’s probably a lot.

One example from the Bible is a man named Abner. He was a military man who fought against David on behalf of King Saul. David had already been declared by God to be the future King of Israel, but Saul was fighting hard against God to keep his kingdom for himself.

In the middle of a battle, while fighting on the wrong side against David, Abner saw his defeat coming and fled. He was chased down by the brother of Joab, David’s commander-in-chief.

Abner killed his hunter, and as a result of his foolish choice to live outside of God’s purpose, he faced a foolish death himself. The story is in 2 Samuel chapter 3.

“Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother.”

Hebron was a city of refuge where Abner would have been safe. But he was lured outside of the city gate by Joab, who killed him to avenge his brother’s death. Abner’s foolish death is an illustration of what it is like to have life ended by foolish choices.

Adrian Rogers says, “Jesus is our city of refuge, and yet many great, discerning men are going to die like fools because they will die just outside the gate of the city of refuge.”

Our wisdom verse for today is from Proverbs 9, verses10 and11.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.”

Let me make one thing clear. This verse does not promise that God will make your life longer because you fear Him. What it says is this. “If you grow in wisdom that comes from knowing and fearing God, and apply His wisdom to your life, it will keep you from doing foolish things that get you killed.”

In the early church at Corinth, people were stepping outside of God’s wisdom and using the Lord’s Supper as a means of personal gratification. As a result, the Apostle Paul says, “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” (1 Corinthians 11:30) That seems harsh, yet God’s standard has always been that we either live life by faith in Him according to His wisdom or we will suffer death. Not just eternal death, but maybe even premature physical death.

We would be wise to consider our level of fear of the Lord. Fear that produces awe and wonder at His majesty. Then to let that awe inspire us to learn from Him and apply what we learn to how we live so that we can fulfill the days He has ordained for us. May God challenge you to do that and bless you with the fulfillment of His plan for you.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, February 19, 2025

My paternal grandfather was an excellent baseball player. He played in a semi-pro league in the Midwest before being called by God into full-time ministry. As a young boy I remember him playing catch with me in the yard and telling me stories of how he used to pitch. He taught me how to throw my first curve ball. I never became a pitcher, but all his training developed my arm strength which proved valuable when I played center field. His love for baseball and his willingness to instruct me gave me a love for the game and I played for many years.  

There’s another element in all of this I haven’t mentioned yet. I had to be a willing learner. He could not have helped me if I had believed I was already good enough and didn’t need his help. Every time I would throw a ball that wouldn’t curve he would come over to me and show me the proper hand and elbow position to get it right. If I had rejected his correction I might not ever have been able to do it. If my pride had scoffed at his accomplishments and skill I would have been left without any of the valuable wisdom he possessed.

Proud people don’t accept correction, even though they may know the need it. Their response to advice is usually to get angry and blame others for finding fault in them. They may go into a silent shell in an attempt to emotionally manipulate others into being the ones to apologize. They focus on how their pride has been hurt rather than how they can become better.

The book of Proverbs speaks a lot about such people. They are called scoffers: arrogant and boastful mockers who deride others to improve their own sense of worth. Here’s what King Solomon says in Proverbs 9:8-9.

“Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”

How do you respond to correction or advice? I loved my grandpa. I’m glad I listened to him. I didn’t always listen well to advice or correction, but remembering how he helped me and increased my learning is a valuable lesson for me today to never stop taking advice. Never stop listening to correction. Never stop learning. Never end the pursuit of wisdom. Never ever ever let pride be allowed to protect our self-worth, but humbly accept what others are saying as wisdom that will help us grow up into the fullness of the measure of Christ in all wisdom.

Pastor John

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4s3h5mRD6cLV6ScXw2LJZB?si=5SIH3-_pS2qyXui3E1Xj2A

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, February 18, 2025

When I was in sixth grade I found an old golf club in machine shed on the farm our family was visiting. It had a bamboo shaft and was called a Mashie. And it was left-handed, like me. I had seen golf on television and so I swung the club a few times, trying to imitate Sam Snead. I was hooked. I became convinced I wanted to be a golfer.

I knew we could never afford clubs or the green fees at the local course, but we lived north of town next to the church and there was a lot of space. I knew I could set up a small course with two or three holes, but what would I use for clubs. As I looked around the garage my ingenuity kicked in. There in the corner was a wooden croquet set. They were a little short, but they would be perfect. They even had their own pull cart. But every one of them had a flat end on both sides. If only one end was slanted.

I knew we still played that game and needed at least one end flat, but I figured both ends flat limited the mallet’s versatility. So, I took my dad’s power saber saw and cut off each one end of the four mallets at a different degree of slope to duplicate the loft of golf clubs. After smoothly sanding them, I was ready to test them.

They worked! I set up my holes and I was playing golf. I couldn’t wait to show my dad what I had done. You can imagine how that went.

Croquet mallets were not designed to be golf clubs. They may serve the purpose for a time, but they do not allow for the full development of golf skills. Plus, they become less effective at their original purpose because their balance is now goofy. The designer knew what He was doing when he applied the rules of physics to the creation of the croquet mallet needed to strike the ball correctly.

So it is with the world. The Designer knew what He was doing when He created the earth and everything in it. His infinite wisdom was used to design it all, and if we follow His wisdom it will be good for us. Listen to what King Solomon says inProverbs 8, verses 22 and 32.

“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old…And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways.”

The “me” in that verse is Wisdom. When God created the world He designed it all to reflect Who He is in all His infinite knowledge and power. Every day the sun would come up and then set again, so precisely that we set our clocks and calendars to it. Every star, planet, and moon held in perfect orbit with the exact amount of gravity and rotation. And that’s just a start. The wonder of the human body and the intricacies of the various systems required to keep it alive are beyond explanation. It is the wisdom of God that created and maintains it all.

So why do we think man has a better idea? Why do we try to reshape the original design to fit our desires? I think the best example of this is marriage. God’s wisdom built into all creation was that one man and one woman would join together and bear children, forming families that would continue to uphold and apply the wisdom of God. Yet today God’s wisdom has been sawn off in varying degrees in an attempt to fulfill an unintended purpose. What a slippery slope it has become.

My friends, if we want to be blessed by what God has given us, then we must use it all as He intended according to His wisdom. Otherwise we can never go back.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, February 17, 2025

Have you seen the text on the endlines of the NFL endzones that reads “STOP HATE”? While that sounds good and admirable when applied to certain situations, it is not feasible or Biblical to stop all hate. Stopping all hate requires us to accept all forms of activity and eliminate any standard of righteousness. Hate is not the problem. What we choose to do with hate and how we choose to act in hate is what we need to address.

We have forgotten that God hates. We have been so intent on making everyone believe that God is only love and accepts everyone and everything as good that we forget that God hates anything that is opposed to His righteousness.

Proverbs 6:16-19  “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”

God’s wisdom also tells us to hate what he hates. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:9 that we are to let love be genuine. Hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”  And in Revelation 2:6 Jesus commends the church at Ephesus for hating false teaching. “Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

From God’s perspective of absolute holiness and righteousness, everything that stands opposed to Him is to be hated. However, that does not mean we can hate the person who is trapped in unrighteous behavior. We must hate the sin that is causing their activity, but we must have God’s love towards the person who is trapped in it. I believe the reason for the “STOP HATE” slogan is because God’s people are not embracing those opposed to God and seeking to lead them to Jesus. It is our own activity of hate that stops people from seeing the love of God.

So take a moment and look at the list of seven things that God hates. It’s not a complete list of everything opposed to God but it is a good starting point. After reviewing the list, ask yourself two questions?

1. Are any of these things a consistent part of my life?
2. How am I responding to people who are guilty of these things?

As you purify your own heart before God, seek the abundance of His love that rescued you so it can flow out of you towards others that you tend to hate.

• haughty eyes,
• a lying tongue,
• hands that shed innocent blood,
• a heart that devises wicked plans,
• feet that make haste to run to evil,
• a false witness who breathes out lies,
• one who sows discord among brothers.

Pastor John