LifeLink Devotions for Monday, March 31, 2025

Quick, what’s the shortest verse in the Bible?  Right! John 11:35 – Jesus Wept.

What’s the longest verse? You had to think a little more didn’t you. It’s Esther 8:9. I will let your curiosity be satisfied through personal investigation.

What’s the longest chapter in the Bible? Psalm 119.

We find pleasure in knowing Bible trivia. But I wonder how many of us really know the subject of the trivia. How many of the following questions could we answer from memory because we have truly studied and absorbed God’s Word?

• Where can we look to find encouragement when we are discouraged?
• Where can I look to get help for someone who is grieving?
• Where can I look to answer someone’s question about the existence of God?
• Where are the verses that reveal the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?
• Where can I turn to show someone the forgiveness that is available from God through Jesus Christ?
• What verses would I show someone to help them get saved?

I wish I had a better memory of God’s Word to help people in everyday life. We all want to, but life is so busy with so much stuff that we just don’t take the time to study the Bible for ourselves. We hope to go away from church on Sunday morning with one little nugget that we can remember and we hope our memory doesn’t fail when we need it. But very few of us really take the time to prepare for the mission to which God has called us.

Let’s compare it to our place of employment. Those with a good work ethic do everything they can to learn everything they can about their job so they can excel at it. Some people even take additional training and classes. Many do research on their own time so they can understand their job better. Good employees are familiar with the job manual and the company policy manual, so they know they are working within the prescribed guidelines. Great employees are both teachable and self-taught.

In the 119^th Psalm, the phrase “Teach me Thy statutes” occurs eight times. Followers of Jesus are to be constantly praying this to God. Those who have been called to the mission of Jesus Christ are to be passionate about knowing Him, knowing His commands, and knowing His policies and procedures so they can serve Him faithfully and effectively. It takes determination to study His Word. Read the Bible. Don’t start by reading a book about the Bible – READ THE BIBLE! Let the Holy Spirit be your teacher, not your pastor or some famous preacher. READ THE BIBLE. Study it. Memorize it. Hide it away in your heart as your own commitment to holy living and to helping others.

Do you remember the story of William Wilberforce? He was the British politician who pursued the abolishment of slavery. In the midst of a London political crisis, he wrote in his diary: “Walked from Hyde Park Comer, repeating the 119th Psalm in great comfort.” He had memorized the longest chapter in the Bible. British art critic John Ruskin said: “It is strange that of all the pieces of the Bible which my mother taught me, that which cost me most to learn, and which to my child’s mind was most repulsive, the 119th Psalm, has now become, of all, the most precious to me in its glorious passion for the law of God.”

Read the Bible. Study it. Hide it away in your heart. It is the instruction manual for God’s service. You have been called to an eternal mission. How are you preparing to serve faithfully and to the fullest capacity?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, March 28, 2025

“The itch of self-regard craves the scratch of self-approval.”

That opening line of adevotional by John Piper captured my attention. I kept reading.

“That is, if we are getting our pleasure from feeling self-sufficient, we will not be satisfied without others seeing and applauding our self-sufficiency.”

The fierce beast of approval needs to be dealt with. This beast attacks all of us, and under the direction of the enemy of our souls he knows the perfect time to seek to devour us. He stalks us waiting for those moments of rejection and conflict, resulting in doubt of our identity. Immediately he is right there to convince us we are correct in our assessment of our worth. He offers us a solution that is ultimately destructive, but we choose the lure of the immediate that disguises the destructive outcome. We choose to seek self-approval. 

The devotional continued.

“This is ironic. Self-sufficiency should free the proud person from the need to be made much of by others. That’s what “sufficient” means. But evidently there is a void in this so-called self-sufficiency.

“The self was never designed to satisfy itself or rely upon itself. It never can be sufficient. We are but in the image of God, not God himself. We are shadows and echoes. So there will always be an emptiness in the soul that struggles to be satisfied with the resources of self.

“This empty craving for the praise of others signals the failure of pride and the absence of faith in God’s ongoing grace. Jesus saw the terrible effect of this itch for human glory. He named it in John 5:44, “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” The answer is, you can’t. Itching for glory from other people makes faith impossible… if you are bent on getting the satisfaction of your itch from the scratch of others’ acclaim, you will turn away from Jesus.”

Here’s how I battle the beast.

• Colossians 1:11-14 “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,  giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
• Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
• 1 John 3:1 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

God’s Holy Word convinces me that I belong to Him through Jesus Christ my Lord. He has delivered me. He has redeemed me. He has qualified me. He has lavished love on me. I am His child. I need no other approval. I am zealous to do His work, and I am doing it for His glory not for my recognition.

Thank you Jesus for your grace.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, March 27, 2025

We all have needs. Daily my need for golf and fishing is increasing. But this morning the Lord helped me to understand my specific need right now by leading me to several verses that helped me re-focus my heart and mind on His purpose for my life and how to handle all the activity that surrounds me.

Psalm 34:18 — “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Psalm 46:1 — “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

James 4:8 — “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

Jeremiah 29:12-13 — “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Psalm 145:18 – “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

I tend to do life in my own strength, exhausting myself with a to-do list. I even ignore time with Jesus. I get more concerned about working for Him than resting in Him. I’m about to expose some flaws to you. When I choose to miss my time with Jesus, I begin to see people who request things from me as “pains” rather than “partners.” I begin to focus on the external negatives of their behavior rather than the humble condition of their heart. I form opinions about their motives. I begin to blame myself for not having more energy or more time to do what they want. I begin to believe the lie of the Enemy that I am not spiritual enough because I didn’t do everything they needed.

Then this morning I fell into the arms of Jesus and rested. He assured me that I was right where He needed me to be so that His grace could take over. He assured me that I am just one small piece of His body and that not everyone is called to be passionate about the same thing, except to love Him and love others. I knew I was not focused on love, but on labor, and He assured me that He wasn’t. He loves me. He will use me if I love Him. That’s all I need to know.

Charles Wesley wrote,

Be Thou, O Rock of Ages, nigh!
So shall each murmuring thought be gone;
And grief and fear and care shall fly,
As clouds before the mid-day sun.

Jesus spoke to me through a devotional I read this morning:

“Take courage. Often turn to the Lord, who is watching you, poor frail little being as you are, amid your labors and distractions. He enables you to bear your troubles patiently and gently, for love of Him who only allows you to be tried for your own good. Raise your heart continually to God, seek His aid, and let the foundation stone of your consolation be your happiness in being His. All trouble and annoyances will be comparatively unimportant while you know that you have such a Friend, such a Stay, such a Refuge.”

Let’s join together and replace labor with love.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Twelve years ago during severe blizzards in Japan, a father froze to death while sheltering his daughter. Mikio Okada died as he tried to protect his only child, Natsune, against winds of up to 68 miles per hour and temperatures that plunged as low as 21 degrees, making for windchills of 20 below zero.

Mr. Okada called his relatives to say that he was stranded and that he and Natsune would try to walk to their destination. But they were both found just 300 yards from the truck. Mr. Okada was reportedly found hunched over his daughter, cradling her in his arms and apparently using his body and a warehouse wall to provide shelter. He had taken off his jacket to give to the child. The young girl was taken to a hospital near their home where she was found to have no serious injuries.

That story illustrates several principles, not the least of which is that true love is sacrificial. The apostle John wrote, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

But the principle that sticks out to me today is this – God is able to save us if we will stay within His reach. No matter what our situation or circumstances, God has not moved away to become simply an observer from a distant vantage point. If there is an apparent distance between us and God it is because we have moved, not Him. His arm has not been shortened. His ears have not become dull so that He cannot hear our cries for help.

The problem is not with God, who never changes, but with us because we change all the time. We change our minds about whether or not we can trust God and His Word. We change our minds about whether we will obey Him or follow our own personal plan of performance. We make choices every day to love Him and then turn around and love ourselves more. But what we may not consider as we think about those choices is that every choice we make to leave God out of individual moments in our lives makes us responsible for the outcome of those choices.

Isaiah 59:1-2   “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”

God made a choice to love us and reach out to us in His Son Jesus Christ. His choice will never change. God also made a choice that those who reject Jesus will suffer severe consequences, not only in this life but in eternity. That choice will also never change. Our choices either bring us into the arms of Jesus for protection against all the storms of life, or they move us away from God’s protection and make us vulnerable to the storms of life.

God has put Himself between you and the storm of sin. He has offered to save you from the storm, not so much by wrapping you up but rather by filling you up with the eternal warmth of His love. His Holy Spirit, dwelling in all who have repented of their sin and have run into His arms for forgiveness, provides a constant fire of holiness within us. Never again do our hearts need to grow cold. Never again do we need to fear being out of reach of the arms of God. He is in us, and His love never changes.

If you feel distant from God today, it is not because He has moved – you have. Run to Him and discover that the fire of salvation is still blazing, and it will never be extinguished.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, March 25, 2025

One night I had the privilege of being the speaker at AWANA Council Time for the 3^rd through 5^th graders. I started by asking the students who they thought was my favorite Bible Character. I called on one of many children that had raised their hand and after hearing his response I clarified the question to state “Other than Jesus, who is my favorite Bible character.”

After two dozen incorrect guesses, I finally revealed the answer. The life of Jonathan, King Saul’s son and King David’s best friend, has always deeply touched my heart with its principles of friendship and love. Two of the three principles of a good friend I shared last night are still on my mind this morning.

As Saul’s son, Jonathan was next in line for the throne of Israel. He became a mighty warrior, but even in his military success he was learning an important principle of friendship and success – do your best without concern for who gets the credit.

 1 Samuel 13:3-4  “Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”  And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines…”

Jonathan had just won an incredible battle with only a few men, and yet his dad the King took all the credit.

Former United States President John F. Kennedy said, “There’s no limit to what a man can accomplish if he doesn’t care who gets the credit.” Too many friendships are ruined by a self-exalting competitive spirit that seeks honor and recognition for everything done. This was not Jonathan’s way, as we will see.

Through the course of his reign, Saul became disobedient to God and his Kingdom was taken from him. Without Saul’s knowledge, David was anointed as the next King of Israel.

Then came the day of David’s victory over Goliath, the Philistine warrior. After the battle, Saul took David into his household and made him his chief warrior. David was unprepared for being a military leader, but God had ordained a plan. When Saul was finished talking to David, the Bible says that “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

This is utterly amazing. Jonathan had every right to be angry with his father for messing up his future. His chance to be King was gone. GONE!  And now, standing in front of him, was the young man who would be king; the one who would get all the honor and recognition that could have been his. OUCH!

Yet notice the Spirit of God in Jonathan’s heart. He chooses to love David rather than hate him. He chooses to put action to his love and he “stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.” (1 Samuel 18:4-5). David took the very position that Jonathan had held, and Jonathan helped him get it.

Jonathan showed no anger toward the person who took his job and his title. Instead, Jonathan came alongside David and assisted his success. That’s what true friends do.

After I was done speaking to the students the AWANA Commander came forward to give the students the evening’s results of the ongoing missionary offering contest. One of the teams had taken a huge lead over the other. He asked the team that was behind to cheer for the team that was ahead. The response was not good. I actually heard booing. I guess I need to tell the story over again. But before I do, I’d better make sure I’m cheering others who are getting ahead of me, especially those times when I think I deserve to get ahead.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, March 24, 2025

There is a word that has been freely running around in my brain for the last week or so when I read these verses in Psalm 51. “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”  

I have used the word that came to me in prayer because it gives me a word picture that I need. I am certain that when you first read this word you will react in some way. The word may capture your mind as it has mine, or you may reject it because you may think it is in bad taste. It all depends on what you think it means and what it reminds you of.

The word has multiple meanings. It can mean “a sudden rush of intense emotion.” It can also mean “a reddening of the face or skin.” The word is used to describe things that have become even or square with one another. In slalom skiing it is “a consecutive series of vertical gates.” In the medical field it is used to describe procedures intended to cleanse wounds and clean debris. In the military and in hunting it is used to describe an action that chases the enemy or the wild game out of hiding. The word is used in card games to describe a certain winning hand. And in the bathroom, it is the action of using water to eliminate waste and replace it with clean water.

FLUSH.

Lord Jesus, I surrender my will to yours so that it is flush with your purpose.

Lord Jesus, grant to me in moments of quietness and prayer a flush of your presence.

Lord Jesus, cleanse the wounds of my heart with the Living Water so that there is no debris hindering the fullness of the Holy Spirit in me.

Lord Jesus, flush the enemies of righteousness from hiding in my life that they may be exposed and taken captive by truth.

Lord Jesus, flush from my mind all thoughts that you declare to be waste.

Lord Jesus, may every step I take pass only through the flush you have prepared for me to direct me on the slopes of life.

FLUSH.

Now it’s in your head too, isn’t it?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, March 21, 2025

He tried it all. He spent his entire lifetime pursuing everything that life has to offer in an attempt to discover the purpose for human existence. Years were spent building a name for himself and acquiring everything one man could ever want or need. He was wealthy beyond imagination and wise beyond belief. He indulged himself in every known pleasure and passion. Yet in the end, Solomon concluded this inEcclesiastes 12:13.

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

As I contemplated that verse and its application to the priorities of my life, I discovered an important truth. My life is not to be a pie chart with every part of my life in equal balance. It is not to have one slice labeled “spirituality.”

Nor is it to be a pie chart with God at the center under the assumption that suddenly all the other areas of my life will be brought into order while still giving me the right to wander in all of those areas as I see fit, somehow claiming that God now has blessed my wanderings. 

We have been deceived into believing that our lives will be better and more balanced by adding God to them. Nothing could be further from the truth of the Gospel. God never asked to be added to our lives. He has provided for our crucifixion with His Son Jesus, so that our life is cast aside, and the life of Jesus Christ is born in us. We do not add God to what we have determined is the path of our lives, but rather we raise a white flag of surrender and place our lives fully into God through Jesus Christ. We are added to Him, not the other way around.

F.B. Meyer wrote this in his devotional for today – “It is only as we refuse to be conformed to this world, and yield ourselves to be transformed by the free entrance of the Holy Spirit into our minds, that we can learn all that God will do for us. We are nothing; He is all. And He is prepared to be and do all things in us, if only we will open to Him as the land lies open to the summer sun.”

When we begin to understand that we are to be found in Christ and that Christ is our life, then we will know what it is to love God and then love others as Christ did. The purpose of man is to discover the purpose of God for man, and Jesus stated it clearly when He said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.

I can’t do that with God as just a part of my life. I can only do that when my life is lost in His.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, March 20, 2025

I came across this story as I was reading this morning. In 1997 Warner Brothers released a movie entitled Addicted to Love. There’s a scene in this movie that illustrates the priority of love.

The movie tells the story of a small-town astronomer by the name of Sam whose love for his girlfriend Linda is deeply tested. Sam’s romantic love for Linda is illustrated early in the movie as we find him at work at the observatory.

He has his telescope trained on a star that is becoming a super nova. The amazing discovery is an obvious source of excitement for a visiting scientist. As the clock approaches high noon, one of Sam’s colleagues calls his attention to the time. Without explanation Sam turns the telescope away from the heavens and aims it at a school playground. The visiting scientist can’t believe that anything else on earth could be so important as to suspend the once-in-a-lifetime look at a super nova being born. Carl, one of Sam’s associates, tries to explain.

“Professor, there’s this other phenomenon that Sam gives his priority to every morning,” Carl says.

The guest scientist asks, “What could be more important?”

Sam, without skipping a beat, aims the telescope at a school playground several miles away. Through the telescope he sees Linda. In the midst of her responsibilities as a schoolteacher, she glances at her watch and then proceeds to look in the direction of the observatory. In what has become a practiced ritual, Linda smiles and waves.

Men, there’s nothing – I MEAN NOTHING – more important every day than to make sure your wife knows that she is the priority of your life. When you turn the telescope of your heart from its consistent focus on the heart of God it should not seek to gaze upon anything in life before it captures a view of your wife. Do not begin the tasks of the day until you have taken her in your arms. Do not look at your career until she knows you care for her success more than your own. Never put wealth ahead of her well-being. Surrender your will to her wishes.

Ephesians 5:25  “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

Maybe the telescope of your life needs to be re-trained so it is primarily focused on your wife.  She is God’s gift to you, and no matter what your pride wants you to believe, you don’t deserve her. Make sure she knows it!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, March 19, 2025

George Mallory was an English mountaineer who took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the early 1920s. Mallory and his climbing partner both disappeared somewhere high on the North-East ridge during their attempt to make the first ascent of the world’s highest mountain.

Before his disappearance, when Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, he famously answered, “Because it is there.” But on another occasion George expanded his answer:

“If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life.”

A personal letter to George’s wife, Ruth, reveals even more about what drove him to climb the mountain. “Dearest,” he wrote, “… you must know that the spur to do my best is you and you again …. I want more than anything to prove worthy of you.”

However, although George Mallory became famous for his achievements, his son John had a different perspective. Proud of his father but sad too, John would later write, “I would so much rather have known my father than to have grown up in the shadow of a legend, a hero, as some people perceive him to be.”

Here was a man who had misplaced priorities, yet we call him a hero. Joy is not the highest objective of life. The priority of life is not to prove ourselves worthy to anyone. That priority is symptomatic of a deep need for identity and proof of personal value which will never be found in the pursuit of accomplishments but only in the pursuit of Jesus Christ. The result of such misaligned priorities is the loss of personal relationships as witnessed by Mallory’s son John. Whenever the priorities of life are determined by personal need or selfish ambition we will hurt the very ones we may be trying to impress.

Ephesians 6:4  “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

If we are going to align our priorities with God’s Word I believe it starts with accepting God’s declaration that He has qualified us in Christ and that we have nothing more to earn or prove. (Colossians 1:12) Having done that, we will invest in relationships that are primarily giving in nature, not receiving. Out of the abundance of peace and joy that are now ours because our identity in Christ is sufficient, our priority can be to give of ourselves to benefit others. We should do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than us. We will look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

Make the commitment today that your priority will be others, not self.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, March 18, 2025

2 Corinthians 4:17-18  “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

I’ve been thinking about priorities.  I want to know which ones are draining me rather than fulfilling Christ’s purpose in me. As I started my review I came across a story from  Gordon MacDonald.

“In ancient days when the king of Siam had an enemy he wanted to torment and destroy, he would send that enemy a unique gift, a white elephant, a live, albino elephant. These animals were considered sacred in the culture of that day. So the recipient of that elephant had no choice but to intentionally care for the gift. This elephant would take an inordinate amount of the enemy’s time, resources, energy, emotions, and finances. Over time the enemy would destroy himself because of the extremely burdensome process of caring for the gift.

“Our spiritual enemy uses the same strategy on us …. Let’s say you are able to buy Packer season tickets, but because you now have a lot of games to go to, you no longer have time to serve in some area of ministry. Or let’s say you buy a summer cottage, but now you miss most weekend worship services between the beginning of May and the end of September. Or let’s say you buy a health club membership to get in shape. You used to get up early in the morning to read your Bible and pray, but now you don’t have time because you’re working out before you go to work. Or let’s say you approve a spot for one of your kids on a traveling sports team, and now you’re too busy to join the fellowship of Christ’s Body the church in attendance or in ministry

“Are there white elephants in your life? Are you spending money on things that take your time away from God? The money isn’t the problem; the activities aren’t necessarily the problem; the problem is a white elephant “gift” that has pulled you away from God-honoring pursuits.”

None of the above mentioned “gifts” are inherently wrong. However, they can become destructive to what Jesus calls “abundant life” when they take up so much of our time, resources and energy that we use them as excuses to justify our lack of involvement in Christ’s purpose for us. We have redefined the abundant life in terms of wealth, opportunity, and fun, not only for ourselves but for our families as well.

Today let’s make it our priority to not place value in the white elephants that have been given to us. Life is filled with options, but just because they exist doesn’t mean they are good for us. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit we will become discerning about which opportunities are for God’s glory and not our own fulfillment. We will place value on eternal things, and center our life, our decisions, our resources, and our energies on what Christ says are of value to Him.

There is an old chorus we used to sing in church when I was a kid. The lyrics are my prayer for today:

With eternity’s values in view, Lord.
With eternity’s values in view;
May I do each day’s work for Jesus
With eternity’s values in view.

Pastor John