LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, September 2, 2025

It was tedious, but it had to be done. After all, the work they were doing was being done unto the Lord. Sure, they could have skimped, but eventually that would have caused problems. The easy fix is not always the right fix.

So while I tended to some plumbing issues, three of our mission crew took to their knees and starting filling in all the nail holes and imperfections in the floor with a fast-setting putty. After it was dry, they hand sanded every spot to make sure it was perfectly smooth. They did this in every room of the house. It took them almost two days to complete. They were tired and sore from all that bending and kneeling. But now the floor was ready to accept  the free-floating vinyl.

You see, every one of those flooring nails and screws, if not puttied, could loosen and raise up and cause damage to the flooring that would be laid over them. Every indentation in the wood would cause the flooring to become dented at that point. Every bump or low spot had to be made level, and it had to be a permanent fix, or the floor would be damaged.

Our lives are like that. We are filled with rough spots and deep dents. Our character is rugged. The seemingly insurmountable mountains of circumstances drive us into valleys of pain and despair. There is more preparation to do before the fullness of God’s glory can be laid upon us.

This morning one of my facebook friends posted a quote from the devotional book entitled Streams in the Desert. “Beloved, never try to get out of a dark place except in God’s timing and in His way. A time of trouble and darkness is meant to teach us lessons we desperately need. Premature deliverance may circumvent God’s work of grace in our lives. Commit the entire situation to Him and be willing to abide in darkness, knowing He is present.”

God’s promises make that possible. Today the Word of the Lord comes through the prophet Isaiah with such a promise. Chapter 40 verses 4-5 tell us, “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.”

Finally we put the last piece of trim in place after laying all the flooring in the house we had prepared. Anyone who walks in will see only the finished product. They will not see any of the putty that was used. They will not see any of the dust that was created from the sanding and smoothing process. They will see no bumps or dents. They will only see the beauty of the finished product.

So it is with our lives. Every rough spot, rugged place, and mountain will be made smooth. Every valley will be raised up. And when God has finished His work in us, His glory is all that will be seen. So let God do His work. Let us cooperate with Him by rejecting any notion of pride in our prayers, our personal life, and our choices. Let Him smooth out all the rough spots of sin in us and  lift us up out of the valleys of discouragement, depression, and despair. Let Him turn your rugged places into productive and pleasant plains. His glory is about to be revealed.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, September 1, 2025

We spent 4 days travelling almost 3,000 miles, one day worshiping and relaxing, and four days working in 90 degree temps with high humidity. It was tremendous. We joined God in doing His work and we received the greatest blessings. God’s Kingdom principle of being more blessed by giving than receiving was proven true once again.

When we arrived on the bayou in southern Louisiana, those of us who had been there right after the hurricanes were impressed with how the landscape had recovered. At the same time we were also saddened by the number of homes that had once been under water and were still standing on the ground and being occupied. We actually worked on one such home that had no running water and a broken sewer pipe with raw sewage running down the back of the house onto the ground. We fixed the water and the sewer pipe, but the house needs a lot of work and needs to be raised up.

Living in that house were a grandma and grandpa, their 26-year old disabled daughter, and two grandchildren who were left there by their mother who ran off. The water hasn’t worked for weeks. They get their water through a garden hose hooked up to the neighbor’s house. It’s all cold. They flush the toilet with a bucket. They bath in cold water. In order to fix everything, two of our men had to crawl under the house with only 18 inches of clearance. They slid through rats and spiders and sewage to reach the broken water line. They cleaned the sewage from the back of the house to repair the broken pipe. They went back under the house and strapped up all the other water lines. It was a mess, but now it works. Grandma said she couldn’t wait to take a hot shower.

Serving people. That’s what Jesus did. He went into the sewage of sin and served us. He saved us. Pastor Jerry Moser from the church these people attend said this to me about the conditions these people live in: “When we stand before the Lord someday, how will we explain to Him that we let someone right next door to us rot to death?” Those two men who went under that house are true servants of Jesus. They are real world heroes, although they would never want to be called that.

How far are we really willing to go to bring comfort to others? Would I have been able to ignore and conquer my claustrophobia and crawl under that house? If I lived in that house, how long would I have put up with those conditions? How long must we wait for the comfort we have been promised?

In Isaiah 40, God is telling the people that their hard service is completed, their sins are paid for, and comfort is coming. But wait, it would be 100 years before their land would be invaded and they would be taken captive. Then it would be another 70 years before their captivity would end. Yet in the mind of God it was already done. They were to take comfort in the promise of God for a glorious outcome even while it was a long way off.

Oh if I could only have that kind of faith. Why do the problems of today overwhelm me so much? Why is my focus always on the hurdles I keep tripping on rather than on the finish line where Jesus stands with outstretched arms to greet me and reward me for my faithful service?

Whatever you are struggling with today, God’s promises are not voided by your circumstances. No matter how long you have been in the middle of this hardship, God’s comfort is available. Your sins have been forgiven. In the mind of God your time has been served. The lessons He wants to teach you are being learned. You are becoming more and more like Jesus. Just keep your eyes on the finish line. Jesus will get you there!

Pastor John