LifeLink Devotions for Monday, October 12, 2026

The coming Day of the Lord when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world as the King of kings and Lord of Lords will be a day of great judgment. What Jesus taught about that day should cause all of us to consider the tragic end for those who are not in relationship with Jesus right now.

In Luke chapter 17 Jesus answers a question he is asked by the disciples. “When is the Kingdom of God coming?”  Jesus responds in two ways. First, He declares that the Kingdom of God is first spiritual and that it already exists in the world in the hearts and lives of his followers. Then second he tells us that the Kingdom will exist in physical form on the day that he returns to the earth.

Within the context of his teaching about that day he gives us a significant insight into what the priorities of our lives should be while we wait for his return. He says this, “On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”

Many people tend to focus on the when of his return or what will happen at his return but I think Jesus is emphasizing to us how we should be living until his return. Our lives should be motivated by our desire to have more and more of the life of Christ and less and less of self. The more we seek to make our life what we want it to be the more we will lose. The more we are willing to sacrifice all of our desires for the sake of Christ the more abundant our life will become.

As John the Baptist said, “He (Jesus) must increase and I must decrease.” Every single day of our lives we must be denying ourselves and taking up our cross and following Christ. Every decision we make is to be governed by obedience to Jesus Christ. Every word out of our mouths should be dictated by the Holy Spirit. Every pursuit of what this world offers should be set aside to pursue the principles of the Kingdom of God and its advancement in this world.

When Jesus returns to this earth it will be a great day of judgment on all who have rejected him. They will be carried away to a place of eternal suffering. And they live amongst us today. They are our neighbors, our coworkers, our recreational friends. And if I’m seeking to protect my life by not speaking up to them about Christ, am I not also turning back from Christ? Are we so concerned about protecting our own feelings that we set aside our faith in Christ for the sake of pleasing our friends? Are we so willing to let them suffer eternally simply so we can keep the life that we have?

My friends I really want to encourage you to begin to speak up about your faith in Jesus Christ. The world as a whole may not listen to you, but I guarantee you the Holy Spirit has prepared the heart of a friend who will. Be the one who reaches one with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pastor John

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0fwwqfhHocy8NgFG4HvuJ7?si=qMqpcyAoSO6bbARlPvhscQ