LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

I was, and still am, weird. Most will agree with my self-assessment. Here is yet another way in which I fulfill that description.

I love tests.

When I was in school, I loved tests. They were an opportunity for me to prove myself. They were a way in which I could qualify myself. I have since learned the terrible dysfunction of that. But nevertheless, I still love tests. Today, at my age, my favorite tests are difficult golf holes and fishing after a cold front. They still provide me opportunities to prove myself as well as improve myself and grow.

However, there are many tests that I hate. Financial loss is an unpleasant test. Pain and suffering are hardships we’d rather not endure. There are many such tests in multiple areas of our lives, and we tend to see them as an interruption to what we consider normal, so therefore we hate them.

However, tests are designed to prove us and improve us. Our insecurities may cause us to hate tests because we doubt we have anything to prove, or that we will be proven insufficient. Security embraces tests. Our pride may cause us to hate tests because we don’t think we need to improve. Humility embraces tests.

Jesus loves to initiate tests because He loves us. He desires to prove us and improve us.

In John 6, when Jesus saw the crowds of people coming towards Him, he tested His disciple Philip. He asked him where they might be able to buy enough bread to feed all the people.

Jesus said this to test Philip, for Jesus knew what he would do.

Take a look at the last part of that statement. Jesus knew what He would do.

I wonder if my attitude towards tests would be different if I fully trusted that God knows what He is doing?

Maybe I focus too much on the nature of the test rather than the nature of God who designed the test.

It’s likely that I complain about the difficulty of the test before I consider the benefits of the test.

Life is filled with tests. The life that is filled with the Holy Spirit sees every test as a means by which God proves us and improves us.

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Embrace the test.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, August 11. 2020

John 5:45-47 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

“Pastor John, I think you made a mistake. We are studying John 6, and you gave us Scripture from John 5. Why?”

Nothing ever happens haphazardly in Scripture. There is always a purpose for every word Jesus spoke. Let’s review some history.

The Jewish nation had no greater hero than Moses. He was their prophet, proclaiming the truth of God to them in spoken and written word. He was their leader, providing purpose and direction for them. He was revered as their deliverer and their ruler, the one who gave them their national identity.

Jesus uses that knowledge of the Jews esteem of Moses to teach them that everything Moses did and wrote about ultimately led to the revealing of the Messiah. Jesus emphasized that the One Moses wrote about was not with them.

In John 6, Jesus begins to reveal to the Jews how He is greater than Moses, and that they need to turn their attention to the Christ rather than their esteemed historical leader. The first thing Jesus did was to show the people how much like Moses He was. He would then show them how much greater He was.

Notice the similarities between Jesus and Moses in the story of the feeding of the five thousand.

• Jesus led a crowd. They followed Him to the other side of the lake.
• The crowd followed Jesus because they saw the miraculous signs He performed.
• Jesus went up on a mountain.
• Jesus introduced Himself to them during the Passover.

Jesus is intentionally walking in the footsteps of Moses, referring to him, so that the people would move from historical loyalty to true spiritual worship. Just as Moses cried out to God for food for the people, and God provided manna, so Jesus provides food for the people. Jesus was touching the hearts of the people where they were most spiritually sensitive. He would then lead them to the Promised Land of spiritual life.

My point today is this – we must learn to let go of our loyalty to religious heritage. I have been told more times than I can remember by people who profess faith in Jesus Christ that they don’t understand why they should be baptized again because they were baptized as an infant. I remind them that a religious ceremony cannot save them, only personal faith in Jesus Christ can. Now that you have personally decided to follow Jesus, baptism is your public statement of your faith in Christ, not in religion. Many understand and agree. Some do not.

Many would understand and follow Jesus. Most would not, because they couldn’t let go of their loyalty to religion. Jesus is greater than any religion. He is inviting you to be loyal to Him. Is this the day you let go and truly follow Jesus?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, August 10, 2020

Why do you follow Jesus?

If you don’t, what would make you want to follow Him?

This week we begin the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, and a very familiar story of Jesus feeding over 5,000 people with nothing more than five little loaves of bread and two small fish. The story begins with Jesus going to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, and being followed by a huge crowd of people. John gives us the detail of why they were following Him.

John 6:1-2 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.

The crowd was following Jesus because of the signs He was doing.

We are all attracted to the spectacular. We are especially drawn to what would fit into our definition of the miraculous. These people were no different. They had never personally witnessed such physical power and authority over creation. They had never seen the sick spontaneously healed. Of course they were drawn to follow Him. We would be.

But following Jesus because He has power over creation and physical life does not assure eternal life. Sins are not forgiven because we marvel at signs and wonders.

At the end of the feeding of the people, when all the leftovers have been gathered, the people declare, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Based on the signs He had done, they not only declared Him to be the Prophet of God, but they were prepared to take Him by force and make Him their King. Jesus withdrew from them. Being their King and Prophet was not His purpose at this time.

Most if not all of us would have been a part of that crowd and would have joined in their cause. We are quickly influenced to join the latest cause because it fits into our understanding of what has to happen for our personal kingdom to be enhanced.

Following Jesus can only be based on faith, not sight. Listen to the words of Jesus and one of His disciples.

John 20:29  Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

1 Peter 1:8  Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory…

Why do you follow Jesus? Let it be based exclusively on faith in the eternal fact that Jesus is the Son of God, sent to be the Savior of the world by offering His guiltless life in death on the cross as a sacrifice for our guilt.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, August 7, 2020

As we conclude our supplemental study of John 5 this week, I want to challenge you to consider what Jesus is saying in the following verses. Sorry, no stories today, just spiritual application of Divine principles.

John 5:36-38  For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. ³⁷  And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, ³⁸  and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.

Here are some important truths for us to carefully consider.

• There has been and continues to be sufficient evidence to believe that Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father to accomplish the great work of redeeming mankind from their sin and its eternal consequence of death.
• It is not possible to hear the voice of God unless we believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and our Savior.
• It is not possible see the activity of God or ultimately to be in the presence of God unless we believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and our Savior.
• It is not possible to have the Word of God abide in us and influence our thoughts and actions unless we believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and our Savior.

Far too many people claim to know God but have no belief in Jesus Christ. They are deceived.

Far too many people claim to have heard God speak to them and give direction to their lives but have no belief in Jesus Christ. They are deceived.

Far too many people who claim a knowledge of God seek to obey the commands of God yet continually fail. It is because they do not have the Word of God abiding in them because they do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. They are deceived.

Jesus was very clear when He spoke to the religious leaders around Him. You do not know the Father because you do not believe the One the Father sent. That One is Jesus, and our ONLY hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with the Father is to believe on Him.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional
Thursday, August 06, 2020

There’s a whole entertainment company using a word from today’s Bible verse as their name. They have created dozens of characters to be superheroes who give us hope that evil can be conquered and good will rule the day. We MARVEL at them.

But there is only one true superhero, and here’s what He said:

And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

After the religious people of that region had witnessed Jesus do some miraculous things, Jesus announces to them, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Now before we start trying to list all the miracles that would make everyone marvel at the power of God, please consider this:

The greatest miracle of God is to grant life to those who are dead.

Last night I took one of my grandsons fishing. At one point, while rescuing a lure from an underwater tomb, the propellor on my trolling motor became wedged in a tree branch.  It locked up.  It wouldn’t run anymore.  Our night of fishing appeared to be over.  After checking all connections and even banging on it with my fist, we started to pack up to head home.  But after a short prayer, I plugged the motor in one more time, turned it on, and after a few seconds of slow motion movement accompanied by the sound of stripped gears, the motor returned to normal function, and we fished for another hour with no problems.  We marveled at what God did.

But if I need signs and wonders to make me marvel at God, I do not yet understand God. The greatest motivator of marvel is the indwelling life of Jesus Christ that has been granted to me by grace alone. I carry in me the eternal life of a Jesus Christ. Not because I have earned it, or deserve it, but because God gave Jesus the power and authority to grant life to whom He pleases.  Because I believe in who Jesus is and what he accomplished on the cross to pay the debt of my sin, and that He was raised from the dead, it pleases Jesus to grant me life. Eternal life. Nothing can ever exceed the marvel of that miracle.

We marvel at Marvel heroes who fight for justice and good, and give us hope. We wait for the next episode in anticipation that we will marvel again. It is time to realize that we can constantly marvel at the miracle of being rescued from the graveyard of spiritual death and have been granted eternal life. There’s no need to seek anything else to motivate marvel in us. We marvel at the saving grace of God.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

“I can’t!”

I wonder how many times we have said that? As children we said it a lot, usually after we were asked to do something. We said it mostly because we didn’t want to, not because we couldn’t. We said it because it interrupted our plans. We said it because we were afraid. We said it because we were stubborn.

There are times in our lives when we honestly have to say, “I can’t.” Two specific times come to my mind as I read the words of Jesus in John 5.

1. “I can’t save myself from my sin.”
2. “I can’t do anything of real value on my own.”

When Jesus was speaking with the religious leaders of His day, He made this statement:

“I can do nothing on my own.” John 5:30

I remember a sermon my dad preached when I was a boy. It was entitled “Seven Things God Can’t Do.” As I have thought about it, the points of the sermon may have been better understood if the word won’t had been used instead of can’t. God won’t send a saved person into hell. God won’t send an unsaved sinner into heaven. God won’t forgive sin based on our good works. Etc., Etc.

But here Jesus tells us that He can’t do anything of value on His own. In context, Jesus says that He will never grant life to anyone nor will He ever judge anyone for their sin based on His own understanding or His own opinion. He always, and that means ALWAYS, grants life and judges sin in cooperation with the Father and in full agreement with God’s Divine nature.

Before we allow ourselves to get overly theological here, let me ask one question for us to ponder today.

“Is the forgiveness I grant to others, or the judgments I make about others, based on my opinion, my feeling, my convenience, or for my benefit, or is it based on the Divine nature of God at work in me through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit?”

Let’s chew on that for a while, and see if we can reach a point of spiritual understanding that allows us to be able to say, “I can do nothing on my own.”

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

This morning I rose earlier than normal after a very sound night of sleep. I woke with thanksgiving in my heart and praise on my mind because I realized that the words of Jesus had comforted me when I had somewhat expected that the words of people might have caused restlessness. Yesterday’s devotional caused a stir in me. Jesus was speaking to me. His words broke down my normal responses and reactions to life and revived in me His gifts of grace and love. Jesus spoke life to me, and showed me where I was still being influenced by death.

John 5:24-25 ²⁴  Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. ²⁵  “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

Truly, truly, Jesus has said:

• by hearing the words of Jesus and believing that God the Father sent Him we have been given eternal life.
• in Jesus we will NEVER come into judgment.
• In Jesus we have passed from death to life.
• The time is now for the dead to hear the voice of Jesus and live.

My heart is filled with thanksgiving and my mind is filled with praise. I have heard the voice of Jesus. I have listened to His words. I have believed that He is the Son of God. I have passed from death to life. I am no longer subject to judgment. I am an eternal child of God. Not because I earned it, but because I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior.

When all the troubles of the day and the words of people bring unrest, we can rest soundly on this one truth – NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, August 3, 2020

At the time of writing this I have been home from vacation for less than two hours, and I am ready to drop everything and leave again, this time for a longer time with even less connectivity. I must take some time and review the precious words of my Lord and Savior as He spoke to the spiritual leaders of His day in John 5.

¹⁹  So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

Are my responses to what is happening in the world, and especially my responses to what the church is doing to best show forth the love of Jesus, a true reflection of what the Father is doing?

²²  The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³  that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Where am I judging others who don’t agree with me or support my position, when that role is reserved exclusively for Jesus Christ? How do my attitudes towards those with whom I disagree showing others that I honor Christ and honor the Father?

³⁰  …I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Where have my personal opinions, biases, preferences, and desires caused me to prioritize my will over the will of the Father?

³⁹  You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, ⁴⁰  yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Have I become proud of my knowledge of Scripture and yet have lost my first love for Christ and for others? Am I so convinced of my own theological or political position that I refuse to bring life and love to others, especially those with whom I disagree?

⁴¹  I do not receive glory from people.

Am I prepared, for the sake of the true Gospel of Jesus, to be criticized and rejected by my brothers and sisters in Christ, who, for the sake of personal preferences, social benefits, or cultural acceptance, would turn from the Gospel to gratify the desires of the flesh?

⁴²  But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 

Would I dare be humble enough to admit that Jesus can say this to me? Is it possible that my love for this world has surpassed my love God? Is it possible that my comforts are of more importance to me than Christ’s compassion for those who may even hate me? Could it be that I have chosen to prioritize my own list of commandments, rather than confidently live out Christ’s list of the two greatest commandments – LOVE GOD WITH YOUR WHOLE BEING, AND LOVE OTHERS AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF?

And why is the eternally precious Body of Christ, the church, having so much trouble with this right now?

Pastor John

LIFELINK Devotional

Friday, July 24, 2020

Here’s a very quick thought to ponder this weekend. I hope you spend some time wrestling with it.

What kind of work brings you the greatest satisfaction and fulfillment?

As you consider your answer, read these words of Jesus.

“But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.””  John 5:17

We must consider that the work for which the Creator designed us will be the most satisfying and fulfilling work to occupy us. The Father created us to bear His image and to share His love. By design we are fulfilled by doing His work.

So let me ask again, What kind of work brings you the greatest satisfaction and fulfillment? 

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, July 23, 2020

The proverbs have some interesting ideas.  I know, you wonder what happened to the study of John.  Follow me for a minute and you will understand.

Proverbs 26:11 says “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” I hope you aren’t reading this over breakfast. It’s not an appetizing concept. But the truth principle for us is this – Don’t go back to previous behaviors that might make things even worse than they were before.

Now, read what Jesus told the lame man whom He had healed earlier in the day.

“Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”” John 5:14

This verse can cause some misunderstandings. First, Jesus is not blaming the man’s physical disabilities on previous sin. We must not assume that health issues are the result of sin. They may be, but they also may simply be so the glory of God can be revealed. (See John 9:1-5). Second, Jesus is not saying that if the man ever sins again he will be made more lame than before. Jesus does not threaten people with harm for disobedience. Where’s the grace in that?

Here’s what it seems Jesus is saying. See, I made you well. Trust me. Believe in me. If you don’t, you will return to your sin, and the end result of that is worse than being lame, because it results in eternal death. 

There is a very important principle for us here about authentic faith – it always produces obedience to Christ and a sincere desire to not sin. We live in an age of cheap grace, where many claim to be followers of a Jesus but are simply putting spiritual polish on tarnished pursuits. Authentic faith transforms the heart. Authentic faith pursues righteousness. Authentic faith never sacrifices the eternal on the altar of the immediate. Authentic faith seeks the good of other even at the expense of benefit to self.

This is the lesson of faith Jesus wanted the healed man to learn.  He desires us to learn it also.

Pastor John