LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, April 18, 2019

God’s desire for us to be people of faith leads Him to reveal Himself and His plan to us.  Moses made it his priority to know God, and he is a model for us of becoming a faithful friend of God.

Exodus 33:7-11 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

The first thing Moses did was to establish a specific place where he and the people could go to meet with God. I understand that in this age since the resurrection of Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit we always have God’s presence with us, but I think the principle of setting aside a time and a place to meet with God still holds true today. Many of you are doing that right now as you read this. You have set aside your computer as a place to meet with God. Reading this devotional is a part of hearing from God and knowing Him better so you may follow Him more faithfully.

Moses established a tent outside the encampment where people could go to personally inquire of the Lord. This is a great statement of God’s intention to establish every believer’s right to enter the throne room and talk to the Father personally. The death of Jesus Christ made that possible when the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. God opened the way for all His children to meet with Him face to face. Moses had a unique relationship with God at that time, and would go to speak with God face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. What an incredible statement of intimacy! That is the potential for all of us, and should be our passion.

When God spoke with Moses, His glory was visible to the people, and they responded by standing and worshiping at the entrances to their own tents. In other words, each person made his own home a place of worship. The fact that we have a specific place called a church where we come to meet with God and hear from him is not an excuse to disregard the daily worship of God. Let us make the worship of God the priority of our homes.

Finally, notice the young man Joshua, who has taken on the responsibility of guarding the tent of meeting. Here was a young man who had a passion to know the God of Moses and to hear from Him intimately, and sacrificed everything to pursue God’s presence in his life. Such pursuit of God was important for Joshua’s future. Based on his relationship with God and faithfulness to God’s plan, he was chosen to replace Moses as the leader of Israel. His leadership success can be directly traced to his passion to be constantly in the presence of God.

Personal intimacy with Jesus Christ is the goal of our faith.  Intimacy is best accomplished through communication and quality time. May God’s Spirit motivate our hearts to be intentional in setting aside time and a place to meet with God. May we be people of faith who passionately pursue intimacy with God.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Several years ago, I had a great time with a missionary family that our church supports. Along with their teenage son, the couple ministered at our church in the morning. After  lunch with some church people, they came to our house and we loaded up the boat and headed for the Chippewa River for some tubing fun. We met a couple of other church families at a friend’s house and we had a fabulous time getting everyone worn out hanging on for dear life. The river was crowded so there were plenty of waves to navigate, and there was some serious airtime being experienced by the tubers.

At the end of the day, after driving the boat for everyone else, one of the other families invited me to get in a three-person tube for one last run. I agreed, and it was obvious from the start that the boat driver had it in for me. Everything was done to throw me from the tube, including putting me in a faulty portion of the tube. Finally, after hanging on for dear life, the tube collapsed under me and I was gone. It was a great tumble and the water felt refreshing. We laughed and returned to the dock.

The next morning my shoulders were sore, right across the back of the neck. I must have hit my head funny when I fell into the water at breakneck speed. I have a definite understanding of being stiff-necked. However, mine is for a much different reason than the Israelites. Mine is muscle stiffness: theirs was moral stiffness.

Exodus 33:1-3 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”

The background of the word stiff-necked is agricultural, and comes from a term used to describe a stubborn ox or horse that won’t respond to the yoke or the reins. These animals have their own disposition and refuse to be broken to obey the master.

That is how the people of Israel are described three times by the Lord because of their continual complaining and repeated return to their old ways of sin. So serious is their sin that God, in His mercy, refuses to accompany them on their journey to the promised land for fear that He will destroy them.

Right from the beginning of their deliverance God had said this – Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. (Exodus 6:6-8) Now they were returning to the yoke of the bondage from which they had been delivered.

It is a serious thing to claim to have taken the yoke of God’s leadership onto our shoulders and then replace it with the yoke of self-gratification. It is a serious thing to set our necks stiffly against the leading of God in our lives. It is a serious thing to set ourselves up as being more qualified to determine our outcomes than God. It is a serious thing to oppose the plan of God for our lives. It will lead to serious consequences, and may end in the destruction of all that we once held dear.

But Jesus offers an alternative to that kind of burdensome living. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This is the cure for a stiff neck that has been caused by the burden of guilt carried on the shoulders of a morally corrupt person. Come to Jesus for forgiveness and healing of the heart. When the heart is overwhelmed with the love of God, the will is broken, and the surrendered soul finds rest.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

When I was 6 years old I went along with my mom to the local pharmacy in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. They had a toy section and I knew there had to be something there that would make my life more fun and fulfilling. While mom was getting her things, I got mine. It was a red ball, about the size of a golf ball, and it fit perfectly into my pocket. We walked out of the store and it was mine…for a while.

I couldn’t contain my excitement so on the way home I took the ball out and started tossing it in the air. Of course, mom noticed, and asked me where I got it. I lied. I said I had found it. Unfortunately for me, the price sticker was still on the ball, so my deception fell apart quickly. She turned the car around and marched me right back into that store where I had to confess what I had done to the owner of the store. I was humiliated.

At the time I thought about all the lessons I could learn from this, but every one of them was an extension of the underlying problem. I thought about how to get away with it the next time: take off the price tag…scuff up the ball so it looks used…leave it in my pocket longer…and so on. But every one of those thoughts was a temptation by Satan to hide the sin and avoid the consequences. The real lesson I should have learned that day is this – I must take personal responsibility for my choices, and when I do there is forgiveness and restoration.

The real motivation behind lying is not to avoid consequences, but rather to protect personal value and worth. When we really think about it, the consequences of our choices are not nearly so frightening as the thought of having a diminished value in the eyes of another person. That’s what really hurts, and that’s what causes our lying. Lying is an attempt to please people, and the primary person we are trying to please is self.

In our study of faith from the life of Moses, we learn an important lesson from Aaron today.

Exodus 32:21-24  Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?” “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’  So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”

Aaron told a  stupid lie when he claimed that the golden calf created itself. Did he think that because Moses had just been in the presence of God that he would easily believe any miracle? When self-protection mode is engaged in our lives we can easily be convinced to do and say anything that appears to benefit us. Aaron may have feared that Moses’ opinion of his leadership qualities and spiritual maturity would be diminished, so he tried to protect his reputation with a lie. So blindingly powerful is this need for self-protection that logic is thrown out the window. It was so very easy for Moses to disprove Aaron’s statement simply by asking other witnesses what happened. But Aaron’s lie was so rooted in pride that he believed that his word was more influential and trustworthy than anyone else’s word. Moses would have no reason to doubt him even though the preponderance of evidence was against him.

We have all been in this situation, and we have all been at the crossroads where the paths of humility and pride meet and bring us to a moment of decision.  Moses brought the people to that crossroad when he declared to them, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.”  He gave the guilty people a chance for forgiveness and restoration. Those who responded received both.

You may be at that crossroad today and must choose between faithfulness to God and faithfulness to self. Be careful. The choice of pride will end in destruction. The choice of humble personal responsibility will honor God and bring life. Choose wisely.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, April 15, 2019

Friday, we left Moses in Exodus 19 preparing to tell the people of Israel about their incredible deliverance from Egypt and that it was God who bore them up on eagles’ wings and carried them to Himself. When they heard this, the people made a promise to Moses that they would obey everything God would tell them to do. Moses went up on the mountain to find out the details of how God wanted the people to live in relationship with Him. The people all witnessed the incredible and awesome presence of God on the mountain, and watched as Moses entered God’s presence. But would they persist in their faith?

Exodus 32:1-4 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.”  So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

That’s NOT the answer we were hoping for. Moses has been gone for forty days and during that time the glory of God was visible on the mountain to all the people. But the thrill and excitement of the initial event had worn off. The people were tired of sitting still, and they needed tangible results to their faith. Because they weren’t moving forward and were seeing no supernatural activity of personal benefit, they decided to look elsewhere for leadership. Imagine that – in full view of God’s glorious presence like a consuming fire on top of the mountain, they declared their distrust in the ability of God to lead them. Instead they declared that their real God was an inanimate calf cast out of gold. Apis, the Egyptian bull-god, had kept them safe in Egypt, and maybe now this god would guide them to safety once again.

Why is it that we so quickly return to our sinful bondages? I see from the example of the Israelites a couple of reasons.

1. Their faith was still focused on the activity of God and not on the nature of God. They could see the splendor of His nature in front of them, but because there was no activity they looked for another object of faith to generate action. This is a hard lesson for us to learn. Suffice it to say that even when the activity around us seems to be moving against us, God is still carrying us to Himself on the wings of eagles.
2. They did not persist in their faith because they were not experiencing any movement. How often are we tempted to rush out of the still moments of God’s timeline and force movement? Probably often. None of us enjoys the times when God seems inactive. We pray for answers and none seem to come. We want an immediate answer of yes or a no but are unwilling to accept the answer of wait. Wait is a weight we don’t like to bear. “Maybe God needs our help to motivate some activity,” we say. Do we realize the serious implications of such a statement? If we believe that God needs our help in any way, then we cannot believe that He is truly God, and we place ourselves above Him. It is no wonder that the Lord’s anger burned against the people because of their impudence.

Tomorrow we will look at the rest of this story, but for today I leave you with this thought. Do not fight the quiet times of God’s apparent inactivity. His glory can still be seen all around you. His promises are still valid and will not fail. He promised the Israelites in Exodus 19:5-6 that they would be His treasured possession. He has affirmed that promise to us as well in 1 Peter 2:9 which says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

God does not need our help to keep the plan moving: it is moving just fine and according to His timeline. So, in those quiet times of inactivity, do what God told the people of Israel to do – wait, and live in consecrated, holy expectation of God’s work becoming visible. Be persistent to live by faith according to what you now know, and God will give you more understanding as He determines you need it.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, April 12, 2019

I am having one of those moments when words are inadequate to express the overwhelming joy and gratitude that has come over my heart as I consider what God says to Moses in today’s Scripture reading. The Holy Spirit is using it to reveal the grace of God in a refreshing new way.

Exodus 19:3-5  Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.”

I am almost speechless with awe at the voice of God to Moses when he says “I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself”.

The story of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage is to be for us a picture of our deliverance from the bondage of sin. There are several important lessons for us to remember. These lessons may seem simple, and you have heard them before, but my prayer is that the impact of God’s grace will overwhelm you as it did me and you too will be refreshed in your spirit.

1. All the glory for deliverance goes to God. Man receives no credit for playing any role in his freedom from bondage. We are unable to change our sinful situation. We may try to change our situation by thinking we can earn our way into a state of spiritual freedom through knowledge or good works, but this leaves us more desperate than before. We may try to alleviate the pain of the situation with the worldly aspirin of drugs, alcohol, sex, money, possessions, and relationships, but these all fail in the end and leave us more destitute than ever. It is only in complete surrender to Jesus Christ that we are carried into the eternal rest of God’s arms.
2. This eternal rest involves the destruction of all that held us in bondage in the past. God chooses to use the analogy of being carried on eagles’ wings.
   1. First, notice the placement of the apostrophe after the letter “s”, signifying the plurality of the eagles. There was not just one eagle to carry them all, but there were enough eagles to carry everyone. God’s grace is sufficient for all who will come to Him for deliverance.
   2. Second, the eagle was considered in biblical times a scavenger bird that fed on death. The Hebrew word means “to lacerate”, and is the same word translated “vulture” in other Hebrew literature. When Israel was delivered from Egypt, the enemy was destroyed, and the people were carried to safety by the same power that fed on the death of the enemy. When Jesus died on the cross, His offer of salvation to mankind includes a guarantee of death to those who reject it. The same power that carries me into the forgiving arms of the Heavenly Father will destroy all those who oppose Him.
3. Now the point that emotionally overwhelms me – God brought me to Himself. He did not simply deliver the people of Israel from Egypt and start them on a new direction, leaving them to fend for themselves. He did not turn over their well-being to their own ability to provide for it. He did not leave them with insecure hope in their own wisdom to make decisions and complete the course. No, He brought them to Himself. He brought them into a permanent relationship that is defined by the picture of a perfect Father and His love and care for His children. His love sought me when I was lost because He bought me by His death on the cross. He picked me up and carried me into the security of His everlasting arms. His hand has folded around me and He will never let me go. HALLELUJAH! I AM HIS FOREVER!

I have only scratched the surface of what this wonderful verse of Scripture means to me. I pray that the Holy Spirit impresses on your heart today the incredible depths of God’s love and His deliverance from sin for all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. He has carried us to Himself.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, April 11, 2019

There is something very addictive about authority and power, especially to a person with insecurities. Moses was a man with insecurities. He had run away from his people once because his actions were misunderstood and rejected, and he had fought God’s call to return to his people as their deliverer because of the fear of additional rejection.

When God empowered him to accomplish the nation’s deliverance from Egypt, and when God empowered him to meet all of their needs during the exodus, Moses probably started to feel pretty good about himself. This authority and power that he had was gratifying, and it certainly felt a lot better than rejection. The people actually needed him, and he was really enjoying the attention and sense of security it brought.

But just like any addiction, there was a serious price to pay. Read the whole story in Exodus 18:13-26. Here’s the key verse:

Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.

Moses’ price of feeding on the addiction of authority was burnout. His father-in-law saw it, and helped him to learn the lesson that all attempts to cover our insecurities and fears with human resources end in destruction. Moses needed the wise input of a veteran leader to help him see the error of his thinking. This wise man gave him some incredible leadership advice – delegate! The advice was broken down into the following elements, and gives each of us some insights into how we can become better leaders of the people God has brought into our circle of relationships:

1. Make sure everyone knows that God is the final authority and you are just serving Him. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. It is very dangerous to take personal credit for decisions and actions when God alone is responsible.
2. Use every meeting with a person seeking God’s advice to teach them how to personally apply God’s law so they become more dependant upon God, not you. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live… It is easy for us to enjoy the attention and ego stroking we get when people depend on us, but it is our privilege and duty to lead them into dependence upon God.
3. Give people a sense of purpose and responsibility. And show them … the duties they are to perform. Everyone needs to know they are needed and appreciated and that their life is accomplishing some purpose. One of the most important aspects of leadership is the encouraging of people to dream and the empowering of people to pursue the dream.
4. Set up a workable system of accountability and authority. But select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain -and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. Organize the people into small groups and delegate responsibility to qualified people to oversee the groups.

What was the guaranteed result of such leadership? Stress reduction and satisfied people. You will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied. As a pastor, that’s what I want. That’s what I have. I thank God daily for the qualified people around me who carry the load and for the servant-hearted people like you who have accepted the wisdom of Godly leadership. Maybe some of these principles will help you in the leadership issues you experience at your work or in your family.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Far too many people are trying to make it on their own in this life. For reasons of insecurity, fear or pride, they take on the responsibility, burden, and outcome of everything and share none of the load with others, except in the cases where there is personal benefit and advancement. Moses was one such man, and in the process of growing his faith, God was about to change him.

Exodus 17:8-13 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.  As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

I can relate to Moses. I naturally move to the authoritarian style of leadership and try to handle everything on my own. I did that for many years and discovered that after the honeymoon period that is granted to every new leader by the group being led, things begin to fall apart. People become discontented because they feel unneeded, unnecessary, and unfulfilled.  They respond to such feelings by either withdrawing or attacking, and I have experienced both. The pain that results on both sides does not easily heal.

I am so very blessed to have been granted the grace to change, and to learn the life-changing principle that great leaders surround themselves with people who are better than themselves. When I return from a vacation I realize how relaxing it was to not have to be concerned about anything at the church because of the gifted and qualified people who are in charge of their specific areas of ministry. I have been blessed with great partners who see what needs to be done and then get it done.

That’s the lesson Moses had to learn, and the doorway to change was opened a crack in today’s story about the Amalekite attack on the Israelites.

Moses started out by proclaiming that he alone would stand on the top of the hill and direct the battle with the staff of God in his hands. But Moses allows two other men to go with him, and when he grows tired he allows these men to partner with him in the action. We see no indication that Moses asked for the help, but he humbled himself to accept the help when it was offered. His partners saw a need, they developed a plan to meet the need, and they carried out the plan to completion. They put their faith into action. Moses took the first step of change when he allowed himself to be served.

There are two main challenges for us from this lesson today:

1. Don’t let pride, insecurity, or fear cause you to be a control freak. I see so many people who are compulsive controllers, and they kill relationships and ministries. Remember one of the foundational statements of a church’s existence – “It’s not about me, and it’s not about now: it’s about God and His glory.”
2. Become a faith partner of action. Don’t wait to be told what to do – take the initiative to get involved. When you see a need, develop a plan, put it into action, and stick with it until it’s done.

Faith initiates activity in partnership with others. There’s no need to do it alone. There’s no benefit either.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, May 10, 2019

When I travel anywhere I really enjoy taking the scenic route. If I’m going someplace I’ve been before I will usually take the direct Interstate route. But if it’s a new destination I will take the scenic route, which may not be the fastest route. In fact, when the kids were younger, and we went on a family trip or vacation, they used to harass me about going on another one of dad’s “adventures.” We did wind up in some pretty remote places sometimes – just ask them about the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

As the final leg of the 40-year journey to the Promised Land begins, the Israelites are faced with a trip-planning decision: do we take the freeway or the scenic route. The freeway led them through the territory of the Edomites, the descendants of Esau. The scenic route led them a long way around to the east of Edom and Moab. Moses thought it would be nice to go the direct route and save time, but God wanted them to take the scenic route for safety.

Numbers 20:14-17 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying: “This is what your brother Israel say: You know about all the hardships that have come upon us. Our forefathers went down into Egypt, and we lived there many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers, but when we cried out to the LORD, he heard our cry and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king’s highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”

Moses sent out a message to the Edomites and asked permission to go through their land on the king’s highway, and made certain guarantees about the trip. He promised that the people would not use any of the rest areas, and would not stop at any of the McDonald’s for food, and would not stop at any of the convenience stores for water. Most of all, the people would not stop at any of the scenic overlooks or take time to visit any of the points of interest along the way, thus avoiding all contact with the people of the land.

Why would Moses make such promises? If you read the instructions of the Lord given to Moses in Deuteronomy 2:4-6 you will find the answer.

Then the LORD said to me, “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.”

God told Moses to avoid the people that were contradictory to God’s purpose. God knew that any point of contact would give the enemy a foothold from which to thwart His divine plan. Moses implemented a potential plan of disobedience. Fortunately, God intervened and used the Edomites to stop them.

There is a deep spiritual lesson in this for us today. God has called us to come out and be separate from all that is evil in the eyes of the Lord (2 Cor. 6:17). We have been commanded to be pure, even as He is pure because of the higher hope of heaven that we have (1 John 3:2-3). We are urged to not let our emotions give Satan a foothold in our lives (Eph. 4:27). There is a consistent theme in Scripture that the people of God are not to turn to the right or the left in their temporary journey through this evil land on their way to the permanent residence of God’s presence.

We must take the time to evaluate our life’s trip planning. Are we taking the scenic route, turning off the main road at any location that looks appealing to our flesh, so we can indulge our appetites? Or are we staying on the Interstate, taking the most direct route to God’s presence? I am not talking about avoiding all contact with unsaved people along the way. That would be disobedience to God’s purpose for us until we reach glory. I am referring to the sinful attractions of the world’s activities that distract and disqualify us from accomplishing God’s purpose.

We must not take these side roads. We must not turn to the left or to the right. We must stay on the King’s highway and keep our eyes fixed on the Promised Land of God’s Presence. Be strong and be pure, for the Lord your God is with you.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Today’s faith lesson comes from God’s lessons on the Sabbath Day as He provides for the nutritional needs of His people.

Exodus 16:22-26 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much – two omers for each person – and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, “This is what the LORD commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’” So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

This is the first time in Scripture that we read about a Sabbath day. At creation we were told that on the seventh day God rested, but until now there has been nothing said about the people doing the same. God has not yet given Moses the Ten Commandments, which included a command to honor the Sabbath day. This is the introduction of the principle of Sabbath rest to the Israelites and to all of us.

God makes it possible for the people to be nourished and supplied with all of their physical needs for a period of two days so that on the second day they do not need to labor. The manna of one day would be sufficient in supply to cover the needs of the second day.

What an incredible picture of our salvation, and the permanence of it. As we discovered previously, manna is a symbol of the covering of sin God provides for us every day in the Person of Jesus Christ. But God wanted it to be clear to us that we do not need to pick up the manna of salvation every day. It is not necessary to be saved from our sin repeatedly. He showed us this in the creation of the Sabbath. Look carefully at Hebrews 4:9-10, which says, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.”

The teaching of Hebrews 4 can be summarized this way: once we realize that it is not by works that we are saved, and we, by faith, receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are covered by His blood. We enter the permanent rest of eternal security. In the provision of manna for the sabbath, God was illustrating to the Israelites that one day His mercy and grace would cover permanently all sin and there would be no need to work for it any longer. Once the gift of grace was given on the day before the Sabbath it was sufficient for all the needs of the next day. Once the sacrifice of Jesus was given it was sufficient for the spiritual needs of the whole world, and anyone who collects that gift enters into the permanent rest of salvation.

I know this is a little more theological than most devotionals, but it is important for us to understand that the Old Testament gives us the pictures of New Testament salvation. The institution of the Sabbath day was not intended to be a legalistic demand on our lives, but rather to be a picture of the completeness of our salvation by faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Sabbath was instituted to show the people they can totally depend upon God for their lives. When we totally depend upon the gift of God in Jesus Christ for our salvation, separate from any work of our own, we enter the permanent rest of eternal life. We do not need to obey the legal demands of the Old Testament Sabbath to be a recipient of the blessings of salvation. In fact, the blessings of salvation allow us the freedom to celebrate every day as a Sabbath, for we are at permanent spiritual rest with our God.

I challenge you to study Hebrews 4 today, and let its truths touch you. You will discover true salvation by faith and not by works. Spend some time today celebrating the permanence of your salvation!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, April 8, 2019

When you woke up this morning did you do what we learned in the devotional on Friday? Did you spend some time enjoying the manna of your forgiveness and salvation? Did you rejoice that today you have been shown mercy by God in that you have been given life despite the failures and sin of yesterday? If not, do it now, and then make a commitment to start every day that way.

God teaches us another lesson of faith from the provision of daily manna.

Exodus 16:17-19 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little.  And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed. Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

Simply put the faith lesson is this – Don’t demand more than what God is willing to give. God promised that the daily provision of sweet bread would be sufficient to nourish each individual for that day. No one was to try to carry over one day’s provision to the next, except where God made that possible to honor a Sabbath day. If the manna from today was saved for tomorrow, it would be useless. God wanted people to trust Him for every daily need.

But some of the people didn’t listen. I can imagine their thought process. It would go like this:

“Let’s pick up just a little bit extra, and not eat quite so much today, and we’ll save the rest for tomorrow so we don’t have to get up so early and go out to gather more. It’s going to be a hard day today and I want to be able to sleep in a little tomorrow. Besides. Isn’t it wise to plan ahead.”

Imagine a little further that tomorrow has arrived.

“Boy that felt good to get that extra hour of sleep. Look at all those people coming back from the fields with their manna. What poor planners they are. Let’s eat!”

They open their jar and discover that their manna is ruined: filled with maggots. When they rush out to the field to get more, it is all gone, and for that day they go hungry. They learn a hard lesson – man’s plans never work when they are contrary to God’s direction.

So many people we meet today are living a hustle. I have helped many people grow in their faith who came out of tragic backgrounds, and this is the most difficult area to address. It is a huge issue for them because they have been taught to get all they can from any source for the least possible investment or commitment, and when that runs out, just move on to the next place. We see this all the time in the church and in our government’s welfare system. Hustle, hustle, hustle. “Get a handout,” they say, “but don’t let anyone give you a hand-up to a better way.”

My concern is that this philosophy has permeated our walks of faith as well. We follow God for the benefits and use him to pad our comforts, but this daily dependence thing gets old fast. Then we wonder why our life is full of maggots. Why does the joy of the immediate benefit wear out so quickly? Do we realize the addiction we have to self-satisfaction? Why has God been relegated to the role of our personal trust-fund manager who has to answer to our every whim and wish?

We need to learn the lesson of faith that Jesus taught in Matthew 6, where He says,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”… “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Let the truth of daily dependence on God sink in and enrich your life of faith!

Pastor John