LifeLink Devotional for Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Luke 4:18-19  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

As we move on from the attributes of Jesus we come to the letter M in our acrostic, which is the word MISSION. Everything we do in word or deed is to be done in connection to the mission of Jesus Christ to save souls. I wonder how our lives would change if we took some quality time to evaluate how much time is spent on the mission of Jesus compared to being spent on our own pursuits? I suspect they might change drastically.

First, a couple of ground rules for such evaluation.

1. No guilt and shame is allowed. You may not have thought about these things before, and Satan would love to wrap you up in a blanket of regret. But spiritual change is about forgetting the past and pressing on towards the future.  
2. It is valid that we all need relaxation and recreation, but our tendency is to compartmentalize mission and not see how “fun times” connect to it. Even Jesus got away from everyone and relaxed. However, when He relaxed, He did so with the sole purpose of being physically refreshed for the accomplishment of His Father’s mission. Even while He was relaxing, He prayed, prioritized, planned, and prepared for God’s purpose in His life.

For example, on any given weekend or day off from work, how much time do we intentionally spend thinking about how the activities we choose will refresh us and provide us with increased opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with someone at work when we return? In case you’re wondering, I have spent many days off not thinking about that. But on the days I do, the next day is dramatically different.  I wake up with all three engines running at peak performance. My physical engine is strong. My emotional engine is secure. My spiritual engine is running at top speed in anticipation of being used by God to touch someone’s life with His love. All because while I relaxed, I thought about what God wanted to do with my life after I was refreshed. The mistake many of us make is to use relaxation and recreation as an escape from the past, rather than a preparation for the future.

Spend some time today seriously contemplating that last statement. When you go camping, or fishing, or golfing, biking, or thrift-saleing, or travelling, or on any day off activity you prefer, are you preparing for the future or are you trying to escape from the stress of the past? When we keep our hearts connected to the mission of Jesus, everything we do is a preparation to be used by the Holy Spirit to accomplish His mission.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, July 22, 2024

Currently we are doing a series of devotionals based on the challenge we are given by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:17.

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

We have been specifically focused on what it means to do everything in the NAME of the Lord Jesus. To help us understand the concept of using someone’s name as the basis for our choices, I created an acrostic for the word NAME.

Nature

Attributes

Misson

Exaltation

We spent a couple of days on the Nature of Jesus. Now we are looking at His attributes. An attribute is defined as a quality, character, or characteristic ascribed to someone. It is an outflow of their nature. Jesus has numerous attributes, like holiness, righteousness, faithfulness, justice, mercy, grace, and the list goes on. Rather than look at each attribute, I would like to ask a series of questions that challenge us to consider the lifestyle and behavioral choices we make. Use these questions to evaluate your growth in doing everything in the NAME of Jesus.

• Does this word or activity support my belief in the attributes of Jesus because it displays great trust in Him?
• Does this word or activity measure up to the fullness of God’s love in me because it expresses His love to others?
• Does this word or activity reflect His holiness because it does not contradict His life in me?
• Does this word or activity reflect His righteousness because it is the right thing to do?
• Does this word or activity reflect the compassion of Jesus because it puts the needs of others ahead of my own?
• Does this word or activity reflect His truth because it is not compromised to please people or advance my own cause?
• Does this word or activity reflect His grace because it places no demands on others before showing them love?
• Does this word or activity reflect His mercy because grudges are released in the power of forgiveness?

There are many more attributes we could discover, but this is sufficient for now. As you can see, the attributes of Jesus make a serious impact on our lifestyle and decision-making. Continue to study the attributes of Jesus. Continue to seek to understand the things that define His heart and His life. He will transform you into His likeness.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional for Friday, July 19, 2024

Colossians 3:17 gives us a lifelong challenge to live every moment to honor and glorify the Name of Jesus.  “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Today we move to the next word in our acrostic on the NAME of Jesus. It is Attributes. The big picture question is this: “Are we living in such a way that our life reflects the attributes of Jesus.”

When I was a young boy, my father was the pastor of a church in Michigan. It was customary in this church for the pastor and his family to be invited out to dinner at someone’s house on a regular basis. On those nights that we were headed to our host’s home, I remember clearly something my dad always did. As I and my two brothers would pile into the back seat of the car in our usual rowdy way, fighting over who had to sit in the middle, dad would already be in place in the driver’s seat. He would reach up and tilt the rearview mirror down so he could see us, and he would say, “Now boys, don’t embarrass me when we get there.”

I’ve thought about that statement a lot. It had its positive and its negative sides. From the negative perspective, it assumed that we were both capable of embarrassing him and likely to do so. Be realistic. Imagine three boys ages 5, 6, and 7 together in a home of adults with nothing to do but sit still and behave. Yeah – that’s possible. We were by nature rowdy little boys, with expectations of adult attributes thrust upon us. Dad knew it, or he wouldn’t have told us his expectations before we even left the driveway.

On the positive side, dad was trying to help us grow up. We all want our children to emulate the attributes that we believe are important for maturity. Any word or action that doesn’t reflect those attributes is an embarrassment, both to the parent, and hopefully to the child who really wants to be the best they can be. Every kid wants to measure up. If motivated by love, that’s a good thing. If motivated by a lack of love so that it becomes a performance to earn value, then that’s dysfunctional.

Measuring up is a biblical concept. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 3: 19, “…that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Then in the next chapter he says, “so that the body of Christ may … become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Christ is the perfect model of maturity for our lives. When we are motivated by love for Him, we will strive to emulate His attributes. When we don’t, it will be an embarrassment to us.

It is not practical to attempt to consider all the attributes of our wonderful Lord and Savior in one short devotional today. So we will spread it out over a few days a look at how some of the attributes of God affect our choices in life.

For today, consider the words of the Apostle John, the one whom our Lord Jesus loved, as he wrote to Christians around the world. He said in 1 John, “See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.”

Wow! According to these verses, it is possible for us to be ashamed and embarrassed before our Lord because of the way we have lived our lives. So, according to those verses, what’s the key to not being embarrassed? Remain in Him and continue in Him. What does that mean? Very simply, it means to live according to His attributes.

Our lives are to be the constant reflection of the characteristics of Christ. He is our model. He has sent His Holy Spirit to bring the fullness of His life into ours. We do not live in obedience to a set of laws and standards. We live as an expression of the life of Christ in us. Anything less than that is an embarrassment.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, July 18, 2024

The next aspects of the nature of Jesus deal with His eternal existence. He is omnipresent (He is everywhere always), omniscient (He is all-knowing), and omnipotent (He is all-powerful). Look how Psalm 139 declares them all to us –

• He is omniscient – verses 1-4  “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.”
• He is omnipresent – verses 7-10  “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
• He is omnipotent – verses 13-14  “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

We cannot fool Him, for He knows us. We cannot hide from Him, for He is everywhere always. We cannot overcome Him, for He is the creator and sustainer of all things.

The final aspect of His nature is His immutability – He never changes. His nature is always the same. His word stands forever. His promises are secure. There is no compromise of His truth. What was true then is true now.

There is freedom in this. No longer do we need to look for new revelations of God, for in Jesus we have the complete revelation of God to man. Jesus does not change. His Word does not change. His commands do not change. Living life in the Name of Jesus is true liberty because we completely trust the Nature of Jesus.  

So, for today, let’s evaluate our thoughts, our words, our choices, and our actions, in the light of the nature of Jesus. Then ask this question – Does this thought, word, choice or activity support my belief that Jesus is, in His very nature, God, and that I trust Him?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional for Wednesday, July 17, 2024

The challenge I am putting out to us in this series of devotionals is to live out the command of Colossians 3:17, which says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  

By now you are starting to memorize the acrostic for the NAME of Jesus.

Nature – Attributes – Mission – Exaltation

Living life in the name of the Lord Jesus begins with an understanding of the nature of Jesus. Who is He, and how does the knowledge of Him change me? What are the practical implications of living with the knowledge of the nature of Jesus?

First, Jesus is God. He is not a god. He is THE GOD. What a marvelous pronouncement of this truth we find in Hebrews 1:3 – “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”

Why does this matter? Because if Jesus were simply a god, then we would have the right to abandon Him for any other god of our choosing. We would even go so far as to declare ourselves a god. Unless we accept and act upon the truth that Jesus is God, we will live our lives according to our own desires. We will be completely self-centered and seek self-fulfillment. Our decisions will be based on obedience to the flesh. Our actions will be the result of seeking immediate gratification. We will become our own god, when the first commandment of God to the human race states, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

This directly leads to the second aspect of the nature of Jesus – His sovereignty. If we do not accept that Jesus is God, then we will not accept that He is Lord. We will strive for control of our lives and the lives of others, rather than surrender all control to Him. We will cease to be people of faith and become people of fear.

Fear develops when we believe we are in control of outcomes. Faith is victorious over fear because it trusts the outcome to the One who is ultimately in control. Faith is patient and waits for God’s outcomes, while fear attempts to manipulate results. Faith brings peace that surpasses all human reason. The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This peace is only possible if we truly believe that Jesus is in control and surrender to His control in all areas of our lives.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, July 16, 2024

At the end of yesterday’s devotional, I asked a question. Is your life a reflection of Jesus Christ? As I pondered that question, I wondered what it would take for the answer to be yes. For me, if my life is to be a consistent reflection of the life of Jesus in both word and action, I must ask myself some penetrating questions related to the four areas defined by the acrostic for NAME I gave you.

• The N is for Nature. Does this word or activity support my belief that Jesus, in His very nature, is God? Does this word or activity reflect my belief in His sovereignty (He is in control)? His omnipresence (He is everywhere always)? His omniscience (He is all-knowing)? His omnipotence (He is all-powerful)? His immutability (He is unchanging)?
• The A is for Attributes. Does this word or activity support my belief in the attributes of Jesus? Does this word or activity comply with His holiness? His righteousness? His love and compassion? His truth? His grace? His mercy?
• The M is for Mission. Does this word or activity support my understanding of the mission to which I have been called in Christ Jesus? Does this word or activity represent the Gospel message of the transforming power of Jesus Christ to change my life? Does this word or activity present an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with another person? To make a disciple? To teach others to obey Jesus? To encourage and build up a brother or sister in Christ?
• The E is for Exaltation. Does this word or activity exalt the name of Jesus? Does this word or activity reflect a surrendered heart to the will of God for my life? Does this word or activity make much of me, or does it make much of Jesus in me? Does this word or activity glorify God?

Over the next few days we will spend some time on each of those four areas and discover some practical applications of these truths to our everyday lives. But before we do that, each one of us must decide if we are going to take this command seriously.

Are we prepared to live our lives as representations of the Name of Jesus Christ? Are we ready, at any and all cost, to say and do everything in our lives according to what we know to be true about Jesus? And will we do it with thanks to God for the privilege of knowing and serving Him?

My prayer is that you will join me in resolving to live this way.  

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional for Monday, July 15, 2024

I have a serious problem. I react negatively when things don’t meet my expectations. I know you do to. My favorite response at such times is “Oh man!” What’s yours?

Several years ago, Colossians 3:17 was my New Year’s resolution. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” I remember an Elder meeting just four days into the year, when I had ordered some take-out Chinese food. I asked for extra mushrooms in my chicken and snow peas. When I dumped the pint container of sauce onto the rice, I counted three mushrooms. My first response was a disgusted “Oh man!” I immediately caught myself and confessed that sin to the Lord. I then began thanking Him for the meal I was about to eat. I had already failed at fulfilling my resolution.

But growth is a process. I continue to seek to live life according to Colossians 3:17. As I read it again today, the Holy Spirit drew my attention to three words in the exact middle of the verse. Those words are “in the name.”

What does that mean? When we pray in the name of Jesus, what does that really mean? When we are commanded to do and speak all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, what does that mean? It means far more than just stating the name of Jesus at the end of a prayer.

Understanding what it means begins with knowing that a name is a representation of someone. The name itself is just a word, but what that name represents gives it meaning. So, when we say or do anything in the name of someone, those words or actions become a reflection of what we believe to be true about that person.

Make sure you fully understand the significance of that last statement.  Here’s what God taught me as I sought to understand it. It was so significant that I wrote it in the margin of my Bible. It’s an acrostic of the word NAME.

                        Nature

                        Attributes

                        Mission

                        Exaltation

Whatever I do, whatever I say, and whatever I pray, is to be according to the nature of Jesus, the attributes of Jesus, the mission of Jesus, and the exaltation of Jesus. Every activity of my life, every word I speak to others, and every prayer I pray to God is to be a reflection of what I believe to be true about Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow we will dive into a deeper study of this.  But for today, think about the statement I made.  When we say or do anything in the name of someone, those words or actions become a reflection of what we believe to be true about that person.

Is your life a reflection of Jesus Christ?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, July 12, 2024

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ must remain the central focus of all that we are and all that we do. That is the conclusion to which Paul attempts to bring the church at Corinth as he opens his letter to them. You may remember that this church was going through a lot of difficulties, and the first major issue that Paul addresses is the tendency of church-goers to be people-followers. There were divisions in the church because some people liked Apollos better than Paul or Peter, and some even were taking pride in the fact that they had stayed true to Jesus. They were arguing and bickering about who taught better, who led better, and who gave them the best spiritual benefits.

In addressing these divisions, Paul says that following any human wisdom diminishes the power of the cross in our personal lives and in the life of the church.

1 Corinthians 1:17-18 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel – not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

When the focus and form of our teaching and preaching becomes self-centered rather than Christ-centered, we lose power. Let me illustrate. Once there was a professional football team that had incredible talent but couldn’t win the big games, primarily because the focus of the team was on an individual rather than the purpose of the team. It was so bad that free agents from other teams were refusing to even consider becoming a part of this team. Then it happened – the team changed its focus from the problems caused by an individual to the goal of accomplishing their purpose, and a huge change occurred. Weaknesses in the team were suddenly made strengths. Free agents from other teams were anxious to become a part of the organization. Franchise players from other teams are begging to be traded to this team. Why? Because the self-centered focus has been replaced with a team spirit based on a unified purpose.

That’s what must happen in a church. People must move from a self-centered, people-following, people-pleasing lifestyle to one of surrendered, sacrificial commitment to Christ and His purpose. When it does, people who are not yet part of the body of Christ will want to be. They will ask to join us, because that is the power of the cross. For years now we have heard about seeker-sensitive churches. One of the characteristics of such churches is a non-offensive presentation of the Gospel. I have a very serious question in that regard: How can the Gospel message of the cross of Christ be non-offensive to an unbeliever when Paul states here in today’s Scripture that the cross is considered foolishness to the unsaved, and in Galatians 5:11 he states that if he compromises the Gospel in any way the cross loses its offense to the unsaved?

So many churches today are avoiding the real issue of people’s lives by speaking only to the perceived or surface issues because they believe it will attract more people and offend fewer people. My friends, I do not wish to purposely offend anyone, but I most definitely will not offend my Lord and Savior by turning the church or the ministry to which He has called me into an effort of human wisdom. I will preach the cross of Jesus Christ, and those who respond will be transformed by the power of God and not by human reason. And they will respond, because the power of God will draw them to the place where their spiritual need can be truly met in Christ. That place is the cross.

May that be the constant theme of the church you attend be the cross of Jesus Christ..

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, July 11, 2024

 In this same series of verses that we studied yesterday there is yet another wonderful truth about the death of Jesus Christ our Savior. It answers to the unsaved person’s criticism that Jesus was weak and therefore deserved to die.

Acts 2:22-24 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

Peter makes it very clear that it was not because of the weakness of Jesus or His failure that He was put to death, but rather by the predetermined counsel and foreknowledge of God. 

This is so very important for several reasons:

1.      Man can take no credit for anything that has been done for our salvation. No man or government can claim any credit or be given any specific blame for the crucifixion of Christ. The religious leaders of Israel cannot now claim any reward from God for having been willing participants in the plan of salvation. The Romans cannot claim any earned favor from God for having done what He wanted. All participants in the crucifixion are called wicked, and all the credit for it goes to God who ordained it to happen. Salvation is God’s plan done God’s way in God’s time.

2.      The crucifixion of Jesus does not negate the accrediting of God that came through the miracles, wonders, and signs, but rather is a part of the accrediting process, for only by death could the power and glory of Jesus be seen in a resurrection. We know that it was the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead, according to today’s Scripture passage and Ephesians 1:19-20. The phrase “it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” points directly to the divinity of Jesus. Eternal life was the nature of Jesus. Death had no power over Him. He went into it knowing He would conquer it. His resurrection was more than the outside force of God working on His dead body to raise it up; His resurrection was the force and power of His own nature coming forth. He is declared to be the Son of God by His resurrection. Romans 1:3-4 says, “regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”

How does this apply to us in a practical way today? First, none of us can take any credit for our salvation in any way. God planned it, provided for it, and prepared us to receive it. We have earned nothing. We have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus, and we are to live lives of gratitude and praise for His magnificent grace!

Second, in our salvation Jesus Christ, in the power and fullness of the Holy Spirit, has made our lives into a temple in which He permanently resides, bringing the power of His life to conquer our death. We are alive in Christ because it is now our nature to be alive. When we do the deeds of a dead person we are acting in contradiction to our nature. So many people claim that it is easier to fall back into sin than it is to stay holy. This points to a serious lack of understanding of their salvation. It is always easier to follow our nature, and in Christ our nature is to live, not to die. It should be more natural for us to be holy than to sin, and if it is not, then we need some spiritual refreshment.

When we live our lives according to the nature of Jesus Christ in us, we discover that His life immediately conquers thoughts of sin and bring them captive to the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. How awesome to know that Jesus lives, and He lives in us, giving us the power to be more than conquerors.

Have a joyous day of victory.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, July 10, 2024

I am so glad you have continued to join these devotional posts. For the last few weeks we have been studying the first and second chapters of Acts to discover the fundamentals of a REAL church. It is in the second chapter of Acts that the REAL church gets its start, because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit that falls on the believers on the day of Pentecost. When Peter stands up to preach with the power of the Holy Spirit, he becomes the first Gospel evangelist, and his sermon is very simple. It presented to the people the truth that Jesus is both Lord and Messiah based on His death and resurrection.

In the days ahead we are going to look at some of the various New Testament passages on the cross, and discover some wonderful truths about God’s indescribable gift of salvation to us. For today, I want us to see one thing from the sermon of Peter.

Acts 2:22-24 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” 

Peter tells the people that they know who Jesus is because God accredited Him to them by the miracles, wonders, and signs God performed through Him. Jesus was affirmed as the Son of God by the supernatural work of God in His life, and these unsaved people to whom Peter was preaching knew it. They had not yet placed their faith in Him, but in their heads they knew who Jesus was. I find that to be all too true in our world today – people who have head knowledge of the truth, but it has not yet penetrated their heart. They must admit that in their minds they know the truth: they have heard about Jesus and they have seen His work in the lives of His followers, but they deny any need to surrender their lives to Him.

There is one thing I just said that should jump out at us with conviction. It is this – “and they have seen His work in the lives of His followers.” They may have heard about Jesus, but have they really seen the resurrection power of Jesus at work in the lives of His followers? What a challenge this is for us. Is God continuing to accredit the reality of Jesus to a lost world through His powerful work in us as believers? Oh, we may not all be gifted to do miracles and signs and wonders, but we are all gifted with the Holy Spirit who produces the character of Christ in our lives so that the fruit of the Spirit is visible. When love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control rule our lives, God is affirming the reality of Jesus Christ to a world that does not know Him.

In Ephesians 1, verses 18-20, Paul the Apostle says, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.”

The same power that God exerted when He raised Jesus from the dead is the power that He exerts in us when He raises us from spiritual death to new life in Christ. You see, God is still accrediting Christ to the world through the miracle of a transformed life. How are we doing at showing it and living it?

Pastor John