LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, June 12, 2024

Everyone desires a life of purpose and meaning, and there are lots of building plans being promoted  in the world. Which plan should we follow?

King Solomon, the wisest of all human builders, discovered that a life built on God’s wisdom is the only one that makes sense. Yesterday we determined that for a life to be built well it must have a good foundation, and the only foundation that withstands all the storms of life is Jesus Christ.

The second thing that is necessary in building a house is for it to be established, and understanding is the building material. In other words, everything built on top of the foundation must be connected to the foundation and use materials that remain strong and unmovable in the storms of life. Notice in the following to passages of Scripture how life is established through our understanding of God:

Colossians 1:9-11 “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,”

Colossians 2:2-4 “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.”

The more we come to understand our great salvation and the God who provided it, the stronger our house becomes. That is why a daily study of God’s Word is so important to our spiritual vitality. But it cannot stop with just understanding it. We must also do what we understand. James 3:3 says, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”  It’s not enough to have all the building materials delivered to the construction site. Let’s pound some nails!

Tomorrow we will look at one more wisdom principle for building a solid life.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, June 10, 2024

All my life I have loved tools. I have trouble walking through a hardware store and not picking up a new tool and trying to justify why I need it. I think my love for tools comes from a couple of childhood memories about my grandfather, Gunnar Gabrielson, who lived in Cleveland, Ohio. I loved to go down to the basement and look at his tools. I don’t ever remember seeing a power tool, just the old-fashioned hand tools. But what beautiful work he would do with those tools. He was a skilled craftsman. In fact, he designed and built the first ever sewing machine cabinet for the White Sewing Machine Company. It is on display in a museum in Cleveland. 

The major difference between my love for tools and my grandfather’s love for tools is that he knew how to use them well. He was careful and precise about everything he did. I do not understand those concepts. I am the proverbial bull in a china closet. I have tried to discipline myself to be careful, and I have accomplished some nice projects, but they are always flawed in some way, and it is always traceable to my lack of patience and carefulness, and to my pride that says I know just enough to do the job, when in fact I lack the wisdom to do the job well.

In today’s wisdom verses, Solomon uses the analogy of building a house to reveal to us the wisdom necessary for building a real life.

Proverbs 24:3-4 “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”

In this wisdom we see a natural progression of spiritual growth. Today would be a good day for us to evaluate our progress in building the house of our lives. Maybe there’s a project that needs to be completed before the Building Inspector arrives.

The first thing that is necessary in building a real life is the fear of the Lord. Solomon says that “by wisdom a house is built.” Earlier he stated that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” There is a common foundation under every spiritual house – Jesus Christ. That foundation is only available to those who have come face to face with God and recognized their hopeless and worthless condition considering His awesome perfection and holiness. “Woe is me, I am undone,” says the prophet Isaiah. From that condition of fear comes a faith in the mercy and grace of God to forgive, and in repentance we choose to build our house on Jesus Christ.

If we are going to be wise “life builders” we must have a firm foundation, and there is only one – Jesus Christ. Before you start thinking about what the house of your life will look like, make sure the foundation is properly in place.

Tomorrow we will look at some more life-building wisdom.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, June 7, 2024

Let’s continue our discussion on the use of alcoholic beverages by looking at another wisdom passage from Proverbs.

Proverbs 23:29-35  “Who has woe? Who has sorrow?  Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”

Here are some more principles we must apply to our decision about drinking.

1.      The consequences of drinking too much are severe – woe, sorrow, strife, complaints, bruises, and bloodshot eyes. Who needs any of those things? Just pick up any newspaper and you don’t have to read very far before you come to a story of an accident, a fight, an assault, a divorce, or a death that is the direct result of alcohol. We must consider carefully the consequences, not only for ourselves, but also in the lives of others around us. I say this especially to you parents and grandparents – what you may choose to do only in moderation may cause your children to become excessive.

2.      We each must carefully evaluate our heart and ask some tough questions that we are ready to answer honestly. The Proverbs 23:29-35 passage tells us what those questions should be:

a.      Do I have an increasing curiosity about alcoholic beverages? Do we linger over the beverage, and want to try more and different kinds? Be careful, curiosity killed the cat, and we don’t have 9 lives to give. We have only one life to give, and I choose to give it to the glory of God.

b.      Do I find myself desiring alcohol because of the temporary benefits it provides? Do I use it to relieve pain or to produce pleasure in any way? Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup. Why should alcohol be the escape from the problems of life, or the producer of pleasure in life? When will I wake up so I can find another drink?” Doesn’t this reveal a heart condition that needs the healing touch of Jesus? The Apostle John says, “Love not the world, neither the things in the world…for these shall all pass away.” On what does your heart truly depend for peace and hope?

c.      Do I find myself enjoying the taste? Proverbs says to be careful when it goes down smoothly! Just because we like it doesn’t make it beneficial or right. If that argument was valid, then let’s use it for other things we like as well, like sex. Sex is right only in the context of marriage, and when that purity is maintained it honors God.  Each of us must determine in what context drinking is right and honoring to God.

There is so much more that could be said from other passages of Scripture concerning our responsibility to honor God in everything – especially in the care of our temple of the Holy Spirit and our privilege to reflect the love and grace of Jesus to others. But I want us to consider carefully the three questions above and evaluate our choices regarding this issue. When you make your choice, make it in prayer before the throne of God, and make sure that your choice doesn’t in any way dishonor Him or exalt yourself over Him in any way. He is Lord, and is there any worldly sacrifice too great to make for our King?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, June 6, 2024

As we continue our study on God’s wisdom specifically related to moral integrity, we come to one of the most divisive and destructive arguments in the local church today. What position do we take on the use of alcoholic beverages. Is drinking a sin, or is just drunkenness the sin? Should we or shouldn’t we use them? If we believe it’s ok to drink in moderation, what constitutes moderation? Do we have any responsibility to God or to others when we make our decision? These are all questions that are asked and argued by all of us from the young in Christ to the mature.

I am going out on a very thin limb to address this topic today, and trust that our hearts will be open to hearing the voice of God. Please carefully consider everything that is said here before jumping to any conclusions.

First, the Bible does not call drinking a sin. I address this issue first because it is the issue that I believe causes the biggest problem in teaching others a true Biblical position on this subject. It is wrong to call something a sin that God has not called sin. When we try to conform another person’s behavior through untruth that we have called truth, we create rebellion in the other person against all truth. When our children grow to an age of understanding truth for themselves, they may reject what we have said because we tried to manipulate them into a certain type of behavior. Let’s just tell them the truth. Jesus performed His first miracle by turning water into wine, and we know it was alcoholic wine because the host of the party said so. (John 2:9-10)

Having said that, there are some very strong statements in Scripture about the use of alcoholic beverages, and several of them are right here in Proverbs.

Proverbs 23:19-21  “Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.”

This is what the Scriptures teach.

1.      It is not wise to join with those who drink too much, because it will lead to laziness and poverty.

2.      Choosing not to join with them will keep our hearts on the right path. Everything about our relationship with Jesus Christ begins in the heart. Wanting to join with those who drink too much shows heart dependence on the world and not on God. The key to understanding this is the word “join.” Why would we who are joined to Christ have any need or desire to seek acceptance and approval from the world by joining with them?

There is more we will address tomorrow. But for today, consider carefully the reason you believe what you believe about the use of alcohol. It is a decision that reveals your moral integrity. You may not drink so you will appear morally superior to others, which is sin. Or you may drink because you don’t care about being morally pure. But those are not the only two options. You may drink or not drink because you are striving to honor and glorify God by being thankful in all things. That’s the choice to make – to be morally pure because by choosing to honor God in everything you have a clear conscience.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, June 5, 2024

I love to go to restaurants that have a buffet. Oriental-style buffets are my favorite, because I can easily justify eating a lot because the food is better for me – lots of meat and vegetables and I can limit the carbohydrate intake. If a little is good for me, then a lot is better for me.

Today we shift gears in our study of wisdom for living to the issue of moral integrity. But what does eating a lot of food have to do with my moral purity? Why should the quantity of food I eat be a subject of moral importance? Today’s Scripture passage has something to say about my food attitude.

Proverbs 23:1-3 “When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.”

First, I think gluttony applies to a much broader base of indulgences than just food. In fact, gluttony is a heart condition that results in the constant pursuit of more and better in any area of our fleshly life: more food, more money, more recreation, better house, better car, etc., etc. You have probably heard the term used this way in the statement, “He is a glutton for punishment.”  Gluttony is an attitude that seeks self-satisfaction. That makes it a moral issue.

Secondly, because we are susceptible to self-satisfaction, we are in danger of being manipulated and deceived by those whom we give the power to influence our lives. Notice in the Scripture passage what is happening:

1.      The warnings are directed at those who sit down to dinner with a person of influence and renown. Don’t be a name-dropper. Don’t take pride in whom you know or whom you have met. All such behavior is an attempt to increase our own status in someone’s eyes and make us look better to them. Such behavior is motivated by self-satisfaction.

2.      The food that has been prepared has an ulterior motive other than just nourishment – it is meant to deceive and influence. We become easily influenced by the status and value we allow to be placed on our lives by people and things. “Note well,” it says, “what is before you.” Look deeply into your heart and determine if there is any motive of self-satisfaction or self-advancement in what you are doing. If there is, put it to death. And if the motive of the person who is providing you with the food, or any other resource in life, is to manipulate you in any way, don’t let it happen. Never let your friendship or loyalty be bought.

People of moral integrity are people who cannot be influenced to change their position on issues of truth. We must not give people or possessions the power to influence our position in Christ. No person or possession can ultimately provide us with anything of eternal value in God’s Kingdom. All they can give us is a momentary and fleeting reward to a need for self-satisfaction. Only what comes from God is good and perfect according to James chapter one.

The challenge for us is to live each day loving God above all else, especially self. Only then will we be stable, strong, unshakable and unmovable. Only then will we resist the selfish need to sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate. Only then will we be living with moral integrity.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, June 4, 2024

There’s one more principle for financial integrity, and it may be the most difficult to live by. It’s found in Proverbs11:18. “The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.”

We are to be honest wage earners.

Back on November 05, 2004, I wrote this challenge about financial integrity with regard to wage earning. It bears repeating.

“It seems like a no-brainer to most of us: don’t steal what belongs to someone else. But let’s define what it is that belongs to someone else. The obvious things are tangible- clothing, cars, boats, household goods, etc. Where it gets tough is when we think about the intangible things, i.e. TIME.”

For example, let’s say your boss hires you for an 8-hour day, with two fifteen-minute paid breaks and a one-hour non-paid lunch break. You will be paid $18.00 per hour. You arrive for work at 8:00 AM, and during the next two hours you work hard. You take your first 15-minute break. At 10:25, you finally arrive back at your desk 10 minutes late and work until noon, except for a ten-minute bathroom break which you didn’t do on your paid break. You leave for lunch at noon and return to your desk at 1:10 PM, and refreshed from your lunch break you put in two solid hours of work. At 3:10 you leave for a break and arrive back at your desk at 3:30 PM. During the next 90 minutes you again take five minutes to go to the bathroom, plus spend ten minutes reprogramming a couple of phone numbers on your personal cell phone. You then check out at 5:00 PM to go home.

Question – How much should you be paid?  If you said $144.00, you are guilty of stealing. You did not work 8 hours: you actually worked only 7 hours and 10 minutes. Now, that may sound picky and insignificant, but that $15 you just stole from your employer by making him pay you for personal time adds up to $75 per week, or $3900.00 per year. It is significant, not just from a cost of business perspective, but from a personal integrity perspective.

How much integrity in our finances is enough? Of all the people in the world, Christians should be the best to deal with when it comes to business and financial transactions. Unfortunately, that is not the case most of the time. For some reason Christians can be the most demanding and obnoxious of all people when it comes to money. Maybe it’s because we have put our trust in the deal or the money with which we make the deal rather than in the God who will provide for us richly when we are honest. Let’s consider all of this carefully today.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, June 3, 2024

Here are the next two principles in our study of Wisdom for Financial Integrity. They are found in the following verses from King Solomon’s wisdom writings.

Proverbs 20:14  “It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer; then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.”

Proverbs 11:1 “The LORD abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.”

Proverbs 20:10  “Differing weights and differing measures- the LORD detests them both.”

Proverbs 16:11  “Honest scales and balances are from the LORD ; all the weights in the bag are of his making.”

Principle number two is this – be careful not to take advantage of others. The example Solomon gives is of the person who loves to negotiate for a better price, but carries it to the extreme of actually finding fault with the product or service for which he is paying. Then, after making the deal, he brags about how great the product or service is and what a deal he got. I observed people close to me in my formative years who would actually get angry about not getting a better deal than someone else, or who would use their profession or their position to demand a discount. As a man of financial integrity, I have learned to respect the right of the merchant to sell his product for a fair price. If he chooses to make known through his business practices that discounts are available, I will wisely take advantage of those discounts. But we should never belittle a product or service or manipulate the merchant into giving us a better deal. To me, that proves selfishness on our part, and will not be blessed by the God who requires integrity.

Principle number three is connected to the previous one – we are told to be honest in our business dealings with customers. Have you ever wondered how you can trust the pump at the gas station to dispense the correct amount of gas for the correct price? One of the divisions of our state government is the division of weights and scales, and one of the young men acquainted with our family worked as the district weights and measures guy. He went around and verified all the pumps and scales at all businesses in Western Wisconsin. Because he is doing his job, we can trust the accuracy of our grocery store’s meat department to be selling us the correct weight for the correct price.

I worked in a meat department in high school and college, back in the days when there was no self-serve, pre-packaged meat. Everything was sold over the counter, and it had to be weighed and priced. I remember one of the managers of the meat department being fired from his position because he was caught using his thumb on the scale as he weighed the meat to increase the profit margin. He was cheating people for his own commissions and bonuses. This kind of dishonesty – the kind that is for personal benefit at the expense of another person – abhors the Lord. He detests it.

So next time you have a thrift sale, or sell something on an online marketplace, make sure you are completely honest about the product, and don’t try to make more than it’s worth.  The same principle of honesty that is required in your job applies to your personal life as well.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, May 31, 2024

As we continue our study of Wisdom for Living, we come to a subject within the context of financial integrity that requires serious personal evaluation, and it will probably be painful. Over the next few devotionals, we will learn four principles of financial integrity from the writings of King Solomon. I pray that the Holy Spirit will encourage us as followers of Jesus to be completely honest with ourselves about where we may need to make some changes to become people of integrity.

First, we are told that we are not to pursue wealth that comes from dishonest means.

Proverbs 10:2-5  “Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death. The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.”

Proverbs 13:11   “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.”

Proverbs 21:6  “A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.”

I don’t believe that this applies to our normal salaries and income from employment, but rather to those other methods we use to make extra money for ourselves. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making extra money, but how we do it can be wrong. We have all been tempted by those “get-rich-quick” schemes that appeal to the greed of our materialistic nature. They can be so attractive to us that we fail to investigate their legality or even try to determine if they are ethical.

]I remember the pyramid money schemes of the 70’s and early 80’s, when we were told to send twenty dollars to each of five people, and then add our name and the names of twenty more people to a list. We were promised that in 10 days we would receive thousands of dollars in the mail. It worked for the first few people in the pyramid, but then the law caught up with those who originated it and a bunch of people got in deep trouble. Praise God I chose not to be involved. Listen to this wisdom from Prov. 13:11 – “he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.”

There are innumerable marketing schemes out there today to tempt us to elevate riches to a higher priority than integrity. Many of them seem legitimate and may even provide a valuable service or product. But let me ask you to consider two things.

First, how many people have to be paid in the marketing line of this service or product, and how much does it inflate the price? Does it matter to your financial integrity to sell something for more than it’s worth?

Second, how much has the pursuit of riches influenced your decision to make extra money, and is it competing with your trust in Jesus to provide for you?

Serious questions to consider today.  We will give you more food for thought next time.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, May 30, 2024

Yesterday we laid out six wisdom principles to develop a successful work ethic which will result in financial security. Today we look at the other side of that coin and discover what makes for failure from the story of a man who owned a vineyard.

Proverbs 24:30-34  “I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”

Here are five characteristics of financial failure:

1.      Laziness – “I went past the field of the sluggard”

2.      Poor decision-making ability – “past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;”

3.      Procrastination – no discipline to do a job when it needs to be done – “thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.”

4.      A progressive downward spiral into pleasing self by resting whenever it is convenient for him – “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest”

5.      Denial – being oblivious to the consequences and taking no personal responsibility for causing them – “and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”

Maybe you can relate to one or more of these characteristics in your own life right now. Their presence in your life may be the cause of your financial worries. Go back to yesterday’s devotional and review the six principles of financial security, and make some changes. Put an end to a poor work ethic and bring an end to your insecurity. You will be glad you did.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Maybe you have heard the adage, “Give a person a fish, and feed him for a day: teach a person to fish, and feed him for a lifetime.”  That bit of wisdom has one unstated implication that is very important – the person who is taught to fish needs to take action and catch fish to be fed. Teaching doesn’t feed him. Fishing doesn’t even feed him. Catching feeds him. Any person will starve on good intentions. What we need is production. We need fish in the fry pan.

Today and tomorrow we will compare two passages of Wisdom Scripture. They describe two different people. Both have the same opportunity for success. Both have been provided a means of making a living – one has sheep and the other has grapevines. One will make it, one will not. Why does one succeed and the other fail? There are principles that determine who does and who does not have some degree of financial security. Today, let’s look at the principles of financial security found in Proverbs 27:23-27.

“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you and your family and to nourish your servant girls.”

Principles for Financial Security

1.      Be diligent to take care of what you already have: make the most of what you have been given. Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;

2.      Recognize the temporary nature of wealth: without discipline and proper management it will not last. for riches do not endure forever,

3.      Do not assume that past successes guarantee future success without increased knowledge and effort. and a crown is not secure for all generations

4.      Do your work in a timely and energetic way, applying yourself wholeheartedly until the task is completed. When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in,

5.      Use your income to provide for your basic needs first. the lambs will provide you with clothing…You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you and your family and to nourish your servant girls.

6.      Use your increase to improve your financial security. and the goats with the price of a field.

Let’s all take some quality time today to reflect on our attitudes towards work, and let the Holy Spirit teach us. But don’t stop there. Put it into action! You’ll feed yourself for a lifetime.

Pastor John