LifeLink Devotions for Monday, October 13, 2025

When God says He cares for us, I’m not sure we comprehend the depth of His care. Can we even begin to imagine the details that He must be managing?  Every little thing that could and would affect us is evaluated in the all-seeing and all-knowing mind of God. Even the timing of our own decisions is managed by God so that circumstances fall into place exactly as He wants so that His will is accomplished for our good. I have had numerous experiences of God delaying my progress on a trip to protect me from an unseen danger ahead. God never sleeps. He never slumbers. He cares for us constantly, more than we can ever know.

Today I want to share with you a story from a friend – a story that illustrates how God cares for us and has everything under control. The story has been edited from its original version to eliminate some personal details. The story begins with a surprise 60^th birthday party being planned for the writer’s mom.

“It just so happened that September 12 was 60 days before her actual 60th birthday. It seemed too good to pass up, so I chose that day for the party. The idea for the party was to choose 60 different people to each have a number from 1 to 60. They were asked to creatively present that number to her in whatever way they wanted. At the party we would start with #1 and count up to 60. Crazy, I know. But it was awesome….better than I ever could have hoped for or imagined.

“When we began planning the party last summer, I randomly gave #50 to my co-conspirator in the party planning. One day in early August she called me to tell me about a dream she had the night before. In the dream, she saw the verses Isaiah 46:3-4 and a bracelet that my dad had given my mom. I knew which bracelet she was referring to, but I couldn’t recall the engraving on it or the story behind it. She then read me the verses:

“Listen to me…you whom I  have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

“I told her even if it has nothing to do with the bracelet, verse 4 was too perfect for a 60th party to pass up! She would combine the chapter and verse number to equal 50 and write my mom a song about it for her present.

“Later that day my mom told me the story of the bracelet. When she got her first gray hair, she kind of panicked. My dad went to the jewelry store and bought her a bracelet. On one side is engraved: “Isaiah 46:3-4” and on the other side “Love, Lee”.

“In the weeks ahead, Satan seriously attacked every part of the party planning. Mom started making all kinds of other plans for the day of the party. We had to work very hard to get her to switch them. Family issues arose. I was totally stressed out, and the night before the party I thought I had made a big mistake trying to do this.

“The next morning – the day of the party – I got up and went into the bathroom at my mom’s and looked at the calendar on the wall. In utter amazement I read the Scripture verse for the day – Isaiah 46:4. Isn’t that amazing???? I am still very overcome when I think about that moment. I totally felt peace wash over me. I said, “God I am so sorry. This already was Your day. You have been in this all along.”  I was so glad that we had persevered through all of the heartache and headaches to reach that moment, and I knew that God was indeed at work. I also knew that this was to be more than just a “party.”

“Everyone was so creative with their numbers. I began to see why Satan would indeed want to cause trouble! Look at how many people had been reading the Bible in preparation for the party! Look at the people who were stepping out of their comfort zones! Look at the ways that God was being glorified! Look at the witness that was brought before unbelievers! Look at the people who stepped up as servants! Look at how the Body of Christ came together!! Then to top all of that off, the Isaiah verse. For me, that miracle was a symbol of redemption. The day truly had already belonged to the Lord.”

God cares, and He carries us along!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, October 10, 2025

 First things first.

I’m guilty of putting lesser things first.

Today I rejoice that the first things are the first things. They are also the best things. God designed it that way. His first things are always our best things.

As I read through the 45^th chapter of Isaiah again this morning I was reminded of five first things that put every other thing in proper perspective. Here they are:

#1.   Isaiah 45:17 “But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation.” God’s salvation is an everlasting salvation.

#2.   Isaiah 45:19  “I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, ‘Seek me in vain.’” God does not hide Himself from us, and when we seek Him we will find Him.

#3.   Isaiah 45:23  “Before the LORD every knee will bow.” One day everyone will bow before Him and acknowledge that He is LORD. Some will bow in despair as they await their sentence. I will join all others who have been saved and bow before Him in adoration and thanksgiving as we enter His eternal presence.

#4.   Isaiah 45:24  “In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.” Only in the LORD will I discover and embrace righteousness and strength. All other ground is sinking sand. He alone is my solid rock.

#5.   Isaiah 45:25  “In the LORD all the descendants of Israel will be found righteous and will exult.” In the LORD I will be found righteous and will glory in Him. God declares me righteous because of the righteousness of Christ in me. Not because of what I did to earn it – I can do NOTHING to earn it. It is all because of the love and grace of God manifested in Jesus Christ my LORD! That makes me rejoice!

Let’s keep the first things first.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, October 9, 2025

Years ago I went on a fishing trip. A spiritual fishing trip. I was looking for someone to grab hold of Jesus. I didn’t catch one thing. I made a few casts with some pretty flashy lures, but not one fish grabbed hold. Actually, most of the trip was spent encouraging other fisherman, and that was very effective.

For most of the trip God took me through some pretty rough waters. I was literally drowning in remorse and regret. For some reason all the failures of my past were brought to my mind, and all of the hardships of the present were seen as more evidence of my unworthiness. I really believed I was unfit for service to the King.

Then the breakthrough came. God reminded me clearly from the authority and truth of His Word that I am forgiven. The past is gone, and He remembers it no more. The future is His and He has asked me to be a part of it. He reminded me that I am His because He chose me, He cleansed me, and He commissioned me to do His work. I’m ready for more fishing.

Fishing is all about forgiveness. It’s not very flashy, but it’s the only lure we need. People must be told they can be forgiven. It’s what the entire ministry of Jesus was all about – to seek and to save the lost. He was constantly forgiving the worst of sinners. Jesus had to remind me that I have been forgiven. I’m not sure I ever really understood the impact that God’s forgiveness of my sin should have had on my life. I’m starting to. I’m ready to go fishing.

On that previous fishing trip, God was confirming His purpose in me. He answered prayer about a ministry opportunity for me. He answered with a “YES!” and I said yes to returning to an old favorite fishing hole.

God is currently clarifying His vision for His church. He is opening doors of ministry. He  tests our faith with a variety of storms that rock our boat but strengthen our confidence in His provisions. We are being made ready for more fishing.

How about you? How has God been training you to do more fishing? Or maybe you don’t recognize that He’s doing it because you haven’t yet decided to go fishing. It’s time to start casting lures of love and watch what God does.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, October 8, 2025

I like to go fishing. It started out as a desire to fish for fish. God has been unrelentingly reminding me that I have been called to fish for people.

Years ago I did a chronological study of the life of Christ and used it as the basis for a long sermon series in church. Now when I say long sermon series it can be taken two ways, and according to the people of my church both would be accurate. They are long sermons, and it is a long series. In fact, after seven months of preaching we had just arrived at the stories of Jesus calling his disciples to be fishers of men. Some people thought that at that rate it would be the last sermon series I ever preached. Of course, every sermon could be the last sermon ever preached as we wait for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

The call of the disciples from a life of fishing for fish to a life of fishing for men is monumental. It’s monstrous. It’s motivational.  As these fishermen discover more and more about the Messiah they are captivated with Him. They are considering investing their lives in His eternal purpose. They have already been called to follow Him, but they had not yet made a permanent commitment. They were balancing their spiritual and their worldly lives, attempting to have both. They would soon learn that the call to follow Jesus isn’t a call that allows us to bring anything with us. It’s a call to complete commitment.

When Jesus issued His call to commitment, He encapsulated in it His purpose for their lives. They would be fishers of men. He did not call them to political or social reform. He called them to one simple objective – spiritual reform. He called them to catch men for the Kingdom of God. He called them to represent the heart of God to people who were lost. He called them to call others to be saved from their sin.

Isaiah 45:22    “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”

We have digressed from the call. We have become efficient at many commendable spiritual activities but have lost our passion for fishing. The church is missing out on the fullness of God’s blessing because it is ignoring its God-given mission. We as individuals have become really good at balancing our spiritual and worldly lifestyles, but we may  have tipped the scales in favor of the world. Very little fishing is being done, yet that’s the one thing Jesus called us to do better than anything else.

Fishermen don’t catch fish every day, but they think about fishing and planning for the next fishing trip. They check their equipment and make every necessary preparation. Even the things they do that are unrelated to fishing are still seen as a preparation for fishing. Fishing is their passion. It should be ours. If it’s not, something’s wrong with our connection to the heart of God.

For the last several days God has put a question in my mind. It’s my question for fishing and not meant to be yours. God will give you your own way of fishing if you really want Him to. But maybe it will stimulate you to think about fishing more often as I am doing. I have been trying to figure out a way to ask someone a question to begin a spiritual discussion with them. What works best for me is to ask a question like this one.  “Has anyone ever taken the time to explain to you why Jesus had to die on the cross?”

I’m going fishing today. I’m looking for someone to whom I can ask that question.

How will you go fishing?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, October 7, 2025

I am a fixer. I remember the day I was in the middle of a fix-it project when I got a call from my son who needed help with a fix-it project of his own. I dropped what I was doing and went to his house where he had a washing machine partially disassembled. It was leaking water from the bottom of the tub. One of the seals was bad, and we needed to see how to replace it.

With laptop computer propped up in the laundry room so we could see the service manual for the machine, we continued to take it apart. After almost two hours of work we had a solution. Unfortunately we had reached a point where we knew that going any further would not be cost effective, so we quit and junked the machine.

On the way home my mind was swimming with questions about the design of the machine that made it so labor intensive to get at one seal. My questions were driven by my need for convenience rather than the engineering needed to produce a water-tight seal on the drum. I wondered if the designers were motivated by a desire to frustrate fixers.

When I returned home I took up my project, which was frustrating me because all the easy and cheap solutions weren’t working. I had one more option before I would have to spend a few hundred dollars. That’s tough for a fixer.

As I thought about my attitudes towards designers, I was hit full in the face this morning with the next verses in our study of Isaiah. It’s all about how we question the Designer.

Isaiah 45:9-10    “Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’? Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought to birth?’”

The arrogance of our attitudes that make us believe that we can question God overwhelmed me. Yet we do it. We have figured out ways in our finite minds to justify the questioning of the infinite and not feel guilty about it. We have so rationalized our rights that we actually claim to have authority in our relationship with the One who created us. We are so driven by our need for convenience that we fail to see the long-term consequences of changing the design.

Sometimes we even use Jesus as our excuse for such questions. After all, He did it in the Garden of Gethsemane. Didn’t He ask God to change His design and not make Him go through death on a cross? We know He ended up surrendering to God’s will, but He still questioned it, didn’t He?

We forget  four vitally important  words at the beginning of that prayer – “If it is possible…”  One of the Gospel writers puts it this way – “Father, if you are willing…”

That’s a far cry from how most of us address God when things aren’t being fixed according to our convenience. We demand that God change things. We go to Him with arrogant authority. We tell Him what we want done and then expect Him to do it. We question everything, not from a desire to understand the heart of God but to change the mind of God. That is not what Jesus did.

Jesus went to the Father with a heart already surrendered. He simply wanted to make sure there were no other options. But His first words indicate that He was already settled on the current course and trusted the Father’s final decision. Oh that we would live with that level of faith. Fixers find that hard to do.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, October 6, 2025

We all respond differently to the weather forecast. Our responses may even be different at different times of the year and based on our location. Right now a forecast of precipitation would be pleasing so long as it falls in liquid form and not solid.  But extended periods of dreary days can be draining. Dark clouds release a consistent rain but they also cover the sun. But the sun will eventually break through, and all creation will be drawn upwards to that which gives the light of life. The grass will grow, gardens will sprout, farm crops will flourish, and we will be invigorated by the beauty of God’s creation and the opportunity to enjoy it.

Often our lives are like a rainy day. Circumstances are cloudy. Our plans and pursuits are put on hold by pouring rain. Our emotions are saturated with negativity. We see only the inconvenience of the present and miss the blessing of seeing the abundance being produced.

God uses Isaiah to remind us of a simple truth – the rains that fall in the form of hardship and suffering are bringing God’s righteousness and salvation.

Isaiah 45:8    “You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it.”

God reminds us that as the Creator of all things, He has eternally connected the physical and the spiritual. Every element of nature brings God spiritual glory. Jesus said that if we didn’t praise Him, even the rocks would cry out to the glory of God.

Every event of life has spiritual implications. The circumstances of our lives that we pray to end are the very events God planned to bring us the water of life. The clouds of despair that we believe stop us from seeing the sun are the very clouds that God is using to deliver His righteousness so we can see the Son. The cracks in the ground that shake the foundations of our lives are the evidence that God is preparing to grow something new and wonderful in us.

Life can be hard, especially if we believe that this life is all we get. But for those who see the spiritual in the physical – the supernatural in the natural – there can be joy even in the storms. The clouds that roll into our lives are to be embraced and enjoyed, because God is delivering righteousness in the rain. Open up wide and receive it, and let salvation spring up in your heart.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, October 3, 2025

We all have different ideas of how things should get done. Not one of us has a corner on the solutions market. The process market is up for grabs as well. Our experience has taught us some lessons we can pass along, but anything we have learned from experience is confined to the scope of our experiences, and that scope is limited.

When committees or teams are formed to initiate programs they can be either productive or problematic, depending on the attitudes of those involved. It only takes one person in a meeting who believes that their solution is the only solution to cause a major problem. The assumption that their experience exceeds the experience of anyone else, and that their wisdom demands recognition puts them near the top of the arrogance scale.

One key element of truth that is ignored by such prideful people is that there is only One who has complete knowledge, experience, and wisdom – Almighty God. And whether we agree with His methods or not, He is in control and He is getting it done.

Let’s put ourselves in Isaiah’s time for a moment. God is revealing to him and to the nation of Israel that there is a time of political unrest coming. Babylon will invade and the people will be taken captive. I’m sure as they heard this news that their minds were spinning with possible solutions. They had been given the one and only solution from God – repent of your sin and submit to God’s control. They didn’t like the crimp that put in their lifestyle choices, so they rejected that possibility and turned to their human wisdom instead.

• Are there political alliances we can form that will protect us?
• Are there resources we can use to buy our way into peace?
• Are there other gods we can worship that will save us?

I wonder what Isaiah was thinking. He may have been considering all sorts of options. Then God gives him His solution. In Isaiah 45:4we read, “For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.”

God will anoint the ruler of Persia, Cyrus, who doesn’t acknowledge God as God, to bring restoration to the people.

WHAT!?!

God is going to use a pagan to accomplish His purpose? What a crazy idea. Why is He on this team anyway? We can come up with better solutions than that, can’t we?

Yes God will do it. No there are no better solutions than God’s.

Not only will God bring about the restoration of His people, but He will show the pagans that He is in control and that He alone is worthy of worship. God is getting it done.

So next time you are in the mindset to demonstrate against the political powers that be or proclaim your dislike for decisions that are being made, stop and evaluate your trust level in God and whether or not you really believe that He is getting it done according to His divine will and eternal purpose. It may not look like the way we would have done it, but we must humbly admit that our way has failed far more than it has succeeded, and God’s way NEVER has.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, October 2, 2025

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Nehemiah as he leads the people of Jerusalem in the rebuilding of the city walls. It is a story of redemption – from ruins to restoration. It is the story of our lives.

Isaiah prophesied the literal restoration of Jerusalem  some two hundred years before it actually happened.

Isaiah 44:24,26    “I am the LORD, who has made all things,  who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself…who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be built,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’”

Isaiah named King Cyrus by name in chapter 44 verse 28 and again in chapter 45, about 150 years before he actually took office in Persia. Many scholars believe that  Cyrus actually read this prophecy when He was in office and was so moved by it that he chose to fulfill it. We know that it was God who moved Him.

When Isaiah wrote this, Jerusalem had not even fallen captive to Babylon yet, so the people must have thought Isaiah’s prophecy of their flourishing city standing in ruins to be absurd. But God was revealing His plan to Isaiah, and it has implications to our lives today.

First, the things you say to people today on behalf of the Lord are the very words that God will use later in their lives to restore them when they have made a mess of things. It took two hundred years for Isaiah’s words to come true, but at just the right time in God’s plan his words were used to move Cyrus to action. Your words today will either hurt or help others. May what we say be words God can use to move them to action according to His will.

Second, even though everything seems great with your life today, there may be a time coming when it’s not. It may be the consequence of your own choices, or it may be the result of unforeseen circumstances, but either way a time is coming when you will consider your life to be in ruins. When that moment hits, and it will hit hard, remember the word of the Lord. Fill your mind with it right now so you are prepared. God said of your ruins, “I will restore them.”

Third, maybe everything is already in ruins. Trust the God who loves you and sent His son to die for you. He will restore you. Already there is a Cyrus in your life who is the agent of change. God has sent an Ezra and a Nehemiah to facilitate the rebuilding. God does not intend for you to fix your own life by yourself. He has sent you an incredible gift – people who love Him and serve Him – and they are there to help you rebuild and to experience God’s restoration. Let them help you.

“God, we acknowledge that you are LORD, and have made all things. By your mighty power that brought everything out of nothing, you are also able to restore our ruins. Let the rebuilding begin. Amen.”

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, October 1, 2025

In the midst of our greatest joys there can be heartbreak. That is how we tend to look at life. But what if we turned that around and so that our first thought was that in the midst of our greatest heartbreaks there can be joy?

I was overwhelmed with that thought as I read from Isaiah 44 and saw these words:

This is what the Lord says – He who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you…”

Here’s the whole context.

Isaiah 44:2-3   “This is what the LORD says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”

The God who made me will help me, so I do not need to be afraid.

When I am thirsty for relief from the anguish of my trials, God will pour water on me.

When my emotions are drying up because of the heartbreaks of life, God soften my heart again with streams of grace and mercy.

When I tend to worry about the outcome of my offspring, I hear the promise of God that He will pour out His Spirit upon them.

He knows what I need and when I need it. What an awesome God He is.

I can trust Him. I will choose to praise Him.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, September 30, 2025

God is doing new things.

That’s scary to most of us. We don’t like new things. We want the comfort of the familiar.

Years ago God taught me some valuable lessons about new things. Our staff Worship Director at the time was leaving for another completely different ministry opportunity. God was doing something new in her life as she moved by faith into an area of ministry she was totally unfamiliar with. She would be stretched. She would grow. She would be a blessing because she joined with God to be where He was.

Meanwhile, we had to figure out how to organize our worship ministry over the summer and decide what we would do for leadership in the future. For three months we had been advertising for a worship director but had received only one response. Three major Midwest Christian college placement services had produced no options.

Dead end, right?

Wrong!

The temptation was to try and find a solution in our own strength. But we prayed, calling on the name of the Lord for wisdom and direction. Not just an obligatory prayer, but a heart-felt one: sincere and humble as we confessed our need of Him. We called upon Him.

There are various responses we can make when God starts to do something new around us or in us:

• We can reject it. Maybe it’s too hard. Maybe it’s too uncomfortable. Maybe we don’t think we are ready.
• We can embrace it, but for the wrong reason. We take advantage of the benefits of the change for personal gratification only. We rarely give thanks because selfishness convinces us that we deserved it.
• We embrace it for the right reasons. We see the glory of God being revealed. We see the growth of our character through it so we become more like Jesus. We respond with gratitude to the One who would bless us so greatly with His goodness and grace. We come before Him and worship.

Every member of our worship ministry that attended the meeting we had stepped up to serve God in a fresh way. I was so blessed and encouraged. It was going to look different. Would it enrich our spirit of worship? That’s up to those who worship. They can embrace it as a new thing God is doing, or they can sit sad-faced and long for the good old days.

One of the most tragic statements in all of Scripture is the Word of the Lord from Isaiah 43:22. God has revealed new things to His people. He gave them a clear course to walk through the deserts of their lives and provided fresh streams of refreshment for them in the wastelands of their experiences. God fully expected that His people would give Him praise (verse 21). But they didn’t. “Yet you have not called upon me…” They didn’t call on the God who gave it all to them. They gave God no thanks for the new things. They did what we do…they complained, and their complaining was seen by God as sin, and it wearied Him (verse 24).

Embrace the new things God is doing. Be patient to see how His glory is revealed and how your growth is reinvigorated. Let’s reserve our preliminary judgments and complaints until we see the great things God does through new things. Our pride in our way of doing it must be eliminated.  It must be replaced with praise that God has blessed us with a fresh anointing of His presence and power to accomplish His purpose.

So call on Him, and the join with Him.

Pastor John