LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

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.”

If you remember from last week, I started a short study of Colossians 3:17. That verse says, “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 am specifically focusing on what it means to do everything “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” God gave me an acrostic of the word NAME, and it has proven valuable in our study. That acrostic is:

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.

Today we come to the  letter “M”, which represents the mission of Jesus. I wonder how our lives would change if we took some quality time to reflect on our lives and evaluate how much of them are 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 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 granted that we all need relaxation and recreation, and our tendency is to compartmentalize mission and not see how “fun” connects 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 activity we chose would refresh us and provide us with increased opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with someone at work when we returned? 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.

Now that we have those basics in place, we are ready to start the evaluation process.  First, do you understand what the mission of Jesus is for your life? While each of us is unique, and uniquely equipped for various roles and responsibilities within the body of Christ, each one us starts with the same marching orders. Our identical mission is this – Go into all the world and make disciples.

We could spend weeks upon weeks studying all of the individual ways we are prepared, equipped, and gifted to do that, but unless we truly accept the primary mission itself then all of the methods will be meaningless. There is to be nothing in our lifestyle choices more significant than glorifying Jesus, and He is most glorified when we accomplish His mission – the salvation of souls. There can be no higher priority than people.

Second, we must carefully prioritize all areas of our life under Christ’s mission. Some of our chosen activities can remain. Some might have to go. Let’s use some of our evaluation questions again today to examine our priorities in light of God’s mission for our life. Ask these questions about every choice you make.

• 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 prepare me in some way to fulfill Christ’s mission for me?
• Does this word or activity present an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with another person?
• Does this word or activity present an opportunity to make a disciple?
• Does this word or activity present an opportunity to teach others to obey Jesus?
• Does this word or activity present an opportunity to encourage and build up a brother or sister in Christ?

If the answer to any of the questions above is “no”, then ask yourself, while remembering ground rule #2 above, why that activity is permitted to remain in your life. Of what value is it in accomplishing the mission of God?

My friends, we are people of purpose. Everyone wants to know their purpose. We are blessed to be children of God, who get to experience the one true and fulfilling mission of all life – serving the Savior. Let’s join together to serve Him according to His mission, not ours.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, February 19, 2018

Psalm 139:1-3  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.

The next word in our acrostic on the NAME of Jesus is Attributes. If we are going to live our lives according to Colossians 3:17, then we must live it in such a way that it 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. But yesterday we gave you a list of questions from a short list of those attributes. Here they are again, with a little twist on them as we consider them from the perspective of emulating them or being an embarrassment to them.

• Does this word or activity support my belief in the attributes of Jesus?
• Does this word or activity embarrass Christ because it doesn’t measure up to the fullness of God’s love in me?
• Does this word or activity embarrass Christ because it doesn’t reflect the maturity of the life of Jesus in me?
• Does this word or activity embarrass Christ because it doesn’t reflect His holiness?
• Does this word or activity embarrass Christ because it doesn’t reflect His righteousness?
• Does this word or activity embarrass Christ because it doesn’t reflect His love and compassion?
• Does this word or activity embarrass Christ because it doesn’t reflect His truth?
• Does this word or activity embarrass Christ because it doesn’t reflect His grace?
• Does this word or activity embarrass Christ because it doesn’t reflect His mercy?

The Apostle John, the one whom our Lord Jesus loved, wrote about this embarrassment in his first letter to Christians around the world. He said, 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.

O Lord, motivated by our love for you, may our lives reflect your life in us, and not be an embarrassment to you.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, February 16, 2018

Psalm 139:1-3  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.

As you recall from yesterday, the challenge was 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.”  Do you remember 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.

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

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Colossians 3:17  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 have a serious problem. I react negatively when things don’t meet my expectations. I know you do too. My favorite response at such times is “Oh man!” What’s yours?

Several years ago, Colossians 3:17 was my New Year’s resolution. 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. One step at a time I will become more thankful, and my life will become more honoring to the Lord Jesus Christ in all areas. At least that was my goal. As I reflect, I’m not sure how much better I am.

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 of 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.

For this to be true about me, I must be willing to continually ask myself some penetrating questions.

• 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)?
• 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?
• 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?
• 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

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Isaiah 59:1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

We really didn’t know what to expect. When we registered for our dining time we had the option of choosing a large table with other people, or a table by ourselves. We decided that since there would be so many other opportunities to meet people, we would choose a table by ourselves and spend that quality time focused on each other.

When we arrived at the dining room the first night we were ushered to our table by the head waiter fully decked out in a tuxedo. As we arrived at our table I quickly discovered what the term private table means on a cruise ship. Instead of several tables being pushed together to form a large table, the small two-person tables were spaced twenty-two inches apart. The gentleman at the table next to me was less than an arm’s length away. As we sat and reviewed the menu for the evening, it was obvious that our quiet private dinner would soon become a time of fellowship with the people at the neighboring table.

I turned and initiated a conversation with a young couple. As we talked, we discovered their living status, state, and their professions. It was obvious that serving Jesus Christ was not on their radar, and that they were adrift in the sea of self-indulgence. At this point it would have been easy to end the conversation and seclude ourselves at our own table as best we could. I suspect that many Christians would so choose. But that’s not natural to my heart and certainly not a product of the love of Jesus that captivates us. So, the conversation continued with this heavily tattooed bar owner and his live-in girlfriend.

Eventually they asked me what I did for a living. Without hesitation I said, “I’m a pastor.” Denise and I both waited for their response. The woman spoke first. She leaned in towards me and with a soft and humble spirit said, “May I ask you a favor?” After I agreed, she told me the story of her best friend back in Texas who had just given birth to premature twins, and one of them had died the day the cruise left port. She was distraught that she couldn’t be there for her friend. She asked me to pray for her. I asked for the mother’s name and it was provided to me. When our food arrived, Denise and I bowed our heads and I prayed for that mother and for our new friends as they went through this time of grief.

On two more occasions during the cruise the Lord directed our steps to connect with this couple. On each occasion I asked how they were doing, and asked specifically about the grieving mother and called her by name. Then, when the cruise was over, and we got on the bus to return to the airport, there, sitting right in front of us, was this couple. We chatted again and told them we would be remembering them and their friend in prayer.

I don’t know what effect any of that will have on their lives, but I’m not in charge of that – the Holy Spirit is. But God taught me an important lesson through that experience – a lesson that I was not aware I needed. I was forming judgments about people based on their external appearance and their public sin. I was creating small and subtle but unknowingly strong barriers between me and them. I was tending towards seclusion from sinners rather than intentionally engaging them. If the Lord’s arm is not too short to save, then why was I, as the arm of the Lord, doing things to come up short?

We are the arm of the Lord to bring salvation to those who need it. We are the ear of the Lord to listen for people’s cries for help. We must overcome the fleshly desire to judge others and seclude ourselves from them. We must stretch out the arms of God’s love and embrace people where they are and show them that grace is available. No matter how they appear on the outside, and not matter what they have chosen as their lifestyle, they have the same spiritual need that we had before we met Jesus. Let’s introduce them to Him.

Let’s be the arm of the Lord that never comes up short.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Isaiah 59:1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

Several years ago, my wife and I went on an amazing adventure. For nine years we had been planning the trip, and every year that we thought we would do it, something interfered. Well, that particular year, our kids said, “Enough! No more excuses!” They put together a little incentive package with contingencies that forced us to make the decision and book the reservations. After all the years of hearing about their wonderful experiences on a cruise, Denise and I finally went on one. It was everything we expected and more.

While we were sitting on a beach on a small atoll called Cococay, I watched as a father took his little girl into the ocean for probably the first time ever. Dad and the girl stood hand in hand for a moment in water only six inches deep. Then the eighteen-month old girl let go of daddy’s hand and took a few steps out into a little deeper water. She turned and smiled at her dad, and he smile back.

Having discovered courage she didn’t know she had, the girl took a few more steps. It was obvious she was not used to the buoyancy of saltwater, and she worked hard to keep her balance. She took one more step, and as she turned around to catch her daddy’s eye for approval, she wobbled. She listed heavily to the right. Her left leg came off the white sand on the bottom. She tipped forward, and her face was very near the water. Her short arms could not reach the bottom to stop her descent.

I cringed in my lounge chair. I’m sure I made a visible move to get up. I will never forget the look in the little girl’s eyes. They were as big as they could be, and looked right into her daddy’s eyes and spoke louder than any words could have. “Daddy, help me!” By now her mouth and nose were under the water, but her eyes never stopped looking at her father. She needed rescue, and she knew that dad was the rescuer.

Her steps had taken her out of reach of her father. His arm could not grab her and lift her from where he was. She was unable to get to him. But dad saw her, and from her eyes he heard her cry for help. In two swift steps through the water he had her by the arm and lifted her into his. She threw her arms around his neck and hung on. Her eyes were facing me, and without a single tear they clearly said, “I’m safe and secure.”

The dad did an amazing thing. It may seem so simple and natural that we lose sight of the amazement of it, but it is no less amazing. As his daughter’s eyes cried out to him, he did not speak to her about the consequences of her actions. He did not tell her to deal with the problem, since she had put herself in that position. He did not correct her for wandering away from him. He did what any loving father would do – he rescued her.

Surely your Heavenly Father will do the same for you. His arm is not too short to save nor His ear too dull to hear. Cry out to Him, and He will make you safe and secure. You simply need to be willing to be lifted out of your condition and trust Him to hold you.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, February 12, 2018

Psalms 150  Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

What an incredible journey it’s been. This is our 175^th devotional during our scenic tour of the Psalms. We agreed to take a little sight-seeing trip each day and stop at any scenic overlook the Lord pulled us into. We have discovered some marvelous treasures along the way. I’m sad to see this trip come to an end. I wonder where God will take us next?

There’s only one scenic overlook on today’s excursion. As we exit our vehicles and walk over to the edge to get the full effect of the view, we are immediately overwhelmed by the simple complexity of what we see – simple because there’s only one thing to observe, yet complex because of the diversity of ways to observe it. It is the panorama of praise.

It’s an awesome vista. Multiple individual scenes all turned and tuned to one focal point. No matter which direction we look, our eyes are always drawn to one place. There is no inclination to be distracted by the individual elements of the view. Every part of the scene has but one purpose – to draw attention to the One who created the scene.

Some parts are doing it with a variety of musical instruments. Some parts have chosen to make loud, rhythmic noises. Some parts are dancing. Every part that has breath is singing and shouting. But one thing is consistent – they are all directing their attention to the One who gave them life and breath. In unity they inhabit the panorama of praise.

Some choose to praise the LORD in the security of their homes and churches. Some have decided to climb to the heights and praise Him in public. But one thing is common to them all, they are praising God.

Some praise Him because they have experienced His acts of power. Some are praising Him because they are experiencing the reality of who He is. But one thing remains the same with them all – they are praising Him.

As we look out over this amazing scene at the end of the road, we get a glimpse of heaven. We haven’t seen this view before, mainly because we’ve been preoccupied with our way of praising God. Suddenly it becomes clear – our way is not the only way. As we gaze out over this panorama we are awestruck by the diversity of people and their patterns of praise, and yet they all come together to make one sound – a clear sound – that draws complete and continual attention to the One on the throne. It’s as if all the music, drums, dancing, shouting, and singing have combined to create a new form of music – one unknown to us here on earth.

Our minds are immediately taken to the scene in heaven when all the saints are present, and it begins to make sense.

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirit of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

At last we understand. None of the songs we sing today, and none of the musical preferences we have held so dear, will be the final voice of praise in heaven. They will blend with the voices and styles of saints from every age and every tribe and every language and every race and form one new song, with its one and only focus on the One and Only King – Jesus Christ.

We could stand at this spot for a long time and take in the true beauty of what we see.

As we walk away from the edge and return to our vehicle to begin whatever journey God has planned for us next, we are deeply impacted by what we have just seen. We follow the lead of the Holy Spirit to make a renewed commitment to start practicing our praise for heaven. We understand now that the best way to do that is not to invite everyone else to praise God as we do, but rather to let everyone praise God as they do, and let God, the Master Conductor, bring us together in harmony to create the final concerto.

Let the crescendo of praise begin.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, February 9, 2018

Psalms 149:1-5  Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp. For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.

Earlier this week in a devotional, I referred to a Pastor friend named Jerry. I want to share another story from that relationship that will draw out a spiritual truth from today’s Psalm.

When our church started a relationship with Pastor Jerry and the people of Bayou DuLarge Baptist Church, we asked him to give us the name of someone for whom he really wanted us to pray for salvation. He gave us the name of Raymond. We started praying immediately. For three years we prayed for him. He was on our daily prayer list at our staff devotions, and many of our church people prayed for him in their personal devotions as well.

I remember the trip to the Bayou when God answered our prayers. It was a Tuesday night, and without any notice, Raymond showed up at the church and asked if he could talk to me. Thirty minutes later Raymond and I were on our knees as he surrendered his life to Jesus and repented of his sins. Hallelujah! For three years, no one on the bayou would have thought it was possible. But with God nothing is impossible. Our God is mighty to save.

Raymond and I celebrated together. We cried together, we prayed together, then we cried some more. Then we laughed. We set out on a course of confession of Christ to those people who were closest to him – first his wife, and then Pastor Jerry. Soon the whole bayou knew. Raymond was not ashamed of his Lord.

His wife, who is a born again Christian, told me that it’s the love of God that won his heart. She said he has never had anyone really love him for who he was, so when I loved him it really softened his heart to the love of God. Instead of having to be proud and protective of his life, he could finally let go and humble himself before God. How could he be expected to surrender to God and trust Him to save him when he never had an example of that kind of love? That’s not to say that he didn’t see it in any other Christians on the bayou, but he never really had anyone take a personal interest in his life and accept him as he was. He never really had a relationship of love and trust with a Christian man before.

Raymond is just like so many others that we know and work with every day. They are afraid to be humble before God because they fear what He will say or do to them based on their sin. That fear is very real to them because of the way we as God’s people tend to pound on sinners. If we, the ambassadors of Jesus Christ, pile shame of those who sin, and separate ourselves from them, then what other impression of God could they possibly have than to think that He will do the same. If we want people to come to Jesus on their knees in confession and repentance, then we must respond to them the same way that Jesus will – with compassion, love, and forgiveness. It’s time we stop telling people they have to change, and time to start showing them that God has changed us.

But I struggle with something – why is it so hard to do that where we live? We love to go on mission trips and serve others, but there isn’t the time to get intimate and personal with them. We feel protected. We can leave them a good surface impression of God’s love, but we never show them the grace of God that is necessary to forgive us for our sin and cover our shortcomings. Heaven forbid that other people should ever see us as weak.

Yet all around us are people who need to see the real love of God that accepts people at their worst and transforms them into God’s best. We all have people near us who are hurting and lost, and need to see the compassion, acceptance, and forgiveness of God so they can humble themselves before Him. They want to see love in action. They want to see Jesus in us.

But we tend to get so wrapped up in our own lives that we only show God’s love when it is convenient or profitable to us. Yet God calls us to live that way every day, right where we are.

Imagine the rejoicing that would be going on in our churches if the people who are lost in their sin understood that the LORD takes delight in them, and will crown them with salvation if they will humbly come to him. They will flock to our sanctuaries and worship centers to find a place of acceptance and forgiveness.

But they are afraid.

They will only overcome their fear of God when we show them how loving He is by loving them as they are. They will understand that God takes delight in them because we take delight in them. They will trust God to forgive them and accept them, because we accept and forgive

We represent God to them. You and I are the ones God has chosen and honored with this mission. Let’s go and love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and show them the love of God.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, February 8, 2018

There is nothing that stimulates and revitalizes me more than being out in the splendor of God’s creation. I am closest to God when I am closest to the simplicity and beauty of His creation that is unspoiled by man.

With that in mind, read what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 148:

Praise the LORD. 

Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.

 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.

 He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children.

 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. 

He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the LORD.

I know it is the dead of winter right now, but I challenge you to take every opportunity you have to praise God in the midst of nature.

Earlier this week, as I walked up my driveway after placing the garbage can by the road, I looked up into a crisp, cold, clear sky, and I stopped and praised the Lord. I beheld the infiniteness of God, praising Him that he is far beyond the billions of light years of distance to the farthest star.

I look forward to the day, hopefully soon, when I can sit in the warmth of the sun and praise Him for the gift of the Son that turned my cold heart of sin into a warm home for love.

I desire to sit by the shore of a lake and listen to the waves splash against the rocks, and while I consider the numerous forms of life that live there I will praise the Lord for His life that now lives in me because I have been washed with living water. 

I look forward to watching as storm clouds rise in the west to bring thunder, lightning, and much-needed rain to a parched ground, and I will praise Him for the storms that come into my life that nourish my faith in His sovereign control.

In the fall I will observe the splendor of His creation from a tree stand while I contemplate Christ’s exalted position over it, and I will be humbled that it is simply a foretaste of the splendor of His presence, which I will behold someday face to face with my Lord.

Through our study of the Psalms I have learned an important lesson: every situation and circumstance of life is an opportunity to praise the Lord. Every experience of life is to be an experience of the presence of God.

No matter what life brings today, God is in control. There is no problem that is bigger than His compassion. There is no hardship that is greater than His strength. There is no good thing we accomplish that surpasses His grace and our need to trust Him.

Do not succumb to pity because of problems. Do not be puffed up with pride by prosperity. In all things, be pumped up with praise.

May every event and observation of your life today and every day lead you to praise.

Praise the Lord.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Psalms 147:1, 4-5, 10-11 ( NIV ) Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Many years ago, while in college, I stood on the American side of Niagara Falls. I was spellbound. I could not contemplate the continuous surge of water flowing down that river and over that cliff. Since the days of Noah and the flood, millions of gallons of water per minute have crashed to the rocks 170 feet below the river bed. As I stood absorbing facts I was reading and trying to avoid the cold spray from the force of the falling water, I was awestruck by the immensity and greatness of God. He created those falls. He created the water in the river. He sustains the flow of the water. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. It made me wonder how great a person has to be to know this awesome God.

Later, on that same trip, my friends and I stopped at a rest area in Michigan. We were tired and thirsty. On the outside of the building was a sign with an arrow pointing down a short path. The sign said, “Drinking Water…clear and cold.” At the end of the path was a pipe sticking straight up out of the ground with water bubbling out of it. We initially thought it was a pretty weird drinking fountain. But then I remembered as a youth being taught about Artesian Springs, where water from a pressurized aquifer flows out of the ground without the need for pumping. Here was one of them, just squirting away.

We bent over and drank a little to test it. It tasted fantastic, and after multiple swallows of the ice cold water, it completely quenched our thirst. What the mighty waters of Niagara couldn’t do, this obscure little spring did. There was nothing great about it, but it provided me with the greater pleasure.

I understand now that our greatness cannot bring us closer to God. The great Biblical commentator Albert Barnes once said, “It is the bubbling stream that flows gently, the little rivulet which runs along day and night by the farm-house, that is useful, rather than the swollen flood or warring cataract. Niagara excites our wonder; and we stand amazed at the powerful greatness of God there, as He pours it from the hollow of His hand. But one Niagara is enough for the continent of the world, while the same world requires thousands and tens of thousands of silver fountains and gently flowing rivulets, that water every farm and meadow, and every garden, and shall flow on every day and night with their gentle, quiet beauty. So it is with the acts of our lives. It is not by great deeds that good is to be done, but by the daily and quiet virtues of life.”

Find great joy in this truth, my friends. God’s pleasure is not in the greatness of your deeds. His delight is not in the wisdom of your ways. He delights in those who fear Him, and put their hope in His unfailing love. Do not compare yourself to what some may call a Niagara of the faith. God loves and uses little squirts like us all the time. And when a bunch of little squirts unite together with a common purpose, it soon grows to be a powerful Niagara-like force.

APPLICATION: Are we seeking to make a name for ourselves and draw attention to ourselves, or are we satisfied to be a little squirt from whom living water abundantly flows to meet the spiritual needs of others?

Pastor John