LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Philippians 3:18 – 20a (NIV) ¹⁸For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  ¹⁹Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.  ²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven.

 If we were to take a poll of a group of people and ask them about maturity, what do you think the number one response would be to the question, “How do you know someone is mature?” I think answers involving age would be numerous, but I think the number one response would involve behavior. The reason is that age cannot be regulated, but behavior can be. Age offers opportunity for maturity, but each individual has the freedom to choose whether or not to apply the principles being learned.

Paul describes the behavior of a spiritually mature person – behaving like a citizen of heaven. Paul does not say that citizenship itself is a mark of maturity. That would be like saying a newborn baby is mature, or that a 40-year old naturalized citizen of the United States who still lives with mommy, is unemployed, sits in a Lazy Boy all day watching television, and expects mommy to wait on him, is mature. Citizenship is a privilege primarily granted to those born in a particular country, and with it comes certain rights and responsibilities, which mature citizens take seriously.

Paul describes a contrast that should exist between citizens of the worldly kingdom and citizens of the heavenly kingdom. But that contrast will only be evident if the citizens of heaven are mature. In this case, maturity is clearly linked to behavior, and the spiritually mature citizen of heaven will not behave like a citizen of the world. Paul states five behaviors that are clearly NOT to be a part of a mature Christian’s life. We will deal with the first one today.

Living as an enemy of the cross. I don’t want to believe that any of you are being tempted right now to live as an enemy of Jesus. But then I also don’t have any reason to suspect my neighbors or co-workers of living as enemies of the United States either. Unfortunately, enemies of our country and our faith are living around us. We also, without realizing it, may be enemies of Jesus. We may not be standing on the corner condemning Christianity, but if we are not actively living our faith because we are ashamed or embarrassed to be identified as a follower of Jesus, are we not His enemy? Do you remember the words of Jesus about how we are to live in this world?

³⁴Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. ³⁶What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?  ³⁷Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34 – 38

Mature Christians live as friends of Jesus, and are proud to be called His disciples. They are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The mature Christian does not live under a spirit of fear, but rather a spirit of love that comes from a sound mind that knows the victory of the coming King and His kingdom. To the mature Christian, risk never overwhelms the coming rewards. Spiritual maturity corrects our focus from being culture-centered to Kingdom-centered. Risks and danger are minimized in the light of eternal glory. Living a public life for Christ to bring the Gospel to the world involves risk, but the risk never dictates behavior because we are not citizens of this world. Our spiritual citizenship dictates behavior.

Let’s all spend some time today evaluating our behavior, and ask these questions:

• “What do my choices declare about my citizenship?”
• “What do others see as the priorities of my life based on my behavior?”
• “What does my fear level tell me about the placement of my hope?”

Let us not live as enemies of the cross.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Philippians 3:15 – 17 (NIV) ¹⁵All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.  ¹⁶Only let us live up to what we have already attained. ¹⁷Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

So far this week we have learned two things about being spiritually mature from what Paul writes in Philippians 3:15-16.

1. Bring the pattern of your thinking into agreement with God’s Word, and then put it into practice by living up to what you already know; and
2. Be patient to let God accomplish His work both in your own life and in the lives of others.

Let’s look at another mark of spiritual maturity in the next verse, which says, ¹⁷Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.  This is a very rich verse. Here’s how it reads in a literal translation of the original Greek: Brothers and sisters, become imitators of me, and specifically take aim at those around you who have patterned their lives after my example. There are two very important lessons we can learn from this passage:

First, we are to humble ourselves and admit that God has surrounded us with brothers and sisters in Christ’s family that are more mature than we are, and that we can learn from them. When Paul says take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you, he uses terminology that clearly defines what should be our mindset in regard to maturity – take aim at it. Make maturity your mandate, and carefully observe and imitate those around you who are making obvious progress.

The body of Christ is so rich with people who have been through the wringer and survived, and they have so much to teach us. There are people who are filled with hope even when life seems hopeless. We have brothers and sisters who overflow with joy even in the toughest of times. We have been blessed with living examples of Christ’s love that continue to serve others even when they are persecuted. There are countless role models of people who sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of reaching people with the Gospel. It’s time for us to take note of them, and take aim at them.

Unfortunately, we have some within the church who have very good aim, but for the wrong reason – they intend to shoot them down. They are convicted of their own shortcomings, and rather than invest the energy into their own maturity, they seek to destroy the maturity of others so they themselves no longer feel inferior. But Paul says that God has specifically placed the mature around us so that we can take aim at them to be like them.

Second, we are to become an example to others. While we have our focus on those ahead of us so that we might grow in maturity, we are to be mindful of those who are behind us and be setting a good example for them to follow. Paul does not make exclusive claim to being the only example to follow. He challenges us to become examples as well. When he tells the Philippian people to take note of those who were following his example, he is stating that there are others who are worthy of imitating. There were those in the church who had patterned their lives after Paul’s example of Christ’s lifestyle. Paul says, I gave you a pattern to live by, and some of you are living the pattern. Let the rest of you take note of them and follow the pattern also. The Greek word translated as pattern is the word used to describe a die that has been cast. Think about the plates that are used to print money. Every bill that passes beneath the plate becomes an exact replica of the plate. Paul says that he is the die that has been cast. He is the printing plate. Let your life become an exact duplicate of mine, because mine is becoming an exact replica of Christ’s.

We should all be able to say that. Our deepest heart’s desire should be to become an exact replica of Jesus Christ, and to let Him use our lives as a printing plate to stamp others with His image.

Two things to remember: first, there are those ahead of you in becoming like Christ – follow them. And second, there are those behind you who are following you – may they find in you a pattern to imitate. Steve Green said it this way in a song:

We’re pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who’ve gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who’ve gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we’ve left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

Follow a good example and be a good example – then you are becoming spiritually mature.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Philippians 3:15  Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

I have a tendency towards competitiveness. Some of you have just verbally addressed your screen and said, “That’s an understatement!” While there’s nothing inherently wrong with competition, there are times when it is wrong to be competitive. I have discovered the truth of that in grandchildren. I have eleven of them, and each one of them is the greatest grandchild in the world. It all depends on which one I am holding at the time I make my assessment. But each one of them is so different, and each one has developed skills and abilities at a different pace. Some crawled, and one never did. Some walked early, while one waited a long time. But that same one who wouldn’t crawl has an incredible ear for music and at age 2 could carry a tune. Each child is unique and gifted by God with certain skills and abilities that are not a competition with siblings or cousins, but are an expression of God’s great diversity. In His time, He will complete the work that was started at fertilization, and the timing will be for His glory.

We need to apply that principle to our relationships with people within God’s family. In Philippians 3:15, Paul urges all of us on to maturity, but then offers us the grace of God to grow at different paces. Notice I did not say to grow at our own pace. It would be tragic to turn over the ultimate control of our growth to ourselves. I know for myself it would be horrible. I know how easily distracted from long-term goals I get with the urgency of the immediate. If the process of spiritual maturity were left up to me, I would be equally distracted by the world’s influence. If not for the constant influence of God the Father on my life to push me toward the goal, and His loving discipline in my life when I get off track, I would be living the life of a junior high student all the time. The writer of Hebrews expressed it this way:

Hebrews 12:7 – 11 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons…God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness…it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

However, we don’t always recognize the hand of God shaping our lives. Think about it…God is constantly at work to complete the work He started in you when you were born again. You are growing, and God is shaping you and molding you into a vessel of His choosing to accomplish a glorious and eternal purpose. Praise God!

There are two lessons for us to grab a hold of in Paul’s incredible statement, “And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.”

First, we are not to compare our growth with someone else’s growth. Our flesh seems to manifest itself in a competitive spirit which draws us into a comparison game with others. I see that sometimes in parents. When a child has accomplished something of significance, there is a tendency towards one-ups-man-ship with other parents. We can’t wait to tell a better story to bring more attention to our kids.

We tend to do the same with each other in the body of Christ, with an added deadly twist: we don’t just listen to their stories and then try to tell a better one, but we seem to have perfected the sin of finding fault with others to make our story better. It would be terrible to hear one of my children putting down one of their nieces or nephews just to make their child look better. How shameful that would be! Yet we do that to one another within the body of Christ. How shameful that is! When you want to know your current growth status, compare yourself to Christ, not to others.

Second, God is in control of each person’s growth. As a parent or grandparent, it is hurtful to require every child to learn new things at the same rate, and to judge their value based on their accomplishments. This especially applies to my ministry as a Pastor. I agonize at times over the people who just don’t seem to grow up and who don’t apply what they are learning. But then I remember Who’s in control of their growth. Just as each grandchild is developing different skills and developing some of the same skills on different timetables, so God has a unique skill set and timetable for each of His children, and He will not fail to complete His work. I know I need to let go and trust God with the outcome. How about you?

So, as mature believers, what can we do to help others grow?

• First, surrender control of the outcome to God and acknowledge His control over their life.
• Second, pray for them diligently.
• Third, encourage them to listen to what God is saying.
• Fourth, encourage them to observe what God is doing to shape their lives.
• Fifth, keep encouraging them to grow.

It is the prize at the end of the race that motivates us. It is hope that makes us strong and gives us perseverance. All immature Christians need encouragement to press on towards the prize. Criticism and punishment don’t motivate. Be an encourager. God will make it clear to them in His time!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, June 18, 2018

Philippians 3:15  Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

In the summer of 1980, one year after the birth of my second child, I was actively pursuing all my sporting interests. I was playing golf two to three times a week, I was playing center field for the local amateur baseball team, and I was spending all of my “spare” time in my boat fishing.

The baseball team required two nights per week for practice plus one game per week. I was at one of those practices when God used my wife to get my attention about my priorities. As I stood in center field while several guys took batting practice, I saw my wife walk through the stadium gate pushing a baby stroller while holding the hand of our oldest child. My first thought was that she had brought our daughter down to watch daddy practice, but I was soon to discover that was not the case. She motioned for me to come over to her, and she said something very scary to me: “If you don’t start to spend time with your family and come home right now, I will not be there when you get home.”

Talk about a wake-up call. I signaled to my coach that I had to leave, and I followed my family home and we had a long talk. I made some important decisions that day. I never played another baseball game.

I learned a valuable lesson about maturity. It is the lesson Paul gives us in today’s Scripture passage: true maturity is to see and do things God’s way. To see them God’s way is not enough. I had all the knowledge of what a good family was supposed to be like. I had stated my vows clearly to my wife on the day of our wedding. I had made all kinds of promises about putting my family first…but I wasn’t doing it. I was not serving them. I was serving myself. I had continued to pursue all the things I had valued about my life prior to marriage. I gave no indication to my wife that I considered everything rubbish compared to the greatness of knowing and loving her and my children. I was very immature.

True maturity comes when we bring our knowledge and our actions into agreement with God. Go back and review what Paul wrote and take notice of the balance between knowledge and action in the life of a true disciple of Jesus. All the references to knowledge are in green, and all the references to action are in red.

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

There’s perfect balance – there are seven of each. When Paul says, “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things,” he means that we understand that balance. For far too long I lived only on the mental side of marriage, and it was a perfect picture of my spiritual life as well. It may be of yours, also. We have lots of knowledge about God and Jesus and the Bible, but is there a mature balance of application? Are we really putting into practice what we know? How can we claim to be in agreement with God when we don’t live according to what He says?

We know in our hearts how true this is, because the Holy Spirit is convicting us. He is convincing us that it is time to live no longer under the tyrannical rule of the flesh. He is revealing to us the way to be free – free from the guilt and shame of a double standard. Surrender to His work in your heart. Bring peace to your mind by bringing your actions into agreement with God.

Be mature!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, June 15. 2018

Philippians 3:13 – 14  … straining forward to what lies ahead…

1 Corinthians 9:24- 27  ²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.

Now that we have determined to be good runners in the spiritual race Christ has started, we’d better be committed to the training it takes to run well. There are two aspects to training that are vital: physical preparation and mental focus. Very few people attain perfection without practice, and even the best of athletes have bad days when their minds are not focused on the event.

In May of 2006, the father of professional golfer Tiger Woods died. After several weeks of absence from PGA tour events to mourn the loss of his best friend and mentor, Tiger attempted a comeback at arguably the toughest golf tournament in the world – the U.S. Open. For the first time ever, Tiger Woods failed to qualify for the last two days of play in a major tournament. His skills and abilities were hindered by an understandable change of focus.

Paul addresses both the physical and the mental aspects of training in his letter to the Corinthian church. You’ve already decided to be a runner, so put on your sweats and grab a water bottle – it’s time to exercise.

First, Paul says that everyone who wants to run to win goes into strict training. I can honestly say I have never physically done that. My natural tendency when it comes to physical exercise and sports is to do just enough to get by. I have some natural abilities, but I have never gone into strict training to perfect any of them, except maybe my golf game. I have probably treated my spiritual life the same.

In describing the type of training we should do for our spiritual race, Paul uses a specific Greek work that is translated “strict.” It means primarily to “exhibit self-government and self-restraint.” When it is used in relationship to athletics, it described a runner “who in preparing themselves for the games abstained from unwholesome food, wine, and sexual indulgence.”  (Thayer’s Greek Definitions – Third edition) Athletes are of the things that slow them down and keep them from running a perfect race. Paul says that we who are running the spiritual race should apply the same strict principles to our training. Paul is not specifically saying that we cannot eat junk food, have wine, or have sex (although all those things do have Scriptural limitations, regulations, and consequences), but he is saying that we must determine what things are hindering us from peak performance and then eliminate them. That is what the author of Hebrews stated when he wrote, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”  Strict means strict, and I think we have not been strict enough.

Paul says he beat his body and made the flesh his slave so that Christ’s Spirit was in control at all times. He could then run the race without fear of disqualification. We are not to live under a spirit of fear, but at the same time we must recognize the reality that any moral failure has serious consequences at the finish line. We are not talking about the loss of salvation, but it is clear that the rewards we receive and the glory we share will be affected by our choices today.

Paul laid that foundation of truth for the Corinthian church in chapter 3 when he said, If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. So be strict about your training and run the race well.

Second, Paul says that we must maintain a clear focus on our objective. Paul uses two metaphors: we are not to run aimlessly, nor are we to fight unless we have a clearly defined opponent. How silly it would be for a well-trained runner to line up at the starting line of the Boston Marathon facing the wrong direction, and then run aimlessly around the city for 3 hours hoping to find the finish line. No, he follows the designated course. And how foolish it is for a boxer to go into strict training and then do nothing with it except spar with a mirror.

So it is with our training for the spiritual race in which we have been entered by Christ. There is a designated course to follow, and no matter how hard we train, if we do not actually get in the race and start running or get in the ring and start fighting, we have accomplished nothing of value. I see so many Christians doing so much training and so little running. They attend numerous Bible Studies and are at every event the church sponsors. They have consistent daily devotions and have taken their training totally seriously. That’s great, but when are they going to get in the ring and start fighting the good fight of faith? When will their training result in new runners being recruited for the team? When will they actually begin to put into practice everything their training has taught them?

Let’s do a pre-race check. You’ve gotten rid of everything that hinders your training and your performance in the race, right? You have your mind and heart firmly focused on the finish line, right? OK – start running. The race is on!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Philippians 3:13 – 14  … straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9:24 – 27  ²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  ²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  ²⁶Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  ²⁷No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

I enjoy watching other people run. I used to be very fast when I ran, and even won some races in high school, but I never had the driving desire to run. My best friend in high school did, and he would get up early every day and run 5 miles to school. I thought he was crazy. I had a coach in junior high tell me he thought I would be a great distance runner. I thought he was crazy too. But I do enjoy the thrill of a race involving others, especially the finish. I love to watch the short races, and see the guy who is in the middle of the pack suddenly turn on the afterburners and in a final burst of speed lean forward into the finish line and beat everybody else. He is not distracted by the other runners, the crowd, or the coaches beside the track, but intently keeps his eyes on the goal and determines to finish strong.

That’s the imagery Paul uses to describe our walk with Jesus Christ. Paul uses athletic terminology in several places, and the passages we posted above are two prime examples. Let’s see what they say about our commitment to running the spiritual race in which we are entered.

First, everyone competes for a prize, and we need to know what it is. Paul says in Philippians 3:14 that it is a “prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  In 2 Thessalonians 2:14 and in 1 Peter 5:10, we discover that the prize for which we are running is to share in the glory Jesus received for running the race perfectly. We run to receive glory as a winner as well. Just think, Jesus is the only one who is worthy of the prize because He ran perfectly and finished first. But He stands at the finish line and urges every one of us to keep running until we cross it, and when we do, he shares all the glory of winning with us.

Second, we all get the prize. In the Olympics, when they present the medals, the winner stands on the highest platform while the anthem of his nation is played. In an individual competition, only one person can stand on the platform. But we are not running in an individual competition – we are actually running a relay race. Jesus has finished His leg of the race and is already on the highest platform of heaven – the throne of God. The anthem of heaven is being sung by all the angels, giving glory to the One who was victorious. He has passed the baton to us, and when we cross that finish line, Jesus will invite us to join Him on the throne where all the attention of heaven will be on us as Jesus shares His glory with us. (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:4) All the other runners who have completed their portion of the race are already on the platform, and they are being cheered.

I am in awe of this truth. I have been recruited to join a spiritual relay team that is guaranteed victory. In most relay races, the fastest runner is saved for the last leg to try and insure victory. In our race, the Best Runner went first, and ran so well that when He crossed the finish line the Head Judge declared Him victorious. He then made another declaration – anyone who joins His team and runs the race will share in the glory of winning with Jesus.

So, I throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles, and I forget the past failures and successes, and I run with perseverance the race marked out for me. I fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, and I follow His example by focusing on the joy of the finish line, and I endure any hardship as He did so that I will be invited to join Him at the right hand of the throne of God.  With our eyes so fixed on Jesus and our hearts determined to run His race, I will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

WOW! I am on Jesus’ team. I want to run well enough to be worthy of wearing His uniform and celebrating victory someday. I do not want to feel ashamed of receiving recognition as a member of the team when in my heart I know I did not do my best. I will train harder and run with greater determination. And the closer I get to the finish line, the more I will lean towards it, straining to cross it with full assurance that I gave it my all.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Philippians 3:13  … Forgetting what is behind…

Luke 9:57, 61- 62  ⁵⁷As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, … “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” ⁶²Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Yesterday we looked at one aspect of Paul’s challenge to forget what is behind us: to forget past failures and press on towards excellence. For some, being given permission to forget failures is refreshing and liberating. It comes as welcome news and is embraced with enthusiasm. Who of us doesn’t want to wipe the slate clean and be free of regrets?

But we must also consider all the other things we are to forget as well, and these are much tougher – things like past successes and things we love. Forgetting failures is highly desired, but please, can’t we carry our past successes with us?

When Paul was writing this passage, he was reflecting on all his past success as a Pharisee: success that became failure in comparison to the surpassing excellence of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord. But even that may have been easier for him to forget than our successes, because his were sin, and in our opinion, ours may not be. Who can call our success at raising our families a sin? Who believes that our career success is a sin? Who thinks that the skills and talents we have must be shunned and ignored because they are sin? I hope none of us does, because they aren’t…UNLESS they have become important enough to us to interfere with our obedience to Christ’s purpose for our lives. If any of the things we consider a success in our lives slow or stop our pursuit of the goal to win the prize of Christ-likeness, then they have become sin to us. This requires serious contemplation.

Consider carefully and honestly the following questions of analysis:

1. Has your love for your family and friends kept you from stepping out in faith to pursue the call of God you heard at one time to some form of Christian ministry?
2. Are your skills and talents in one particular area being used to promote a lifestyle choice you have made rather than to promote the Kingdom of God?
3. Has your career success become so comfortable to you that you would not give it up to do whatever God asks you to do and go wherever He asks you to go?
4. Has your current involvement in Christian ministry of any kind become sufficiently satisfying to keep you from hearing God’s call to some different form of ministry?
5. Is there anything in your life right now that you believe you must be able to take with you on your heavenward journey with God to win His prize?

My friends, I speak from a heart that struggles with this just as you may. I am the pastor of a wonderful church and it seems they love me as much as I love them. I am privileged to have my children and grandchildren all living within 3 hours of me. I live in an area of our country that is supremely beautiful and offers every opportunity for the outdoor activities I enjoy. I know that being a pastor is God’s call on my life. But has it become so comfortable that I would not consider forgetting it all to pursue God’s call somewhere else were He to beckon me?

Years ago, when I first contemplated the effects of my comfort zone on my commitment to Christ’s cause, I received an email from my one of my dear spiritual daughters in the Philippines. My heart was overwhelmed with the love I have for the people of that island. Now, many years later, still longing to go there, God has opened new doors of ministry in India, and I also long to be with them carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of that nation. But there are two things I must consider:

1. Am I willing to put myself in danger of death to go anywhere God directs me? The dangers are real, but who am I to hang on to this life if Jesus says that for His glory my death would serve His purpose?
2. Am I willing to forget the success of past visits to those places and never go again if that is God’s purpose for me?

In the past when I have read Paul’s words to forget what is behind, I have only considered the ugliness of my past and been thankful that it has been forgiven and can be forgotten.

But now, I must also consider the good things of my past, and make sure they are not competing with Christ for a place on the throne of my life.

You must do the same. Let us press on towards the prize of the high calling of Christ, and once we have put our hands to the plow, may we not longingly look back at anything. Rather, let us fix our eyes on Jesus alone and the joy that we will experience with Him both now and forever more. The joys of all earthly successes cannot compare with the joy of knowing and serving Jesus.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Philippians 3:12-14 ¹²  Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

If the world were controlled by perfectionists, there would be no place for those who can never quite measure up to their standards. On the other hand, if the world were under the domination of people who wake up in a new world every day, we would probably suffocate in the accumulation of our own garbage within a week.

Fortunately, “practically perfect” people like Mary Poppins manage to get mixed up with the Dick Van Dykes of the world. A husband who is so organized that he can predict with a fair degree of accuracy when his next shoestring is going to break, inevitably gets paired with a wife who hasn’t the foggiest notion at 3 o’clock in the afternoon what she’s going to prepare for dinner. A wife, with such an obsession for cleanliness that she jumps out of bed at 1 o’clock in the morning because she suddenly remembers that she forgot to mop up a blob of spilled orange juice from the kitchen floor, marries a clod who comes in from a hunting trip and tracks mud all over the floor she just cleaned. So goes the struggle between perfection and the spirit of tolerance.

There is a certain amount of tension in every serious thinking Christian’s mind concerning the biblical call to perfection. In one compartment of the brain, there’s a tug to live up to all the standards of Christ. On the other hand, our attempts to measure up to those standards are always flawed. We respond to such conflict by choosing one side or the other to win out. We either become self-righteous in the pursuit of perfection or we settle for living beneath our privilege believing that any attempt at maturity will certainly bring disappointment.

Inevitably we end up with two groups of people in the church – the legalists and the lazy. The legalists may not be the largest group, but they are the noisiest, proudly proclaiming their perfection by pointing out the imperfection of others. It is a deadly game of self-vindication that rejects the grace of God. What a tragedy. How lost we are if we refuse to marvel at the grace of our wonderful God which makes it possible for “Jesus Christ to make us His own.”

But the larger group of lazies is also rejecting the grace of God. Far too many Christians live in the flawed attempts of the past. They excuse themselves from attempting to become like Christ, living instead by the philosophy “nobody’s perfect, so why try?” They are bound up by their previous failures and have decided the best way to not fail again is to not try. What a tragedy. How lost we are if we refuse to marvel at the marvelous grace of our wonderful God who gives us the freedom to “forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead.”

I know that I will not achieve perfection in this life. You probably know that about me better than I do. You see the flaws in my life every day, and with a gracious and loving spirit you accept me. How much more does our gracious and loving God accept us in spite of our flaws? Why? Because we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. By His grace He took hold of us.

Therefore, in spite of past failures and the potential for future ones, we will press on to take hold of Him. We will forget what is behind and we will strain toward what is ahead – the prize that awaits us in heaven when we meet Jesus face to face. We will not tell Him that we made ourselves perfect, nor will we tell Him that out of fear of failure we settled for less than perfect. No, we will stand before Him and tell Him we are thankful for His grace that qualified us to run the race, and that we ran it well. We may not have cleanly cleared every hurdle, but we didn’t let any hurdle stop us. We may have stepped into someone else’s lane on occasion, but we didn’t let that disqualify us from the race. We grew weary, but we never lost sight of the finish line. Then Jesus, our King, will present us with the prize – the crown of glory – and will say, “Well done. You are a good and faithful servant.”

Oh, the marvelous grace of our wonderful Lord!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, June 11, 2018

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

On one of our many church mission trips to the Bayou in Louisiana, we were only 6 miles out of town when someone in the back of the bus asked, “Are we there yet?” It was funny because we had 1200 miles to go.

Arrivals at intended destinations are a funny thing. We anticipate them, enjoy them momentarily when they happen, but then quickly set our sights on the next one. For most of us, life is all about the next destination. We hurry to get there so we can see what’s beyond it. But when we arrived on the bayou we were literally at the end of the road. The only way to go any further was by boat, and we didn’t have one. We had reached our destination and it felt wonderful. We were prepared to get to work and accomplish everything we had planned. Our arrival was fulfilling because there was nowhere else we wanted to be. This was the place to which we had been called, and we had prepared ourselves to arrive. We were going to make the most of this trip.

Six days later we were headed for another destination – home. We reflected on the work we had done and the impact it had on the people living there. We had worked hard and accomplished far more than expected, but when we left we saw so much more that still needed to be done. I had several people ask when we could go back. There was a sense of unsettledness in our hearts because we knew there was more to do. We were not able to fully rest knowing that there was still work to be done.

But there was a sense of relief to be home. The danger of mission trips is the return home to normalcy. We tend to not see the mission field in which we live every day and not work as hard to accomplish God’s work. While on the bayou, we knew people depended on us and the work wouldn’t get done unless we did it. Now that we are home, we are tempted to return to our normal lives where someone else will do the work if we don’t. We act as if getting home is our final destination. We can be enthusiastic about working hard out there somewhere, but at home it’s quite different. While on a mission, complacency is not a temptation. The trouble is that we don’t see home as a mission.

As I contemplate arrivals, I struggle to match my enthusiasm for travel destinations with spiritual destinations. Why are we so easily convinced that we have already arrived at our spiritual bayou? Do we really believe that this is the end of the road of our spiritual growth and that we have nothing more to learn or do? Do we really think we have arrived? Paul reminds us that we are not there yet, and we won’t be until we are in the presence of Christ. Heaven is the final destination. Heaven is our home, and our mission is not complete until we arrive there.

When Jesus Christ took hold of us, He called us to a mission. Throughout Scripture we are given the project list. We have been given certain skills and energy by the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s intended tasks. Each day the world offers us things that aren’t on the list, and the temptation is to switch priorities from God’s list to ours. We may get so sidetracked that we lose sight of the real destination. We may even stop asking, “Are we there yet?” What a sad day that is. May we never get to that point. Every day we rise we need to realize that we are on a mission trip for God. We must press on to take hold of God’s project list. It is why Jesus took hold of us. Just as we stayed focus on our purpose for the trip to the bayou, we must, now that we are home, continue to stay focused on God’s purpose for putting us in this place at this time.

“Are we there yet?”

NO! But until we are, we will press on to take hold of everything Jesus Christ wanted to accomplish when He took hold of us. Ask Him for your work assignment for today, and get to work! Someday, maybe today, you will arrive at your final destination. It is the place to which you have been called, and there is nowhere else to go once you are there. You will be completely fulfilled when you arrive because you have prepared yourself to be there. The work you do today for Jesus is your preparation for serving Him in eternity. Make the most of the trip.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, June 8, 2018

Philippians 3:10b – 11  …becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

I have seen the recent movie “I Can Only Imagine” two times now, and I could see it again. I can listen to the song over and over and never grow tired of it. It strikes a chord deep in my soul that expresses the longing of my heart to be with my Savior.

Have you tried to imagine what it will be like to be perfect? You should, because believe it or not, you’re not yet! Neither am I! But what an awesome thought to think that someday – maybe yet today – we will be made perfect in the presence of Jesus Christ for eternity.

The most incredible part of that whole idea is that I am so unworthy of it. I think Paul was feeling the same thing when he wrote that somehow he wanted to attain to the resurrection from the dead. After being overwhelmed with the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ intimately, and experiencing God’s gifts of righteousness, power, and fellowship, Paul is ecstatic that there’s still more. As if having all those benefits in this life were not enough, Jesus offers one more – eternal life beyond this one.

I think that of all the benefits of knowing Jesus, this should be the most exciting. However, for most of us it has taken an undeserved back seat to the others. It’s easy to become focused on the immediate and forget to consider the future. But as we said yesterday, when Jesus was on the earth, He kept his eyes on the future so He could make it through the present. Do you remember what we read in Hebrews 12? Jesus considered the joy that was set before Him so He could endure the suffering of the cross.

Likewise, it is the joy of the hope of glory that has been set before us that gives us the strength to endure what is set upon us. Unfortunately, we tend to get so busy trying to experience the most out of the immediate that we lose heart and grow weary. But just one glimpse of heaven can restore us. Just wondering what’s there and what it will be like stimulates me.

René Champion was a wanderer, looking for this world to satisfy his every need. The impulse that drove him to leave Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1937 at age 16 kept him on the road for the next four years. René was born to an unwed mother in Paris in 1921. When he was eight months old, his mother placed him in a children’s home and emigrated to America. He did not see her again until she sent for him in September 1929.

Arriving in the United States on the eve of the Great Depression, René’s boyhood years were marked by want and poverty. When he left home he became a hobo, hopping boxcars to travel the United States. At the age of 17, he became a farmhand for a widow named Pearl, who took him to some revival meetings under a tent. He went forward and accepted Christ, and started to preach immediately afterward.

René says, I felt at peace with myself, even believing that this was what I was seeking in my life as a vagabond. But it didn’t last, because he didn’t stop seeking. He still thought this life had to have more. He couldn’t rest in the hope of heaven, and he soon returned to hopping boxcars and living the life of a vagabond, searching for what he thought only the world could offer. When asked what kept him going, he replied, I knew all about hunger, cold, and nights in jail. I was lonely all the time, sometimes to the point of being unbearable. What kept me going was the freedom of it — and my curiosity to see what lay on the other side of the mountain or beyond the next horizon.

That should be our attitude about heaven – curiosity to see what’s on the other side of the mountain of problems and beyond the next horizon of hope. Planning for heaven makes us want to live righteously so we look like we belong there. Living like we belong there brings the power of heaven into the present. And living in the power of God despite the current circumstances enhances our fellowship with Jesus, who lived that way for us. We have available to us all the things René Champion was looking for but never really found. We simply need to look beyond the immediate.

The hope of glory is where it all starts, and should be the starting point for every day of our lives. Somehow, someday, by the grace of God, we will see Jesus, and then we will be able to say, “It was worth it all, and it is more than I imagined!”

Pastor John