LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

There is something seriously lacking in the current church of Jesus Christ. Jesus declared it to be one of the most significant identifying traits of His church. When Jesus prayed for all of us in John 17 He asked that we be one in Him. The church is to be identified by its unity. Unfortunately today, the Body of Christ is not in unison. We have become critically critical.

When King David died, and Solomon became King of Israel, he was tasked with the building of the Temple as the central place for worship of God. When the temple was finished, it was time to bring the Ark of the Covenant, representing the Presence of God, from its temporary place in Zion, the City of David just outside of Jerusalem, to the inner sanctuary of the new Temple. We read about the move in 2 Chronicles 5.

2 Chronicles 5:2  “Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.”

Following the example of his father David, Solomon made the moving of the Ark into a national day of worship. Verse six says, ^“And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.” When the Ark was in the Temple, the Levites led in a time of worship. Verse 13 describes it.  “It was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD.”

Please notice the word UNISON. The worship of God is to be a display of unity. That’s what is missing in the modern church. We are no longer identified by our willingness to work in unison but rather by our segregation into groups that are critical of those who don’t agree with us. I believe the cause of such disunity is this – we choose to exaggerate the insignificant. We prioritize principles and preferences that are non-essential at the expense of the eternal. We choose to defend rights rather than righteousness. We love self competitively rather than loving others compassionately. The church of Jesus Christ is off track.

Notice in our text today that the reason the worship of God was conducted in unison was that they all had the same song to sing in praise to the Lord.

“For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Then also notice that the result of their unified worship of God, the glory of the Lord was revealed.

“the house of the LORD was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.”

My friends, the glory of the church is NOT to be found in its political position. The glory of the church is NOT in its response to COVID. The glory of the church is NOT on display in its mission statement or worship style or building. THE GLORY OF THE CHURCH IS ON DISPLAY WHEN THE PRESENCE OF GOD IS VISIBLE THROUGH PEOPLE WHO WORSHIP HIM IN UNITY.

Let’s seriously chew on that today.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, November 12, 2020

Yesterday we started a journey through some of my favorite stories of thanksgiving in the Scripture. When King David brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem he organized a one-time worship service followed by a permanent assignment of daily worship for members of the Levites. Not only did the King appoint thanksgiving to be the theme of the songs used in worship, but he also wrote a new song and ordered that Asaph and his brothers add it to the daily worship music. You can read the lyrics to the new song in 1 Chronicles 16:8-34. Here are the highlights of thanksgiving that stand out to me.

1. Thanksgiving must include the re-telling of the stories of God’s mighty deeds.  (verses 8-13) We could all make a list of the wondrous works God has done in our lives and then thank God for at least one of them every day.
2. Thanksgiving also includes remembering God’s promises to us. (verses 14-22) Start a list of the promises God has made to you and then thank Him daily for never breaking one of them.
3. Thanksgiving includes singing that is motivated by our salvation. (verse 23) As I write this the Holy Spirit is reminding me of a song to sing. It’s an old hymn that I haven’t heard for years. It’s the song of a soul set free. Even if you don’t know the melody, the lyrics express the reason we sing of our salvation.

Fairest of ten thousand, is Jesus Christ my Saviour,

The Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,

He is all my glory and in this heart of mine,

Forevermore I’m singing a song of love divine.

Once my heart was burdened, but now I am forgiven,

And with a song of gladness, I’m on my way to heav’n;

Christ is my Redeemer, my Song of songs is He,

My Saviour, Lord and Master, to Him my praise shall be.

‘Tis the song of the soul set free,

And its melody is ringing;

‘Tis the song of the soul set free,

Joy and peace to me it’s bringing,

‘Tis the song of the soul set free,

And my heart is ever singing

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

The song of the soul set free.

Oswald Jeffrey Smith (b. Nov. 8, 1889; d. Jan. 25, 1986)

4. Thanksgiving culminates in the worship of the glory of God. (verses 24-34) Every day we should be praising God for Who He is. He is great (vs. 25). He is the Creator of all things (vs. 26). He is strong and majestic (vs. 27). He is holy (vs. 29). He is Sovereign (vs. 30). He reigns over all (vs. 31). He is good (vs. 34). God’s love never fails (vs. 34).

Now, let the thanksgiving begin.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, November 16. 2020

For the next two weeks I want to share some of my favorite stories of thanksgiving from the Bible. I will share just a synopsis of the story but I will give you the Scripture passages where it is found so you can read the whole story for yourself.

When God called Moses to the mountain to give him the Ten Commandments, Moses was saw the Presence of the Lord. The glory He saw changed his face. Some time later the nation of Israel was instructed to build a container in which to carry those tablets of stone. That container was known as the Ark of the Covenant, and it represented the Presence of God with His people.

During one of the many wars fought for Israel’s independence, the Ark of the Covenant came into the possession of the Philistines. When King David rescued it, his desire was to return it to Jerusalem, symbolizing that God was once again present in Israel and blessing them.

When it came time to transport the Ark of the Covenant to its new home, King David knew that it must be a time of pure worship before the Lord. Take a few moments today and read the story in 1 Chronicles 15 and 16. Here are some highlights for me.

1. King David was careful to do everything in accordance with God’s commands and in such a way that God was honored. He appointed the descendants of Aaron and Levi manage the transport and lead the worship. But David did not trust their family heritage alone to qualify them for the task. Each one of the people assigned was to consecrate themselves to the Lord for His purpose.
   1. 1 Chronicles 15:12  “Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it.”
2. King David made sure that the celebration of the return of the Ark would be a massive worship service designed to raise the sounds of joy. I believe that God is offended when we apathetically worship Him. Our praise and thanksgiving to God is to be filled with enthusiastic rejoicing. King David appointed every known musical instrument to be played, including harps, lyres, and cymbals. He told them to raise the sounds of joy. He appointed singers to sing loudly with joy. And he assigned trumpet players to blow loudly before the Ark. Then he told everyone in the processional to shout loudly. This was the worship of the Presence of God.
   1. 1 Chronicles 15:28   “So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres.”
3. Then, after the Ark arrived, David made sure that the worship didn’t end. Every day, multiple times a day, the musicians and the singers were to burst out in songs of thanks to the Lord (1 Chronicles 16:1-7). We should be constantly rejoicing in the unending Presence of the Lord.

However, in the midst of this great story of thanksgiving, there is someone who rejected what was going on. Maybe she was jealous of David’s enthusiasm for the Lord. Maybe she was angry because she wasn’t getting any attention. Maybe she was frustrated that the worship was too enthusiastic for her liking. Whatever the reason, she made it known that she was not happy with the proceedings.  1 Chronicles 15:29  And as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.

The choice is yours. You can praise the Presence of God, or you can persecute those who do. Please choose praise.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, November 13, 2020

Have you ever been told something that so riled you up that you lost control of your emotions and lashed out at them? Have you ever wanted to eliminate someone that offended you? Has your perceived right to defend your personal belief system caused you to use words or actions to harm someone who disagrees with you? That’s exactly what happens to Jesus at the hands of His people.

At the conclusion of His dialogue with the Jews, Jesus declares that He is the Eternal God of Abraham. Jesus makes a statement that drives the Jewish religious leaders to the brink of committing murder. Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” In that one statement Jesus declares that He existed in eternity prior to Abraham being born. Jesus declared himself to be God.

We do not believe in a Savior who is subject to any limitations. He is not a mere prophet who lived and died. He is not simply a great man with good ideas. He is not confined to a finite existence within the boundaries of time and space.  Jesus Christ is eternal. He is the great I AM.

As I thought about that this morning in my personal devotions, I was led by the Spirit to read the following Psalm and praise the eternal nature of God. May it also encourage you.

“The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty! Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭93:1-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, November 12, 2020

The conversation between Jesus and the Jews in John 8 fascinates me. It is a study of contrasts between the One with a spiritual mindset and those with hearts of stone. Jesus sought only the honor of the Father. The Jews sought to defend their traditions. They even went so far as to honor a fellow human above the Messiah.

Here are two principles I glean from their conversation with Jesus as found in John 8:52-57.

1. John 8:52-53  The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”

The hearts and minds of the Jewish leaders were totally captivated with the admiration of Abraham’s faith while ignoring the object of  his faith. They were more satisfied to honor Abraham for his faith than they were to acknowledge the One in whom Abraham believed. In practical terms, they placed their faith in their religion rather than in their Savior. This is far too common today. People choose to be identified by their religious systems rather than by their relationship with Jesus. They even claim that any kind of faith is valid. But faith is only so valid as the object in which it is placed. Any faith placed in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ is futile. Religious tradition cannot save from sin. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can.

2. John 8:56-57 “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”

The people with whom Jesus spoke were blinded by their desire to protect their religious heritage. Look at the dialogue. Jesus said to them,  “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” But rather than have the same perspective of Abraham, which would have caused them to see Jesus as their Messiah, they chose to ask Jesus if He had seen Abraham. Imagine that. The people were given a chance to understand what Abraham saw when Isaac was born, and when Isaac was rescued from sacrifice, and when the covenant was established that an offspring would be a blessing to all the nations of the world. They had a chance to join in the fullness of joy that Abraham experienced when he saw the coming of the Messiah to save the world from its sin. Yet they were so blinded by their tradition of exalting Abraham that they actually asked their Messiah if He had seen their spiritual father. How sad that we also seek to bring Jesus down into the realm of human tradition and experience. We want Jesus to validate what we choose to believe, rather than believing in Jesus and bringing all other beliefs into subjection to Him. We would rather be seen by Jesus than to see Him.

I challenge you to ponder these two truths, and see if there is anything in your heart or mind that is of greater importance than pure and simple faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

As I typed the date on this devotional, I was struck by a thought that brought a tear to my eye. This will be the first year that on November 11^th I am not able to call my dad and thank him for his sacrificial service as a veteran of military duty in World War 2. Veteran’s Day was a big deal to my dad. He was a few months short of his 18^th birthday  when he and his twin brother enlisted. He was very proud to have served. He was very thankful for the personal and political freedoms he fought to protect. He understood the respect and honor that is due to the Republic of the United States of America.

Every year on Veteran’s Day he would stand in front of his military display in his apartment and salute. On the wall were his medals and commendations from his time in England as a propeller mechanic on the B17 bombers. There was his personal pocket New Testament he carried. There was a picture of the Queen Mary, the vessel used to transport him home from England after the war. And there was a flag. He had rules for the flag. Rules of respect. Respect he made sure I understood. Respect we should all have.

I interrupted my writing to go through the door of my office into our storage area and opened the box that contains his military memorabilia. I stared intently at the picture of a teenage boy in his dress uniform and wondered what was going through his mind. I picked up the New Testament and realized that his faith in Jesus Christ combined with his respect for liberty made him courageous enough to fight for both.

I am sad today that I will not be able to call him and thank him for his service to our country. I won’t be picking him up and taking him to lunch and dinner at different restaurants that offer free meals to Veterans on this day. But my heart is comforted knowing this: my dad is living eternally in the freedom of glory. Jesus willingly gave His life to purchase my dad’s freedom from the oppression of sin. My dad was willing to put his life on the line to purchase freedom from political oppression.

I am proud of my dad and his twin brother. They taught me to honor and respect the constitution of the United States of America. They taught me to cherish the freedoms that cost so much to purchase. They taught me to never break my allegiance to the Republic.

So today, in honor of my dad and all the other Veterans of military duty, I stand in front of my dad’s military display in my basement and I salute you all. And as I did with my dad on several occasions, I renew my pledge.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

As a child I remember being told to stop tooting my own horn. I frequently attempted to solve my need for affirmation by boasting about my own accomplishments.

The phrase “don’t toot your own horn,” originated in Medieval times with the phrase “don’t blow your own trumpet.” Historically, a trumpet  fanfare would announce the arrival of royalty or important guests at an event. At times, when a comparatively insignificant guest would arrive to no fanfare, the guest would blow his own trumpet in an attempt to gain recognition.

In 1776, the phrase became common tongue in the United States when the sentence “I think modesty is highly overrated as a virtue — my motto is ‘Toot your own horn lest the same never be tooted” appeared in the Warren-Adams Letters. I actually used that phrase as justification for tooting my own horn, believing that if I didn’t blow it, my horn would never get tooted.

During His conversation with the Jews in John eight, Jesus is accused of tooting His own horn. The Jews said to Jesus, “Who do you make yourself out to be?” (John 8:53) Jesus had just told the people that if they kept His word they would never taste of death. The people thought Jesus was embellishing the truth of who He was.

Listen carefully to the response of Jesus.  “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me…” (John 8:54)

Speaking highly of yourself does not produce the credibility or validation that is sought. However, when someone else speaks highly of you, that is commendable and credible. It feels good to be praised by others. It’s far superior to praising oneself.

On Sunday, as I quarantined myself on a tree stand and hunted deer, I sent text messages to my oldest grandson about the status of a football game. He gave me lots of details and facts because I knew he would. I commended him. Later that evening, I texted a younger grandson from another family, and asked him how the game had gone. He related all the same facts I already knew, but he didn’t know I knew them. After he was done, I commended him for being such a great fan. Then I said this. “I knew I could count on you to give me the details.” I could see the smile on his face in my mind as he said thank you.

Jesus spoke the truth. He did not ask to be honored for doing it. Jesus did not toot His own horn. However, God the Father glorified Him for speaking the truth. Can you image the fanfare Jesus received from the Father when He returned to the throne following His death, resurrection, and ascension into glory?  

We are all guilty of drawing attention to ourselves. We all, at varying decibels, blow our own trumpets and toot our own horns. We all seek recognition, and we think we can get it by announcing our accomplishments. However, the harder we blow, the less people care to know.

But when we humbly, consistently, and obediently serve God, God will blow your horn. And when God toots your trumpet, it has never been tooted better.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, November 9, 2020

I seem to have a developing habit. I wake early in the morning with a song on my mind. Today these words and melody were ringing loudly at 4:00 AM.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.”

Over and over they ran, as the Holy Spirit calmed my soul and revealed the truth of those words for me. The more I gaze into the face of Jesus the less significant the things of earth become. The more I intently look into the light of His glory and grace the less bothered I am by human circumstance. The more I turn my eyes from the fading beauty of the world to the unchanging beauty of Jesus the more my priorities change to align with the eternal will of God.

As I processed all of that in my mind, I rose to open my Bible to John chapter 8 and read these words of Jesus.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” (verse 51)

Yesterday my wife and I were notified that a lifelong friend went to be with Jesus. Our relationship with her started back in 1979 when our kids were little. She was one of my wife’s most cherished friends. She was a keeper of the words of Jesus. She has not tasted death. She is completely at peace. Her loving and caring soul is at rest in the presence of the Lord.

What an incredible promise from Jesus. If anyone, regardless of the depth of past sin, will listen to His words and obey them, they will be saved from the condemnation of death and be given eternal life. They will never see death. Oh, the physical function of this human body may cease, but the soul that dwelt in the vessel will never cease to live if that soul is saved by grace through faith in Jesus.

As I reflected on that incredible promise, I just had to sing the rest of the song.

Oh soul are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior
And life more abundant and free

Through death into life everlasting
He passed and we follow Him there
O’er us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conquerors we are

His word shall not fail you, He promised
Believe Him and all will be well
Then go to a world that is dying
His perfect salvation to tell

The more I turn my eyes upon Jesus, the more focused I become on the things that are significant to God. I have one desire: to go to a world that is dying, and tell them of the perfect salvation found in Jesus.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, November 6, 2020

I am fascinated by the way our minds work.  I’m even more intrigued by the way the Holy Spirit directs our minds in order to teach us. This morning, after a restless night, I woke with a song on my mind. That song made me focus on a word. That word gave me insight into what Jesus said in John chapter eight. 

In 1955 the musical group The Platters released a hit song entitled THE GREAT PRETENDER. I thought about the word pretender in light of the conversation Jesus was having with people who said they believed in Him but were not listening to His words or obeying them. They were pretenders.

I also thought about the description Jesus gave of the devil in John 8, and realized that Satan is also a pretender.

“Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:42-44 

But here’s what really caught my attention. The devil only pretends to be able to produce other pretenders. His very nature is lying. Everything he says is a lie. There is absolutely no truth in the devil. What he says only appeals to those are also pretenders. People who accept the lies of Satan as truth are themselves pretenders. Jesus said their will is in tune with the devil’s, but on the outside they want to appear like they understand the truth. Pretenders.

Unfortunately, we all all pretend at times. We put on the appearance of spiritual truth, when our will still desires the gratification of our flesh. We are pretenders when we say we love Jesus but then choose to pursue the love of the world.  We are pretenders when we say we have the love of of Jesus in us and then choose to ridicule and belittle others because they don’t agree with us. We are pretenders when we claim to know truth when it doesn’t accurately line up with the words of Jesus. We are pretenders when we seek to make a spiritual impression on people so they won’t get close to the true condition of our heart. Pretenders.

The Church of Jesus Christ must stop pretending. We must reject all input from the Great Pretender and we must choose to only listen to the words of Truth.

“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”  John 8:47 

Are you a pretender?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, November 5, 2020

The desire of the heart powerfully controls our choices. The heart’s desires are controlled by the one to whom we have given control. There are only two choices: the flesh with the devil as your father, or the Holy Spirit, with God as your Father through salvation in Jesus Christ.

Many will argue that this is over-simplified, to which I respond, “Take it up with Jesus who said it first.” The people were arguing with Jesus about the identity of their spiritual father. The people claimed that being physical descendants of Abraham made God their Father. Jesus tells them how wrong they are, and it’s all based on the actions that spring from the heart.

Jesus makes it clear that the works we do in the name of religion that are motivated by a self-serving heart are proof that we do not belong to God the Father but indicate that we have the devil as our father.

John 8:39-47  They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

OUCH! No wonder the people wanted to kill Jesus. None of us wants to have the  motivations of our heart evaluated to that level. Who of us will admit right now that we tend to love self more than God? Who of us will confess that the desires of our heart are for worldly pleasure and fulfillment rather than a passionate pursuit of intimacy with Jesus? We resist such tests of our heart. We rebel at such scrutiny. And in doing so, are we proving who our father really is?

Abiding in the words of Jesus is not easy, but as we learned yesterday, it does eliminate contradictions and set us free. Maybe a second day of heart-searching is necessary. Please let the Holy Spirit finish what He started yesterday.

Pastor John van Gorkom