LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, January 03, 2018

Psalm 122:1-3  I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!” ²  Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! ³  Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together.

I was a weird little boy. I know most of you are probably thinking that the weirdness has carried over quite well into adulthood, but when I was a boy I was different. I’ve met a couple of young men like me since then, but not very many. My criteria for me measuring weirdness is even weird.  Maybe it shouldn’t be defined as weird, but it certainly stood apart from the normal behavior of kids my age. You see, I had a strong desire to know the Word of God. I loved going to church. I carried multiple colored pencils so I could highlight my Bible according to a color-coding system I had developed. I still have that Bible if you ever want to see it. I diligently took notes in my Bible on every page used by the preacher as a text. I went to church Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights. It brought joy to my life to be in the presence of God and His people.

This passion started out when I was a young boy because it was expected – dad was the pastor. But I remember even as an 8-year old not having to be begged to get ready to leave for church. I remember clearly being excited about going to Sunday School and learning yet another story that told me about this incredible God who loved me. I memorized every assigned verse. I was excited for every opportunity to learn more about Jesus.

When I got to High School and could make my own choices about church attendance, I stayed weird. I never missed church because of sports or recreation of any kind. I never stayed home to watch an important game on TV. I never missed because I was busy or tired from being previously busy. I never missed to spend the day with friends. The people I cared about most and wanted to be with also never missed. There was an intimacy of fellowship that combined with the excitement of hearing from God which made church impossible to miss. I anticipated every opportunity to be with God’s people and experience the deep love of true fellowship.

If you are under the age of 40, you are probably having a hard time relating to what I have just written. Culture has redefined the importance of church. In fact, the church has redefined the importance of church. There is a philosophy permeating our society that church is just the cherry on top of a perfectly good and delectable hot fudge sundae. If I have my own devotions, and live my life pleasing to the Lord every day, then church is not really all that important. God won’t mind if I spend my summers playing soccer or golf or fishing or camping or just working on my lawn. I can still be a Christian and not go to church. That may be true, but it is NOT God’s plan for life. It is NOT His will for you. He intended the abundant life of a Christian who is experiencing His peace and presence, to be lived in the context of the local church as a functioning and vital part of the body of Christ.

King David expressed the importance of Christian community when he said, Jerusalem is built like a city that is bound firmly together. Look at that words bound firmly. They do not refer to the close proximity of the houses in the city. It refers to the way people related to one another. The words in Hebrew literally mean to join together in fascination and have fellowship.

The people of the city joined together in intimate fellowship because they were fascinated with the same thing – the worship of God. That unifying fascination with God brought them into intimate fellowship in all areas of their lives. The city of Jerusalem, which for us today represents the church, became the center of their lives. Even those who did not live in the city were thrilled with the opportunities they had to enter the city and become a part of the fellowship (see verse 4).

It thrills me to see young families learning this principle. They are being bound firmly together in the context of Christian fellowship. They spend more than just Sundays together. They eat together. They play softball and basketball together. They golf and fish together. Their first choice of friends is with people who have the same fascination for God that they have. And the church is once again becoming the center of their lives.

But we must be on guard against two things. First, that fellowship with others does not become the end in itself. It is the worship of God that holds us together. It is fascination with the things of God that unites us. Satan would like us to become fascinated with each other and lose sight of God. Satan would love to destroy the unity of our churches by getting us to care more about the people of the church than the Lord of the church. Satan would love to influence us to think that so long as we are with God’s people during the week we don’t need to be in church on Sunday. Satan wants us to classify church as a cherry. We must be alert to these deceptions of the Devil.

And second, we must be cautious that by becoming firmly bound together we do not close our doors to further growth. Firmly bound does not mean cliques. When small groups of people become satisfied with their circle of friends and stop reaching out to include others, then they have lost sight of God and have become self-serving. We are to bound firmly together so we can make room for more.

I pray that our church, and your church, will continue to get more closely and firmly bound together. That will require us to establish two goals for our personal lives. First, get more and more fascinated with God and the study of His Word. And second, get more and more inclusive as you reach out and bring others into the fellowship of fascination with God.

Then maybe, in a good and Godly way, we will all be identified as weird.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, January 02, 2018

Psalms 121:1 – 8  I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Less of me and more of Christ.

As I begin a new year, that is my highest goal. It will be hard. I have a natural bent toward self-sufficiency. I trust me. I believe it’s easy for all of us to depend on self first, but especially men driven by the macho mentality like me.

I can handle it!

I’ll take care of it! 

I’ll make it happen! 

I’ll fix it! 

These are all standard responses to the everyday situations and events that march us into emotional valleys, far from our preferred mountaintop lifestyles. But sometimes the valley we are in leaves us with no hope of escape. Everywhere we look we see nothing but hills, and we’re too tired to climb them.

Today’s Psalm is just the reminder I need to begin this new year of less of me and more of Christ. There will be days when all we can see are hills, and we have no hope of help. There will be many moments of trying to resolve the circumstances of life according to my own experience, strength, and resources. There will be moments when I am overwhelmed by it all and want to cave in, and rather than climb up the hill I would be content to slip into a cave in the hill and hide.

But the Psalmist reminds me that if I will simply look up to the hills, the Lord is there ready to help. When I stop trying, and start trusting, hope is restored and help is on the way.

The psalm begins with a declaration of who God is – He is the all-powerful Maker of heaven and earth. Certainly He is capable of handling whatever circumstance we are currently enduring.

Yet this all-powerful God comes along side of us and intimately cares for us. He will not let our foot slip as He leads us. He knows and has prepared the path. He has a plan. He is not tired. He will not make a mistake. He will not get distracted. There will be no accidents along the way.

Next, the Lord lets us know that He cares about our well-being. He watches over us to protect us from harm. Whether it be the potential harm from natural events or harm planned by enemies, God will protect us. Four times in this Psalm we are told that the Lord watches over us.

When I’m in a valley of any kind, it feels like I’m being watched. It feels like everybody on the hills is looking down at me. I respond with more and more self-condemnation because I assume that’s what everyone in the hills is thinking. But when the Lord watches over me it is with eyes of love and compassion. The Hebrew word used here in all four instances is shamar, which means to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc. When it appears that people are trying to make the valley worse, God steps in and builds a hedge of protection around us and guides us back to the hilltop.

God provides and protects. When all my physical eyes can see are unclimbable hills, my spiritual eyes are opened to see the Helper of my soul. He knows what I’ve gone into and what I’m trying to come out of. He watches over my life. He is in control.

The valleys are necessary to teach us to trust Him. They teach us to be helpless, and it’s ok to be helpless. As the hills close in and become a formidable barrier to hope, look up into those hills. Your True Helper dwells there, and He is ready to help you when you let Him have control.

Less of me, and more of Christ.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, December 29, 2017

Psalms 120:1 – 4 (NIV) I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me. Save me, O LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues. What will he do to you, and what more besides, O deceitful tongue? He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom tree.

In Boston, a minister noticed a group of boys standing around a small stray dog. “What are you doing, boys?”

“Telling lies,” said one of the boys. “The one who tells the biggest lie gets the dog.”

“Why, when I was your age,” the shocked minister said, “I never ever thought of telling a lie.”

The boys looked at one another, a little crestfallen. Finally, one of them shrugged and said, “I guess he wins the dog.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “Sin comes in all shapes and sizes, but lying is the handle that fits them all.”

God hates lying. In Proverbs 6:16 – 19 we read, “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”

Notice how lying is involved in all the things God hates.

• Haughty eyes, or pride, is a lie about who we really are.
• Hands that shed innocent blood have lied about someone else to defend their own actions.
• Hearts that devise wicked schemes will lie to accomplish their own goals.
• Feet that are quick to rush into evil believe the lies of immediate gratification and self-indulgence.
• People who stir up dissension among others may lie about them, but in reality, they are lying to them about their own innocence, using the dissension as a smoke screen for their own guilt.

Lying is the handle that fits all the sins that God hates.

When Saul was still king of Israel, and David’s popularity was growing, Saul tried to rescue his monarchy by banishing David from the land. As David and his mighty men traveled they came to the town of Nob, where a priest named Ahimelech officiated over the people. He saw the big picture of God’s purpose for David and provided food for David and his men.

Also present at that time was a man named Doeg. He was Saul’s chief shepherd of all his flocks. He went and reported to Saul that Ahimelech had helped David. Saul ordered Ahimelech and all his family killed, and Doeg volunteered for the task. That day Doeg killed 86 people.

It is in the context of these events that David writes Psalm 120. To protect his own status, Saul had been lying about David. To advance his own position, Doeg lied about Ahimelech. David was tired of suffering the effects of lying lips and deceitful tongues.

There are many ways to lie. Some of them have become acceptable even among Christians. We strive for desired outcomes by changing the meaning of our words with inflections and body language. We embellish the truth to draw attention to ourselves. The need for recognition couples with the desire for acceptance and convinces us that those goals justify any lie.

But lying hurts. It hurts others and it hurts us. It hurts God.

Here’s why God hates lying – because lying is the proof of pride. To lie to another person is to prove that we love self more than we love them. But what we may not really undersstand is that seeking to advance self is really a proof of hatred of self. If one truly loves self, then there is no need to continually try to prove self to others, to protect self from others, or to improve self-image in the eyes of others. Lying is the attempt to protect whatever value we believe we have, which is really a product of hating all the rest of who we are. God hates lying because it focuses on our worth and denies His worth in us.

God, save us from our own lying lips. Show us the worth of your Son Jesus and that we are complete in Him. With that knowledge and in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, we are free from any and all attempts to defend, protect, and advance our own cause. The truth will set us free.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Psalms 119:169 – 176 (NIV) May my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word. May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise. May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous. May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight. Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me. I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.

As a pastor, I have stood with families beside the beds of many people who were near death. Some have asked for prayer that they might live longer. Occasionally I will ask them, “Why do you want to live longer?” I get lots of different answers. Most involve family, and the desire to spend more time with them. Some answers involve unfulfilled dreams and ambitions. But never once have I heard this response – “Let me live that I may praise God.”

How would we answer that question if we were the one lying at death’s door? Why do we want to live? Maybe it would be for personal reasons that benefit us or those close to us. Maybe it would be to accomplish something we left undone. Maybe it would be to spend the money we built up as a treasure for our old age and we now know we can’t take with us. We face the possibility of death every day, and we have all developed a list of reasons why we hope and pray we don’t die today.

Some people actually don’t want to live any longer. There are two reasons for this. First, they are hopeless. John G. Neihardt is listed as one of our great American poets. He lived from 1881 – 1973 and was the author of some twenty-five volumes of poetry, fiction, and philosophy. His official web site says that he was a visionary thinker with keen spiritual insight, and he left us a rich inheritance of wisdom and a legacy of understanding. I found it interesting that a man with keen spiritual insight would write a poem with such a hopeless theme as the one he entitled Let Me Live Out My Years.

LET me live out my years in heat of blood!

Let me die drunken with the dreamer’s wine!

Let me not see this soul-house built of mud

Go toppling to the dusk—a vacant shrine.

 

Let me go quickly, like a candle light

Snuffed out just at the heyday of its glow.

Give me high noon—and let it then be night!

Thus would I go.

 

And grant that when I face the grisly Thing,

My song may trumpet down the gray Perhaps.

Let me be as a tune-swept fiddlestring

That feels the Master Melody—and snaps!

 

Some people don’t want to live because they are hopeless.

But others don’t want to live because they are hopeful. Let me explain. The Psalmist says “Let me live that I may praise you.” As I think back to all those dear saints I have watched pass into eternity, one thing was true of them all – they had hope. And even while they longed to live longer on this earth to experience more of this life, their highest ambition was to live eternally in the presence of their Lord and Savior so that they might praise Him. They never said they wanted to live longer here to praise Him because it was understood that their hearts were set on living with Him and praising Him.

The Apostle Paul struggled with this in his letter to the Philippians. He said, as paraphrased in The Message, “Alive, I’m Christ’s messenger; dead, I’m his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose. As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We’ll be praising Christ, enjoying each other.”

Paul was willing to stick around in this life for one reason – to join with God’s people in praising Jesus Christ as they grew together in the joy of trusting God.

May this be our prayer today and every day that we are granted life on this earth – For me, living is for Christ. Dying is my gain.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Psalms 119:161 – 168 (NIV) Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word. I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil. I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law. Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your commands. I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.

I am not a thief. I have, however, been a safe-cracker.

In 1974, I went to work for the new owner of a grocery store. Included in the purchase of the store was a large old safe that was locked. The previous owner said he couldn’t remember the combination and if we could get into it we could have whatever was in it. I volunteered to crack the safe. I tried for a couple of hours to listen to the tumblers fall on the dial. I had seen it done that way on TV and figured it would work for me.  It didn’t. It was time for demolition techniques. I didn’t have access to dynamite, so breaking through the outer shell was my next best plan.

This was a huge safe. It was 5 feet tall and three feet wide. With sledge hammer and chisel I began to slowly peel off the steel side of the safe. Underneath I found four inches of concrete reinforced with iron rebar. I smashed the concrete and cut through the rebar. Then I had to somehow get through the inner steel wall. I don’t believe that sledgehammer and pry bar had ever been used so hard. Finally, after two days of work, I broke through.

Inside we found lots of old papers and ledgers from the early days of the store. Then, tucked away in one small drawer was a little black velvet bag. Inside I found something I had never seen before – two, twenty-dollar gold pieces from the 1800’s. The boss told me I could have them for all the work I had done on the safe. I took them home and hid them in a safe place.

The next time I went to the big city I stopped and bought a coin collecting magazine to see what they were worth. I was shocked when I saw their value at over $400 each. Eight hundred dollars was a lot of money to a single guy back in those days. It would be like finding five thousand dollars today. I immediately started making plans for how I would put that money to good use.

Unfortunately, I never got to spend any of it. News travels fast in a small town. The previous owner heard about the discovery and it jogged his memory. He asked that the coins be returned. I gave them to him. But for a time, I knew what it was like to discover treasure. The thrill of finding it and owning it captivated me and dictated most of my thought process as I evaluated all the options the treasure afforded me.

I can also remember when God’s promises captivated me in the same way. Once I could relate to the words, I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil. I remember the first time I discovered some of those treasures. They would dictate all my thoughts as I evaluated all of the options those promises gave me for my life.

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. I remember the thrill it brought to my heart to know that God promised to direct every part of my life and that I could trust His control.
• 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. I remember the peace that came from letting God have control. I remember taking those and many more such treasures to heart and tucking them away for safe keeping.

Some days I wonder where the thrill has gone. Why have the “spoils” been spoiled? Has God asked for the treasures to be returned and they are no longer mine? Unlike the story of the gold pieces, God has not asked for the treasure to be returned. Actually, His treasures are ours forever. His promises will never be taken back.

So why are we not rejoicing over the treasure anymore? I think it’s because we locked them up for safe keeping and have forgotten the combination to the safe. They sit in the back of the store of our lives while we continue to conduct business as usual. We’re so wrapped up in doing things our way that we’ve even forgotten that the treasures of God are still in the safe.

If a young man would spend two days of hard labor cracking into a safe just for the chance to see if treasure exists, don’t you think it’s worth whatever effort you have to put forth to discover the treasures you know are in God’s Word?

And when you find them, don’t hide them. Use them. Their value can never be fully spent.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Psalms 119:153 – 160 (NIV) Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law. Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees. Your compassion is great, O LORD; preserve my life according to your laws. Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes. I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word. See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your love. All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.

Some churches still hold regular mid-week prayer meetings. One element of many such meetings is the testimony time. At one such church there was a man who always liked to be the first to get up to repeat his memorized testimony. Some who knew him well were consistently confused by his cantankerous behavior. Finally, after one particularly disagreeable discussion prior to the meeting, a friend couldn’t take it anymore. When the first man stood to give his testimony and said, “I praise the Lord for saving me and preserving me,” the friend got up and said, “Brother, He didn’t preserve you, He pickled you.”

Life has a tendency to pickle us when God intends to preserve us. I understand that pickling is preserving of sorts, but unless I am mistaken, things that are pickled generally make you pucker. They put a squint in your eye and a scowl on your face. I like pickles and pickled herring as much as anyone, but put them next to a jar of apricot preserves and fresh warm biscuits and I’ll choose the preserves every time. Things that are preserved are sweet and taste like they did when they were fresh. Things that are pickled are sour and their original taste has been changed. Instead of being made better, they have been made bitter.

You’ve probably met some pickled saints in your day. Maybe you’ve even been one, or still are one. Pickled saints can turn any smile into a scowl. Pickled saints absorb the acid of society and believe it is their purpose in life to pass it on to everyone they meet. Any sugar that was in their original recipe has long been overwhelmed by the vinegar of life. They have been saturated with sour.

Preserved saints are different. The Hebrew word translated “preserve” literally means “to revive to fullness of life.” Preserved saints can turn any frown into a smile. Preserved saints have absorbed the promises of God and believe it is their purpose in life pass on God’s love to everyone they meet. Any acid that was in them has been overwhelmed by the sweetness of God’s law. They have been restored to God’s intended abundance of life.

I don’t want to be pickled. I want to be preserved. Three times in this Psalm the author asks God to preserve his life. There are three elements to preserving food – cooking, flavoring, and sealing.

There are also three elements to preserving our lives.

• First, we must be cooked in the circumstances of life.
• Second, during the cooking process, flavoring is added. We get to choose the flavoring recipe. One recipe is based on the vinegar of anger mixed with spices of contempt, regret, disobedience, and selfishness. The other recipe is based on the sweetness of God’s love blended with the additives of His promises and law. One recipe pickles: the other preserves.
• Third, when all the ingredients from each individual cooking circumstance have been absorbed, the jar is sealed. When opened it will always taste just like the ingredients that were added while it was being cooked.

Each of us has a pantry full of preserved circumstances. Each day we go into the pantry and choose a jar to be our flavor of the day. We will always taste just like the jar we open. People around us will know whether we are pickled or preserved. I think it’s time for me to go through my pantry and throw out all the pickled jars. I want every day to be a jar of apricot preserves.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, December 22, 2017

Psalms 119:145 – 152 (NIV) I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees. I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.  Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your laws. Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law. Yet you are near, O LORD, and all your commands are true. Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.

It was a two-hour trip by boat across the Philippine Straits. We stood on the shore of the main island of Mindanao waiting for our boat to arrive. We had hired a local fisherman who had several boats to take us across to the island of Balut, where we would dedicate the land where a new church would be built. It would be the first evangelical outreach on that island, and to our knowledge there were only a handful of Christians amongst the entire population.

As we stood on the beach we began to notice the boats being used by the fisherman of that village. They were all outriggers, and there were three basic sizes. One was quite small – maybe 12 feet long – and the outrigger extended on only one side of the boat. It had no motor and no seats. We were assured we would not be using a boat that size for the trip. The six of us breathed a sigh of relief.

The second type of boat was maybe 16 feet long, and had the outrigger on both sides of the boat, and it was motorized. It was a narrow boat, only wide enough for single seating on top of the outrigger frame. When we tried to imagine all six of us in there along with the boat owner it seemed very small.

The third type of boat we saw was much nicer. It was probably 20 – 24 feet long, with a wheel house at the back for the captain. It was wide enough for double seating on the outrigger frame. It had a bigger diesel inboard engine.

We asked our Filipino friend who had made the trip arrangements which of the two larger boats we would be using. He said he didn’t know, because the man they had hired had not arrived yet, and none of the boats we could see were his. We would be taking whatever boat he showed up in. We immediately held a prayer meeting and cried out to God for the bigger boat. The longer we waited, the more we prayed.

Finally, a boat approached, and it was a big one. We made the trip to the island with no problem. But the next day, the return trip was terrible. A strong wind blew from the south through the straits causing 14 foot swells on the ocean. Even in the big boat that trip was the scariest thing I have ever done. But God knew which boat we would need. He heard our cries and He answered us.

While we were on the island, we took an afternoon excursion on the boat to a tiny atoll just a few hundred yards off the island. As we walked down the dock to the boat we were stopped by a woman sitting with a sick child on her lap. The 3-year old boy was lethargic and unresponsive. He had a high temperature. There were no medical facilities on the island. She had heard that the Americans were there and that they were connected to this new church that was to be built. My dear Filipino friend Victorino heard her ask for help for her son. He immediately grabbed my hand and said, “Brother John, you pray for her.” Right there on the dock we laid hands on that boy and the mother and we cried out to God for His healing power. We proclaimed the Name of Jesus and asked Him to reveal Himself to this woman by healing her son.

When we had finished praying we went to the boat and took our little trip. When we returned two hours later we were met at the end of the dock by the mother. She thanked us for what we had done. As we looked beyond her on the dock we saw the boy – running and playing with a friend – completely healed. We told her it was Jesus who had done it, and that she should come to the meeting we were having in the town square that night.

I don’t know if she came or not, but I do know that at the meeting that night dozens of people came forward to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior, and the church was born.

Call on the Lord with all your heart. Cry out to Him in your time of need. Put your hope in His word. He will hear you. He will answer you. He will save you.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Psalms 119:137 – 144 (NIV) Righteous are you, O LORD, and your laws are right. The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy. My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words. Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them. Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.

WARNING! The following is not intended for children. Do not try this at home. We are professionals. I bet that got your attention.

Several years ago I was invited to go on a fishing trip with my oldest son and some of his friends. We travelled about four hours to the Peshtigo River, a world-renowned trout river in northeastern Wisconsin. After setting up camp and spending a little time on the river, it was time to build the campfire and eat supper.

After supper, as we sat around the fire, the boys talked about doing a scientific experiment. They had been talking about the explosive nature of gasoline. We knew the scientific fact that gas as a liquid does not burn unless it is vaporized first. They wanted to test that theory.

Here’s what they did. They took a glass bottle with a cap and punctured a tiny hole in the cap. White gas was placed in the bottle and the cap was firmly replaced so that it sealed.  The bottle was then placed upright in the middle of the fire. During the first attempt, we all backed away from the fire. Soon we could see bubbles in the gas. Then a small stream of steam began shooting from the bottle cap as the gasoline vaporized in the heat. As the flames of the fire lapped their way up the side of the bottle, the vapor ignited, creating a blow torch that shot fire fifteen feet in the air or better. That continued until all the gas in the bottle was vaporized. The bottle never did explode.

Needless to say we were all thrilled with the success of this experiment, so it was repeated several times. We experimented with different size holes in the cap, and at one point even put more than one hole in the cap to produce different torch effects. Only once did the experiment fail, and that was when the bottle cap blew off prematurely sending a ball of flame forty feet in the air. We screamed with delight like little boys.

I’m sure you could tell stories like that one, too. We have all tested the laws of nature and science in one way or another. In fact, just the other night I watched from my office window as a young man tested the spin rate of his car on ice by using his emergency brake. It was a very nice move, Matt.

It is our human nature to test the laws and rules. We started out doing it as children. Mom told us it was hot, but we had to touch it to see for ourselves. Dad told us it was sharp, but we had to test it. Learning by experience is how we come to a thorough understanding of truth and reality.

The Bible says God is righteous, and therefore His laws are also righteous and trustworthy. Go ahead – test them. Since the beginning of time His promises have been thoroughly tested and they have never failed. Not once has the cap been blown off prematurely.

Go ahead – test them. The result of every test will be a deeper love for God and a deeper dependence on His Word.

What are you afraid of? Sure, you’ll probably back up from the fire when you test the first one for fear of the unknown. But true faith requires risk. Go ahead – start the test.

• Speak up for Jesus in a public place and test the promise that the Holy Spirit has prepared someone to hear the truth and respond.
• Give more money than you’ve ever given before and test the promise that God will provide your every need.
• Forgive those who have hurt you and test the promise that God will cleanse your soul from all your pain by forgiving you the same way.
• Walk in the Spirit of God and test the promise that He will strengthen you to resist every temptation of the flesh.
• Surrender every worry and care to God and test the promise that He will overwhelm you with indescribable peace.

Soon you’ll be living a greater adventure than you ever dreamed possible. You will sit in awe as the flame of the Holy Spirit shoots into the darkness of your night and thrills you. God’s promises cannot fail.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Psalms 119:129 – 136  Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands. Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees. Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.

When I read the last line of this section of Psalm 119 I immediately started thinking of all the ways that God’s laws are not being obeyed in the world today.  I have cried many tears over the spiritual depravity of people in our society. But as I thought about that, I was suddenly struck with the realization that I have cried far fewer tears over my own disobedience. Why is it that we can cry over the “big” sins like murdering of unborn babies, rape, incest, adultery, pornography, etc., but we have a hard time feeling any sense of guilt over our own “little” sins like lying, cheating, gossip or selfishness?

It is our natural tendency to apply truth to others before we apply it to ourselves. Somehow it makes our flesh feel better to make sure we find fault with others before we look at our own condition. Sure, there’s a lot wrong with our culture; but it’s not God’s plan to change our culture. His plan is clearly stated in Scripture – He will draw us to His heart and show us His love, so that we can then draw others to God by showing them His love.

Twice in this passage of Scripture the author, probably Ezra, refers to sin. Once in a clearly personal way – let no sin rule over me – and once in a seemingly generic way – your law is not obeyed. But I think it benefits us immensely to think of the second reference to sin in just as personal a way as the first. It is only when we begin to allow streams of tears to flow from our own eyes because of our own sin that we will begin to experience true revival in the church today. The healing of our culture can only be accomplished through the repentance of God’s people. You may be familiar with this verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  This is God’s pattern for each of our lives.

I want you to notice one important principle found in this verse. Nowhere does it tell us to ask for forgiveness. Our forgiveness was accomplished once and for all on the cross of Jesus Christ. What it does tell us to do is to turn from our wicked ways. We have seriously corrupted God’s pattern of forgiveness and it has resulted in the corruption of our hearts. We have been taught since our childhood to say that we are sorry and then ask for forgiveness, with very little teaching on repentance. While there has been an increasing emphasis on confession there has been a diminishing emphasis on change. But true confession requires change.

Confession is the act of coming into agreement with the person wronged about what was done. Confession is to see the action from the eyes of the victim and agree with them that it is wrong. When that agreement happens, then change results.

Pride keeps us from true confession of sin. That’s why God says in Second Chronicles that we must humble ourselves before Him. We cannot agree with God about our sin unless we are willing to deflate our pride that would seek to protect our image by defending our actions. Then, when we have come to the point of agreement with God about what we have done, and we see it through His eyes as an offense against His holy character, the tears will stream down our faces. We will open our mouths and pant with sincere longing to know His commands. We will be seeking His face. That, in turn, will result in a change of heart and a change of action in our lives. We will turn from our wicked ways. At that very instant of repentance, God forgives us and restores us to perfect fellowship with Himself.

HALLELUJAH!

When we practice this process at every occurrence of sin in our lives we will be able to say with the Psalmist that no sin will rule over us. Do you struggle over and over with the same sin? There is a single reason why you do – you do not yet see it through God’s eyes as an offense against His holy character. Somewhere within the context of that sin pride is still protecting your position.

It is time to seek the face of God. In your own strength you cannot conquer it, but God can. Humble yourself before Him. Let the streams of tears flow down your face as you see your actions as an offense against your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who suffered on the cross for your sin. Then turn from it. Repent. God will forgive you and heal your heart. And when God’s people begin to do this collectively in the church, we will have revival, and our culture will be healed.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Psalms 119:121 – 128 (NIV) I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors. Ensure your servant’s well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me. My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise. Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees. I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes. It is time for you to act, O LORD; your law is being broken. Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.

Music has always been an important part of my life. When our children were growing up it was an important part of our family. Our favorite children’s music was sung by a big blue talking songbook named Psalty. He had three children – Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm. I loved Rhythm. Our kids were involved in performing Psalty musicals in church. Guess who got to play Psalty. Yep! I did. I was dressed in a big blue box painted to look like a songbook. It was so much fun.

I can still remember many of those great kids songs. The best thing about Psalty songs was that their message was for adults too. They taught true Biblical values and character. One of them we still sing occasionally in church today. It goes like this:

Make me a servant, humble and meek

Lord let me lift up those who are weak

And may the prayer of my heart always be

Make me a servant

Make me a servant

Make me a servant today.

Three times in today’s Psalm the author refers to himself as a servant of God. A servant is defined in its simplest form as one who works for another. It can mean either forced labor or voluntary labor. When servants were more popularly known as slaves, the labor was forced. At least in our culture that type of forced labor has become illegal. We learned that forced labor destroys dignity and denies liberty. In contrast to that, true liberty motivates voluntary service. He who has been truly set free becomes a voluntary servant of the one who granted liberty.

Prior to being elected President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln abhorred slavery. One day he went to a slave auction. He bid on a young woman and bought her. As they walked away from the town square, he said to her, “You may go. You are free.” She didn’t know what that meant, so she asked Mr. Lincoln, “Do you mean I am free to go anywhere I want to go?” He replied that she was. “Do you mean I am free to do whatever I want to do?” Again Mr. Lincoln said yes. “And do you mean I am free to be whatever I want to be?” Once more he said yes. Her response startled him. “Then I choose to go with you and be your servant.”

True freedom is found in serving the one who provided our liberty. To understand that completely we must first appreciate our freedom. The awesome grace of God that has been applied to our lives to set us free from the bondage of the law and sin and death cannot be over-estimated or over-emphasized. Those who minimize it are not truly free. Those who are not truly free still serve themselves in an effort to attain freedom.

But those who know and fully appreciate the marvel of mercy and the greatness of grace become servants of God who paid the full price for our freedom in His Son Jesus. We no longer serve ourselves, or demand to be served by others. We have been transformed by the nature of the Ultimate Servant who said, “The Son of man has come not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”  We are now servants of God, and our voluntary labor is to serve others.

So, take off the old garments of self-serving sin, and put on your big blue box. Join me on the stage of the world and sing the song of joy that comes from your liberated heart – Make me a servant, humble and meek…

Pastor John