LifeLink Devotional

Monday, November 20, 2017

Psalms 119:41 – 48  May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.

In the second season of the TV show “Survivor”, one of the castaways was a 24-year-old youth ministries major from Seattle Pacific University. With 15 others marooned on a deserted island in Malaysia, Dirk Been wanted to be the lone survivor and winner of one million dollars. The “lone” part was the problem.

According to a Campus Life article in January of 2001, Dirk began to feel like an outsider early on in the auditions to be a contestant. “When I was in LA being interviewed for the show, I didn’t hide the fact that I was a Christian,” Dirk says. “When I added that I was still a virgin, they gave me some funny looks.” Dirk’s confidence and sexual innocence were intriguing to the show’s producers.

When advised that each contestant could bring one “luxury” item to the remote island in the South China Sea, Dirk took his Bible. “I couldn’t imagine not having my quiet time with the Lord for a single day, let alone 39,” he said. When Dirk explained to his tribe why he’d chosen his particular “luxury item,” he was made fun of on national television. In fact, the retired Navy Seal said the pages of the Bible would make good toilet paper—he could think of no other reason for bringing a Bible on a deserted island.

Dirk couldn’t help but wonder if his Bible readings would get him voted off the island. He faced the temptation to put the Word aside—at least until after the Survivor experience. But as a committed Christian, Dirk knew faith didn’t work that way. He couldn’t just stop doing what he’d always done, even for just a few days, and then pick it up again later. So he continued to read his Bible, and he made it a regular habit to pray for his fellow “survivors.” He also looked for opportunities to talk with others in his tribe about his beliefs. And he knew he needed to show his faith by simply pulling his own weight, by doing his best in competitions, and by just being a decent guy.

According to Dirk, the hardest aspect of being stranded was having no one around who shared his beliefs. “The other members of the Tagi and Pagong tribes couldn’t understand where I was coming from.” Confronted by the rising tensions of tribal politics, and insufficient food and sleep, he said, “I didn’t have someone I could really open up to and pray with. The spiritual isolation was tortuous.”

Dirk didn’t win the million. He wasn’t even portrayed very positively on the show. He admits to making some mistakes that he’s ashamed of because they contradicted his faith. But since being voted off the island, the other castaways have admitted that Dirk reminds them of the guy everyone wanted to be friends with in high school. Dirk’s infectious and positive attitude has overshadowed that which was depicted on the television program. Today Dirk lives here in Wisconsin and continues to travel and speak to today’s youth about his faith in Jesus Christ.

What a powerful example of today’s passage from Psalm 119. Here was a man who answered with the love of God those who taunted Him. He put his hope in God’s Word and God’s outcomes, and did not succumb to the temptation to fit into the group by conforming to their behaviors. He walked about in true freedom because he delighted in the commands of God. He loved the Word of God more than he loved the feeling of acceptance he could have temporarily experienced by denying it. He may have been voted off the island and banned from their presence, but he knew he would never be voted out of God’s presence. He was and still is a true spiritual survivor.

When we reach the end of our survivor experience as a castaway on the island we call “earth”, we will stand before God’s tribal council and give an account of how we lived. May we each be able to declare that we loved God’s Word more than life itself, and we were bold and courageous enough to share it with others, even those who taunted us.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Friday, November 17, 2017

Psalms 119:33 – 40 (NIV) Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.

It’s an old story, I know, but it must be told to introduce the subject matter for today. Once there was a man who loved wealth. Everything he did was intentionally designed to increase his wealth. His wealth was used to create more wealth and to provide himself with every luxury and pleasure he desired. In his will, he specifically stated that upon his death all of his wealth was to be buried with him in the form of gold. His request was granted. When judgment day arrived and his turn came to stand before the great throne of God in heaven, he marched in proudly carrying his gold as a display of his worth. In one single statement God puts his entire life into perspective when He asks, “Why have you brought me pavement?”

Each day when I read the passage of Scripture that we will study together, I ask the Lord to direct my eyes to the one key word or phrase that He wants me to see. Today my eyes were drawn directly to the words “selfish gain”. I stopped and thought for several agonizing moments about the things in my life that I do for selfish gain. Then the Holy Spirit directed my attention to the very next phrase, “turn my eyes away from worthless things”, and I was slammed. Everything that I pursue on this earth for my own gain according to my own desires is worthless from an eternal perspective. As one poet put it – “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Immediately my thoughts were directed to an old song that my mom and dad used to sing. It’s called Nothing But Leaves, and its words remind me that there are two worthy pursuits for my life that are of eternal value – glorifying Christ by bearing the fruit of the Spirit in my life and serving God in His redemptive purpose in the harvest field of souls.

All other pursuits of life are worthless compared to these two God-given purposes. These two things alone have been granted eternal value by God. Every pursuit of my life must come under one or both of these headings or it is to be called selfish gain and worthless. Even relaxation or recreation are to be intentional times of refreshment to gain strength to accomplish God’s purpose and not my own. As the Psalmist says, it is only according to God’s Word that life will be preserved.

May the Holy Spirit speak to you through the words of the song as He spoke to my heart.

The Master is seeking a harvest
In lives He’s redeemed by His blood;
He seeks for the fruit of the Spirit,
And works that will glorify God.

He looks for His likeness reflected
In lives that are yielded and true;
He’s looking for zeal in the winning
Of souls He’s entrusted to you.

He’s yearning for someone to carry
The life-giving word far and near;
He’s waiting for hearts that are willing,
For ears that are open to hear.

Chorus:

Nothing but leaves for the Master,
Oh, how His loving heart grieves,
When instead of the fruit He is seeking,
We offer Him nothing but leaves.

–Mrs. H. S. Lehman, 1924

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Psalms 119:25 – 32  I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees. Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

Every day we are bombarded with truth alternatives. That’s the politically correct term for LIES. We don’t use that word very much anymore. We certainly don’t recognize them when they come to us disguised as fun, philosophy, or fantasy. Most significant are the lies we believe about who we are, or who we are not. “You’re not good enough. You’re not pretty enough. You’re not smart enough. You’re not talented enough. You’re not…” All Lies! Those declarations of the Enemy are all designed to deceive us and distract us from the truth of what God has declared about us. Satan’s success rate is staggering.

I remember one morning when I received a call from someone who was staggering under the weight of lies. There was no hope in her voice – only despair. Without minimizing the reality of physiological conditions, this was primarily a spiritual issue. It was the multiplied effect of believing lies.

Knowing that this will potentially cause some of you to doubt my compassion and understanding, which would be a lie, I will state this – psychological illness is the result of believing a lie. Somewhere in everyone’s past we chose to believe something about ourselves that was contrary to the truth of God’s Word. Today we are the product of those lies.

In today’s portion of Psalm 119, the author recognized the dangers of deceit during a time of despair. He was laid low in the dust. His only hope was the truth of God’s Word. His soul was weary with sorrow, and his only strength could be found in God’s Word. He recognized that his condition was caused by being deceived and he prayed to God to be made aware of those lies and to be delivered from them. His freedom was guaranteed when he chose the path of truth.

What a powerful section of verses this is. It is so appropriate for so many of us today who are suffering under the weight of sadness, sorrow, depression and despair. Our deliverance is as close as admitting the lies that have caused the condition, which ironically places our deliverance as far from us as possible. Why? Because we deny that what we believe about ourselves is a lie. We are afraid to call them lies, aren’t we? Satan’s deceit is delusional. Our pride does not permit us to believe that we have been duped. We do everything we can to protect our self-image, including calling lies truth. We will not admit that who we are and how we have lived is based on a lie. That would make us out to be liars. Our pride is too strong for that to happen.

But our pride is not stronger than the grace of God. Hallelujah! God’s grace accepts liars and transforms them into people created in the true image of His Son Jesus. God’s truth brings freedom from lies. God’s truth removes all guilt and shame. God’s truth strengthens the weary and gives hope to the hopeless. But it is your choice what you decide to call truth. Just remember – labeling a lie as truth doesn’t make it true, just as calling a dog a cat doesn’t change it into a cat. It’s still a dog, and lies labeled as truth will dog you all of your life.

There are two courses of action you can pursue. Modern psychology says to go back in your life and discover the lie, then deal with it. This is not necessarily God’s course. God says to discover the truth from His word, and He will reveal the lies and conquer them. Satan is lying to you again if you believe you must go back and relive the lies. That only keeps the lie alive and provides the opportunity to falsely identify all or part of it as truth. Jesus wants you to know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

So grab your Bibles today, sit down in a quiet spot, and read the book of Ephesians. If possible, use the NIV. As you read, circle every occurrence of the word “BE”. Then carefully read the truth of what God intends you to be. Choose to accept God’s definition of who you are, and you will be set free.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, November 14, 2017

Psalms 119:17 – 24 Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands. Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes. Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.

Three old soldiers were reminiscing down at the VA hospital. They ran out of tales about themselves, so they began bragging about their ancestors.

“When my great-grandfather was 13 he was the drummer boy at Shiloh,” one of them proudly declared.

“That’s nothin’,” said the next. “Mine was with Custer at Little Big Horn.”

The 3^rd vet humbly admitted that he was the only soldier in his family, but said, “If my great-grandfather were alive today he’d be the most famous person in the world.”

“Why? What did he do?” asked his friends.

“Nothin’. But he’d be 165 years old.”

For what will you be remembered? I thought about that question as I read this section of the 119^th Psalm. God’s Spirit immediately directed me to think about the characteristics of a Godly soldier that are evidenced by the author.

1. Confidence in God’s complete control of life – Do good to your servant, and I will live. The outcomes of life are totally in the hands of God, and we can either choose to trust Him and find good or follow our own path and suffer.
2. Commitment to God’s commands – Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. There is a deep desire to know all that we can know about God and His purpose, and then to participate with Him obediently.
3. Contentment during conflict – Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors. In the midst of any battle, the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Years ago, I met such a soldier of Christ. He lived in complete confidence of God’s control of His life and he experienced God’s goodness. He was committed to God’s commands and was consumed with knowing His Savior completely so he could live for him continually. But most of all, he was content! From his early days of ministry as a missionary on the Native American reservations to his last days of suffering with cancer, he was content! His relationship with his Lord brought Him peace. His love for the Lord brought him joy. His knowledge of the Lord gave him comfort.

Even though I couldn’t tell him those things before he died, he has already heard them from the lips of his Savior. He was the kind of man I want to be. The way I remember Wally is the way I want to be remembered. I have a long way to go, but I press on towards that prize that is mine in Christ Jesus.

How will you be remembered?

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Psalms 119:9 – 16 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Children’s minds are amazing. Their capacity to memorize is incredible. I see it continually in my grandchildren. After just one or two readings of a book they can recite whole sections of it. I love to test their memories. From the time they were old enough to talk I would sit them on my lap with a familiar book, and while reading I would intentionally leave out a word – any word. They would immediately correct me. Children have a marvelous capacity for memorization.

Because of that we must consider what we are feeding into their minds. Just as they memorize the words of a book and their context for usage, so they are memorizing the scripts of television shows and movies and forming contextual philosophies for usage. Their behavior is being shaped by what they are learning. As their parents and grandparents, we have the incredible privilege as God’s stewards of their young lives to mold them into people of moral purity. We have the right and more importantly the responsibility to regulate the input into their minds.

Most, if not all of us, deeply desire that our offspring grow up to be committed followers of Jesus Christ. It would be the highlight of being a grandparent for me to have each of those grandkids come to me at some point and ask, “Grandpa, how can I keep myself pure and live for Jesus alone?” It brings tears to my eyes now as I think about that. But for that to happen, there must be from within them a deep desire to want to be pure before the Lord. Where will that desire come from if not from the mentoring and modeling of their parents and grandparents? It is our primary responsibility. The desires of their heart are naturally wicked as declared by Jeremiah when he says, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Every tendency they have will be to fulfill the desires of their flesh. What we allow them to see and learn from us is what they will imitate. It is not sufficient to hand them over to the Children’s Ministries of your church and hope they will be able to show them the way. It is not wise to simply read them a Bible story or hand them a Bible story book so they can read it before they go to bed each night. It is imperative that they see those truths being lived out each day in our own lives.

When I was a little boy, Scripture memorization was highly regarded in our church. It was not just an exercise, but it was enthusiastically pursued by parents and teachers alike. I can still remember large passages of God’s Word that were required memory verses in every class we attended. One of them was this portion of Psalm 119. You probably learned it too. If you’re over 40 the chances are you learned it in the King James Version, so repeat with me – “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”

Now ask yourself this – “Is that happening?” Does the Word of God still hold such a treasured place in your heart that it keeps you from sinning against God? Are you the mentor and model of moral purity that your children and grandchildren want to see and imitate? Maybe it’s time for each of us to evaluate our deep desire to keep our way pure before God. This is the day we should re-commit to living our lives according to God’s Word and to seek Him with all our heart. Today is the day to begin hiding God’s Word in our heart so that we might not sin against Him. Then tomorrow might be the day that your child or grandchild approaches you and asks how they can live for God like you do.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, November 13, 2017

Psalms 119:1 – 8 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

NOTE: Today we come to the longest of the Psalms – the 119^th. It is an acrostic, with each section of verses starting with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Each section will be the basis for one devotional. The primary focus of the entire Psalm is the Word of God. Its truths are timeless and trustworthy. May the next few weeks of study bring you into a deeper understanding of the authority of Scripture and its practical applications to our lives. Please read each day’s selection carefully. I will make a short comment on just one highlight that I find, so take the time to let the Holy Spirit direct your thoughts to others key points He wants to show you.

The world of sports has been rocked over the last few years by the release of information that many of the stars of the game are guilty of using performance enhancing drugs. This minimizes the athlete’s accomplishments and their reputations have been destroyed. As a member of a professional team, their lives are judged by the rules of the game. The fame they had achieved has become infamy because they pursued personal glory at the expense of respect for the rules. They have been brought to shame rather than fame.

The foundation of all blessing in life is moral integrity, and the basis for moral integrity is the law of God. It is the only truth. God does not bless those who do not live their lives according to His law. So many of the things we call blessings are simply temporary deceptions of Satan that lull us into a false sense of personal security and pride because they were achieved by our own means and according to our own rules. They are not truly blessings of God. Only the things received through obedience to God’s laws can be counted as true blessings. Time will tell which is which in your life, just as it has in sports.

The key thought for me in this first section of Psalm 119 is this – Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

It is imperative that we understand that the intent of our heart determines the validity of our obedience. Integrity is decided not developed. It is our tendency to want to review the rules before agreeing to them. How many of us have put a check in the box on our computer that states we have read and agree with the user’s policy without actually reading it?  We trust the character of the company that produced the software. We make a commitment to obey before we even know what we are being told to do. It is the intent of our heart to obey.

That is the kind of faith God demands of us. His laws are based in His character, and His character is trustworthy. Unfortunately for many of us we feign commitment. We say we trust God and will follow His commands, until we discover one that conflicts with our personal goals and lifestyle choices. We must admit that we have strings attached to our commitment to God, and the main string is that His laws must conform to our own view of life. If they don’t, then we reserve the right to reject God’s laws and write our own. We have never fully decided to follow God.

We must ask ourselves, “Am I steadfast in obeying God’s decrees? Have I fully surrendered my life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of His Word? Am I a person of moral integrity, and will it be proven by my choices to obey God’s laws as I learn them?”

May the answer to all those questions be a resounding YES!

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Psalms 118:19 – 29 (NIV) Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

In November of 2007, I was corresponding with several people of different faiths. I responded to an email I received from the leaders of Islam around the world who are inviting Christians to come together with them for peace based on our mutual understanding of the two great commandments on love – Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. My response was gracious but firm – we cannot come together on the basis of our love for God and others unless we first come together and agree on God’s love for us.

The people of the world do not understand that faith is not about our love for God, but about God’s love for us. The Apostle John put it this way – This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another…We love because he first loved us. My Biblical stand on this subject was not well received.

(For your information, the interfaith dialogue pursued 10-years ago by the Muslim community has  developed into the current Interfaith Community promoted by the Muslim Brotherhood. Calvary will be hosting an event sponsored by the TIL Project (www.tilproject.com) on Thursday, November 30, at 6:30 PM to address the Biblical response to the Interfaith Community dialogue.)

The theme of today’s Psalm is the enduring love of God and His goodness towards those He loves. In the first 18 verses, the Psalmist reflects on the various expressions of God’s love He has experienced, resulting in an abundance of thanksgiving to God. He desires to be in the Presence of the One who loves him so completely so that he may thank Him personally. He asks God to open the gates of righteousness so that he may enter.

In my email correspondence with Muslims, I have asked them to explain to me how the gates of righteousness are opened for them so that they may enter the Presence of the LORD. Their answers are shallow and avoid the real issue of man’s sin. Basically, I was told that God honors all sincere hearts who seek Him and He forgives anyone who asks for it without the need for a mediator. They, in agreement with the Orthodox Jewish responses I received, have developed a religious system that provides for their salvation without the need for a Redeemer. They will do, say, and believe anything that eliminates Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In fact, as the Jewish and Muslim respondents corresponded with each other they were excited to accept each other’s views as being just another means of salvation, and they challenged me to accept their way as equal truth with the Bible’s.

However, only the Bible is truth, and it states that there is only one gate through which the righteous may enter. There is only one way of salvation. He is Jesus Christ, the rejected stone. He is the complete and enduring expression of God’s love to mankind.

Unless we know Jesus, we cannot know the love of God, nor can we truly love God or our neighbor. For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall never perish, but have everlasting life.(John 3:16)

In His love God sent Jesus to be born of a virgin – free from the nature of sin because He had no human father. He was rejected and put to death by those to whom He came, but in His death, He provided salvation, and for those who believe in Jesus it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Yes, today is a day in which we can rejoice and be glad, but this verse actually refers to “the day” when Jesus died for our sins. He made His Light shine upon us. We have become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. The gate has been opened, and with boughs in hand we join in the festal procession right up to the horns of the heavenly altar where Jesus made His sacrifice for our sins. It is there that we give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.

Do you see Him sitting at the right hand of the Father on the throne? Jesus is the love of God who endures forever. Give thanks.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Psalm 117  Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.

There is a mathematical law that states, “The whole cannot be greater than the sum of all the parts.” It is also true that the whole cannot be less than the total of all the parts.

When we consider the greatness of God and His perfection, we understand that each individual characteristic, or “part”, must also be perfect or the total cannot be. We cannot ultimately define God in finite terms like “parts” and “totals” because God is infinite and the parts cannot be separated, but it helps me to understand His greatness in these terms. The perfection of God is consistent with the perfection of each of His characteristics. If He were not perfect in even one of them, then as a whole He would not be perfect.

The reason I present this is because as we seek to more fully understand His greatness, we must look at the greatness of the parts. The Psalmist understood this, and in addition to declaring the greatness of God he also declared the greatness of God’s characteristics. It is both logical and practical to ask for a clarification of greatness by asking for a description of the greatness of the parts. The psalmist does this, and he declares the greatness of God’s love and faithfulness.

God’s steadfast love and His enduring faithfulness are the theme of many Psalms. Here is one of my favorites:

Psalm 108:1-5

¹   My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.

²    Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

³    I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.

⁴    For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

⁵    Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.

It is because of God’s great love and faithfulness that my heart is steadfast, even in times of impending sorrow and grief. The response of a steadfast heart is praise, and each day as I awake I praise the Lord for His greatness. I am tempted to praise Him for what He does, and the time will come for that – but for now I praise Him for Who He is.

I think we all need to recognize that a steadfast heart comes primarily from a recognition of God’s greatness and secondarily from an understanding of the great things He does. Do not base the stability of your faith on activity but rather ground it firmly in the Person who in His greatness carries out the activity. As you consider His greatness, consider specifically the perfection of His love. It is higher than the heavens, as expressed in this great hymn of praise:

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.

Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above, would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

My heart is steadfast, O God, because I trust your unquenchable love.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Tuesday, November 07, 2017

Psalm 117:1-2  Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! ²  For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!

I heard the story of a man who went to the pastor’s office with a burning question. “Pastor, is it proper for one man to profit from another man’s mistakes?” The pastor thought for a moment, then responded, “No, a man should not profit from the mistake of another.” Wanting to be certain, the man asked, “Are you sure, pastor?” “Of course I’m sure. In fact, I’m positive,” said the pastor. “Well then,” said the man, “would you please give me back the $200 I paid you to perform my wedding ceremony!”

Commitment is contemporary culture’s casualty. Everything today is about choice. Even after a choice is made, we reserve the right to re-choose. I don’t really believe we see or understand the depth of the Devil’s deception. It seems that in every area of our lives we have declared the right to keep our options open, just in case there is greener grass across the next fence. Commitment is only valued until the next choice comes along. And when commitment is sacrificed on the altar of choice, compromise rises from the ashes as a sweet delight to our flesh but as a sickening incense before God. Inconsistency reigns in our culture in direct contradiction to the character of the Almighty.

Imagine for a moment that you have just been involved in a terrible car accident that will cause your death within the next 5 minutes. While you are still conscious you want to tell your family three things – how you feel about them, how you want to be remembered, and how they should live. Remember, you have less than five minutes to write the note. What will you say?

I don’t know what the circumstances were that motivated the writing of the 117^th Psalm, but it is the shortest of all the Psalms. It’s as if God sets it apart as the condensed and complete content of His character and how we are to remember Him.  He tells us how He feels about us – great is his love toward us. He tells us how we are to remember Him – the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. And He tells us how to live – Praise the LORD.

One thing stands out powerfully and clearly to me today – God made a choice to love me and He is committed to that choice.

I praise Him for His commitment of everlasting love and faithfulness. His choice is eternal. Compromise is not in His character. While life around me shouts with inconsistency, I will shout the consistency of my God. While the world around me celebrates choice, I celebrate the choice of God to love me, and I choose, once and for all, to love Him and be faithful to Him.

While the world around me becomes more and more committed to protecting choice, all the while destroying commitment, I become more and more committed to one choice – the choice of Christ – and I give up the right to ever choose again. I praise the great love of God towards me. I praise the faithfulness of the LORD which endures forever. I will shout it loudly with my life, and when appropriate I will use words.

I invite you to do the same. Commitment is not the casualty of Christianity – it is the cornerstone.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotional

Monday, November 6, 2017

Psalms 116:15  Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

I can’t recall how many times I have used this verse at the funeral of a precious saint who lived their life to the honor of Jesus Christ. But today, as I read the 116^th Psalm, I was overwhelmed with the need to see this verse in a new light. The context of the entire Psalm is deliverance from death and the grave so that we can live now to the glory of the Lord. Maybe the death spoken of here as being precious to the Lord is the death to self we all must die every day.

Many years ago the Pogo cartoon character made a statement that revealed the real cause of human problems. He said, “We have found the enemy and he is us!”

We have spent far too much time and energy fighting the wrong enemy. We are quick to blame the devil or someone else for all of life’s problems. We continue to beat our heads against an imaginary wall fighting an enemy that does not exist, while the real enemy is within. We are self-satisfied, self-centered, self-sufficient, and selfish. Adam blamed Eve for his sin but his problem was with self. Eve accused the serpent for causing her sin but her enemy was self. Sin originated with self and sin continues today because people refuse to let go of self. The self we so desperately cling to will be lost until we learn to let go of it. We should not be amazed that Jesus once said that in order to find ourselves, we must first lose ourselves (Matt. 10:39). Yet, most people are desperately clinging to self.

Riley Walker tells the following story to illustrate – This week a little bird reminded me of self-centered people who are destroying themselves while fighting an imagined enemy. You may consider this strange, but the bird is attacking its own reflection that it sees mirrored in our basement window. The bird repeatedly attacks the basement window. I have seen this phenomenon before and have wondered why some birds do such a thing. I recently found out why. A bird who attacks itself in a mirrored reflection is usually a male bird who has certain territory that he claims as his own. If another male bird enters his territory, he attacks it. Occasionally a male bird claims a piece of territory that has a house in it with glass windows. When the light is right he sees a reflection of himself and thinks it is an enemy intruding on his territory. He will consistently attack his reflection until the reflection is somehow eliminated, or until he gets disoriented, or until he kills himself. They beat their heads against their own reflection, thinking they are fighting an enemy, while all the time the real enemy is inside. Every human problem is caused by each individual attempting to make self the center of life. You can see how problems would arise with everyone wanting his or her own private self as the center. You have probably heard some say, “I never had any problems until I met him,” or “I do not have any problems when I am by myself.” What they say is true because a person who is around only himself has no rivals.

Paul said that we must die to self and live for Christ (Rom. 6:11). He said of himself: “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). When we are in Christ and Christ is in us, we become one with Christ and one with everyone else who is in Christ. We are no longer threatened by our own reflection because self is no longer our goal; Christ is. Self is the real enemy and until you give self up to Christ you will never find life or peace or happiness.

The 3^rd chapter of Colossians is an essential read for those who are struggling with self, as I do. In case you don’t have your Bible handy, here it is. Study it. Meditate on it. Obey it. For precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of His saints. Let it be your goal to die today and live for Christ.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. ⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Pastor John