LifeLink Devotions for Friday, August 23, 2024

In this concluding chapter of the book of Philippians, Paul has moved from teaching us how to have joy to showing us the results of learning to rejoice in the Lord. Yesterday we looked at the first two by-products of rejoicing: peace and unity in our relationships. Today we discover another Christ-like characteristic that is produced by joy – compassion.

Let’s review a vital definition of joy. Biblical joy is choosing to respond to external circumstances with inner contentment and satisfaction, because we know that God will use these experiences to accomplish His work in and through our lives. Joy is a feeling of good pleasure and happiness that is dependent on who Jesus is rather than on who we are or what is happening around us. Joy is a gift from God, and it is something to be celebrated and shared with others. Joy is rooted in who God is and is not fleeting or based on circumstances.

Joy is one of the fruit of the Spirit of God within us. It is not an emotion. Happiness is an emotional response to circumstances, just as anger and disappointment and sadness. Joy, however, is an expression of the life of Jesus in us. Just as the nature of Jesus is not changed by circumstances, so His life in us is not changed by circumstances. Joy is so much more than a feeling. It unites our faith with confidence and covers our emotions with the umbrella of peace.

Something happens in the hearts of people who are living in joy. Their focus switches from themselves to others. Their own needs become secondary to the needs of others. Instead of complaining about what’s wrong in their own life, they develop compassion for how others are hurting.

Look at how the Apostle Paul describes the people of joy in Philippi in verse ten of chapter four.“I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me.” When the people of the church began to rejoice in the Lord, regardless of their circumstances, they began to see the needs of Paul, which caused him to rejoice even more. When the church of Jesus Christ begins acting like the Body of Jesus Christ by loving others the way Jesus did, it produces even more joy in the individual members of the Body.

Of all the churches Paul organized, this one church had set the standard for how to take care of their pastor and missionary. They knew how to come along side him and support him even while he was in prison. Their love for Jesus and their experience of His joy through all the trials and troubles of life raised their awareness of the needs of others.

At some point we all must come to the crossroads of two major highways of life: Route Me and Route You. When we are rejoicing in the Lord, we choose Route You. When we are intent on finding emotional security from the circumstances of this world we will choose Route Me. May the church, the Body of Christ, become known for choosing Route You.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, August 22, 2024

In our previous studies on joy from Philippians we have seen how joy is produced. Paul now switches his approach and uses joy to produce something else. Let’s see what it is.

Philippians 4:2-7  “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 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.” 

It begins with a less than harmonious relationship between two women – Euodia and Syntyche. There seems to be a spat going on and the two women cannot reach a unified agreement about it. It is hurting the joy quotient of the church. Paul challenges the other members of the church to get involved in resolving the conflict, and he says the starting point for the fix is to rejoice. It is hard to disagree with someone else when the focus is turned to rejoicing about our salvation. Try it! Next time you are in an argument with your spouse or friend, stop and ask them to join you in praising God for your salvation that Jesus paid for with His life on the cross. Whatever you’re arguing about loses its importance quickly, doesn’t it? Rejoicing in the Lord is the starting point of healing disagreements, disharmony, and disunity.

The second step in healing hurts is to be seen as gentle. Jesus describes Himself as gentle, and the word means to be humble and lowly. It carries the idea in this passage that each of these women should not be so quick to want to get their point across but rather that they should learn to listen to the other and respect their opinion. It is truly a word that describes true love in action – considering others better than yourself and putting their needs ahead of your own. That is what was needed as the next step towards unity.

The third step in the healing process where there is dissension is to not get so anxious and overly excited when things don’t seem to be going your own way. Instead, turn it over to the Lord in prayer, being thankful that you have the privilege of letting Him handle it. It is when we submit all the outcomes to God that he brings us to a place of peace and gives us His peace that passes all understanding. These women may not truly understand one another, and may not accept the other’s viewpoint, but in prayer God will grant a peace that overwhelms the lack of understanding and guards our hearts and minds against sinful thoughts and behaviors towards another person.

The context of this often quoted passage is unity in the body of Christ. Peace is extremely important in the church, and the way to peace begins at the intersection of rejoicing and humility. How can we truly rejoice in the Lord unless we are humble, recognizing that all we are and all we have is from Him? We can’t. So, when we rejoice, we pave the road with peace, and unity results.

Rejoice in the Lord! And again I say: Rejoice!

 Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Today we come to the final theological truth the Apostle Paul describes in Philippians chapter three as it relates to the experience of enduring joy. Here’s what He says.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

In the previous verse Paul described people who live as enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ. But note carefully. They are not described as enemies, but they live like they are. They may even be Christians. They are identified by three characteristics: they pursue the pleasures and gratification of this world, they find satisfaction in shameful things, and their minds are focused on what this world can offer them. And while these pursuits may satisfy them in the flesh for a moment, their lives will end in destruction.

But we who are running the race of life for the glory of Jesus and living according to His truth can rejoice that our citizenship is in heaven and not of this earth, and that Jesus is coming soon to take us to Himself and transform us into His likeness in a glorified body.

There is a big difference between Christians who are living for the pleasures of this life and those who have their hearts and minds set on heaven. People who have their minds fixed on this world are fearful of giving it all up when Jesus returns. They secretly desire that Jesus not come back until they get to experience one more thing in the world or accomplish one more goal. They invest their time, energy, and resources into what this world can give them, believing that peace and joy are experienced only through worldly success. They are building up treasures for themselves in this live, and they will all eventually be lost.

But those who have their hearts set on their citizenship in heaven will be filled with enduring joy that can never be lost. They invest their time, energy, and resources into eternal things where they can never fade, tarnish, or be destroyed. They have their treasure in heaven where their citizenship is, and it is being safeguarded by the eternal King.

Someday, maybe even today, Jesus is returning to this earth to transform our imperfect, failing, lowly bodies into the likeness of His glorious eternal body and we will be with Him forever. If you want to know the fulness of joy, start investing your life in that promised eternal life and resist the urge to keep building your nest egg on this earth.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, August 20, 2024

As we continue our study of Philippians chapter three, there are two more theological truths that become the basis for experiencing true joy in our lives. The first is found in verse 13.

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,”

Here’s the truth – we can rejoice in knowing that none of us, not even the Apostle Paul, can achieve perfection in this life.

I am overwhelmed with my lack of perfection. I am even more overwhelmed with my need to attain it. The details of life become joy suckers when we believe they must be perfect. And the idea that we must be perfect to have value becomes a chain around our necks that drags us to the bottom of the sea of despair. Some of us get our personal value from striving for perfection in our jobs, our families, our relationships, our sports, or in countless other pursuits. We believe that if we achieve excellence then we can define ourselves as excellent and have others validate us as well. Some of us strive for spiritual perfection, thinking it’s a requirement for the joy of the Lord. Both pursuits of perfection are unrealistic and wrong, and not based on the theological truth of God’s grace.

But the amazing truth is that God still uses us for His glory if we live up to what we have already attained. The experience of joy in the Lord is not based on what we are trying to attain, but on what we already have. Paul says in verse sixteen that our goal in life is to “hold true to what we have attained.” But what is it that we have attained? The status of Child of God and equal heirs with the King.  Paul tells us this in Romans chapter 8. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”

We have already achieved spiritual perfection based on our standing with God through Jesus Christ. Of course, we may not always act like it, but that does not change our status. We must resist spending so much time on achieving perfection and simply live as Paul lived –  “straining forward to what lies ahead.” And what lies ahead? The finish line where Jesus waits to greet us with the words, “Well done. You were a good and faithful servant.”  Not a perfect servant, but a good and faithful one. Strive for faithfulness, not perfection. Your joy will increase as you rejoice that no matter what happens in the flesh, we are spiritually secure in Jesus Christ.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, August 19, 2024

Last Friday we began a discussion on the connection between theology and joy. Paul spends some time in His letter to the church at Philippi developing this subject because true intimacy with Jesus, which is the source of all joy, must be based on truth and not emotions or personal preferences. When we know the truth about Jesus, and apply His truth to our lives, we will find enduring joy.

Our second essential truth from Philippians 3 is found in verses thirteen and fourteen.

“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Here’s the theological truth that produces joy: we can rejoice in knowing that we are running the right race, with heaven as the goal.

Paul compares life to a race. Races take training. They take discipline. Races require us to run in the right lane. And they always have a finish line. We may not have always been running the right race, but we can rejoice that now we are because of the awesome love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Our past races are irrelevant and meaningless, and only serve as reminders to run this race for Christ alone. Jesus has forgiven us for the past. He allows us to forget the past. He has restored us to relationship with Himself for all eternity. Running His race His way brings ultimate joy both as we run and at the finish line when we meet Him face to face.

In the book of Hebrews, we have a description of how to run the race successfully, knowing that others have done it and serve as witnesses to the joy that it brings.

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

So today, choose to run the race of life with a new determination to reach the goal of eternal joy. Choose to stay on course for Jesus. Choose to run your race in your assigned lane where Jesus has placed you and equipped you for His service. Choose to train well by studying His Word and applying His truth to your life. Choose to be disciplined and not get distracted by immediate gratification and be disqualified from the race. And throw off all the weights of your past failures and shame and run your race in the light of God’s forgiveness. The joy you will experience is nothing compared to the joy that comes at the finish line.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Friday, August 16, 2024

In Philippians chapter three the Apostle Paul gives us four principles for rejoicing in the Lord. All of them have a theological basis. As we discovered yesterday, proper theology is essential to the experience of enduring joy. We learned that joy can only be found in salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ and not by the works of man.

Today, in theological principle number two, we discover the joy of knowing the resurrection power of Jesus in our lives.

Philippians 3:10-11 “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

If we are going to rejoice in the Lord, we must grow in our knowledge of the Lord who is in us. Specifically, we need to know the power of resurrection life. You may wonder how resurrection life is possible when you have not died yet. Well, in Christ you have. Listen to how your salvation is described in Romans chapter six.

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ² By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

“⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For one who has died has been set free from sin. ⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰ For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. ¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Good news. You have died. You died to sin when you came to Jesus for salvation from sin. Here’s more good news. When you spiritually died to sin, God gave you the resurrected life of Jesus to live in you by the power of the Holy Spirit. You have been united with Jesus in His resurrection. Death has no power over you. And yet we allow sin to continue to have power over us. This is a joy sucker. It should not be so.

There is an alternative: to know the resurrection power of Jesus in our lives that conquers sin and death. But for us to know it’s power we must first consider ourselves dead to sin. We must stop keeping sin alive by desiring it or placing value on it. Crucify the sin in your life. The resurrection power of Jesus will grow up in you and give you a life filled with joy. It’s the truth.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, August 15, 2024

Philippians 3:1 “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!”

Paul begins the third chapter of Philippians by telling us to rejoice in the Lord. But wait, hasn’t he been telling us to rejoice all along?  He told us to rejoice because we are partners in the work of the Gospel. He reminded us to rejoice in the power of prayer.  We can rejoice because of the unity we have within the church because our focus is on Christ. And Paul convinces us that we can have joy even when we are suffering because of our intimacy with Jesus. So why now is he telling us to rejoice?

Look closely at what he says – “Rejoice in the Lord.” In the lord.  Not in circumstances, not in the results of the Gospel. We are to rejoice in our relationship with Jesus. He just finished telling us to rejoice in suffering and in serving because we have intimacy with Jesus, but now he explains that intimacy is possible only if the relationship is based on truth. We can only rejoice in the Lord if we know the truth about Jesus and stand up for that truth consistently. Being theologically pure produces rejoicing.

Over the next few days we are going to discover four things from Philippians chapter three that are essential to our theological position in Christ. Don’t let the word theology scare you from this study. I promise I will make it simple and applicable to our lives.

In Philippians three, verses two through four, Paul gives us theological principle number one: we can rejoice because our confidence is not in the flesh but in the finished work of Jesus Christ in our lives.

“It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-though I myself have reasons for such confidence.”

We do not depend on what the flesh can provide for us, but we glory in what Jesus has provided for us, and we worship Him by the power of the Spirit of God. There is not much reason to rejoice when our hope is in the finite and failing system of the world, but there is every reason to be filled with joy when our hope is in the eternal and the never-failing power of God to save us through the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross.

So many people today are stuck in the bondage of earning their salvation by good works. That’s why there is so much hopelessness. You see, when good works are motivated by a need to purchase God’s favor they become joy suckers and leave us lifeless. But when good works are the product of salvation by grace through faith alone they become joy producers.

As you read on in chapter three you see Paul declaring that if anyone has a reason to rejoice because of the flesh it is him. He did everything religiously right. But it was all for the wrong reason. He then says this. “I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” Everything Paul did to earn God’s favor was rejected and by faith alone He received salvation as a gift of God’s grace.

That theological truth is the starting point of being able to rejoice in the Lord.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Let’s continue our conversation about the joy of intimacy. It’s based on the Apostle Paul’s statement in Philippians chapter 2 about his own relationship with his apprentice Timothy. Yesterday I shared the first challenge of our human relationships reflecting the intimacy we have with Jesus. Here are the other two challenges.

2.      Am I being a Timothy by sacrificing anything and everything for the sake of God’s work? I struggle here because of the seeming conflict between the blessing of God with sufficiency and the desire to give it all up to see people saved and the church flourish. I hope that my heart is visible and that you can see the willingness to give anything for the cause of Christ. I also pray that the willingness to sacrifice for the work of Jesus will permeate every aspect of your personal life as well. When we are filled with the joy of our salvation, there is nothing more important to us than to share the good news of salvation with others no matter the cost.

3.      Am I being a Timothy by being open and approachable at the level of intimacy that people need for their spiritual growth and development? I hope people can see that there is nothing more important to me than being able to listen to what God is doing in their life and to connect with their heart on a spiritual level of intimacy. I also hope you know that you have the incredible privilege of giving that gift of intimacy to each other.

These three challenges from yesterday and today are emphasized by Paul in the rest of Philippians 2, where he tells the story of Epaphroditus, another of Paul’s intimate joy producers. Read the rest of the story below. It is obvious from the story that the church at Philippi understood intimacy because of their relationship with Epaphroditus, and that intimacy brought them great joy. There was genuine concern from both sides of the relationship. This was a shared intimacy, not a one-way giving and taking. The people of the church had sent him out as their representative because of the love they had for Paul, and  Epaphroditus was a sacrificing servant of Jesus Christ who was willing to die for the cause of Christ and the love of Christ’s people. He went beyond the call of the average and became a man worthy of our honor.

My friends, I want my legacy to be that I went beyond the call of the average and genuinely loved others. I want your legacy to be the same. It is in that kind of intimacy that true joy is experienced and expressed.

Pastor John

Philippians 2:25-30 “But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.”

LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, August 13, 2024

The Book of Philippians is an incredible book because the author, Paul, expresses multiple reasons for joy while he is suffering in prison. Each day we are discovering a new truth that helps us to be more joyful people, and today we discover the importance of having intimate friendships. Paul had a student whom he was mentoring and molding for ministry. His name was Timothy, and he brought Paul great joy. A first glance at today’s scripture passage reveals what cheered Paul up.  

Philippians 2:19-24 “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.”

Paul was filled with anticipation of receiving heart-warming news from the people at Philippi when Timothy returned from visiting them. But we learn something much deeper in these verses: true joy is not based on information but on intimacy.

Unfortunately, so many of us base our joy on what’s happening to us instead of Who’s working in us. However, joy is not a product of our circumstances, but rather it is the produce (the fruit) of the Holy Spirit in us. Joy is experienced to the fullest when there is intimacy of relationship with God. That intimacy will then flourish in our relationships with people, so that even when circumstances are ugly, our spirits can be filled with joy.

Look at how Paul describes his relationship with Timothy: he has no one else like him who takes a genuine concern for the people he serves. Timothy is described as a humble, compassionate, caring, loving and sacrificial servant of God and people. He has proven himself worthy of leadership because he has put the work of Jesus Christ ahead of all else. We can hear in Paul’s words the joy in his heart to have a partner in the work like Timothy.

I am challenged by three things as I consider this type of intimacy. Let me reveal the first challenge today. It starts with a question that pounds in my heart.

1. Am I being a Timothy to the people God has given me to shepherd by showing genuine concern for their welfare? I hope they see that in me, because it is my heart. I never want ministry to be a job that must be done, but rather a privilege that gets to be done.

My desire is that each of you looks at your place of service or ministry within your church in the same way. When serving becomes your obligation it is time to check your attitude and place of service. When we are using the spiritual gifts God gives it is with love and grace that we use them, not obligation. And it is with the power of the Holy Spirit that we serve so we never grow weary. As Paul says in another passage in Galatians, “let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Intimacy with Jesus through the indwelling Holy Spirit produces joy that endures through all circumstances of life and sustains us. Let that joy flow out of you in your relationships with others.

Pastor John

LifeLink Devotions for Monday, August 12, 2024

Last Friday we looked at the first principle of finding joy in suffering as described in Philippians chapter two. This would be a good time to go back and review verses twelve through 18. I’ll wait.

Here’s principle number two – Others will experience joy when they see our lives of obedience and dedication to accomplishing God’s purpose.

Paul was glad that his dear friends in the church were people who obeyed the Word of God. They were not just hearers, but doers of what they had been taught. He compared them to stars in the universe that shine in the darkness because they were holding out the word of life. This concept of “holding out” is powerful. Paul uses the same Greek word in 1 Timothy 4:16 when he says, “Watch your life and doctrine closely.” The word means to “give attention to, hold onto, and apply with action.” The people of the church at Philippi were people who paid attention to the teaching of God’s truth, held onto it, and applied it to their actions. When Paul saw them doing that while he was with them it gave him great joy. When he heard that they were still living that way he was filled with more joy.

This kind of obedience and application of truth is possible because God is at work in us to accomplish it. Paul’s statement that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling can be confusing. He is not stating that we work for our salvation, but that we work to apply our salvation to how we live our lives. Paul says that God is at work in us to give us the will, or desire, to live obediently by acting according to God’s standards. This becomes one of the reasons we rejoice. Put simply, when by faith I received from God through Jesus Christ the forgiveness of my sin and the salvation of my soul, God began a work in me to cause me to want to obey Him and serve Him. He has given me a passion to fulfill His redemptive purpose. When I live according to those desires from God’s heart, I experience joy. We always get joy from doing what we want, but the joy is magnified when what we want is also what God wants. The Godly people who observe my life are also filled with joy, as Paul was when he saw the Philippian people living that way. He was filled with joy because he knew his work for Jesus Christ was not in vain, even though it had caused him pain.

That brings us to principle number three. We will also experience joy when we see others whom we have brought to Christ and discipled living obedient lives according to God’s desires and purpose for their lives. Just as Paul was overjoyed to see the people of Philippi living faithfully for Jesus, so we can be filled with joy when we see the people who came to faith through our lives and ministry following Jesus faithfully.

Ultimate joy, even in suffering, is possible when all three of these principles are true in us. Which ones, if any, are lacking from your life right now? There are many factors that may be keeping one or more of these joy-producers from working in our lives. Selfish desires stop us from serving Jesus. Fear of witnessing, lack of personal involvement with other people, and peer pressure stop us from faithfully living out the Gospel every day. Let’s carefully review our lives and renew our commitment to seeking God’s purpose in all things, and to living out God’s Word in all areas, and the joy will return.

Pastor John