Tag Archives: christianity

PERMANENT TRUST

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LifeLink Devotions for Friday, January 31, 2025

Over the next few devotionals, I want to share some personal stories of how God’s wisdom has been proven in my life. It all comes from two popular verses in Proverbs. I remember memorizing them in Sunday School as a child, and they have stuck with me. Here’s how I learned them.

Proverbs 3:5-6  “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.”

What does it look like to trust in the Lord with all your heart? They key is to understand the word “all”. It means all. Not some or most, but all. Is that even possible?

There are many Bible stories of men and women who trusted God with all their heart for a moment, but not permanently. I think permanent trust is hard to achieve while we live in these bodies of flesh. Abraham trusted God completely when asked to move to a new land, but his trust wavered when he got there. Moses trusted God in the wilderness until the second time they needed water and he didn’t follow God’s instructions. The Apostle Paul trusted God until he had a disagreement with John Mark and Barnabas.

We all have moments when we trust God completely, but like the people in Scripture we have too many moments of trusting ourselves.

Late in 1986 I was living a comfortable life in South Dakota. My wife and three children were being taken care of as I worked a full-time job, and I was also living out God’s call on my life to pastor a church. Then God called. He directed my wife and me to begin planning to enter ministry full time and leave behind the comforts of our home and possessions. We obeyed. In early 1987 we accepted the call to a church over 300 miles away. It would cut our salary by almost 40%. We sold our home, my classic 1964 Ford pickup, our boat, my guns, and planned for major budget reductions because we trusted what God was doing to fulfill His call on our lives. It was the most joyous and rewarding obedience in our lives.

Did I continue to trust God explicitly? No, and there are far to many stories to prove my trust in myself. But this I know. God is faithful, and will never stop welcoming us into a relationship of complete trust. So no matter what your trust level is right now, set a goal to make trust complete, and then strive for trust to become permanent. Imagine what God can do with a person who trusts Him in ALL things.

Pastor John

PARENTING WISDOM

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LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, January 23, 2025

We all had them. Many of us were them. Some of you are planning to be one.

The first recorded words of God to Adam and Eve were His blessing and command to become parents. God had spoken in Creation and to Adam prior to the creation of Eve, but now he reveals His heart to the man and woman. He expects multiplication, and it is through the marriage of one man and one woman that His will is to be accomplished.

As parents and grandparents, our role is significant before the Lord. In his opening statements of wisdom, Solomon addresses his son and challenges him with the importance of listening to his father and mother.

Proverbs 1:8  “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

His wisdom reveals that a parent’s instruction and teaching must be worthy of hearing and applying to a child’s life.

What are we teaching our kids? Or what are we not teaching them by what other sources of instruction do we allow into their lives? Those questions must burn deeply in our minds every day as we consider the awesome and eternal responsibility God has given us to instruct, teach, and train the next generation of Christ-followers.

A quick study of the two Hebrew words used in this verse is valuable for us. Dad is responsible for instruction and Mom brings teaching. Now I must say that this is not the only verse about parents in Proverbs, and it certainly cannot be taken as the whole counsel of God concerning the unique roles of mom and dad. But in this first reference to a parent’s responsibility, the literal meaning of the Hebrew words tells us that Dad is the enforcer of God’s law that mom has taught.

The word translated “instruction” means “chastisement”, and is translated as discipline, correction, and instruction. Dad, your role with your kids is to correct them when they are outside the boundaries of God’s will and to do so with the intent of training them to stay inside those boundaries.

Mom’s, your word “teach” is the Hebrew word for “law”. You will recognize it because it is the word “torah”. To moms God has given the responsibility of teaching the law of God to her children. That is not to say that dad doesn’t also have that responsibility. What it says is that between mom and dad there is a mutual understanding of and agreement with the law of God and they work together to train their children to know and serve the Almighty.

It is our privilege as parents to represent the Lord Jesus Christ to our children. It is our responsibility to teach them and train them through instruction and discipline to recognize the Lordship of Jesus Christ over their lives. We will fail at that if He is not Lord of our lives. Verbal instruction and teaching must be validated with visible activity.

Our kids are being taught whether we are saying anything to them or not. They learn mainly by observing.

So what are we teaching our kids?

Pastor John

THE MARVEL OF GOD’S WORK

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LifeLink Devotions for Thursday, January 2, 2025

Yesterday we began a conversation about God’s marvelous work of reconciling us to Himself through Christ’s work on the cross. Here’s how God taught me the the splendor of His work.

God’s Holiness Fought Me – I had to come to a place in my life where I knew that nothing I could ever do or offer to God would be able to change my nature. I had to know that I could never stand in the presence of God based on my qualifications. There can be no salvation from sin and reconciliation to God unless we first see God in His absolute holiness.

God’s Love Sought Me – He sent Jesus to pay the price for my sin – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should never die, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Jesus said, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

God’s Justice Bought Me – Jesus paid the price for my sin on the cross of Calvary. “You are not your own, you were bought at a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

God’s Mercy Caught Me – After the price for my sin had been paid by Jesus, and justice was no longer in the way, mercy came running after me. God chased after me. What an incredible lesson in reconciliation – the One in the right chasing after the ones in the wrong.

God’s Grace Wrought Me – Now that He has caught me, God is shaping me. Every day His grace molds me into the character of Jesus.

God’s Example Taught Me – “He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) In the same way that God reconciled me to Himself, I am to go with the Good News and reconcile others to God and to each other.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ…

Pastor John

IT’S ALL FROM GOD

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LifeLink Devotional for Wednesday, January 1, 2025

We are more apathetic than we will admit. Especially when it comes to conflict resolution. I know all too well about the “sweep it under the rug” philosophy of problem solving. I grew up in a Scandinavian home. But we’re not the only ones who have adopted and promoted this attitude. Somehow the Biblical admonition to “be at peace with one another” has been misunderstood and misapplied. Being at peace with one another doesn’t mean pretending that the problem never existed. Being at peace means to resolve the problem so that it doesn’t matter anymore. Peace isn’t the burial of issues. Peace is the healing of the pain of issues. But we have been duped into believing that time heals all pain. If we would just set aside our differences for long enough we will eventually forget that they exist. We have become apathetic towards conflict resolution. We have created a false sense of peace based on a wrong understanding of reconciliation.

What if God had done with our sin what we do with the wrongs of others? What hope would we have if God simply swept our sin under the rug and ignored it, hoping that somehow it would go away so that we could relate to Him again? We would have to believe in a less than holy and less than just God. We would even have to minimize His love for us, because true love heals, not hides.

God didn’t hide sin until after it had been justly dealt with. He didn’t offer eternal forgiveness until sin had been publicly paid for. He didn’t provide healing from the pain of sin until it had been openly confessed by the offender. He didn’t invite us to a restored relationship until after the relationship with His Son had been forsaken. He didn’t reconcile us to Himself until He had first reconciled His Son to Himself by raising Him from the dead. He didn’t offer false peace based on ignorance of sin, but rather He offered true peace based on the knowledge and the forgiveness of sin.

2 Corinthians 5:18  “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ…”

Every necessary requisite to a reconciled relationship with God was initiated and implemented by God. When He saw our sin, He set in motion the strategy of salvation. “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7)

When we accept what God did in Christ on the cross, and repent of our sin, our relationship with God is eternally reconciled. He did what I couldn’t. Surrender all your efforts to be made right. Make a clean sweep of the past and accept what Jesus has done for you.

Pastor John

THE GIFT OF ALWAYS

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LifeLink Devotional for Wednesday, December 25, 2024

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

In 1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics (based on biblical principles) in the public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments and a large orphanage.  About 100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a government-run program were in the orphanage. Here is the story they tell.

It was nearing the holiday season in 1994, and it was time for our orphans to hear, for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas. We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger.

Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Completing the story, we gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins I had brought with me as no colored paper was available in the city.

Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown a lady had given us, were used for the baby’s blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt we had brought from the United States. The orphans were busy assembling their manger as I walked among them to see if they needed any help.

All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat. He looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy’s manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. Quickly, I called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story very seriously. For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the happenings accurately – until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger.

Then Misha started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending to the story as he said, “And when Maria laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay.  I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don’t have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn’t, because I didn’t have a gift to give him like everybody else did.”

“But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift. So I asked Jesus, ‘If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?’ And Jesus told me, ‘If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me.’ So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him—for always.”

As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed.  The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon him, someone who would stay with him – FOR ALWAYS. 

Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” Jesus came so that we could be His children – for always. This Christmas, remember that it’s not what you get for gifts that matters, but Who you get as a gift, and Jesus is the indescribable Gift of God.

Pastor John

THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE

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LifeLink Devotional for Thursday, December 5, 2024

In yesterday’s devotional we learned that giving is about expressing love. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” God’s gift of Jesus to pay the price for our sin was the full and complete expression of His love for us. In His gift we see the nature of His heart.

Gifts that are given in love benefit the recipient. Jesus spoke of this when he said, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Good gifts are those that bring a blessing to people.

There are numerous benefits that God provides to us with the gift of Jesus Christ. I’m not sure which of them can be prioritized as most important or significant over the others, so I won’t try to convince you of my opinion. Over the next few days, let’s enjoy the blessings that will come from looking at some of them. Today I am overjoyed to consider that in Jesus Christ I have eternal life.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I have been thinking about eternity a lot lately. Not that I plan to go there any time soon – unless that’s God’s plan for me. One thing I know for sure is that heaven will be the complete and perfect experience of life to the fullest as God intended it to be lived. There will be no confinements of time and space. There will be no experience of sin, sadness, sorrow, or suffering. We will know and understand all things even as God knows us now. We will not be distracted from the glory and fellowship of God by the cares and concerns of the world.

Heaven will never end. We will not know that it had a beginning, and we will not be able to foresee its conclusion. All the perfections of life will become the reality of the present. Every negative experience of this temporal life on earth will be forgotten. Every glorious experience of intimacy with Christ will be perfected into permanence. All that was done for self on earth will be lost and gone forever. All that was done for Christ will be immortalized and treasured for eternity.

What an incredible and indescribable gift! In one act of love all the negatives are abolished and all the positives are established. If only there was a way I could give a gift like that to everyone I love.

But wait…there is a way. I can give them the information they need to choose the gift of God. I can share with them the good news that Jesus forgives sin and abolishes death. I can give them the opportunity to receive eternal life.

And when I do, I have given them the greatest gift of all.

Pastor John

BE DIFFERENT

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LifeLink Devotional for Tuesday, December 3, 2024

It is an unfortunate tendency of human nature to become self-sufficient. The accomplishment of goals leads to pride in our abilities. The accrual of resources leads to dependence upon those resources. The pursuit of social status becomes the means of measuring success. We are never quite satisfied with the essentials, so we choose to live by faith in self rather than faith in God.

The shepherds in the Christmas story were different. Their profession was religiously despised in their culture. Because of their constant contact with the animals, they were not allowed to participate in any religious activities and were certainly never allowed inside the temple to worship. They were forced to live in the fields with their flocks, never owning their own homes or achieving an acceptable level of social status. Such conditions would cause most of us to develop a new life plan or hire a new life coach. We would look intently and lustfully at the greener grass on the next pasture, and it would not be for the benefit of the sheep.

But these shepherds were different. They had not only accepted their position in society, but they worshiped God where they were. They had some good examples from their culture’s past to follow: Moses spent 40 years tending sheep before he was called by God in a burning bush to lead Israel out of Egypt. David was a shepherd boy who had a heart for God and accepted his position. Psalms 78:70 – 72 says,“God chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens;from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”

The shepherds in our story lived the greatest faith anyone can ever live – God-sufficiency. God saw their humble state and He honored them with the first and only public announcement of the birth of Jesus.

Luke 2:8 – 12  8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Humility is the prerequisite of honor.

But we must be careful, because honor can destroy humility. Honor can become the means we use to set new goals and seek new status. But these shepherds were different. After they had gone and seen the King and worshipped Him in person, the Scriptures say that they returned to their flocks and carried on where they were. We never hear of them again. There was no attempt to use their personal experience to advance their personal status in any way.

That will be true of all who are humble, no matter how honored they have been. Why? Because the humble understand that it’s all about Jesus and His glory, and not about us and our glory.

Jesus honored the humility of the shepherds 32 years later when He spoke these words: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

One day Jesus will honor all of us. Be careful of trying to seek honor for yourself. Jesus said, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  

The shepherds were different. They did nothing to get noticed. God found them and honored their humility.

He will find you! 

Pastor John

RESIST THE GLITTER

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LifeLink Devotional for Monday, December 2, 2024

Welcome to our Christmas series of devotionals as we daily contemplate the significance of Christ Jesus coming to earth.

In Matthew chapter four, Jesus prepares to begin His three-year ministry to the people of Israel and bring them the good news of God’s salvation, Satan attempts to thwart God’s plan. He tempts Jesus to take His eyes off God’s purpose for His life and turn them to the things of the world. He tempts Jesus with His physical needs by trying to get Him to focus on His hunger. He tempts Jesus to promote Himself in the eyes of people by telling Him to use His power and authority to do a miracle to impress people. Then Satan tempts Jesus to worship him with the promise of a gift. Satan says he will make Jesus the ruler of all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus will bow to him. Fortunately for all of us, Jesus resisted all these temptations and waited for God’s perfect fulfillment of His purpose in His time.

Jesus was convinced that His Father would provide for His physical needs because He was focused on accomplishing the Father’s purpose and not His own. Jesus knew that His Father would one day glorify Him in front of all mankind, so He did not need to exalt Himself in front of people. Jesus also knew that one day God would make Him ruler of all the kingdoms of the world, and that by accepting that honor from Satan it would only make Satan the ultimate ruler and not God. Jesus knew that the gifts that God had promised, even though they required great endurance and patience to be realized, would be far greater than any immediate gratification provided by Satan’s competing gifts.

Every day Satan competes for our loyalty by offering us gifts that promise immediate gratification. Every day we are tempted to sacrifice our worship of the Lord on the altar of personal pursuits and pleasures. Every day we are tempted to serve self rather than God. Satan offers benefits that appeal to the physical, emotional, and financial goals of our flesh. Satan pursues us because he knows that if we accept his offers we will become his best servants: not because we are evil, but because our choice does the most damage to the cause of Christ.

The testimony we give to the power of the Gospel to transform lives is negated by the person who claims Christ but lives under the influence of the flesh. Such a person is Satan’s best employee. In exchange for his gifts of worldly pleasure, power and prosperity they have become Satan’s servants and have made a mockery of the gift of God.

Do you remember the old television game show called Let’s Make A Deal? Every one of us is a contestant on the spiritual version of that show. Two gifts have been offered, and you must choose.

Gift #1 has been fully revealed to us. It offers the guarantee of eternal life following an earthly life of surrender to Christ. It will require suffering, hardship, trials, trouble, and rejection by the rest of the world. But in the end, we are glorified with Jesus and inherit all things with Him.

Gift #2 has also been fully revealed, but for some reason most people choose not to see beyond the immediate glitter that they see. The gift offers wealth untold, acceptance by the world, and the promise that personal pleasure will fulfill all emotional and spiritual needs. Behind all that glitter is the sentence of death and punishment in hell for all eternity. But glitter blinds us. It is so appealing to our flesh that we are willing to gamble our lives on the hope that the experience of the glitter will somehow void the consequences of our choice. That’s why so many people keep choosing gift #2 – and losing.

If you’ve never chosen gift #1, today can be your day. Call on Jesus to save you.

If you have chosen gift #1, make sure you aren’t tempted to trade it in for any part of gift #2. Check your life right now and make sure, like Jesus did, that you resist the glitter and worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.

Pastor John

GIVE THANKS

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LifeLink Devotional for Thursday, November 28, 2024

Happy Thanksgiving. It seems appropriate that we take some time over the next few days to focus on being thankful in all circumstances.

It is possible that you misread that last statement. It does not say to be thankful for all circumstances but be thankful in them. It is a clarification that is necessary for proper application.

I am not thankful for the consequences of evil in this world. However, I can be thankful during those times of suffering because my attitude is based on the goodness and steadfast love of the Lord. In 1 Chronicles 16:34 we read, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” God never changes, so my attitude can always be thankful.

Yet we quickly turn to complaining when circumstances affect us negatively. The heart drifts toward complaint as if by gravitational pull. Complaint seems a reasonable response to a sequence of disappointing events. Generally, we don’t have to extend an invitation for complaint to show up. It arrives as an uninvited guest. Before we know it, complaint feels right because it is familiar.

Author Jeff Manion, in his book “The Land Between” says that we must “evict the spirit of complaint.”  Here’s how he describes it:

“We can discourage complaint’s residency in our lives by inviting another guest to move in with us. That new guest is trust. When we choose to trust in the face of deep disappointment, complaint has less space to maneuver. While attempting to unpack for an extended stay, it discovers that trust has taken all the drawers in the guest room and already occupies the empty seat at the table. Trust evicts complaint. Trust and complaint are incompatible roommates. One inevitably pushes the other one out.”

Trust. Trust in the nature and character of God. Trust is the basis for thanksgiving.

Here’s a definition of trust using the word as an acrostic. It has become the basis for my understanding of the connection between trust and thanksgiving.

TRUST – Totally Relying Upon Sovereign Timing

Trust requires reliance upon God’s absolute control over all things, and that all things are working towards a His glorious conclusion that will result in good for us. When we have that level of trust, then we can also live through any hardship with an attitude of thanks.

Here’s another acrostic that reveals the connection between trust and thanks:

THANKS – Trusting His Attributes Not Knowing Specifics

I believe we have two problems that keep us from being thankful. We don’t trust anyone’s control except our own, and we don’t relax until we know all the details of the outcome. If we choose not to trust the Sovereign timing of God, then we obviously won’t be thankful unless we are in control and know the details of every circumstance. What a tragic and depressing way to live.

Here’s a simple story that helps me to understand that I can trust God with the outcome even when current circumstances seem counter-productive.

A ship was wrecked, and the only survivor washed up on a small uninhabited island. He was exhausted. He cried out to God to save him. Every day he scanned the horizon, searching for help. Finally, he managed to build a rough hut and put his few articles in that hut.

One day, coming home from hunting for food, he was stung with grief to see his little hut in flames and a cloud of smoke. The worst had happened. But later that day, a ship came in and rescued him.

He asked the crew, “How did you know I was here?” They replied, “We saw your smoke signal.”

Maybe the difficulty you have now is a smoke signal that will lead to great blessing. “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

Pastor John

STICK TO YOUR COMMITMENTS

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LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Yesterday we were motivated to take steps of faith by the story of several tribes being awarded comfortable land yet joining the other tribes is helping them conquer their land. There is another lesson for us to learn from this story about sin and its consequences. The two-and-a-half tribes had made a commitment years before that they would be united with all the other tribes in entering the Promised Land. Moses reminded them of that commitment and warned them that if they reneged on it they would be sinning, and they would not get away with it.  Moses says these often quoted words, “You may be sure that your sin will find you out.” All sin has consequences, and all sin must be answered for, whether in this life or when we stand before God in person.

We have all done things that we hope will never be exposed. We have lied and lusted, cheated and coveted, hurt and hated. We have committed spiritual adultery by worshipping the gods of money, friendships, social status and power.  If others only knew what we have really done they would be shocked, and the fortified city of our self-righteous life would be destroyed, and we would be left with nothing.

I call on the church of Jesus Christ to become people of integrity, living holy lives honoring to God, knowing that every sin will be exposed before His holy throne. Yes, the consequence of death for sin has been removed for those who are saved, but the consequence of shame has not been removed. The Apostle John says, “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.” (1 John 2:28) When He returns, our lives will be reviewed in their entirety since the time of our salvation, and we will suffer loss for those things that did not honor God. All decisions and actions coming from self-serving motives will be exposed and burned, and all rewards we had hoped for in those times will be lost. Read carefully these words from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth:

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”

Take to heart the warning of Moses, and the next time you are tempted back away from your commitment to Christ and choose to sin, remember – you won’t get away with it because God’s love won’t permit you to live beneath your privilege.

Pastor John