TerryLema

I have been struggling lately with desserts (sweets). I go through cycles when I don’t eat any, and then when I eat too many. Lately, it’s been too many and my body is suffering the consequences. When I am eating too many, I berate myself for my lack of self-control.

Peter wrote two letters. The first letter’s theme is “adversity,” the second letter’s theme is “knowledge.” Peter writes in his second letter that self-control is to be added as one of the virtues to faith, but it is really in the first letter dealing with adversity and suffering that Peter defines self-control.

As you read those passages, you’ll notice one thing right away, self-control never stands alone; it is always matched with a quality of the mind, such as alertness, attentiveness, clarity.  [1 Peter 1:13-16, 4:7, 5:8-9]

Biblical self-control really has little to do with “self.” It is generated by God’s Spirit in us. As we grow and become grounded in God’s Word and cooperative with His Spirit, we learn what is truly important.

Self-control enables us to live and move not by sight but by faith. We can disregard the danger we see because we abide in the refuge we can’t see. We learn to pray, and to resist the enemy of our soul that prowls around looking to devour the unsuspecting and unaware.

Self-control, combined with the knowledge of Christ Jesus, and with the goodness and glory of God’s character, built on the foundation of faith in Christ, keeps us in the fight so that we will end even better than we began.  Amen&Amen

The LORD led me to read Psalm 69 this morning. It is a Lament Song of David. Like many of David’s songs, he expresses honest human emotions. He is surrounded by his enemies. He is waiting on God to act on His behalf. He is desperate and sorrowful. He acknowledges that he has sinned.

As you read through it, you get the sense that David began the song during a season of doubt. He had questions we probably all have had at some point. Would God act on his behalf? When will God act? Such feelings are part of the human experience, but they do not cancel out the reality of our relationship with our LORD.

David often expresses his deep emotions, even his discouragement and doubt, but he seems to always end with his assurance of God’s faithfulness.

David does that in this song also. “The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people. Praise him, O heaven and earth, the seas and all that move in them.” [Psalm 69:32-34 NLT]

It is ok to express our strong feelings to the LORD – even okay to express our doubts. But like David, let us be “encouraged” knowing that “the LORD hears the cries of the needy.” Amen&Amen

I woke up the other morning achy and tired. I grabbed a cup of coffee and my morning blanket, sat in my chair, and started my morning routine. I published my devotions, checked my daily verses, reviewed my bank account and half-listened to the morning news shows Bob had on the television.

When I got to the end of the morning routine, I sighed and told Bob I didn’t want to do anything anymore. I didn’t want to cook. I didn’t want to go anywhere. Not to church. Not to prayer. Not to Bible Study. I was achy and tired, and I just wanted to sit in my chair, read a book, play some games on the computer, and feel sorry for myself.

My rebellion lasted for about 10 minutes. Then my spirit started to laugh – like I could hear the LORD say, “Oh, we are having a little pity party are we?” Then He reminded me about what my message was for the Senior Potluck the next day – a message on glorifying God amid suffering and brokenness.

The last sentence in that message was “No matter how hard it is, get up, trust Him, and keep going. Glorify God in your brokenness.”

I have always said that you must “live it to give it” – apparently God was “reminding” me of my own words.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” [Philippians 4:4]

There are days when I wake up and my body is so stiff it takes hours to loosen up – if it ever does. Then there is pain. The old joke that “I hurt in places I didn’t know I had places,” really is funny – but it is true, nonetheless.

I’m old. Not as old as some; older than others. When I express these things to my primary doctor or to my rheumatologist, they sympathize but you can see behind their sympathy they are thinking … “well, you are old, what do you expect.”

What do I expect? I guess I don’t really know. I know what I hope …

I hope that my “old” body can keep up with all I want to do in my remaining years.

I hope that pain does not have the final word.

I hope I can remain relevant.

I hope I can be an encouragement to others and not a burden to them.

I hope I can live each day in the resurrection of Christ Jesus – my Living Hope!

“In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” [1Peter 1:3-4 NIV]

Amen&Amen

Emotions often get a bad rap. Yet, Scripture is clear, in both OT and NT, that our God has emotions. Genesis 6:6 speak of God’s heart being “deeply troubled,” and Exodus 34:14 proclaims that the LORD is a “jealous God.”  The NT reveals that “Jesus wept,” at the tomb of Lazarus and that it is possible for us “grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” [John 11:35, Ephesians 4:30]

Emotions are not the problem … the problem resides in what we do with our emotions.

Too often we allow our emotions to lead us. Our soul is defined as our mind, will, and emotions – and they should remain in that order. Instead, we live in the opposite order … our emotions lead our mind and will instead of following. We spend too much time listening to them when we should be speaking truth to them.

In speaking truth to them we do not deny that they are real. But no matter how strong our emotions are, they are not to become our identity. We take our identify from what God has proclaimed – we live in His promises.

I am a child of God! I may experience anxiety, frustration, grief, anger – all types of emotions – but nothing changes the fact that I am NOW and will REMAIN a Child of God. I live in His security, His provision, His strength, His truth. Amen&Amen

PS: I wrote this to myself after experiencing a week where frustration, impatience, and discouragement reigned!

I woke up the other morning and heard the LORD whisper, “There is nothing between Me and thee.” I laughed knowing it must be the LORD since I don’t ‘speak’ King James English. His words warmed my heart.

Then the other morning I heard Him whisper, “Stop! I don’t need you to promote, I’ll send whom I desire.” Ah, that didn’t quite warm my heart the same way. Yet, it should have. His words that morning reset my path to His way instead of my own. The more I thought about it, the deeper His words penetrated and I recognized a habit I certainly did not want!

My mother had a difficult time with life and the older she got, the more difficult it became. She developed a habit of manipulating people; a habit that my brother and I never wanted to develop. We often joked with our kids that if you see us acting like Grandma, stop us!

My kids weren’t around to see what I was doing, but my LORD was and His “Stop!” did just that – stopped me in my tracks.

I didn’t have to joke with my LORD about stopping my bad habits – I have throughout my life prayed “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” [Psalm 51:10 NKJV]

  Sunday morning, He reminded me that He took my prayer seriously. Amen&Amen

Writing yesterday’s devotion about our Eternal King Jesus, I used a Scripture from Revelations 11:15. That scripture verse announced that this world is the Kingdom of our LORD and Savior, Christ Jesus. It proclaimed the truth that He will reign forever.

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: ‘The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.’” [NLT]

We know how it all ends! Do you realize what that means?

Wars will cease. Discords will disappear. Fear, anxiety, confusion will be gone. We will no longer see our sons and daughters sent into battles at the whim of those in temporary authority over nations. Famine will not be an issue; our children will never go to bed hungry again.

Sickness, death, and the grave will be banished forever. Cancer will be conquered. Alzheimer’s will be forgotten. Our bodies will be made like unto our Savior’s glorious body. Hospitals, Cemeteries, Rehab centers will disintegrate and blow away with the wind.

We know how it all ends. Do you realize what that means?

We can view today’s events from the perspective of promise – that this world is under the rule of the King of Kings and LORD of Lords—never to be surrendered to another. Amen&Amen

Bob and I just finished filling out our absentee ballots for this mid-term election. I am sure that there will be more than a few incumbents across this nation that will give up their positions to another. National elections will happen in two years. We’ll see a new President and probably more than a few incumbents across this nation will also be giving up their positions to another. That is the way in a Constitutional Republic.

But that’s also true for a monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years + 214 days, from February 6, 1952, until her death on September 8, 2022, when her son assumed the throne. It’s even true for a dictatorship. Paul Biya of Cameroon has been in power since 1975, 41 years, and the day is coming when he, too, will relinquish his rule.

Whenever we get focused on just who wields power now (and worry about what they might or might not do), we need to remember that they are but a temporary dot on the expanse of time and eternity! The rulers of this world are continually replaced. We need to focus on the One who is truly reigning, always has reigned, and always will reign. We need to focus on the One who has ultimate power.

 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” [1Timothy 1:17 NIV]

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: ‘The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.’” [Revelation 11:15 NLT]

Whatever these elections might hold, we serve the One True, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible God! Amen&Amen

Fifty-three years ago, I made the decision to surrender my life to Christ Jesus as Lord. I seldom think of it as a “decision,” but I do think of it as “surrender.” While the Scriptures do not use the phrase “surrender to Christ Jesus” in a single verse, there are many verses that describe what that act looks like.

Those verses command believers to deny themselves, take up the cross, submit to God, trust Him fully, and my favorite–present your lives as living sacrifices. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” [Romans 12:1 NKJV]

Christian surrender means we abdicate the control and use of our total self – spirit, soul, and body – to the LORD Christ Jesus. That means that surrender is …

…a DELIBERATE act. You don’t surrender accidentally to Christ’s rule; you intentionally choose it.

…a VOLUNTARY act. No one can force you to serve God – even God will not force you to serve Him. It must be a personal choice.

… a FINAL act and a CONTINUING act together. In the LORD’s eyes, it is a complete transaction. In our daily thoughts and actions, it is a continuing act turning increasingly more over to Him. That’s called sanctification (maturity).

I Surrender All! Help me, LORD, to Surrender All! Amen&Amen

I wrote last week (9/27) about a verse in Romans. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” [HCSB]

Since then, the first part of that verse has echoed through my mind. “Now may the God of hope fill you with …”

I know Paul prayed that the God of hope would fill us with joy and peace so that we might spill out hope over everyone and every situation that crosses our path, but as I thought more about it, I realized that prayer could (should?) be expanded.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with”  love, so that you might see others as Christ Jesus sees them…

“Now may the God of hope fill you with”  forgiveness, so that you might release any bitterness or resentment you have acquired…

“Now may the God of hope fill you with” grace, so that you might be conformed to God’s heart!

And we could go on … there is so much more(!) … mercy, compassion, comfort, strength, knowledge…. What do you need most today? The God of Hope is more than ready to fill you!

Amen&Amen