TerryLema

I enjoy reading about the women in the Bible. One section is especially notable. That is the section that spans the Book of Ruth and the first chapter of 1Samuel.  In that section we meet Naomi, Ruth, and Hannah.

I remember hearing a minister give a message on Naomi. He did not paint a very nice picture of her. He called her bitter (that is fair since she also refers to herself as bitter). But he also called her angry, full of self-pity, and unpleasant. By the time he finished, no one would want to have anything to do with Naomi.

That seemed harsh and a bit misguided to my way of looking at Naomi. Naomi had been taken by her husband away from her home in Bethlehem into the land of Moab along with their two sons. Her husband died in Moab, and she was left with her sons, who took foreign women as wives. Then after a bit her two sons died, which prompted Naomi to leave Moab and return to her hometown.

Initially her two daughters-in-law accompanied her. Along the way, Naomi released her daughters-in-law (Ruth and Orpah) to return to their native land. Orpah took Naomi up on the offer, but Ruth refused. Ruth insisted in one of the most beautiful passages of Scripture that “wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.” [1:16-17 HCSB]

When Naomi reached Bethlehem, the whole town met her. It was there she referred to herself as “Mara,” which means bitter. Naomi went away with a husband and sons and lost all of them to death. No wonder she thought of herself as “bitter.”

I think of her as grieving. She was consumed with the sadness that comes with loss. I also think that if Naomi was everything that minister said she was—bitter, angry, full of self-pity and unpleasant—her  daughter-in-law would not have loved her the way she did.

Ruth’s love for Naomi proved Naomi was worth loving.  (Tomorrow Ruth)

I was reading Psalm 119 this morning. Longest chapter in the Bible, covering 176 verses. This psalm contains the profound truth that the Word of God is all sufficient.  Common words are the Lord’s commands, precepts, statutes, decrees, judgments, and instructions.

Psalm 119 reminds us that God’s Word reflects the very character of God Himself. God’s attributes of righteousness, trustworthiness, truthfulness, faithfulness, unchangeableness, eternality, light, and holiness are also on display.

As I was reading, I halted at the section contained in verses 33-40. Then I began to pray through that section.

Vs33: Teach me, LORD, the meaning of Your statues …

Vs34: Help me understand Your instruction …

Vs35: Help me stay on the path of Your commands …

Vs36: Turn my heart to Your decrees …

Vs37: Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless …

Vs38: Confirm what You said to Your servant …

Vs39: Turn away the disgrace I dread …

Vs40: Give me life through Your righteousness …

As you read through (pray through) that small section, you will notice that for almost every one of those prayers, there is to be a corresponding reaction in our hearts.

Pray this passage with me today … I think you will be blessed. Amen!

I love music. My mother played a mean piano, and then eventually a home organ. My dad had a collection of records that ranged from Dixieland Jazz to classic. Music was part of my life growing up. My tastes run a bit like my dad’s. I love almost all kinds of music with a few more “modern” exceptions. Not fond of Hip Hop or RAP or a few others that appeal to these latest generations.

A couple Sunday’s ago we had a guest speaker. That allowed Pastor Laura to do worship. She included the song, “Way Maker” written by Nigerian gospel singer Sinach.

I really love that song.  The chorus lists characteristics of our God. “And You are Way Maker, miracle worker, Promise keeper, light in the darkness, My God, that is who You are.”

 A friend from church gave me a lovely coffee mug inscribed with that chorus on one side and my name on the other. I use it every day for my afternoon iced coffee. And as I use it, I am reminded that …

I am reminded that my God makes a way where there is no way. I am reminded that He is a miracle working God. I am reminded that all the promises in Him are “Yes” and “Amen.” I am reminded that my God has taken me out of the darkness and brought me into His Kingdom of Light.  That is my God – that is Who He is!

What do you need today? Do you need to find which way to go? Do you need a miracle? Do you need to be reminded of one of the promises we have in God and how we can appropriate it today? Is your way dark, do you need to be led to the light?

That is my God. That is your God. That is Who He is. Call on Him!

Yesterday as I was reading in Ephesians 5, I was led by the Holy Spirit to think about the last seven months of my life—those months where I have been adjusting to retirement. I wondered if I had been “making the most of the time,” or simply whiling it away. That thought is contained in a passage labeled in my Bible as “Consistency in the Christian Life.”

After Paul reminds his readers (and me) about redeeming the time, he goes on to other things. First, he tells us what we should avoid, and second, what we should be doing instead.

“And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit.” [vs 18 HCSB]

We are not to get drunk with wine because that leads to reckless actions. So often we breeze by that warning because we do not drink and alcohol is not a temptation for us, but I think the warning is far deeper than just a warning about wine.  If we go back to the passages that begin Ephesians 5, we see far more and broader warnings.

The chapter begins by telling us to be “imitators of God, as dearly loved children.” We are to walk “in love.”

Then it reminds us to avoid a number of things … some of which we can even find in the church today, things like, sexual immorality, impurity, greed, coarse and fooling talking, crude joking. We are told to not participate in the fruitless works of darkness, or partner with those who promote “empty arguments.”

I believe we could embrace Paul’s warning as encompassing anything that promotes the reckless actions that lead us away from God or diminishes or thwarts our walk as dearly loved children of God.

Instead, we are to be “filled by the Spirit.” (Tomorrow)

Where has the time gone? Seems like I just retired at the end of 2021 and now we are more than halfway through 2022. And what have I done or accomplished in these last seven months. Ah, from my perspective my greatest accomplishment has been “adjusting to being “retired.”

Reading Ephesians 5 this morning gave me a bit of a shock. My Bible translation calls this passage, “Consistency in the Christian Life.” Verses 15-17 jumped off the page and into my heart.

“Pay careful attention, then to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is.” [HCSB]

“Making the most of the time” is often translated as “redeeming the time,” meaning to intentionally walk in wisdom and in submission to the LORD. It means seeking His will. It means staying away from the sinful things of this world. It means walking each day in the ways of God that lead to holiness and maturity (as Paul goes on to explain in the following verses).

Time is the one thing we all possess equally. There are exactly 24 hours in each day, 1440 minutes. No one has more and no one has less.

Someone wrote, “Time is a gift of God,” and if that is true, then it means we need to carefully steward it like we must do with all God’s gracious gifts.