Author

TerryLema

Daily

by TerryLema

Ps 68:19:  Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

Isn’t that the most wonderful thought!  The Lord, our God and Savior, daily bears our burdens.  Let me say that once again, He daily bears our burdens.

I woke up a bit tired today after my infusion yesterday and with just a little stamina and strength to do what needs to be done. I woke up today with the promise, however, that whatever burden I may face, Jesus my Savior is there to bear that burden.

We know so well the invitation of Christ Jesus. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  [Matt 11:28-30 NIV]

Every day that invitation stands true.  It is an invitation to daily pick up His light burden, while He carries our heavy one.  It is an invitation to seek His face every day, to know what His direction is for that day, to care for His people, to share His Gospel, to love Him … all light burdens.

He in turn carries our depressions and discouragements. He brings forgiveness to our sins and carries away the heaviness of our guilt and shame.  He bears our burdens of fear, rejection, disappointment, and grief, and brings us peace, acceptance, and comfort in their place.

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

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On the Move!

by TerryLema

Do you know the New Testament recorded Jesus giving the invitation, “Follow me” multiple times?  He said it to Peter and Andrew, to Matthew, to several whose names are not listed.  And He pretty much said it to us.

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” [Matt 16:24 NKJV]

Messages given on this passage almost always focus on the denying and taking up the cross part.  But it is those last two little words that truly give impetus to the invitation…  “Follow Me.”

With those two little words we learn that the Christian life is a life on the move.  We aren’t just hanging around on that cross, denying ourselves, and thinking that is all there is.

We are on the move for Christ, following Him as He leads us into the future, into the unknown, into opportunities and ministries still unrevealed.

Leighton Ford, in 1995, gave a charge to a new generation of leaders.  He wrote: “God is always ahead of us and moving us on.  And so as you minister in a world often steeped in confusion and despair, I hope you will breathe expectancy. God always has another move.”

I love that … “God always has another move” … and He is calling us to move with Him.  “Follow Me.”

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Rain!

by TerryLema

I was watching a Facebook video of a father introducing his baby to rain for the first time.  It must have been somewhere warm since they were in shorts.  They dashed out into the rain and danced around just a bit and then dashed back inside.  The baby squealed with delight, clapped his hands, and pointed to the rain again.  Out they went again.  Back inside the baby was once more delighted and wanted to go back out and dance again in the rain.  I’m not sure how long this went on, the video stopped.

As I watched I thought about our Heavenly Father who wants to introduce us to the rain of His Holy Spirit.  He wants to carry us out to dance in it.  He wants us filled with delight as He rains righteousness upon this earth.

“Heavens, sprinkle from above, and let the skies shower righteousness. Let the earth open up so that salvation will sprout and righteousness will spring up with it. I, Yahweh, have created it” [Isaiah 45:8 HCSB]

Zechariah 10:1 instructs us to ask for the rain we need.  “Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men ….”

Granted there are times when we must ask for literal rain.  Parts of our nation have been experiencing drought conditions for years now and many have been asking for literal rain from God to break that drought.  But there is also a drought of God’s Spirit, of righteousness, of salvation in our land.  We need to ask our Father for the rain of His Holy Spirit to fall upon our land.

Can you just image the delight as we dance in the rain of righteousness in the arms of our Father!

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Simple Things

by TerryLema

I was reading in Acts 9 recently.  Acts 9 is the story of the conversion of Saul.  When the chapter began Saul was “was breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.”  [verse 1].

All that changed when Saul met the Lord Himself on the road to Damascus.  That meeting left him stunned and blind.  Then two things touched my soul as I read through the chapter. There were two simple words and an act of encouragement that changed the life of Saul, the church, and the world.

The two words are in verse 17.  God instructed a disciple named Ananias to go to Saul as he sat in the house of Judas on Straight Street.  Ananias was reluctant at first to go, after all he had heard about this Saul of Tarsus and had probably seen some of the devastation he was wreaking on the church.  Yet in obedience he did go, and when he got there the first words he spoke were, Brother Saul.  What comfort must have flowed into Saul when Ananias began with Brother Saul.

 Later in the chapter Saul traveled to Jerusalem and tried to join the apostles and disciples there, but they were afraid of him and wouldn’t have anything to do with him.  And then it says, “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles.”  [verse 27]

“But Barnabas.”  Barnabas, whose name means son of encouragement, became the connection that Saul needed to be accepted by the church.  In later chapters those two would be matched again in a missionary tour which will bring the Gospel in greater measure to the Gentiles.

Two very simple things changed everything. 

Beloved, it doesn’t have to be big things that change people’s lives, the church, or the world.  It can be just two embracing words, and a small act of encouragement.

 

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Come!

by TerryLema

Come.  One of the greatest words in the language of the Gospels.  Come, follow me.  Come, you who are weary and burdened.  Let the little children come.  Come (Peter, step out of the boat). Come to the wedding.  Here is the bridegroom, come!

Come is the invitation to approach God, to follow Him as He leads us through this life.

Come is the invitation to greater anointing, ministry, healing, miracles, and breaking of bondages.

Come is the open door into the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Come is the invitation to the half that has never been told.

Come is the invitation to pleasures and joys unspeakable.

All we have to do is come.

Over the year I have watched as people in church on Sundays made that decision.  God gives the invitation to come and people respond.  When they do, God always ministers to them in power and anointing.

Come.  God calls us to come.  Not just to an altar on a Sunday morning, but to His side day by day.  He calls us to talk to Him.  He calls us to follow Him.  He calls us into His presence, to approach Him with confidence as He is our loving Father.

God will never violate our trust, He will never lead us the wrong way, and He will never harm us.  We should respond quickly and with great anticipation every time we hear God whisper, come.

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Faithful in Prayer

by TerryLema

There are two things that I’ve noticed about prayer over the years.  First, we love to study and talk about prayer. Second, we don’t pray so much.

When I was pastoring, I could plan almost any event at the church and have lots of people come but schedule a prayer meeting and the same few showed up.

Romans 12 is a wonderful, practical chapter in a book that is largely theological.  There are three practical attitudes commanded in verse 12: “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

What a list.  All three are important but that last one, “faithful in prayer,” is vital.  Vital, and may I add confusing?

Why pray?  Doesn’t God know all our needs already?  Are we trying to change God’s mind?  Does He just need more information, or a better viewpoint to make a better decision?

Lately I wonder if we are actually praying or just ‘posting’ our requests.  Do we think we can gang up on God by getting hundreds or even thousands of people to pray our request?

These are legitimate questions to be explored and understood. No matter how we answer those questions, the command is there to pray … and to be faithful in prayer … to our Omniscient, Sovereign Lord and Master.

Maybe the greater question to consider as we pray today is … just who is supposed to change when we pray?  I bet it is not God!

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A Fatal Mistake

by TerryLema

During the occupation of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, the remnant came to Jeremiah with a request.  “Please hear our petition and pray to the LORD your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left.   Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”  [Jer 42:2-3 NIV]

Then the remnant pledged to obey whatever God said.  Jeremiah did pray and brought back a message to the people that they were to stay where they were and not be afraid about going over to the Babylonians. If they stayed, they were safe.

Unfortunately, the people did not obey and Jeremiah told them, “I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, ‘Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’ I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the LORD your God in all he sent me to tell you.” [Jer 42:19-21 NIV]

I love the way the NIV says that … “you made a fatal mistake.”

They wanted an answer from God about what to do and where to go, but they did not like the answer they got. So, they disobeyed.  Instead of being safe, they were given over to the sword, famine, and plague.  It truly was a fatal mistake.

Aren’t we like that sometimes?  We seek God in prayer for answers, but when we get an answer we don’t like … well, that’s where the obedience is supposed to come in.  It’s easy to obey the answer we are seeking; not so easy to obey the one we didn’t expect – or didn’t want. 

God says stay, we want to go, so we go. May not be a fatal mistake, but it often is one that will affect our lives for a very long time.

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Holiness

by TerryLema

There have been times when I was still pastoring that I would bring a message on holiness.  That subject is not an easy one – especially considering that to give it, you have it live it.  Preaching about holiness would usually wipe me out – probably wiped out my listeners also!

Holiness is not an easy message, but one that needs to be brought.  Holiness has been missing in our times.  It’s not something we preach or teach on very often.  It is so difficult to understand, if not impossible.  God is so far above us, so separate from us, His holiness cannot be grasped.  Yet it must be desired and pursued.  In fact, we are commanded to do so.

1 Peter 1:14-16:  “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”  

 There is not much room for argument in that passage.  We are to be holy, conformed now to the image of our God, no longer conformed to the evil desires we had when we lived as the world lives.

When I look at my life, I realize that so much of it is still operating like the world.  There is so much of my thinking I must still renew in the knowledge of Christ Jesus.  So many times, I let my feelings lead the way instead of my spirit.  So many times, I must return to my Savior and repent.  So many things remain for which to seek forgiveness.

I never want to trample on the grace of God.  I never want to get in that mode of taking God’s grace and forgiveness for granted, thinking I can live life according to the evil desires of the world and He’ll always be there with a load of grace and forgiveness to cover those things.  I want to draw and live as close to the holiness of God as I can.  Maybe that is where we all start?  With the awareness that we need to start?

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Reckless!

by TerryLema

Recently at The Way we sang one of my favorite songs, “Reckless Love,” by Cory Ashbury. I was singing along with the worship team, enjoying the music and the opportunity to worship when I sensed God giving me one of those “nudges.”  You know those “nudges” don’t you?

God “nudged” me into paying attention to what I was singing. He did that so that my praise would be based on substance. So, I listened to what I was saying.

“Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine. I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away. Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah.”

There are two things to think about when we view that word “reckless.”

First, Pastor Laura reminded me of its definition, “without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action.”

The second thing is that one of the opposites of the word reckless is “cautious.”

God nudged me so that I might fully appreciate that His love for me was given recklessly – He gave no thought or concern for what it would cost Him to pour out His love upon me. He pours out His love on all men and women even while knowing we might reject Him.

Romans 5:5: “God’s love has been poured out in our hearts [recklessly!] through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” [HCSB]

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A Rich Welcome

by TerryLema

I love reading the Apostle Peter’s letters to the church.  That big stubborn fisherman turned out pretty good once the Holy Spirit got hold of him.

I was reading his second letter to the church recently in the NIV. That is my version for this year. (When I read my Bible through each year I use a different version, that way I don’t get stuck in the “ruts” I tend to make in my Bibles.)

“For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” [2 Peter 1:10b-11 NIV]

Those words “rich welcome” caught my attention.  So I checked out a couple other versions of that passage.  The NKJV says, “For if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

The Holman Christian Standard Version translates it as, “Because if you do these things you will never stumble.  For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.”

The “these things” Peter was referring to are outlined in verses 5-7. They are character traits and attitudes that we should be adding to our faith, things like virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Still, it was those two little words, “rich welcome” that claimed my thoughts.

Our California family visited us recently. We waited all day on the day they were to arrive. We had not seen our one grandson for over a year as he went off to college. To see them drive up and get out of the car, holing their arms wide for a giant hug, I experienced a hint of the “rich welcome” our Savior has waiting for us when we enter into His Presence. Wow!

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