Pastor Terry Lema's Daily Devotions
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Why is it …?

by TerryLema July 21, 2021

Why is it that every time I buy something, in the next day or so, even next hour or so, it turns up cheaper somewhere else?

That happened this week.  I needed some things and had put off buying them because they can be a bit pricey. I finally gave in, checked around local sites, and headed to a store, picking up what I needed.

The very next day I decided to visit an online delivery site to reorder a couple vitamins and thought I would check if they carried what I just bought. They not only carried them, but they also sold them at half the cost.

That seems to be the story of my life. My timing is always off. Whenever we bought a house prices were high. Whenever we sold a house prices were low. I never can seem to get it right.

Maybe that is why God gives “freely.” He knows if He sold us what we needed, we would all be paying a different price, looking for a bargain, or most likely fall short of any asking price.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” [Romans 3:23-24 HCSB]

I received the greatest thing I will ever need, redemption, freely by God’s grace. I will never look around and say, “Why is it …?” and regret I did not look for a better offer somewhere else.

I have fallen far, far short of God’s glory. Yet freely He has given me a place in His family all because of Christ’s sacrifice. Oh, the marvelous grace of God!

July 21, 2021 0 comment
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God’s Gonna Do What God’s Gonna Do!

by TerryLema July 20, 2021

I am chuckling to myself this morning. A few Sunday’s ago, a gentleman came to church who had not been there for about four or five years (he had moved out of town). As soon as the service was over, he came up to the front to meet me, carrying a bunch of papers he had been writing on throughout the service.

He said he really liked one comment I made during the message but then proceeded to tell me that I needed “to preach out of Revelation because,” as he waved his arm around the building, “they are ignorant and need to know.”

He probably made that comment three or four times as he stood there with me. I politely listened, all the while I wanted to say something like “you haven’t been here for four years, how do you know what I’ve been preaching on?”  But I did not say that. I held my peace and thanked him.

I have given a lot of thought to what he said since that morning. Mostly about prophecy and how to approach it. I understand we are to be aware and be ready, but I will admit my view of prophecy is probably a bit off.

In Matthew 24, that great chapter of the Signs of the End Times prophesied through Jesus, multiple times Jesus tells them, “when you see ….” After telling them the signs that they will “see,” he commands them to be ready.  “This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [24:15, 33, 44 HCSB]

The introduction to the Book of Revelation also tells us. “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” [Revelation 1:3 ESV]

So, here is my warped view. I think we are to read our Bibles through and through, at least once a year. I think we are to become increasingly familiar with it from the beginning, through the middle, all the way through the Book of Revelation. I think we are to become SO FAMILIAR that we will recognize and “see” things unfold – even if we do not understand them!  I think we will then be “ready” all the time for God to do what God is going to do!

I am not searching the headlines every day to see if something fulfills something written in the Scriptures. What I am doing is working to stay close to my Savior and LORD … that way when God does what God is going to do, I will never need to worry that I will miss it!

July 20, 2021 0 comment
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It’s a good day to …

by TerryLema July 19, 2021

I opened up my email inbox this morning and at the very top was an email with the subject “It is a good day to show someone you care.”

Of course, the emailing company wanted me to do that by buying and sending someone one of their products. But as I started to delete the email, I thought, you know, it is a good day to show someone you care.  In fact, God’s Word reminds us that we are to clothe ourselves with caring virtues.

“Therefore, God’s ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience ….” [Colossians 3:12 HCSB]

As I looked at that verse and those words (compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience), I was struck by how often we think of these words as “feelings” or emotions. But are they only that, a feeling or emotion? If so, we can sit comfortably in our living rooms and “feel” compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience without ever once showing someone we care.

I decided they must be more than emotions. There must be some action involved with each one. Then I found that “action” when I looked up the first couple words.

Compassion is the Greek word, oiktirmos. It means a deep feeling about someone’s difficulty or misfortune. And even more it is used of the deep feelings God has for all of us and powerfully shows and shares in those following Him.

If that was not enough, I went on to look up kindness, chrestotes. It is kindness that is also serviceable. It refers to meeting real needs, in God’s way and in His timing. It is the Spirit-produced goodness which meets the need and avoids human harshness.

I did not go any further. These two words are enough to command us to show, and how to show, others how much we care.

It is a good day to show someone we care … just as God has shown us how much He cares for us!

July 19, 2021 0 comment
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If you can …

by TerryLema July 18, 2021

One of the most poignant events in the life of Christ Jesus is found in Mark 9. The first thirteen verses of the chapter are devoted to His experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus took His inner circle, Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain. There He was transfigured before them. There Moses and Elijah met with Him. It amazed the Inner Circle.

The part of the chapter that always touches my soul comes next—when they come down off the mountain and are met by a desperate father with a son who was troubled by a demon. While Jesus and the Inner Circle were high on the mountain, this desperate father was seeking relief and healing for his son with the other disciples down below … and was coming up empty.

The father approached Jesus, and when questioned about how long the boy had been beset, responded. “’From childhood,’ he said. ‘And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’” [vss 21-22 HCSB]

 Then Jesus repeats the father’s words back to Him, “If You can’?” and adds His own, “Everything is possible to the one who believes.” [vs 23 HCSB]

 Immediately the father of the boy cries out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.” [vs24 HCSB]

How often I have cried out as the father of this boy cried out—I do believe, I really do, but if there is any part of me that harbors even the smallest element of unbelief, then help me LORD!

And just as Jesus helped the father that day, Jesus helps me.

July 18, 2021 0 comment
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It’s Hot!

by TerryLema July 17, 2021

It is hot here in the Treasure Valley in Idaho. It has been hot for quite some time now. We set a record of 10 days straight over 100 degrees. Then it “cooled down” to the upper 90’s. Since then, it has been bouncing just a bit above or below that 100-degree mark. I am weary of the heat. So are many farmers as the heat is devastating crops around the region and the coinciding drought has shut off water just as they need it.

The entire region is baking under extreme heat, drought, and now fires are popping up in our state and in the surrounding ones. Smoke is beginning to invade the Treasure Valley. I think one of the reasons I love autumn so much is that it is a confirmation that the heat, at least for the remainder of this year, is a thing of the past.

I look forward to those times of refreshing, cooler weather, hopefully rain to dampen the fires, and breezes to dissipate the smoke.

Peter, in his sermon in Acts 3 spoke of spiritual “times of refreshing.”

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”  [Acts 3:19: NKJV]

Peter and John had gone up to the temple at the hour of prayer and approached a lame man who was begging for alms. Peter told the man they did not have money, but they had something better … healing in the Name of Jesus. When they lifted the man to his feet, his feet and ankles were healed and he began not just to walk, but to leap and praise God. That got the attention of those in the temple area and prompted Peter to turn this miracle into a sermon for surrendering to Christ Jesus as their Messiah and LORD.

Peter was forthright in telling them they had killed their Messiah, but, he said, they did that in ignorance.  Now there was no excuse to remain in ignorance since Christ Jesus was raised from the dead. Now they needed to repent and be converted; they needed to return to God.  If they did so, their sins would be blotted out and they would experience those “times of refreshing” that come from the presence of the LORD.

Those “times of refreshing” promised by Peter are here now for those who have placed their faith in Christ Jesus, and one day they will be the seasons we dwell in for all eternity! Praise His Holy Name. Amen.

July 17, 2021 0 comment
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From Death to Life …

by TerryLema July 16, 2021

This morning I was drawn to that magnificent passage of Scripture in Ephesians 2:1-10, labeled in my Bible as “From Death to Life.”

Ten verses describe what we were before Christ and what we are after surrendering our lives to Him. Take a moment and read those first ten verses in Chapter 2. They begin … “And you were dead ….”

Three verses describe how we were dead. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. We were dead as we walked according to the ways of this world. We were dead as we obeyed the ruler of this world (the enemy of our soul). We were dead as we lived and surrendered to all our fleshly (sinful) desires and thoughts. We were dead and under the wrath of God.

Then the most marvelous two words ever found anywhere appear and begin verse 4 … “But God ….”

We now live in all the things implicit in those two words … “But God ….”

Do you see what we now live in?

Verse 4: Mercy and God’s Love

Verse 5: Life and Grace

Verse 6: Relationship with Christ Jesus in the heavens

Verse 7: Kindness

Verse 8: Salvation, Grace, Faith – God’s gifts to us

This is what we were created for! To be His. To flow in the good works He has prepared for us!

If your soul is not soaring into the heavens as you read Chapter 2:1-10, read it again!

 

July 16, 2021 0 comment
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Rejoicing

by TerryLema July 15, 2021

Last December a friend sent me a quilt square with the words of Romans 12:12 embroidered on it. “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” [HCSB]

I do not remember if I thanked her, but I have read those words every day since receiving her gift. (I put the square next to my hearing device case so that I see it every morning and every night.) Those words have ministered to my soul over and over. As I repeated them once again this morning, I realized that they are the roadmap to take me [us] through those difficult times of life.

Over the course of the last two years, I have been hopeful that my two auto-immune diseases will one day go into remission. While waiting, I am trying to be patient in the midst of the debilitating symptoms. I am also persistent in praying for God’s most perfect plan for my life … whether that brings healing or simply His grace that is sufficient for my every need. [2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”)

This morning I am “tentatively” rejoicing in hope. The past two weeks I have been relatively free of the PMR pain and GCA scalp and face discomfort. I have developed side effects from the medication that apparently has shut down my adrenal glands (weakness, lack of stamina, sweating and hot flashes), but the daily battle with pain has not been an issue.

That is amazing! And I am praising God for this, and cautiously hopeful that the PMR and GCA is in remission. I am also hopeful that I can deal with the new issues. To have two-weeks pain free after two years of constant pain is truly a blessing.

Rejoicing in Hope: “I put my hope in You, Lord; You will answer, Lord my God.” [Psalm 38:15 HCSB]

Patient in Affliction: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose”. [Romans 8:28 HCSB]

Persistent in Prayer: “[Jesus] then told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not become discouraged.” [Luke 18:1 HCSB]

Bless the LORD O my soul! Amen

July 15, 2021 0 comment
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…even in my old age…

by TerryLema July 14, 2021

I returned to Psalm 92 this morning and to God’s promise that even in my old age I will still bear fruit.

My plans are to turn over the leading of The Way Assembly of God in Middleton, Idaho, to another person at year’s end. God has been clear that my time there is done and that He has another person waiting in the wings to take this church to greater heights.  The church is in the process of finding that person. When found, I will take my leave.

That has generated a lot of questions about what I plan on doing. It is something I have been thinking about also.

I plan on continuing the daily devotions—mainly because I need them. It nourishes my soul to get up early, open my Bible, read, think, and write about what I find. It keeps me on course in my relationship with the LORD (and sets me straight when I get a bit off course!). And hopefully, others find a benefit to their walk with the LORD in them also.

I also have the promise of Psalm 92. “The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green, to declare: ‘The Lord is just; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.’” [vss 12-15 HCSB]

God has not been abundantly clear about how I will bear fruit in my old age, but I am getting a few hints. The other day a young pastor that I know asked me if I would lead a support group at his church (open to the community) on the journey through loss (grief), stress, and anxiety. My spirit soared with that request; this is something I am so passionate about.

So, it seems that God has some plans for me and that He will open the way clearly as I just continue to walk with Him in faith. I am so blessed to be His child … even His old-aged one!

July 14, 2021 0 comment
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While We Wait

by TerryLema July 13, 2021

Peter ends his second letter with a discourse on the Day of the LORD. If you have a chance, read 2 Peter 3.

In that chapter he speaks of the scoffers who do not believe Christ will return and instead live their lives according to their own sinful desires.

Peter insists, however, that history has proven that things can change in an instant and that when Christ returns heaven and earth as we know it now will be forever changed.

For those of us who wait for these things, Peter says … “It is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for and earnestly desire the coming of the day of God.” [3:11b-12a HCSB]

Peter then becomes abundantly clear about what he means when he said we should be people of holy conduct and godliness. [3:14-18]

We should be people who “make every effort to be found at peace with Him without spot or blemish.”

We should be people who “regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation.”

We should be people who are “on [our] guard so that [we] are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from [our] own stability.”

And we are to be people who “grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Seems to me that should keep us pretty busy while we are waiting.

July 13, 2021 0 comment
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Waiting for the Day of the LORD

by TerryLema July 12, 2021

On June 24, a building in Surfside, Florida, collapsed in the middle of the night. In an instant the lives of many people were changed. Many died. Some escaped from parts of the building still standing. Multiple families suffered devastating losses.

On Wednesday, July 8, about two weeks after the building collapsed, the search through the rubble changed from a rescue effort (looking for anyone still alive) to a recovery effort (finding the bodies of the victims). Fire authorities said that there was now “no chance of life.”

As I read the heart-breaking words from the officials and rescue workers, I was reminded of the phrase …. “like a thief in the night.” For many living in that high-rise condo, death truly came like a thief in the night.

Peter’s second letter ends with a discussion of “The Day of the LORD,” which is where the phrase “thief in the night” is found.

Peter tells his listeners that there will always be scoffers about the Lord’s return. There will always be people who willfully argue that Christ is not coming back, and that those who hope in such things are fools. These scoffers live according to their own desires.

Peter reminds; however, about how fast things can change. Long ago God changed the face of the earth in a day when the floods during Noah’s time came. With the LORD, Peter says, one day is like a thousand years. He reminds us that God is delaying His return because He is patient and does not want any to perish.

But, Peter says, the Day of the LORD “will come,” and it will come without warning. [3:10]

And for those of us who wait … “It is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for and earnestly desire the coming of the day of God.” [3:11b-12a HCSB]

If it is not clear, Peter goes on to define what he means by “holy conduct and godliness.”  Tomorrow.

July 12, 2021 0 comment
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Pastor Terry Lema

Pastor Terry Lema has been married for 53 years, and has 3 children and 3 grandsons. Terry graduated from Trinity Bible College, and and recently retired as Lead Pastor at The Way Church in Middleton, Idaho.

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