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TerryLema

People Will Listen? Not Always!

by TerryLema

Sunday morning at The Way we finished our mini-series out of Isaiah Chapters 1-6. The series centered on the repentance of God’s people. We took a chapter a week and it was not an easy six weeks!

God spoke to “His people,” the nation of Israel. He warned them that if they failed to repent, they would “reap” the consequences of that failure. As we looked at God’s Words, we applied them to the church today, to “His people” in our time and our place.

I am sure we all looked forward to Isaiah 6 and that wonderful vision Isaiah had of the LORD, high and lifted up! We could not wait to hear the seraphs cry, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” We could not wait to hear Isaiah respond, “Here am I, send me!”

I wonder, however, how familiar we are with the rest of the chapter?  After the vision, the cleansing coal, the volunteering to go, God gave Isaiah a glimpse of the struggles he would have when he brought God’s message to the people.

“Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. Dull the minds of these people; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed.”  [Isaiah 6:9-10 HCSB]

Some people think that if the message is truly from God people will listen, but that is not always the case. Often the exact opposite happens, people refuse to hear God. That does not mean the prophet was wrong or a failure, in fact, it often proves him to be a true prophet.

Isaiah listened to God’s warning. He did not ask for success. He did not ask for a different message. He did not ask for a Plan B or C. He simply obeyed, taking God’s message to the people. We know from history that they did not heed the message of God through the prophet. They ended up with judgment, a 70-year banishment into captivity.

We are to give God’s message, as He wants us to give it. It is His message. We might see people repent and change; we might not. But as Isaiah was obedient to God’s Word, we must be also.

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Fruit, Fruit, and More Fruit …

by TerryLema

My kitchen counter is not large and this summer it has felt a lot smaller. It is full of the produce from Bob’s garden. Lately that means a lot of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and squash. I have a freezer full of tomatoes, some plain, some with added peppers and onions. My freezer also contains green and yellow beans, chopped peppers and shredded zucchini. This morning I have more tomatoes to put up. Bob’s garden has produced much fruit this year, something of which he is quite proud.

The fruit from Bob’s garden did not come without a lot of work. The soil had to be prepared first, weeds removed, fertilizer added. Then came the seeds and plants. After planting there was even more work. More weeding. Thinning, Watering. Pruning. All that repeated often.  Finally, the fruit appeared, and we watched as it ripened for harvest.

Jesus reminded his friends that they were appointed to produce fruit in John 15:16. He also reminded them that Father God would be proud when they produced much fruit.  He said it this way, “My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.” [John 15:8 HCSB]

Producing fruit is a central part of our Christian experience. Producing fruit proves we are His disciples. It requires work, just as a regular garden requires work.  It is seen not just in our character and temperaments (the fruit of the Spirit); it is seen in our good works.  It is often produced when we bring Jesus into the lives of others.

Let us not forget that God is to be glorified by our discipleship and fruit production. We should focus every day on what we can produce both in our own hearts and in the lives of others that will glorify God.

Holy Spirit, I yearn for “much fruit” that I might glorify my Father God. Amen.

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Whatever You Ask …

by TerryLema

Right after Jesus prepared His disciples for His separation from them by calling them His friends – not servants – He reminded them of something very special.

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” [John 15:16 HCSB]

Our friendship with the Father through Christ Jesus, His Son, was not one of our choosing. We are God’s friends because He chose us to be so. He also chose us for a purpose, to go out into this world and bear fruit that remains.

I often hear people quote the last part of verse 16, “whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.”

When they quote that verse, it is not always in the context in which it was spoken. It is sometimes quoted in a very selfish way … that God will give or do whatever they want if they ask for it by using “Jesus’ Name.”  They quote it as if God is some dispensing machine in the heavens – put in the “Jesus’ Name” token and take out whatever you want.

The context, however, is different. The context is that God chose us to be His friends that we might go into this world and produce fruit that lasts.

 Fruit that lasts is fruit that is eternal. It is produced through sacrifice and good works. It is born in the lives of others, not something we selfishly claim for our own greedy needs. It is not that new car or more money or a bigger house, it is patience with the unlovely, compassion for the hurting, love for the lost.  That is fruit that remains … it remains all the way into and throughout eternity. That is the fruit that is always ours when we ask and seek it in “Jesus’ Name.”

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My Friend …

by TerryLema

I got up Thursday morning at my usual 5 AM time. I walked out to the kitchen and there next to the waiting coffee pot were two cups. There had been three cups there for a week, but my friend Patty had gone home the day before and her cup was missing.  It was a reminder of friendship, and it was a reminder of separation.

I was also reminded of the Scripture in Proverbs 17:17a: “A friend loves at all times.” [HCSB]

Patty and I did not do a lot, not a lot to do during a COVID fear-and virus pandemic. We ate out a couple times, brought food in other times. We did visit a couple furniture stores (looking for that elusive dresser). We watched some football and baseball on TV. Mostly we talked, we remembered past good times, and we laughed.

Thursday morning, I was exhausted and both happy and sad. Happy that there had been three cups by that coffee pot each morning for almost a week, and sad that on Thursday there were only two.

I am so thankful for friends. There is something special about people who love you across the decades because they choose to do so. They like being around you; they share memories with you.  God graciously gives us friends who “love at all times.”

But, then God also calls us friends. “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” [John 15:15 NKJV]

Jesus was preparing His disciples for His upcoming departure. He knew the cross was just around the corner. He knew that He would not be with them physically as He had been for nearly three years. He wanted them to know that they were not just servants who would do His bidding, they were friends. He had given them the things He, Himself, had heard and received from the Father. They, as His friends, would now testify to the world about the love of God.

That “friendship” with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is alive and well in us today. Amen & Amen.

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Thank God It’s Friday …

by TerryLema

Ah, Friday, my final day in 1John 4, and the verse that I chose to think about last is truly a result of all the other verses before it.  It is the last verse in that chapter.

“We have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love his brother.” [v21 HCSB]

John saved the most difficult for last. It is so easy to love God. God is perfect. He will not disappoint nor abandon His children. He constantly seeks our good. Our brothers and sisters do not always reflect that perfection. They are riddled, as we all are with imperfections.  It is not quite so easy to love our brothers and sisters.

But, as John reminds us, this command did not originate with him. He received it from The Son of God shortly before Jesus was betrayed by his friend.

“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” [John 13:34-35 HCSB]

This command from Christ Jesus contains an amazing promise when we respond correctly. When we love our brothers and sisters with that same love that God has for us, people will notice. When they see us welcoming the sinners, the weak, the troubled, the hurting and wounded with that same unconditional love God has, they will know we belong to Him.

We want the lost to come to God, we need to love as God loves. We want the hurting to be healed, we need to love each other. We want all men to know Christ Jesus as Savior and LORD, we need to love each other. It is God’s way. It must be our way.

Ah, what a Fabulous Friday!

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Blessed Assurance …

by TerryLema

“They” say nothing will go back to normal until there is a vaccine for this virus. “They” say we will have a vaccine by the end of the year. “They” say we will not have a vaccine until after the new year. “They” say we will not have a vaccine until the end of 2021. “They” say we can trust the vaccine they are developing. “They” say we cannot trust the vaccines being developed without more extensive testing. “They” say …

“They” all have a say. Those of us reading and listening to what “they” say are confused and that is an understatement! How can we trust what “they” say when “they” all say something different? Or, when “they” all base what “they” say on something someone else is telling them!

There is one person we can trust, the Apostle John. 1John 4:13-15: “This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given assurance to us from His Spirit. And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent His Son as the world’s Savior. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God” [HCSB]

When John writes to us about “assurance,” he can do so because he saw the Son of God. John walked with Him, listened to Him, watched Him die and saw Him risen from the grave. John saw, and now he testifies to what he saw.

Look once again at those two amazing words in the verses above.  Assurance and Remain. God has given us “assurance” through His Indwelling Spirit. That assurance is that when we surrender our lives to His Son, our Father, His Precious Son, and the Holy Spirit “remain” in us.

I place my faith in John’s words. I can believe what he says because he was there when it all happened. He saw with his own eyes God’s Risen Son.  Amen & Amen.

What a Thoroughly Triumphant Thursday!

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What Are You Afraid of …?

by TerryLema

I need a new dresser. One of the drawers is broken on my old one, so broken it had to be removed. So now there is this annoying gaping hole where a drawer should be. I am a little OCD, so the key word in that last sentence is “annoying.” Every time I walk by, I am reminded that I need a new dresser.

I looked online at various furniture sites but hesitated to buy. Either they were too expensive, or they had to be assembled on arrival, or the quality was a bit iffy. I decided then to venture out of the house, mask on, and went to various thrift stores, furniture stores and big box stores. That was not an easy decision. I have not been inside those kinds of places for months and I will admit that with my immune-compromised health, it was a bit scary.

So, upon reading 1John 4 this week, I came across a wonderfully familiar verse. “There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment” [v4:18 HCSB]

I thought it interesting that I had a bit of fear going shopping, but I had no fear about accepting Almighty God’s invitation to come into His presence this morning. I know my Father loves me. I know that my condemnation and punishment has been removed because of His perfect love for me, and because of what Jesus, my Savior, did on the cross.

Romans 8:1 promises me that “Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus.” [HCSB]

 I can come to my Father with great respect, awe, adoration, amazement, and reverence, but I do not fear Him. I know that He will accept me, cherish me, discipline me when needed, and guide me. There is no fear in His love for me.

That makes this one Wonderful Wednesday!  (Oh, and I still haven’t found a dresser. Sigh.)

 

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Nothing Between Me and Thee …

by TerryLema

Oh wow, I am loving 1John 4 and the wonderful things I am finding for my spirit in that chapter this week. I know this is a week of preparation for the repentance weekend just ahead, but I also know in my spirit that repentance is strongly motivated by God’s love for us.  How can we abide in God’s love and not feel godly sorrow for anything that might turn us away from that love?

So, I guess that is why God’s Holy Spirit led me (drove me?) to 1John 4.  Listen to John’s words for this Tuesday morning.

“God’s love was revealed to us this way. God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” [1John 4:9-10 HCSB]

God loved us and revealed His love to us by sending His Precious Unique Son into this world so that we might live through Him. He loved us first before we ever knew Him or desired to know Him. He loved us while we were still in our sins, dirty, broken and lost. He loved us while we were His enemies, shaking our fists in His face and shouting at Him to leave us alone and let us do it “our way!”

He loved us enough to die for us. He loved us enough to shed His blood on an ugly wooden cross, naked, forsaken, beaten and broken. He reconciled and covered our sin. He removed our transgressions far from us. He loved us.

Now anything, anything, that comes between us … my arrogant attitudes, pride, failings or faults, must be driven far from me through confession and repentance … because I cannot allow anything in me to threaten my awareness of that wonderful truth … God loves me.

This is one Terrific Tuesday! Amen.

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One Marvelous Monday Morning …

by TerryLema

If you have a chance this wonderful Monday morning, open your Bibles to 1John 4 and read that little chapter of love and victory.

It starts off with a reminder that in this world we will face opposition and difficulties. There are false spirits and false prophets plentiful in the world. We need to test what we hear from them, aligning what they preach with the Word of God and rejecting anything that does not agree with it. We need to make sure we are following true disciples of Christ Jesus.

Then comes that marvelous promise in verse 4. “You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” [HCSB]

That is one great Monday-morning Promise!  We are God’s children … that lifted me out of my Monday-morning doldrums. I Am A Child of God!  Hallelujah!

Not only am I a child of God, I am a victorious child of God! How can that be when I feel so weak at times, so insignificant, so unimportant in the grand scheme of things?

I Am A Victorious Child of God because the One who is in me is far greater than the one who is in this world. My Jesus, through the power of His Holy Spirit abides in me. He has promised to never leave me. He has promised to never forsake me. He has promised that He and the Father are both with me. So, I can say with great confidence and determination …

I-Am-A-Victorious-Child-of-God!  Greater is my Jesus in me than any false prophet, principality, power, might or dominion that comes against me in this world!

That makes this one Marvelous Monday Morning! Amen.

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Oh, What a Beautiful Morning …

by TerryLema

What a beautiful day! Yes, it is a beautiful Sunday. I know that COVID-19 is still making its presence felt in many areas and people are still fearful. I know that schools are struggling to stay open, firefighters are still battling blazes of unimaginable intensity, politicians are blasting away with fearmongering and promises that will never be kept. I know that people are tired of what is happening to in our streets, to businesses, in sports, schools, and in government.

But, oh, what a beautiful day.  Yes, a beautiful Sunday. How can I say that? God reminded me this morning about His love. I spent some time in 1John Chapter 4 this morning. One verse leapt off the page and embedded itself in my heart.

1 John 4:6: “And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.” [CHSB]

I have come to know and to believe the love that God has for me. Read that again. Say it aloud. “I have come to know and to believe the love that God has for [me]!”

 Have you?  Do you genuinely believe God loves you? Or are you evaluating God’s love by the circumstances of life, the troubles that surround, the health or finances or relationships that are struggling?

God loves us. God loves you. God loves me. By knowing that love, we can live our lives in it … knowing that as we do that God remains in us through the power of His Holy Wonderful Life-giving Life-altering Spirit.

Now that makes for one Splendid Sunday!

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