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TerryLema

Clothe Yourself

by TerryLema

The other day I reminded us about who we are. Peter gave such a beautiful description of us in his first letter. “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.” [2:9]

With all those marvelous privileges come heavy responsibilities. Paul is always good about reminding us of our responsibilities to God and to others. He wastes no times in Colossians 3. After reminding us we are a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices to God through Christ Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone, he tells how that should look in our daily walk.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” [v12]

When I read how Paul described our “garments” – what we are to be “clothed with” – I recall the coat that Jacob made for his son, Joseph. It is described as a “coat of many colors” in Genesis 37. Jacob gave Joseph that beautiful precious coat because he loved his son.

Paul tells us that as God’s chosen people, we are also “dearly loved” by our Father. As such, we are to wear a beautiful spiritual coat that reflects the love we have received from Him. This coat is colored with compassions, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

When we adorn ourselves with our coat of many colors and walk our Christian walk in this world, we bless others. We reflect how much the love of our Father has changed us. We are not cruel as many are, but gentle and kind. We are not angry but filled with patience. We are not arrogant, but humble. We walk with quiet strength amid all circumstances.

There are no exceptions contained in our responsibilities, no matter the difficulties that surround us. We do not stop being clothed with our spiritual coat of many colors just because of a fear-and-virus pandemic. If anything, our spiritual coat should be on even greater display.

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He Listens

by TerryLema

My primary doctor has spoiled me over the years by listening to me. She allows me to tell her what is on my mind. She asks intelligent questions. She then includes me in her responses and in my care plan. I never leave her office without knowing what she is thinking and what I should do.

So, last September when she sent me to a specialist that did not listen to me, I became extremely frustrated. After three visits in nine months I had had enough. My primary sent me for a second opinion to another specialist (one who was not taking new patients). She hoped he would at least review my file.

Instead his office called and scheduled an appointment. He spent one hour with me last Monday. He listened. He asked intelligent questions. He included me in my care plan. I left knowing I was treated with kindness, compassion, and respect by someone who knew what was going wrong in my body and wanted to care for it.

Being listened to is extremely important. We want people to listen to us, and we want to know that they hear what is important to us. That is why I find Psalm 10:17 so wonderful. “You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.”

The LORD of all Creation listens to us and He hears us! He knows our desires even better than we know them. He sees our afflictions and attends to us. He encourages us with His love and compassion. The first specialist I had was too busy or too unconcerned to hear me … but the Almighty God who sustains all things is never too busy to listen, nor too unconcerned to hear us.

If that does not amaze you, I am not sure what will!

Thank you, LORD, for hearing our cry. Amen.

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It’s Time To …

by TerryLema

We are surrounded now by so much hurt. There are so many who have been wounded by this virus-and-fear pandemic. Some have been sickened, some have died, some have lost loved ones. Medical personnel and first responders have seen too much, and some have even come down with the virus themselves.

Then there are those who may have avoided the virus but are also victims of the consequences of it. They have lost businesses or incomes. They are anxious about how to feed their families during the economic shut-down. Even large businesses are closing for good, and employees are left to find work elsewhere.

Add to that the disappointments of schools shutting down, graduations changed or canceled, uncertainty over school or school sports or activities in the coming fall and we have many people who are struggling and damaged.

Paul reminds us in Romans 12:15 that we are to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”

I find that an interesting verse. It speaks of compassion, understanding, and identification. One of the things that I learned working in hospice was that it is not my view of the loss which matters, it is the view of the one who experienced the loss. What I may not grieve over, someone else might. It is their grief that must be considered, not my evaluation of it.

Paul does not tell us to appraise what causes someone else to grieve. He tells us to simply weep with them. Someone who has lost a loved one might not regard another who has lost a business as deserving of the same depth of grief, but it is not ours to judge. It is our privilege to walk alongside and weep with them.

Then again, it is also ours to rejoice with those who rejoice! We can rejoice with those who have recovered from illness, as well as those who are able to go back to work to support their families. It is not an either/or.

Let us put aside our own prejudices and walk with others in their weeping and in their rejoicing. Amen & Amen

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Feeling His Pleasure

by TerryLema

I think I have come to the end of the “let us” devotions, at least for present. It is one that I consider the most vital of all. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” [Heb 13:15-16]

The cross of our LORD Christ Jesus reaches two ways, it reaches up and it reaches out. The writer to Hebrews reminds us of that. He reminds us that our Christian duty is to both God and to people.

We are to remember to do good and to share with whom we walk through this life. We share our lives with others, our encouragement, our finances when we can, our time (the most precious of all our commodities), our love. It is our responsibility and our privilege to also share the Gospel with those who do not yet know Christ.

Perhaps as great a responsibility and privilege – and one that is sometimes harder during difficult times in life — is that we are to “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.”

 Interesting that the author calls praise a sacrifice. When things are difficult, circumstances dire, or problems arise, praising God is a sacrifice. It is our offering to Him remembering all He has done for us. Difficulties, circumstances, and problems are not eternal (they only seem that way). One day they will be gone, and we will be with the LORD where nothing like that will ever arise again.

Beloved, we cannot wait until we get in His presence to praise Him, we need to do it now amid the trying times. Offering a sacrifice of praise takes our focus off the problems and puts it on the King of kings. It demonstrates to God and this world that we are a people who trust in the LORD not just when it is easy, but when it is most difficult.

If you genuinely want to feel God’s pleasure, praise Him with your words today – and with your life. Amen.

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Whole lot of shaking goin’ on!

by TerryLema

Another earthquake. Not quite as close to us as the last one in Idaho, but close enough – on the Nevada-California border. Things really are shaking!

At the moment, everything is shaking under our feet—government at all levels, employment, the stock market, hospital accessibility, medical supplies pipelines, meat supplies, schools, sports. Nothing seems to be able to settle into a “normal,” even the “new normal” is in flux. One news story, one new model or prediction, whether from the medical side or the economic side keeps everything shaking.

Perhaps we understand Hebrews 12:28-29 better than we ever have before. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’”  

The only thing secure and stable now is the Kingdom of God. It sits on the only foundation that is eternally secure. God was on the throne before the cosmos existed. He is King from eternity past to eternity future. And the Kingdom over which He rules will never fail or be shaken or overthrown. He is the Everlasting God.

As the Word reminds us, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” [Phil 3:20-21]

So, “let us” be thankful. “Let us” worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. Beloved, we stand on solid ground when we stand on that Rock of All Ages. We are secure even during times of trouble. We can be courageous knowing our God is a consuming fire. Nothing, no one, can diminish or destroy His rule and reign. And one day, we will see His Kingdom established in perpetuity on a New Heaven and a New Earth. And nothing – nothing – will ever shake again!

Hallelujah!

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Who You Are

by TerryLema

Let us not forget who we are. That is not one of the “let us” exhortations found in the New Testament. It is one of mine. Well, it actually may be one of Peter’s, he just didn’t phrase it quite like that. He said: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” [1 Peter 2:9-10]

When things get difficult around us, when the world is shouting at us that we are “non-essential” or that we need to shut our doors (and our mouths), we need to remember who we are.

Peter’s definition uses broad strokes, and yet each one of those holds a special meaning for believers. We are (1) chosen, (2) royal, (3) holy, (4) God’s own. (v9)

And, while we were not, we are now; while we had not, we have now. (v10)

We are God’s chosen people. Does it not amaze you that God wants us? He chose us.

We are God’s royal priesthood. We are people who serve the King of all Kings, and we share in His royalty.

We are God’s holy nation. He set us apart (unto holiness) and we strive to work out that holiness in our daily lives.

We are God’s children. We belong to Him. No one else can lay claim to us. His ownership exceeds and transcends all others.

And while we once were nothing, now we are the people of God.

And while once we did not have mercy, now we are recipients of mercy.

To top it all – let us not forget that no matter the “darkness” that is all around us now, we have been called out of that and into “His marvelous light.” We do not abide in the world’s darkness, we dwell now and forever in the Eternal Light of our LORD and Savior, Christ Jesus.

So … let us not forget who we are. His!

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Commissioned

by TerryLema

I have been writing a daily devotion of encouragement on and off since the early 1990’s. I email, post on TerrysDevotions.com, and on Facebook each day. I can tell by the number of readers and the number of times a devotion is shared just what is resonating with people. Lately, that has been encouragements about being strong and courageous.

Fear is abounding. Fear of sickness or death from a virus. Fear of unemployment and the inability to feed or care for our families. Fear of losing businesses worked so hard to establish. Fear that our children’s futures will be diminished by schools closing and sports or other activities abandoned. The media drives fear home every day.

As Christians, we are not supposed to succumb to fear, but I would be extremely foolish if I said that was easy. It is not. However, just because being fearless is not easy makes it even more worthwhile.

Acts 21-23 tells the story of Paul’s return to Jerusalem after a missionary journey. He was arrested in the temple on false charges and had to be rescued by a Roman commander. When Paul tried to explain by giving his testimony, a riot ensued. The Roman arrested Paul and ordered him beaten (until he found out Paul was a Roman citizen). Paul was brought before the Sanhedrin to also testify, but another uproar broke out and the Roman commander once again had to remove Paul. The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” [23:11]

Eventually Paul did testify in Rome, after testifying before Felix the Governor, Festus his successor, King Agrippa and Bernice, and after surviving a shipwreck. Paul’s testimony eventually resounded through Caesar’s court and changed the world. But it was not easy. And it took much courage.

Paul understood one thing, however, one thing that we too must understand. God had already commissioned Paul’s testimony in Rome. Nothing was going to hinder or stop that, not governors or kings or shipwrecks. Paul’s courage was based on God’s Word to Him.

Our courage must also be based on God’s Word to us – not something we stir up in our own strength. God’s Word to our generation is as clear as it was to Paul — “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” [Matt 28:18-20]

Be strong, beloved, and courageous – surely He is with us always, even to the very end of this age.

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Open Doors

by TerryLema

The Way has opened its doors. We are trying our best to follow the guidelines set up for gatherings. It was an important decision to open, one that we did not take lightly nor without considering the issues with this current virus-and-fear pandemic. But open the doors, we did, on Mother’s Day. As part of that opening I made the announcement that our doors will stay open.

That was also not an easy decision to make. What if there is a spike? What if people we love come down with the virus? What if the Governor of Idaho changes his mind and decides that churches are to close once again? We had to consider those things as well as the exhortation we so often quote in Hebrews 10:25: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing”

Right now, the state and local governments are issuing directives or orders. At present, they are not laws which carry penalties for breaking them. The reasoning behind these directives and orders is to stem the spread of a virus, but as we all know, the enemy of our soul wants nothing better than to stem the spread of the Gospel. He will use this pandemic (and anything else) to try to do so.

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States cannot be clearer: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

This may seem like a political post, but it is not meant to be. As Christians, Christ has set us free. We are free from sin and bondage and free to worship our LORD and Savior. That is a freedom our founding fathers cherished.

The heroes who founded our nation fought for the right to exercise their faith freely. They passed that right on to us by enshrining it in the Constitution, but we would do well to remember that rights and privileges can be overruled and one day might even disappear. Let us guard well our freedom to gather as Believers in Christ openly and often.

If you are afraid to visit a church, or if you are vulnerable or sick, there are many online opportunities to worship, but for those of us who can, and want to, let us not give up meeting together. It is vital that we don’t lose the national freedoms purchased for us by our founding fathers. And let’s be very aware how vital it is we don’t lose the freedoms Christ purchased for us also. Be strong and courageous beloved.

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To Love & Good Deeds

by TerryLema

Occasionally I write something on my personal Facebook page that provokes an angry response. Or I will read something written by someone else that I know is going to provoke a flood of anger or annoyance. Often that is the intention of the author – to provoke.

Provoke is an interesting word. The English definitions include stimulating a strong or unwelcome reaction or emotion in someone, inciting or arousing anger in someone, and deliberately making someone annoyed or angry.

Much of our media and social media is designed to do just that—make people angry. When we are angry and operating from an emotional level, our brain goes into neutral. We stop thinking and start reacting to things that may not even be true.

I guess all that explains why I consider Hebrews 10:24 to be such an interesting verse when it uses the word provoke. “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” [KJV]

The NIV substitutes the words “spur one another on” for the provoke in the KJV. “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”

The word in the Greek is paroxusmos and it means incitement to do good as well as to dispute in anger.

I am not sure why the author of Hebrews did not just use the word encourage and chose to use the work provoke instead. Maybe he wanted his exhortation to be more urgent or intense than just an encouragement.

Christians are to provoke each other, but not in a bad way. We are to spur each other to love more and to do good works. It is vitally important that we keep each other on the right track – not one of annoyance or anger – but one of love and good deeds.

So, beloved, provoke someone today! But do it in the way Hebrews 10:24 commands.

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Hope

by TerryLema

I opened up my news feed this morning and the headlines read: “Doctors keep discovering new ways COVID-19 attacks body,” “Predicted death toll rises with states reopening,” and “7 new virus symptoms that are surprising doctors.”

That was just the headlines. That does not include the news of politics, polls, reopening clashes, food chain safety, fear, murder, and death numbers. The way we describe what we see daily in the headlines could be with the one word, “hopeless.”

But the media, remember, is designed to report the worst. Reporters are looking for the latest scoop, constantly trying to one up each other. Each news report must be escalated to grab attention away from another network or commentator. Since we are a people who have an aversion to reading and research, we only see the headlines and think we know the entire story. So, yes, “hopeless” seems very appropriate for today.

Unless you are a Christian. Our daily news report is governed by the word “hope.”

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” [Heb 10:23]

We profess hope. We hold to the hope we profess. Our God is a God of Hope. He has made promises to us and He is faithful to every promise He made. In this world today, Christians should be a living, professing, action of hope. Everyone else might succumb to the hope-less headlines, but we should know better.

We serve an Almighty, Wonderful, Good, Faithful, True God. This world and its headlines are temporary, and shall all pass away, but the God we cling to will faithfully love and care for us for all eternity. Now that’s hope.

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