TerryLema

I was scrolling through Facebook and spotted a post by a friend. It quoted Ephesians 2:20. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” [Ephesians 2:10 NLT]

That stopped me in my tracks! It was that word “masterpiece.” I looked up the verse in my Bible App and found that it is most often rendered workmanship or handiwork in other translations.

The Greek word here is poiēma (Strong’s Greek 4161). We get our English word “poem” from it. It means a product of creative action, such as a workmanship, handiwork, or the thing made. The NT uses it to highlight divine craftsmanship, whether in the material universe or in the redeemed community.

I think I feel more comfortable being labeled God’s workmanship rather than God’s masterpiece! And yet, if I really stop and think about it, everything that God does is perfect. In modern vernacular – God doesn’t make junk!

My life may have been touched by sin, marked by guilt, shame and regret, but as the Scripture says, “[God] has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the things he planned for us long ago.”

I think we should each go face a mirror and remind ourselves that in Christ Jesus, “I AM GOD’S MASTERPIECE!” Amen

I have lived in three US States, Pennsylvania, California, and Idaho. I love Idaho best. I love where we live in Idaho, in the lower Treasure Valley. When we moved to our current residence, this was one of the first subdivisions and it was surrounded by farm fields. Now there are less fields and more subdivisions.

One thing I have always found interesting are the various fragrances that come through our windows – all depending on which way the wind blows. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the sugar beet factory or the feedlots. But other times we are blessed by the mint fields. Today it’s onions. The farmers must be stirring up the onion fields.

I went for a short walk outside today. This is the first time since before my surgery. As I walked (and breathed in the onion fragrance) I could not help but think about 2 Corinthians 2 and the section on “A Ministry of Life and Death.”

“But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life.” [vs 14-16 HCSB]

Christ in us produces an “aroma,” a fragrance. To God and to others who also have Christ in them, this aroma, this fragrance, is a sweet perfume. To those apart from Christ, this aroma, this fragrance is putrid – like the smell of death.

If you wonder why some people respond to us so negatively or accuse us of judging or condemning – even though we haven’t said a word – it is because Christ in us produces that spiritual aroma. That fragrance arouses a response – either affirming life in them or death.

The Scriptures have many verses which speak about God being our refuge. Just read through the Book of Psalms once and you get the picture … refuge, strength, hiding place, rock, shield, stronghold, etc. Psalm 18 alone has quite a few of those references.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” [Psalm 18:2 HCSB]

And there are others, Psalm 46, Psalm 91, Psalm 27, Psalm 31 to name a few.

But I admit that while running to God sounds easy enough, it’s not always. Not because God is not there but because in our contemporary culture, we are usually tempted to try all kinds of other things first. We rely on our own strength and abilities until our own strength and abilities fail us.

“I got this!” is our mantra, until it’s proven that we don’t “got this!” We absolutely need a refuge and nothing in us or this life will satisfy that need apart from God. So, we give God a try – when we should have turned to Him first.

It is an absolute necessity that we look outside ourselves for refuge amid our trials and find our rest in God’s Presence.

When I post something on Facebook as Pastor Terry Lema, it allows me to go back later and check “Insights.” Those insights show how many people interacted with the post, how many shared it, etc.

To Facebook, those insights are just cold statistics. To me, they are truly insights into whether what I write ministers to others.

Over the years I have found that the devotions that speak of pain, suffering, and brokenness often are the ones that have the highest views and shares. That tells me that many have painful parts of their lives that they may not share with others. Behind all those happy posts are hurting people looking for answers.

I don’t have all the answers to specific trials, but I do have THE answer that enables us to keep going in this life – not to just survive, but to thrive despite the trials.

“[The LORD] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds…. The LORD helps the afflicted…. The LORD values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His faithful love.” [Psalm 147:3, 6, 11 HCSB]

Psalm 147 is a song which celebrates God’s power, wisdom, and care for His creation. It serves as a testimony to God’s loving care and compassion in the lives of His people. He heals. He binds up wounds. He gathers His own to Himself. He “values” those who place their hope in Him.

“Values” means He accepts, favors and delights in His children. I know that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loves His children. I know that I know that He delights in us. I know that I know …

This month marks 52 years since I surrendered my life to Christ Jesus as Savior and LORD. It is a decision I have never regretted. But after 52 years I can firmly say that the Christian Walk is not a walk in the park.

Matthew and Luke both reported that Jesus spoke about the need for endurance. [Matthew 10:22, Luke 21:19]

Paul reminded us that as God’s ministers we are going to need “great endurance,” and that our life might be characterized by afflictions, hardships, difficulties, etc. [2 Corinthians 6:3-5]

James tells us that our faith WILL be tested but that the testing WILL produce endurance. He also tells us that we must allow that endurance to “do its complete work, so that [we] may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” [James 1:3-4 HCSB]

I admit that I want to be mature. I want to be complete. I want to lack nothing in my walk with Christ Jesus. I also admit that I wish I could have all those things without the afflictions, hardships, difficulties, testing, etc.

I wish my Christian Walk WAS a walk in the park. But apparently God knows I won’t become complete and mature just by a casually strolling through life!

This neck brace is becoming more difficult each day. Even though I am getting closer to my post-op appointment (and the hope that I will be released from wearing it), I find it is taking more endurance to get through each day and night. I thought it would get easier after a couple weeks. I was wrong. I keep tell myself that “this too shall pass.”  It’s just not passing fast enough!

Endurance is needed for more than just neck braces. It is needed for life – especially for the Christian life. The world is relentless in its efforts to conform us to its thinking. The enemy is relentless in his attempts to discourage us by turning our attention away from our LORD and Savior.

We need to remember, however, that as relentless as the world and the devil are to draw us AWAY FROM God, even more relentless is the Holy Spirit in us to draw us CLOSER TO the Lord God Almighty.

The Scriptures repeatedly tell us that while this life is full of hardships, our God is able to keep us, to sustain us, and to bring us home to Him.

Hebrews 12:1 reminds us we have a great “cloud of witnesses surrounding us,” urging us to run this race with endurance. “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us…” [HCSB]

And Hebrews 12:2 tell us exactly how to run … by “…keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.” [HCBS]

Jesus endured the cross … and because of His victory, we now have a source of endurance to draw upon as we run the race God set before us.

After thinking about the life-long pursuit of God yesterday, I started thinking about what it means to pursue.

Merriam Webster gives several definitions. The first means to follow to overtake, capture or defeat (negative). The second is to find or employ measures to obtain or accomplish (positive).

The Greek word often translated as pursue in the NT is diṓkō, and it is also a verb that can be used both positively (earnestly pursue) and negatively (hunt down). In each case, it means to pursue with all haste, earnestly desiring to overtake.

What are those things we are to pursue in our Christian Walk? I opened my HCSB concordance and looked up the word ‘pursue’ and found a few verses that I were very interesting.

Twice we are told to pursue peace [Romans14:19, 1 Peter 3:10-12]. We are also to pursue love [1Corinthians 14:1], a promised prize [Philippians 3:14], things that are good for all [1Thessalonians 5:15], righteousness [1 Timothy 6:11], a pure heart [2 Timothy 2:22], and holiness [2 Timothy 2:22 HCSB]. Those are all positive pursuits.

One thing that became apparent to me is that if the Spirit of God commands us to pursue those things, then it is possible to obtain them. PTL

“The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”   [1 Cor 2:10 NIV]

I have been aware of God all my life having grown up in the Catholic Church, my father a cradle-Catholic, my mother a convert out of an atheistic household. My life took a turn when I became aware of God in a different way in 1973 after discovering I could have a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. Another turn happened in 1978 when I moved into a Pentecostal denomination. Bible College followed, graduating in 1985. Then I was ordained to minister.

While in Bible College, however, one of the professors pointed me to a book by A. W. Tozer, “The Pursuit of God.” With that book, another turn happened, I realized my awareness of God should become a life-long pursuit to know Him more, to experience Him deeper.

When Christ ascended back to His Father, He promised that He would send another Counselor to guide us, teach us, lead us. “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever- the Spirit of truth.”  [John 14:16 NIV]

The word “another” as used in this verse means another of the “same kind.” Just as Jesus led and taught His disciples, so the Holy Spirit leads us into the deep things of God. He searches and reveals them to us. Best of all, He gives us the power to live them!

So many decades later I am still hungry. I am still pursuing. There is so much more I want the Holy Spirit to teach me. So much more I want to experience of the Father and the Son.

I love to read.  I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading at least two books at a time, sometimes more than two. One of the most delightful experiences is going to my library and discovering an old book that I had forgotten I had. That happened to me a while ago.

I found a devotional and from the feel of the book, I’m not sure it was ever opened. It has been sitting on my shelf. All that time, I had been totally unaware that it was mine to have.

That is the way it is with many of our spiritual treasures. They are sitting on our “spiritual shelf” just waiting for us to discover their value. How often do we fuss when peace is available to us?  How often do we struggle alone in our own weaknesses when God’s strength is waiting for us on our “spiritual shelf?”  God has so much for us, yet we often get by with so little.

We have a life-long partnership with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who releases God’s treasures into our lives.  “…those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires…. the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”  [Rom 8:5-7 NIV]

In Romans Chapter 8 (NIV), Paul mentions the Spirit 19 times – 19 times! It is one of the most amazing chapters on our partnership with the Spirit of God.

Father, I don’t want to live in my own strength, or my own thinking. Spirit, make my thoughts Your thoughts, enable me to walk daily in partnership with You.  Amen.

Years ago I served as a Hospice Chaplain in California prior to moving to Idaho. I was on call for the hospital chaplain and received a page asking me to report to the Emergency Department.  When I arrived, several nurses told me that a young woman had been brought in by her boyfriend. She was dead on arrival.  They had called the girl’s mother who was on her way, and I was asked to be with her when the news was broken. Upon hearing the news, the mother began to sob.  She kept repeating one word, “Why?”

“Why?” is not so much a question as it is a cry of pain. We often make matters much worse when we try to answer as if it were a question.  I simply held her for a while.  Eventually her pastor arrived and seeing him she again began to sob out “Why?”

His response was to tell her harshly that Christians are not to ask why, that it is a lack of faith. As they turned to go, I slipped my card in her hand. A few days after the funeral she called, explaining that she could not stop asking “Why?” but felt she could not talk to her pastor.  I told her to pray every day and ask God either to grant her the answer to “Why?” or take away her need to ask.

It was more than a year before I heard from her again. She called to tell me that she had been praying every day and that over the past weeks she realized that God had taken away her need to ask.  She had found a measure of peace.

God doesn’t always give explanations, but he always gives a promise. When Paul asked God to remove his thorn in the flesh, God did not. He did, however, give Paul a promise that His grace would be sufficient. “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’”  [2 Cor 12:8-9]

God took away Paul’s need to ask. We do not live on explanations or answers to our “why?” questions, we live on God’s promises and His grace.