Author

TerryLema

Lawbreaker

by TerryLema

It’s National Heart Month, so I’ve been thinking about our hearts … not just our physical ones that can rule our physical health, but our spiritual ones that rule our spiritual wellbeing.

One day the Pharisees, the religious rulers of Jesus’ day that were so strict in their observance of the law, sent a lawyer to Jesus with a question. It wasn’t that they wanted an answer, they were testing Him, hoping to catch Him doing or saying something wrong so they could accuse Him. The lawyer asked Him about the greatest commandment.

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.” [Matthew 22:37-39 NKJV]

The greatest of all commandments is to love the LORD our God, not with a shallow, part-time, or only when it’s convenient love, but with all our heart, mind and soul.

One thing about commandments or laws, if you break just one you are considered a “lawbreaker.” I may obey all the rules of driving in my state except the one I don’t like – coming to a complete stop at a stop-sign. Breaking that one law makes me a “lawbreaker” in the sight of those who set the law.

People like to think of themselves as righteous and good, setting their own rules and standards, always making sure the “lawbreaker” line is just a little beyond them – it’s called relativism.

God gave one great commandment and only one person has ever kept it. Jesus kept that command completely and wholly. And praise His Holy Name, He’s taken the punishment for us “lawbreakers” and imparted to us His righteousness. Thank you Lord!

0 comment
FacebookEmail

It Makes My Heart Want to Sing!

by TerryLema

While the Scriptures are clear that the heart of mankind is deceitful and tends towards wickedness always, they are also clear that God has not left us in that state. One of the most beautiful pictures of our redemption comes in 1 Peter 1:18-21.

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” [NIV]

Just gaze for a moment at those words. Let the beauty of Peter’s thoughts sink deep into your soul.

Peter reminds us that we are redeemed – no longer needing to live that empty way of life. Our lives are now full and complete, no longer slaves to sin or degradation.

And it was not anything perishable that God offered for us – He offered the precious blood of Christ. And not as an afterthought – it was all planned before the creation of the world. It’s not a patch job or done with something that can be stolen or perverted.

Now revealed to us in our time – and for our sake – we have the proof of God’s love. He raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him to the right hand of the Father. When we put our faith and hope in Him, we are assured of eternal glory and peace as part of the family of God.

Not sure what that does to your heart, but it makes mine want to sing! Amen & Amen.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

The Center of Everything

by TerryLema

February is American Heart Month. February 7 is National Wear Red Day. All this is designed to raise awareness about heart health and to urge those around us to prevent heart disease. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has a website where you can find all the tools you need to promote this in your communities. (Below)

The heart is a vitally important part of our anatomy. You can’t live without one. If you read the Scriptures, you’ll also realize that the heart is a vitally important part of our spiritual wellbeing. In the NKJV, there are 832 occurrences of the English word “heart.”

The very first comes in the book of Genesis, Chapter 6, and it’s a doozy. “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” [vs 5-6 NKJV]

The Hebrew word is “leb,” the heart, and used figuratively for the feelings, the will and even the intellect, also for the center of anything.

Mankind likes to think of itself as naturally noble, good and upright. God’s view is different. He sees what we try so carefully to hide – that great “center of self” that is only morally evil continually. We see it in self-indulgence, self-centeredness, self-ishness, self-inclination, on and on it goes.

We can try to rationalize and say that things have changed since the days of Noah when God first uttered his grief over mankind, but He was saying the same things in the days of Jeremiah [Jer 17:9] and in the days of Jesus [Matt 13:15], and I’m sure saying the same thing now. But thanks be to God, He didn’t leave mankind desperate and hopeless, He took action to change our hearts. More tomorrow.

(Link: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/education-and-awareness/heart-month)

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Fear & Faith – Part 3

by TerryLema

Let’s end this first month of 2020 with one last thought from Jesus and the disciples in the great storm recorded in Mark 4:35-41. (One of my favorite lessons that you’ve probably heard many times from me. But I remember what a bible college professor always said, “repetition increases remembrance!”)

Jesus had commanded the disciples in the boat with Him to go to the other side and they obeyed. Their obedience put them right in the midst of a very grave storm and they thought they were in danger of going under, all the while Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat, exhausted from that day’s work. Finally, the disciples wake Him and chastise Him for what they regarded as His lack of concern for them. After quieting the storm with a word, Jesus chastises them for their lack of faith.

Jesus understood the most dangerous thing for the disciples was not the storm – no matter how wildly it raged. The most dangerous part for them was their unbelief, their lack of faith in God’s ability to protect them and enable them to reach their goal – the other side.

Our greatest problems are within us, not around us. The true danger isn’t in the storm, it’s in our hearts. Hebrews 3:13 goes so far as to warn us about our “sinful, unbelieving heart” that has the power to turn us away from the Living God.

No storm can drive us to the bottom when Jesus is in the boat … no, we are guaranteed to get to the other side. But, but, our own hearts can turn us away from the Living God, and when that happens, even the mildest of storms may sink us.

Oh Father, keep our hearts of faith set securely in You. Amen.

 

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Fear & Faith – Part 2

by TerryLema

Yesterday we began to look at Mark 4:35-41, one of my favorite lessons in the lives of the disciples – the calming of the storm. In their obedience to follow Jesus’ command to “go over to the other side,” they had ended up in a great storm, one described by Matthew with the word, “seismos,” an earthquake on the sea.

While the disciples were fighting the elements, Jesus, exhausted, was asleep in the stern, resting on a pillow. Finally, when it appeared they were about to sink, they woke Him up, chastising Him for His seeming lack of care. “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?“ [v 38 NIV]

I love the people of the Bible, they are so real! Under the same circumstances, I would have done the same thing. And bless our sweet Jesus, He calms the storm. But then He does something else, He asks them where their faith was. They had heard Him teach many times, seen miracle after miracle, and even seen Him raise the dead. Did they think He was now going to let them drown?

Faith will always be tested. It’s not enough to merely hear a teaching, learn it intellectually, or even be able to repeat it. The lessons of God must be put into practical experience. What we hear from God’s Word must govern our daily walk with Him.

Jesus knew the storm was coming that night. It was part of that day’s lesson. The disciples had listened to His teachings, but had they learned them? The storm provided that opportunity.

Tomorrow – the greatest danger was not the storm.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Fear & Faith – Part 1

by TerryLema

My message at The Way last Sunday was one of my favorite stories in the lives of the disciples – the calming of the storm in Mark 4:35-41. If you have a moment, grab your Bible and read those few short verses. There are so many lessons contained therein for us.

Jesus had been teaching all day. The crowds were so great and pressing upon Him that He had gotten into a boat and had it pushed a small distance from shore. It seems to have been a grueling session since later than night He told His disciples to take the boat to the other side of the lake (the Sea of Galilee). While they sailed, He went to the stern of the boat and fell asleep on a pillow.

He must have been exhausted as he did not awaken even when the storm came and intensified. His disciples were wide awake, however, during what Mark describes as a “squall,” literally a “hurricane of wind.” They were trying to keep their boat afloat and be obedient to what Jesus had commanded them – to go over to the other side.

I have met (and shepherded) some who think that if you are experiencing a trial, it is because you are in disobedience to the LORD. Their “proof” is always the example of Jonah who disobeyed, ended up in a storm and then a fish before finally being obedient.

But these disciples were obedient. Jesus said, “Let us go over to the other side,” and that is exactly what they were trying to do. [vs 35 NIV]

Sometimes we might find ourselves in a storm even though we are in perfect obedience to the will of God. Thankfully, when that happens, Jesus is in the storm with us!

Tomorrow – the fearful disciples awaken Jesus and learn a lesson about fear and faith.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Let Us Ask in Faith

by TerryLema

One last lesson this week from James 1:2-8. We already seen that we are to count it all joy when you fall into various trials and that if we lack wisdom and ask God, He will give wisdom to us liberally and without reproaching us for the wisdom we might have wasted in the past.

James goes on and adds one last thought and that is the caveat. “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” [NKJV]

Amid the joy in trials and the asking for wisdom there must be a covering of faith. The writer of Hebrews said it this way, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” [Heb 11:6 NIV]

While we are in this body on this earth, our relationship with our Father will be conducted through faith. We can’t hop a plane and fly to where He’s located and take a taxi from the airport to His office to visit with Him for an hour or so – as much as we’d like to on occasion. We must come to Him by faith, which is often difficult when we are assaulted by doubt or fear.

Yet each time we come to Him, each time we present our request for wisdom and receive it liberally, each time we sense His presence with us in the trials of life makes our faith stronger and stronger and our doubts and fears subside.

Father, we need your wisdom as the times grow more and more difficult. Be with us, we pray. Amen & Amen.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

All You Have To Do Is Ask

by TerryLema

After getting past the first part of James 1:2-8 yesterday, the “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing,” it’s the next part that becomes vitally important.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

 A lack of wisdom can send us spirally off in far different directions than what God intends. To achieve God’s purpose in our trials, we better have God’s wisdom. James reminds us that it is available to us … all we have to do is ask. That’s the hard part.

So often in my trials I revert to the “terrible two’s” when every other phrase is either “No!” or “Me do it!” The first thing I do in a trial is usually rebel or try to deny it. On the heels of that comes the part where I’ll just handle it myself. Of course, neither of those approaches will produce the perfect work of patience to make me complete and lacking nothing.

Finally, I’ll get around to asking God how to approach the trials and for His wisdom to thrive and survive. And even though I have often failed to use God’s wisdom correctly in the past, He promises whenever I ask, no matter how many times I’ve failed, He’ll give it liberally and without reproach. He isn’t coming back to me asking, “What did you do with the wisdom I gave you last time?”

No, God simply gives more, and more, every time I ask. Praise His Holy Name, Amen!

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Various Trials

by TerryLema

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is found in the opening verses of James’ letter. It’s a long passage, but it has much to say to us. If you have the time, read it a couple of times.

James 1:2-8: My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. [NKJV]

Did you get hung up on those opening words … count it all joy when you fall into various trials. It’s okay if you did, most of us do. Putting “joy” and “trials” in the same sentence seems totally opposite of what occurs normally in this life. “Trials” seem much more at home with words like “fear,” “sorrow,” “confusion,” than it does with “joy.”

But when you understand that as Christians, we are not to respond to things the way we did before we were saved, you understand that God has a purpose, and a promise, to facing trials with joy. James tells us that counting it all joy tests the depths of our faith – that’s the purpose. And the promise is that we will develop a patience that perfects us, making us complete so that we lack nothing.

One reminder though … don’t confuse count it all joy when you fall into various trials with thinking a trial is joyful. Trials are difficult, strenuous and sometimes downright ugly. They often leave scars and wounds that we carry for the rest of our lives. If we can learn to see beyond the actual trial, however, to what can be produced when we face it with the “joy (strength) of the LORD,” it is then that the trial becomes of great value to us. Otherwise, it’s just a trial and all that often produces is scars, wounds, and a load of bitterness.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

One Mixed-Up Referral

by TerryLema

I had a big surprise and a big laugh early Tuesday morning. When I last saw my primary, she referred me to an orthopedist for evaluation of my suspected PMR. The ortho instead made two referrals, one for an injection in my neck (which I’m still waiting to hear about) and the other for physical therapy (PT) on my neck. I got a call from the regional health system about the PT; then it referred me to the rehab office closest to me.

When I arrived Tuesday morning I was given a tablet, which was supposed to contain the information about my neck. After logging on, I found that they wanted information on my hips and left shoulder. I questioned that immediately since I’m not having any problems with my hips or left shoulder. The receptionist looked it up only to find that the “referral” came from an OB-GYN that I had not seen in seven years. I asked her how often OB-GYNs made referrals for hip and shoulder problems. She said this was a first. We both laughed and eventually it was straightened out and I had my first neck rehab.

I’m still chuckling about my mixed-up referrals. The primary wanted an evaluation on my PMR. The ortho wanted to just deal with the neck for the time being. A referral for the neck was made, but somehow along the route to the rehab office something got horribly twisted and ended up for my hips and left shoulder from a doctor I no longer see. It reminded me of a game of “Gossip.”

It also made me treasure the words of the LORD to Jeremiah for God’s beloved Israel. ”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” [Jer 29:11 NIV]

God’s plans don’t get mixed up, they don’t lose anything in the translation or become confused along the way. They are secure, they are true, they will be accomplished because the Creator God of All Things bases them on His Absolute authority and foreknowledge.

Man may get things horribly confused; God never does. God’s promise to His beloved Israel holds true for the LORD’s beloved bride also – to prosper us, not harm us, to give us hope and a future. Praise His Glorious Name, Amen!

0 comment
FacebookEmail