TerryLema

“I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” [Psalm 9:1-2 NKJV]

Notice those two words … I will … that are so prevalent in the first two verses of Psalm 9? I will praise. I will tell. I will be glad. I will rejoice. I will sing.

We have so much for which to praise our God. When He called us to Himself and saved us, He gave us enough to praise and rejoice in Him for all eternity. But then our God gave even more. He gave us the righteousness of Christ Jesus our Lord. He gave us the right to be called His children – God’s children! He gave us the opportunity to tell others about Him. Now we are to praise and tell and rejoice, be glad and sing about all that the LORD has done.

To be silent amid all that God has done for us is to be ungrateful. When we refuse or neglect our praise of God, we essentially harm ourselves. God may be saddened by the lack of gratitude He sees in His children, but He is not harmed by it. We alone suffer when we refuse to praise God for praise is a means to spiritual growth and health.

Praise lifts our burdens, invigorates our hopes. Praise will add to our faith and give us the incentive to be all we can be for the glory of God.

When others see us praise in every and all circumstance, it also benefits their spiritual walk. I have been strengthened when I see other saints walking through difficulties with praise on their lips and joy in their hearts. I know I can follow their examples.

So, let’s shore up our determination today to praise our God. I will praise. Yes, I will.

This is one of my favorite days of the year – Halloween and its ugliness are behind us and what lies ahead is Thanksgiving and the hope found in the Christmas season. Thanksgiving and hope. It is a dark world indeed if we have nothing for which to be thankful. And without hope, we are simply lost.

Two things I have learned in life. One, that thanksgiving … giving thanks in all circumstances … is to be celebrated daily. It is not reserved for one particular Thursday in November. It is to be an attitude that permeates every part of life, what we consider good and what we consider bad. We have no idea when we are in the middle of situations what good God will produce from them. We simply trust that our God can work all things out to our good and we are thankful that He can!

Two, I’ve learned that Christmas hope is also to be celebrated daily. It is not reserved for December 25. It is more than celebrating Jesus’ birthday. To me it doesn’t matter what day Jesus was actually born, the hope that derives from His birth transcends a “date.”

The hope I find in Christmas leads to the cross. The cross leads to the resurrection. The resurrection leads to His ascension to the Right Hand of God and His exaltation as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And in that hope, I find my salvation. My sin is gone. I have been made alive in Christ Jesus. I have been filled with His righteousness. I sit in the heavenly realms in Him now and will be with Him for all eternity. That’s everyday hope that carries me through life and into eternity.

Thanksgiving for each day. Hope for each day. Christ Jesus for each day. The love of the Father for each day. The power of the Holy Spirit for each day. That’s the way to live each day.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” [Rom 15:13]

I was particularly tired after returning home from California. The dosage for the meds I’m taking for the polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) hasn’t really been settled. My primary physician doesn’t want me on large dosages (which is where I feel the best) because of side effects, so we are in this pattern of “adjusting.” I never know how much fatigue, stiffness or pain I’ll have when I wake up. After returning from our trip I think I had the PMR tiredness combined with the usual tiredness that accompanies traveling.

By mid-afternoon on Thursday I was miserable. All I wanted to do was curl up in a blanket in the big lounge chair sitting in the sunshine coming through the window. But, I needed to walk also. One of the side effects of the meds is elevated blood sugar levels, not particularly healthy for a diabetic. I didn’t feel up to walking outside, but decided to walk around the house to get my steps in. Bob left to visit a friend.

I started to walk, and then I started to praise my LORD. I began to sing in the spirit and with my understanding, praising and worshipping him at the top of my lungs inside the house. I even found myself singing a “new song of praise” that bubbled up from deep within. I kept walking around the house; I kept worshipping and praising my Savior.

By the time Bob came home, I not only had my step count, but I found that somewhere during that “worship walk,” my aches, stiffness and pain were gone. Turning my attention to my LORD, “being joyful always” and “giving thanks in all circumstance” brought temporary relief to my physical body and glorious relief to my soul and spirit.

“Dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” [Jude 20-21]

A few months ago as I was on my worship walk, a thought crossed my mind. It was just one of those fleeting thoughts to which we often don’t pay much attention. I was praising my LORD and singing aloud as I walked. I remember my praise and worship being intense at that moment. I had been thinking about attitude … about a devotion I was planning to write about how our attitude of joy and thankfulness needs to flow through every situation for us to have victory amid the difficulties of life.

Suddenly, a thought … “easy to preach while things are going well.” When that thought entered my mind, it was followed by a second one. “Expect to soon have opportunity to put that joyful attitude into practice!”

That thought hit home. I guess I was not really surprised when I walked out of the doctor’s office about a month later with a tentative diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). That’s an auto-immune disease characterized by fatigue, pain, stiffness and other symptoms. (I have an appointment with a rheumatologist on November 26 to confirm that diagnosis or figure out what else this might be!)

As I left the doctor’s office, reality set in that everything going forward will be a bit more difficult than it has been and I’m going to have plenty of opportunities to put into practice what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18]

Pastoring, teaching, evangelizing must always be more than words, it must also be modeling the life of Christ to others. “Being joyful always” and “giving thanks in all circumstance” must be more than words … they must be a lifestyle—especially amid life’s trials and troubles.

After all “being joyful” and “giving thanks” are ALWAYS God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.

Profit and Loss. In our society many people live by the concept of Assets and Liabilities, Profit and Loss. When the stock market and economy are flourishing and money is pouring in, they are excited. When the stock market and economy are in danger of recession or even depression, they become anxious. Greed and envy often drive their actions, trampling others in their eagerness for gain. Big corporations and small companies live by profit and loss.

But then I guess, we too will live by profit and loss if we follow the example set by the Apostle Paul.

“Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” [Phil 3:7-9]

Paul’s idea of profit and loss is far different from the world’s viewpoint. Paul looked at all the things he had gained in his life by his own strength and ability and through his heritage and position. He was a true Hebrew-speaking Jew from the tribe of Benjamin. He was a ruling member of the most devout and stringent political/religious party – a Pharisee. He was educated by the great Rabbi Gamaliel. When the world looked at Paul, they put every one of those things in his profit column.

Then Paul met Christ Jesus, and, in that meeting, Paul found what true profit was. He went back to his profit column, saw all those self-made gains, and moved them all to his loss column. Then he put one thing in his profit column, the name “Jesus.” Everything else was a loss compared to the “surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus.”

Now, as believers, we follow the example of Paul. The things of this world are no longer what we strive for, some are necessary and useful, yes, but they are not our profit. Like Paul, there is only one thing in our profit column, the name “Jesus.” That is our glorious profit – to be found in Christ Jesus. Amen and Amen.

I have three grandsons that I adore. Sadly, none of them live close to us anymore. When we get with them, whether they come to Idaho or we travel to them, all I want to do is spend time with them. I want to find out what they are interested in and what their plans and dreams are. I want to lavish them with my attention, my time, my money, my love. It’s been that way from the first time I saw them and continues to be that way no matter how much taller or older they get.

“In [Christ Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” [Eph 1:7-8 NIV]

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” [1 John 3:1 NIV]

Lavished. I do like that word. In the Greek there are two different words for what the NIV translated as “lavished.” In Ephesians, the word is perisseuo and means super-abounded. In 1 John, the word is didomi and means bestowed. Still, while I don’t always agree with the way the NIV translates something, I do like its use of the word “lavished” in these two verses.

God has lavished His grace upon us with all wisdom and understanding. God has lavished His great love upon us, His children! Can it get any better than that? I doubt anything can top that.

God’s grace and God’s great love. They are ours. We are His children. No matter what life throws at us. No matter what stumbling block the enemy of our soul tries to toss onto our path … nothing can overcome the fact that we have been “lavished” by God with His great grace and His great love.

Great reasons to lavish praise and worship on our Father God today!

We love being with our California ‘kids’ and going to our grandsons’ events and games. We feel at home there. We have a key to the front door. We help ourselves to the coffee in the pot and the food in the fridge. We relax with them and know that we don’t need to put on airs or be anything other than ourselves. It is home to us because those we love are there. But as much as we love being in their presence, we don’t live there now, we live in Idaho. So, we got up very early Monday morning and set out for Reno, then Tuesday for home.

The trip was long. Bob got a $265 citation for driving 89 in a 70 zone in Oregon. That wasn’t expected. When we arrived home Tuesday there was lots of laundry, putting things away, airing out the house, etc. We took care of the bookwork and banking for the church and ran a couple errands. By the time evening arrived we were both exhausted.

These trips get a bit harder as we age. Still … as long as our old bones will carry us there, we are going to California to spend time with our family. It’s worth every bit of effort!

As I fell asleep Tuesday night, I thought about our home here and our home there (not Idaho and California, but earth and heaven). I thought about this life and the one waiting for us. I thought about all the things that need to be done here, the toil, sweat, sacrifice, and sometimes the tears and pain. And I thought about heaven, and the presence of those we love, the place that I know will ring with laughter and eternal joy, where separation and death and sin will be no more.

Yes, I think a lot about heaven. And it’s not wishful thinking either. I am looking forward to being there. There are more than 250 references to heaven in the New Testament, so I think God is looking forward to having His children there also. For now, I will do what needs done on earth, but when it comes time for my old bones to make that final trip, I’m going gladly and joyfully, anxious to see my Father God and all the loved ones waiting for me. [Revelation 21]

Eleven hours of driving last Thursday from Boise to Modesto. Friday morning was Grandparent’s Day at school for our youngest grandson. Then more than three hours driving up to South Lake Tahoe on Friday afternoon for a night football game, followed with three hours returning to Modesto after the game. We got back to our hotel around 1:30 AM. Saturday, we headed out for the 10-year old’s football game (and what a great game that was!). Because we had so much crammed into just a couple days, we decided to do the return trip in two stages, Modesto to Reno, then Reno to home.

We thought we got a good deal on a “deluxe suite” at one of the well-known hotels in downtown Reno. That “deluxe suite” was anything but. The carpeting was stained, dirty, and frayed. The furniture was nicked and outdated and dirty. Not only was our room disappointing, the entire facility was dirty.

We left our hotel to go to another where we knew there was a nice restaurant, not too expensive, but with good food – and clean! We had to walk a couple blocks to get there, right through the heart of downtown Reno, literally under the “Biggest Little City in the World” sign for which Reno is famous. What a heartbreaking walk.

The street was littered with the hopeless. People were begging, holding signs, selling junk. The streets were filthy, garbage was everywhere. There were signs on storefronts advertising things I don’t even want to think about, let alone see. For maybe the first time, I understood how Lot felt.

I’ve never had much respect for Lot, Abraham’s nephew, but as I walked around I remember what was written about him in 2 Peter 2:7-8: “Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented [vexed] in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard).”

Sin is ugly. It is destructive. It shatters lives and families. It produces addictions, crime, hopelessness, death. It should “vex” us as it vexed Lot. It should make us weep and cry and do everything in our power to bring others to the Sinless One who died for our sins. There is no hope for sin apart from Christ Jesus our Savior. He alone can remove sin and sin’s stains. Praise His Wonderful Name.

I have enjoyed watching football since I was a freshman in high school – that was 1960, nearly six decades ago! So, this past trip to California to visit family not only included Grandparent’s Day for our 10-year old grandson, but it also included a football game for him and one for his older brother—a high school varsity game that required a 3 ½ hour trip into the mountains. When we arrived that night, it was cold, damp, bone-chilling windy cold.

That was the good part. What followed was anything but good. In six decades of football, this was one of the worst officiated games I have witnessed. The officials called fouls that weren’t there and missed ones that were. They got penalties wrong, moved chains when they should not have, and lost control of the game mid-way through the second quarter. That was evidenced by the fact that the third quarter (15 minutes of playing time) took more than an hour.

The officials threw flags constantly and then stood around and talked about them – all the while visitors who had driven more than three hours to witness this fiasco were turning into popsicles in the stands. I can honestly say that this was anything but a good game.

And that is perhaps the most telling statement of all. It was the one job these officials had – to make this a good game for everyone. They were supposed to follow the rules, hand down justice (penalties) when and where earned and be impartial. They failed to do that, but they did remind me of something we recently studied at The Way Assembly – the Justice of God. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.” [Psalm 89:14 NKJV]

Thankfully, our God is just. Our God is righteous. Our God is good. The rules (God’s moral law) don’t change according to any whim, nor any political or social climate. It is God’s job to set the rules for His creation, and to mete out justice when and where earned. It is because God is just that God is also good. If he were not just, He would not be good. He’d be like those officials who were anything but good last Friday.

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” [John 14:26 KJV]

That’s a promise of Jesus. Some of the other translations replace “Comforter” with “Helper,” or “Counsellor.” The Greek is parakletos and means an intercessor, consoler, advocate, or comforter.

I think I like the translation “Comforter” the best. So often I need comfort. I need to feel the loving arms of God around me and know that I am protected, secure, and loved in His care.

We walk in a dark, often evil world. It is not always a safe or delightful place to be. Loss often accompanies our walk here. Loss of loved ones, relationships, financial security, health … the list of losses is endless and personal to each one of us. Sometimes it is difficult to simply get out of bed in the morning knowing what the day is going to bring.

“But the Comforter .…” God’s Spirit is always with us. He never leaves. Never departs or ignores or neglects. And I know that it is especially during those difficult times that I need Him most to be “my Comforter.”

I need Him to teach me and remind me of the words of my Savior, Christ Jesus. Words that say that I have not just a present with Him here on earth, but a future where every tear and pain and distress and grief will be wiped away.

Oh, yes, how I love that word “Comforter.”