TerryLema

Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.” [NLT]

Proverbs 4:23: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” [NKJV]

No matter how you say it, good advice. Thinking about temptation yesterday led me to look at some of the things we can do. Let’s be aware that we are never going to get to that place where we outgrow temptation. We won’t become so “spiritually mature” that the devil gives up on us and doesn’t tempt us ever again. Jesus was the most spiritually mature and perfect person that ever walked this earth and the devil was constantly on His heels.  After the temptation in the wilderness (Matt 4, Luke 4), Luke ends with this comment: “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” [Luke 4:13 NIV]

The devil was always looking for opportunities to tempt Jesus. He’s always looking for opportunities to tempt us. So, we must guard our hearts. Temptation, remember, is an inside job. The devil cannot compel us to sin … no such thing as “the devil made me do it!” But the devil can lure us, appeal to our hearts if they are left unguarded, and we then make the decision to grab on to that temptation.

If we allow the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life to take root in our hearts, we are going to welcome temptation. If, however, we fill our hearts with the Word of God, with the desire to be more like our Savior, with the power of the Holy Spirit, then our hearts will reject the enemy’s enticements.

Above all else … keep your heart with all diligence. It’s going to affect everything you do, every choice you make!

Temptation. It happens to all of us. While we are in this life, we are going to be tempted. Let’s remember, however, temptation itself is not a sin. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that “[Jesus] has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.”  (You can read about his temptation in the opening verses of Matthew 4 & Luke 4.)

Jesus was absolutely sinless and yet suffered temptation. Very often temptation hits us at the point of our weaknesses. We are tempted to drink, or watch pornography, or get angry, or indulge in the weaknesses of our flesh. We usually expect temptation in those areas.

Other times we are tempted at the point of our strengths. If we have much talent, we are led by the enemy of our soul to pride. If we are influential, we might be tempted to use that to manipulate others. If we have successes, we often are tempted toward self-reliance. Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread to satisfy his physical hunger at the end of a 40-day fast. The enemy wouldn’t bother us with that temptation because he already knows we don’t have the capability of turning rocks into dinner rolls.

I remember hearing Rick Warren say that God will never get angry with you for being tempted. In fact, God’s promise is exactly the opposite, He promises to help, “God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.”   [1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT]

Father, thank you for the promise to lead us from temptation. Thank you for the power of Your Spirit in us. Amen

Ask 10 people what constitutes a Christian and I bet you will get 10 different answers. Some think it is simply being born into a Christian family or a “Christian nation” – if there is such a thing. Some will tell you it is those who believe in “God” or those who try to live a good life.

I recently received an email containing the title, “Christianity is not a hate-group.” There are many who think it is. I remember a college professor who gave me “A’s” on my papers but told me she did so under duress. She couldn’t fault the writing, but she hated the subject matter. Since we were writing about personal experiences and thoughts, much of mine centered around Christianity. I asked her why she hated the subject matter. Then she proceeded to explain that she felt Christianity was a hate group—after all, she proclaimed, Hitler was a Christian, the Ku Klux Klan asserted its “Christianity.” Ah.

I told her that to be a Christian, one had to be a follower of Christ, a disciple, and that God’s will for us is to be conformed to the image of Christ. I asked her if she thought that Hitler or the KKK acted anything like Jesus. She agreed they did not.  Then I told her that it isn’t who we claim to be that determines what we are, it’s who approves us.  “For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” [2 Cor 10:18 NIV]

We need to make sure that both our words and our actions reflect who Christ truly is. We need to be true followers of Jesus. In doing that we can assure ourselves of Christ’s approval and the world will really know us by our love.

I love this man Moses. He is right beside the Promised Land, but not able to actually enter it because of his act of disobedience. He had failed to honor God before the people, instead reacting in anger and frustration. Forty years in the wilderness with that bunch of murmurers and complainers would more than likely make any of us angry enough to whack a rock!

But even though Moses will not be allowed to lead the people into the Promised Land, his heart is still burdened with them. Despite all the times they complained and rebelled, Moses still loved them. He interceded for them constantly in the wilderness and he does it here, on the border of the Promised Land, one more time.

Numbers 27:15-17: “Moses said to the LORD, ‘May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.’” [NIV]

I’m not sure my heart is as big as Moses’. I’m pretty sure I’d be thinking, “well, just go it alone without me and see how well you do!” Instead, Moses asks God to appoint a new leader, one to take his place and lead God’s people. He asked God for another Shepherd … knowing how helpless sheep are without one.

God gave His people a new shepherd to lead them into the Promised Land … his name was Joshua (Jehovah Saves).  And one day, in the fullness of times, God will give His people an eternal Shepherd to lead them into His Presence forever … His name is Jesus (Greek), Joshua/Yeshua (Jehovah Saves).

Thank you Father for our Shepherd, Jesus the Christ.

When Moses knew that he would be not be allowed to enter the Promised Land because of his disobedience in not honoring the LORD before the people, He asked God to appoint a successor so that the people would not be like “sheep without a shepherd.” The Lord’s choice for Moses’ successor was the younger man, Joshua.

Numbers 27:18-21:  “So the LORD said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him….At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.’” [NIV]

Joshua had been at Moses’ side from the very beginning. He had been the commander during their various military engagements. He had been on the mountain with Moses, but the thing I like most about Joshua is found in a statement about him in Exodus 33. Moses pitched a tent in the wilderness called the “tent of meeting.” When he would go out to the tent, the people would watch as the cloud of the Lord’s Presence would descend upon that tent and Moses and the Lord would talk.  Joshua would accompany Moses into the tent, and we are told that when Moses would depart, “his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” [v11 NIV]

That simple statement speaks to me of the piousness of the young man Joshua. It tells me he had a heart for God. Joshua remained behind to soak up as much of the glory of the Lord as he could. He would need every bit of it because, while he didn’t know it at the time, he would be the one to take Israel into the Promised Land.

What Joshua learned from Moses and from the LORD God would carry him through. Toward the end of his life he would challenge the people to remain faithful to God – “Choose this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” [Joshua 24:14-15]

Joshua’s challenge is still relevant – choose this day.

To be oh so close and not get in.  “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go up this mountain in the Abarim range and see the land I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes.’” [Numbers 27:12-14 NIV]

Poor Moses, excluded from the Promised Land for his act of disobedience. God told him to speak to the rock and bring forth water and Moses was so angry, he whacked it instead. I can understand his frustration and what drove him to whack the rock. He’d spent 40 years in the wilderness with a bunch of ungrateful, stiff-necked, complaining, muttering people. They were enough to try anyone’s patience. [Numbers 20]

But God expected more from his leaders than frustration and anger. God expected Moses and his brother Aaron to honor Him as holy. Instead of being the example of the Holy Lord God Jehovah, Moses and his brother Aaron acted just like the people. They were frustrated and reacted in anger.

James says it this way, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” [1:19-21 NIV]

We are to speak to our world about the love of God, His righteousness and truth. That’s what we are called to do – to go into all the world and make disciples and teach them the things of the LORD. We are called to honor God as holy before them. We are not called to strike out in anger and frustration. May we be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Amen.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that we would be blessed and rewarded when persecution and ridicule comes our way because of our faith in God.  [Matt 5:11-12]

A little further on in that sermon, He added: “I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” [vs 44-45 NIV]

We have a responsibility to pray for those who set themselves up as our enemies to persecute us. It is vitally important that we do so. Personally, I’d like to pray Psalm 109 over a lot of people.  It is one of those imprecatory songs, “may his days be few … may a creditor seize all he has … may no one extend kindness to him,” but I don’t think that is what Jesus had in mind.

I think our prayers are to be more along the lines of how Paul prayed in his letters. “May the eyes of their hearts be enlightened … may they receive the Spirit of wisdom and knowledge.”  [Ephesians 1]

We need to pray that those who oppose us see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God. We need to pray that the god of this age no longer has the power to blind their minds. [2 Corinthians 4]

There are many who are in the Body of Christ who were once enemies of her. Paul, himself, was her persecutor and then became her greatest missionary.  If it can happen to Paul, it can happen to our present-day enemies.

Recently, Joy Behar and other ladies from ABC’s The View ridiculed Vice President Pence for saying he listened for the voice of the Lord before he speaks.  Her comment was: “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you. That’s called mental illness, if I’m not correct, hearing voices.”

Behar’s comment was not aimed at just the Vice President, it was aimed at all Christians who believe the Living Lord Christ Jesus still speaks to His beloved. Her comment was aimed at me, and at you.

As I read her comment I thought about how easy Christians have had it in the USA in the previous centuries. Our founding fathers understood that we could not have, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” without having freedom to worship our Lord without government interference. The First Amendment to our Constitution provides that freedom.

I think, however, that we began to take that freedom of worship for granted and began to be complacent in it. As society changed, and it has changed, the church put on blinders and only saw what she wanted to see. Now, maybe, for the first time, the freedom to worship Christ Jesus the LORD is in jeopardy.

Jesus warned us a long time ago:  “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” [Matt 5:11-12 NIV]

When persecution and ridicule came our way because of our faith in Christ, we are blessed and will be rewarded. The reward comes to us later—in heaven. Perhaps the blessing that comes now is that we are awakened from our slumbering complacency into action to recall our society to its Judeo-Christian roots.

Father, may we awaken from our slumber and go out into our world with the truth of Your Word. Amen.

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” [Ephesians 1:4-7 NIV]

Can’t quite move past that word freely and on to another subject. So much of what comes as “offers” to me come with a cost. My inbox is filled with all kinds of things companies think I need. They cloak their “offers” in language which sounds like it is a great deal but when you actually visit their websites you find very little, if anything, freely given.

And yet, the greatest things I need, a new heart and peace with God, are freely given to me – the price has already been paid by God Himself.

Look at some of the words and phrases in the verses above. Think on them today.  “He chose us …. In love he predestined us to be adopted …. His pleasure …. His glorious grace.”  All those “He has freely given us.”

God chose us, loves us, and adopted us—freely through Jesus Christ. My heart soars no matter how many times I think or write about those things. I know who and what I am without God. I know who and what I am with God simply because of His freely given grace. I refuse to ever allow myself to become complacent about that.

Father, let me never forget, nor take for granted, all You have done for me—freely—through Christ Jesus my Lord! Amen.

Freely. Love the word. One of the definitions for freely from Merriam-Webster is “of one’s own accord.” Another definition is “without restraint or reservation.” Interesting how one word can change the course of history.

It has been around 500 years since the Reformation began under Martin Luther. Luther’s main complaint was the abuse of the sale of indulgences by the church.  An indulgence was an exchange for donations where the church would guarantee reduction of time in purgatory, which it claimed was a place where souls wait after death before entry into heaven. A bit of a renegade anyway, that was a tipping point for Luther, who argued that a person did not have to pay for remission of sins because Christ offers forgiveness freely to anyone who repents.

“There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” [Rom 3:22-25 NIV]

Freely. Love the word. God, of his own accord, without restrain or reservation, justified us by the grace brought to us in Christ Jesus. God was able, because of the redemption Christ wrought on the cross to declare “not guilty!” to  all who repent and accept Jesus as Lord of their life.

We are not charged for this, we don’t have to put a donation into the indulgence box to receive that verdict. In fact, we can’t buy our way into heaven with our money, our membership or our good works. That way in (grace) was given freely.

 Freely.  Yep, love that word!