TerryLema

I want to make a difference in this world. I want to see lives made new through Jesus Christ. I want to see our nation return to the Judeo-Christian beliefs which helped form it in its early development. I want to see my grandchildren and their children inherit a nation and culture that is alive and well, not weak and dying.

In my lifetime I want to hear just once what was shouted in Thessalonica when Paul and his fellow missionaries arrived on the scene and began to preach the truth of Christ Jesus, crucified, died, resurrected and ascended to the right hand of the Father. “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” [Acts 17:6 NKJV]

If that isn’t what we are striving for, then what is? What are we spending our energy on? Our Time? Our Money?

When Paul set out on his missionary trips he had one goal, to preach Christ Jesus and share the Gospel with the known world. It didn’t matter the hardships or opposition, it didn’t matter if he was free or in prison. He preached and lived Jesus. And in one generation, through his work and that of his contemporaries, the world was changed forever.

I want that kind of zeal in me…now…at 71 years of age…living on social security. I may not be able to turn the whole world upside down (or right side up!), but I can make a difference in every life that crosses my path if I’m willing.  I invite you to join me. None of us are too young or too old, too rich or too poor—we can all make a difference.

Father, give me the wisdom and zeal of those early disciples of Christ who looked upon this world as a harvest field for Your glory! Amen.

My last one thing comes from Peter.  He reminds us that God’s timing and ours are not always the same.:  “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come …” [2 Peter 3:8-10 NIV]

Down through the centuries man has been waiting and looking toward the return of Jesus Christ. Some may scoff at that thought, but Peter reminds us in this chapter just how quickly things can change … Noah was given 7 days after the ark was completed to gather the animals and food he would need, and then suddenly the flood came. And judgment covered the earth. [Genesis 7]

In barely a blink of an eye, Jesus can return. For now, God is patient, waiting for all who are called to come to repentance.  But, Peter says, don’t grow complacent because, “the day of the Lord will come….” The remainder of this verse goes on to say that Jesus will come “like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”  [Vs 10 NIV]

Even though the verse goes on and describes the way in which the Lord will return, I chose to stop it with simply … “but the day of the Lord WILL COME ….”  WILL COME (emphasis mine).

If there is one thing we can bank our eternity on it is that Jesus will return. Suddenly, one day the Savior of our soul will descend, and all will see Him. Everyone will confess that He is Lord. Some will do it by compulsion, and others from a willing and grateful heart. How blessed we are to be among those who are longing for His return.

Phil 3:13-14:  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. NIV

Forgetting what is behind is sometimes hard to do, especially since the enemy of our soul is always reminding us of our failures and those times we were less than we should have been. I think it must have been a difficult task for Paul also, since he brought it up in his letter to the Philippians. He could have just as easily omitted it, simply stating that he strained toward what is ahead and pressed toward the goal.  But he didn’t omit it, he included it…forgetting what is behind.

 But aren’t we also to remember what is behind? Even Paul acknowledged his own sinful past: “I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” [1 Tim 1:16 NIV]

How can we both remember and forget our pasts? I think when Paul said that he was forgetting what is behind, he was saying he does not let what he once was (the worst of sinners) dictate to what he does now (pressing on toward the goal).

The enemy of our soul wants to use our past and the guilt associated with our sin to forestall moving on with God. If he can keep us focused on how unworthy we are, he can keep us immobile. Christ Jesus our Lord is calling us to keep moving, keep straining to mature and grow.

Father, I know I am a sinner saved by Your love and grace. I will not let the enemy of my soul drag me back into that past or load me down with a burden of guilt. You have saved me, forgiven me. Now may I strain to attain all that You have for me in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Acts 24 is Paul’s testimony before the governor Felix. Paul had been set upon by the Jews who thought he had brought a Gentile into the Jerusalem temple. He hadn’t, but they wouldn’t listen. He was rescued by Roman soldiers whose commander was informed of a plot to kill Paul. The commander whisked away Paul in the night and brought him before the governor Felix. When the Jews came to Felix with their accusations, Felix allowed Paul to make a defense.

Acts 24:20-21:  “Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin- unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.'”  NIV

We should not be surprised by Paul’s one thing in his defense. If you read Paul’s letters, the resurrection from the dead is always right at the core of his arguments and his praises.  2 Corinthians 15 is probably the longest and most complete discourse on resurrection in Scripture.

We focus on the cross, as we should, and the sacrifice of Christ Jesus for the sins of mankind. But the cross is an incomplete work without the resurrection of Christ from the dead three days later. The resurrection was God’s acceptance and stamp of approval on the cross. The resurrection is what holds out hope for us – this life with all its trials and troubles is not all there is. A time of great joy and delight is coming when we pass through the grave into the very presence of the Giver of Life. We will truly exit the ‘land of the dying’ into the ‘land of the living’ because of Christ’s resurrection.

Easter Sunday is April 1 this year—officially. But Resurrection Sunday is every day for those who have placed their trust in a Risen Lord.  Amen and Amen.

I really am enjoying the “one thing” verses that I’ve been finding in Scripture but am taking a break from that for today.  Today I am chuckling about a “connection” issue I’ve been having.

In November I bought a new wireless headset, transmitter and receiver to use on Sunday mornings.  I literally fried my old lapel mic, it was smoking and ready to catch fire when I whipped the transmitter off my waistband. A replacement was needed and decided on a headset rather than lapel mic. From the onset it never worked correctly. It popped constantly, there was continual static. We tried everything to figure out the cause. It just kept cutting out.

I finally took it back to the music store where I bought it. There they reassembled it, connected it to a speaker and had me walk around the store trying to get it to cut out. It never did. They sent me back to the church with all kinds of ideas of what to do with the receiver unit, take it out of the sound cabinet, move it around the church, etc.

Last Sunday I reassembled and reconnected the headset, transmitter and receiver and attached it to the sound board. I tried it and it worked perfectly. It was then I realized that originally the antenna had never been connected to the transmitter. It had remained in the box until the man at the music store found it and attached it. There never was anything wrong with the receiver, only the transmitter.

Ever felt like your prayers are going nowhere?  Ever wondered what is wrong with God that He’s not receiving your requests the way You want Him to?  Peter reminds us that there are things that can hinder our prayers. He reminds husbands to treat their wives with the respect they deserve as fellow heirs of Christ.  “… so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”  [1 Peter 3:7 NIV]

Many things, both attitudes and actions, can hinder our prayers, but the problem is never with the Receiver (Father God), the problem is usually with the Transmitter (us!).

I am enjoying the “one thing” verses I am find in Scripture. John 9 contains the story of Jesus and the blind man. There are many characters in this story. In addition to Jesus and the unnamed blind man, there are the disciples asking questions, the rulers throwing accusations and the man’s fearful parents trying to dodge being involved in any of it. (Read John 9 today.)

love the formerly blind man’s testimony when confronted by the rulers who were furious because Jesus healed on the Sabbath.  After all the accusations and responses, however, it was the personal testimony of this man that truly settled every argument. “He replied, ‘Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!’”  [vs 25 NIV]

One thing I do know … I was blind but now I see!  John Newton wrote, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”

The one thing in each of our lives that cannot be refuted is the healing that Christ brought to us. We who were lost and blind, now are saved and seeing. We are not what we once were. Each of us has a personal testimony. Christ met us one day along the way and nothing has been the same since. Glory to God.

Father, thank you for that divine meeting with the Savior. Thank you that I, who was blinded by the god of this age, now see the beauty and glory in the light of Christ Jesus my Lord. That You would save a wretch like me is almost beyond my ability to comprehend. I bow to Your amazing grace. Amen

Luke 10:41-42: “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  NIV

How many sermons and articles have been written about the one thing found in the story of Mary and Martha. I have heard some great ones, and I’ve heard some that seemed to miss the mark.

Most of the time we see ourselves as predominantly one or the other. We are either Martha, bustling around trying to feed and care for a bunch of guys who show up for dinner. (Who knows how much that big fisherman could eat all by himself!) All the while her sister is lounging with the guys in the living room.

Or we see ourselves as Mary, choosing the better part to remain at the feet of Jesus to hear what He is saying, ignoring the work that needs doing, resisting the strains of complaining from her sister bearing the burden of service.

I love these two ladies. Jesus loved these two ladies. I don’t think we are to choose between being a Mary or a Martha, between being in the presence of the Lord or serving. Martha’s problem was not her service, it was her worry and anxiety in her serving.

Our loves are to combine Mary and Martha. We are to sit as His feet and find there the motivation and power to then serve with humility and peace. Spending time with Jesus always results in the desire to serve Him more, and how do we serve Him? By serving others.

Father, give me the desire and power to both bask in Your presence and serve Your people. Amen.

Reading an early release of a the book, “A Call for Courage — Living with Power, Truth, and Love in an age of Intolerance and Fear.” I am finding this book is life-changing, perhaps the most significant book I have read in decades. It will be released on March 13, but you can pre-order now. Barnes & Noble will be putting it on sale (50% off) for one day only, February 7. If you want to read the introduction and first chapter, you can download it at CourageMatters.com. I urge you to do so.

The last couple days we have been looking at some of the “one things” I have found when I searched the Scriptures.  Yesterday’s one thing uplifted me – God is strong and God is loving.  Today’s one thing saddens me. It comes in the encounter Jesus had with a rich young ruler in Mark 10.

The ruler wondered what he had to do to gain eternal life. Jesus took him to what the law said. The ruler countered with the fact that he had always kept those external commandments.  Jesus then took him to what the heart was clinging to.  “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’”  [v17-22 NKJV]

It all came down to a choice, either a heart that had only one treasure, that of loving God to the extent nothing else mattered, or a heart centered on earthly possessions.  The rich young ruler could not give up his earthly treasures.

Jesus asked the young man to pick up his cross. It was right there before Him. Jesus invited him to follow. But the call of worldly riches caused him to leave his cross at the feet of Jesus and turn away. It says, “he went away sorrowfully.”

Still, he went away. There was only one thing he lacked, a heart that hungered more for God than for the treasures of this life.  How many go away because of similar one things?  I fear too many leave their crosses at the feet of Jesus and turn their backs because of their one thing.

January 31

I found another “one thing” in Psalm 62 when I was searching in the NIV:  “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.” [v11-12 NIV]

It reads a bit differently in the KJV and NKJV. “God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work.” [NKJV]

God is strong; all power belongs to God.  The Lord is loving; mercy belongs to the Lord. God rewards /renders to each one according to what we have done.

Our God is strong and all power does belong to Him. If we remember one thing about Him, we remember He is all-powerful. Would we want to serve a God who does not have the power to keep His promises? Every year we elect people to positions of authority based on the promises they make to us, and most often those promises are not kept because they lack the power to do so. God has the power to keep His promises.

But there is another one thing we need to remember about our God. He is loving, mercy belongs to Him.  The all-powerful Right Hand of God is extended to us in mercy and love. We need never be afraid of rejection or refusal.

And our God will reward us – He will render to us according to what we have done. And the one thing we have done is trust in Jesus. Amen and Amen.