TerryLema

Where I work, they have placed televisions around the lobbies and break areas. They have seating designed around each.  The televisions are tuned into an all-day news channel. (They didn’t ask my opinion or I would have told them watching all-day news is not how I want to take a “break” from work.)

Usually the news is all about politics, but recently it has been about hurricanes and earthquakes and the resulting damages. I sat for a few minutes last week and watched rescue crews in Mexico City dig through the rubble of a school. It was heartbreaking.

In last Sunday’s message, we looked at the issue of suffering in this world.  We began with Romans 8:18: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

That word “consider” means to reckon or ponder.  What it says to us is that before Paul wrote those words in his letter to the Romans, he thought a great deal about present sufferings.  He looked at it through “biblical eyes.”

The only way we can handle the heartbreaking suffering in this life is to do as Paul did, to consider our present suffering in the light of biblical perspective. How we handle that will determine whether we will grow through suffering or be destroyed by it.  More tomorrow.

Father, help us to consider our suffering through the eyes of Your Spirit. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:15:  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. [NIV]

If there is anything missing in our world now, it is kindness. I know many people blame social media for the lack of kindness. We hide behind our keyboards and think we can say anything we want to or about anyone. They call it “keyboard courage.”

Yet, we need to remember that social media is not to blame for the lack of kindness … our old sin nature is. Social media simply gave our sin a venue to express itself openly, but it was there all along, hidden deep in our hearts.

We want retribution, not kindness. If someone does us wrong, we want to wrong them right back. We are like James and John, the sons of thunder as Jesus referred to them –we want to call down fire from heaven on those who have wronged us or offended us.

Instead we are admonished to “always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” It is not only in the church that kindness must be displayed (the each other part), but it is kindness shown through the church (the everyone else part) that is to be demonstrated.

Father, help us to be like our Master, when they shouted curses at Him on the cross, He did not retaliate but instead forgave.  Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:13-15:  And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. [NIV]

Ah, more of those commands from Paul’s pen about what we might do to be pleasing to our Father God. We are to warn, encourage, help and be patient with everyone!

Warn those who are idle. Paul admonishes those who can work and won’t work; those who tend toward laziness. (Here the emphasis is on those who are able and have opportunity to work, but just don’t want to do so.) For those he says, if you don’t work, you don’t eat. But I think also we need to warn those who are idle in their Gospel ministry. We only have so many opportunities in this life to minister the Word of the Lord to others. One day those will be gone.

Encourage the timid. We can’t be timid in sharing the Gospel. We should be wise and heed the direction of God’s Spirit when and what to speak. But timidity, perhaps prompted by fears of rejection, should not be a character trait of believers.

Help the weak. I am often reminded of the words of Isaiah that described the Messiah, “A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.” There are many who are hanging on by a thread, and as believers we need to help them become firm in their faith.  [Isa 42:3 NKJV]

Last, we are to be patient with everyone. Patient with the idle. Patient with the timid. Patient with the weak. Perhaps also, patient with ourselves?

I find Paul’s letters amazing. They are full of grace, grace and more grace. It is quite clear when reading them that the work for salvation has already been done through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is quite clear that God had it all planned from the very beginning and now this marvelous salvation is ours by God’s wonderful grace trough faith. We can do nothing to earn it (by keeping the law), and we certainly don’t deserve it. Paul is adamant about that in his letters.

But then he goes on and admonishes us how to live … and so often those words sound like commands. “Do this. Don’t do that.” How can it be about grace, and about “do this, don’t do that?”

Paul gives us commands, yes, but the commands have nothing to do with earning salvation. Paul is giving principles to live by now that we are already saved, already God’s children. He is telling us how to live that we might bring joy to our Father God.  “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God.”  [1 Thessalonians 4:1 NIV]

Pleasing God. What an overwhelming thought. That I, a sinner and once an enemy of the Holy God, might now be pleasing to Him. Savor that thought for a moment.

Let me close today with a prayer from Hebrews 13:20-21: “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”  [NIV]

1 Thessalonians 5:13-15:  Live in peace with each other. [NIV]

One short sentence. One tall order.  Just look at those six words.  Live in peace with each other. And if you use another translation, it can be even shorter. Be at peace among yourselves. Only five words in the NKJV.  Still a tall order.

That tall order is part of Paul’s closing words to the church at Thessalonica. That final chapter really packs a wallop. It starts with thoughts about the Second Coming of Christ and ends with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with us. And in between are all kinds of admonitions of how we are to respect leaders in the church, deal with all kinds of circumstances and treat each other. It’s a great read if you have a few moments today.

Still, among all those admonitions, the six (or five) little words above probably give us the most trouble. This is one unpeaceful world we live in. We are assaulted on every side by things that seek to disrupt our peace. Even our own inner nature works to rile us up and keep us unsettled. Our society lately is an “offended” society, giving people more excuses for anger.

The church, however, is to be different. We are given the tall order to live in peace with each other. Peace is to be the atmosphere of those who love the Lord. If we are all connected to Him, as the body is to the head, how can we be at war with each other?

Father, I pray for Your people, Your church, the Body of Christ that we might be at peace among ourselves, and that we might be a good testimony to this unpeaceful world. Amen.

The autumnal equinox or September equinox is today, September 22. That means that the amount of nighttime and daytime (sunlight) are roughly equal to each other. From here on out, the temperatures begin to drop and the days start to get shorter than the nights.

I am one of those who find autumn a season of delights. I love the vivid colors and the aromas of the leaves fallen from the trees. I love the crisp air, the cooler temperatures, wearing sweatshirts, and early sunsets. I know winter is around the corner, and with it cold weather and snow, perhaps even as difficult this year as last year. Still, I love autumn for what it is this day.

Whenever I bring up my love of autumn, someone will remind me that autumn signals winter is ahead. They don’t like winter. And some have a good reason not to like winter, they experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) without enough light. Some have a difficult time keep sidewalks and driveways shoveled. And let’s face it, it gets cold up here in Idaho in winter. Zero or below zero temperatures are not very appealing.

Still, that’s not a good enough reason for me to hate autumn. I want to live each day in this season’s delights. It’s harvest time and a time to remember to give thanks. Jesus reminded us not to borrow trouble from the future, we have enough trouble just for today.  “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” [Matt 6:34 NIV]

Today I will delight in autumn and not borrow winter’s troubles.  Today I will delight in this day that is mine (whatever it might hold) and not borrow from tomorrow’s troubles.  Today I will simply enjoy today.

In the recent weeks, we have seen much devastation. Hurricanes in Texas and Florida have left wide-spread damage, countless number of people without homes or resources. The wildfires in the northwest have also caused severe damage that will last for decades, pristine areas have been ravaged, ranchers in Montana have lost everything.  There have been earthquakes in Mexico and around other parts of our world. The talk around Idaho is whether we will have another difficult winter.

Many are looking to the federal government to bail them out with emergency funds, but the federal government is not all that flush with money either.  FEMA funds are running low, Congress is fighting over budget expenses and revenues. I think most everyone would agree, things are a mess.

Many Christians are looking at the mess and thinking it’s signs of the Lord’s return. If these truly are the signs of the Lord’s Second Coming, what should we be doing? 

In Luke chapter 2, Joseph and Mary had taken 12-year-old Jesus to Jerusalem with them. Then they lost Him. They were already heading home when they had every parent’s nightmare, they could not find their child.  They returned to Jerusalem and found the young man sitting with the elders and teachers in the temple courts. He didn’t understand why they were so upset and asked them, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”  [verse 49 NKJV]

While they were panicked, Jesus was just doing what He knew He was supposed to be doing. Yes, today things are a mess. And yes, some may even panic. Still, beloved, we need to be like our Master … going about our Father’s business. 

Gal 5:22-23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” [NIV]

Commuting a 60-mile round trip for the next four months is going to provide me many opportunities to produce some fruit in my life. I’m finding my patience and kindness wears thin on the morning commute, and my gentleness and self-control is definitely vexed on the return trip in the early evening. I just want all those bad drivers to shape up and everyone else to get out of my way! I’m tired and I want to get home and put on my PJ’s.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for me), that doesn’t happen.  Instead God is using this opportunity to prove to me how much I need to grow more love, joy, peace, patient, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Jesus warned His followers about false prophets, wolves who wear sheep clothing and appear to be something they are not. He said we would recognize them by their fruit.  [Matthew 7:16]

Too often we are more enthralled by gifts than we are fruit. We tend to follow gifted people, who are not necessarily people of character. Gifts are shiny and noticeable; character is stable and sometimes only visible under pressure. Yet, it is precisely because character is visible under pressure that we need to produce it in our lives.

Father, I know the next months of this commute will not be easy. When I’m tired and just want the day to be over, help me to turn to Your Spirit for life … I pray these opportunities will not be wasted and I will indeed grow in the character of Christ. Amen

Forgiven. Forgiven. Forgiven Again.

“If” is a little word that can have big consequences. Many people live their lives teetering on “if.”   “If I get that promotion, I’ll …. If I win the lottery, I’ll be able to …. If I have a mate, I can finally be ….”  Unfortunately, living on the world’s “if’s” is a sure highway to disappointment.

“If” can even have eternal consequences. John reminded us of those consequence in his first letter.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1:9-10 NIV]

The onus for forgiveness is ours now and it is summed up in that little word “if.” God has done His part.  He already provided all we need for forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. He is faithful to forgive–He is willing to forgive, and with His forgiveness He will lead us in paths of righteousness.  All this is ours, “if” we come to Him repentant and confessing our sins.  “If” we don’t? That story has a different ending.

I love this song by Signature Sound about the prodigal son who decides to come home and finds the Father waiting. The Father is waiting for us also … waiting for us to come to Him.

We’re forgiven, forgiven, forgiven again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1shTv5IKQHg

A motel next to an In-N-Out Burger? That was where we stayed in Modesto. For In-N-Out burger-lovers living in a state that has no In-N-Out Burger (Idaho), this was a recipe for diet-disaster.  We did, however, restrain ourselves and only ate there twice.  It sure was tempting to eat there more often though. I felt like Pavlov’s dogs. Every time we entered and exited the hotel parking lot that bright yellow arrow on the In-N-Out Burger sign made me salivate.

Our children booked this hotel for us. I think they picked this one because they know just how much I like In-N-Out burgers. If there is one close to where I’m at, that’s where you will find me whenever I get a craving for a burger or fries.  That reminded me of part of the verse that opens Hebrews 12.  “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us ….”  [NKJV]

I always joke that the “sin that so easily gets us” … gets us so easily because it always knows where to find us.  We get pretty adept at locating ourselves close to temptation. It’s like staying in the hotel next to the In-N-Out.  We don’t have far to go to get there.

I would have been far less tempted to blow my diet had our motel been across town where I could not see that bright yellow arrow.  Spiritually, we need to also put some distance between our “souls” and those “places” where we are tempted to sin, where sin hardly has to make any effort to ensnare us and draw us in.

Heb 12:1: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” [NIV]