TerryLema

I have had a lot of bad days recently. Lots of pain. Not sleeping well at night. It has been tough and a bit discouraging. I wonder if all my days ahead will be filled with chronic pain coupled with fatigue.

Maybe that is why I ended up in Luke 4 this morning. I found comfort when Jesus went into the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath day and picked up the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and began to proclaim. [vs 16-21 HCSB]

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.”

Thank you, LORD, I am so blessed to have heard the good news when I was poor and needy with nothing to offer.

“He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives .…”

Thank you, LORD, I am so blessed to be set free from the sins and guilt that held me captive.

“He has sent Me to proclaim … recovery of sight to the blind .…”

Thank you, LORD, I am so blessed because once I was blind to the things of God and now I see!

“He has sent Me … to set free the oppressed.”

Thank you, LORD, I am so blessed to have been set free from the oppression of my past, from the bondage of my dysfunction.

“He has sent Me … to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor.”

Thank you, LORD, I now live in the LORD’s favor, in Your grace and mercy.

No matter what each day holds, whether it be a day of chronic pain and fatigue, or a good day without, I live in the year of the LORD’s grace. Amen!

I share much of my life in these devotions, the good, the silly, the difficult, and even the failures. I do that not to garner praise or sympathy but to remind all of us that while we are not perfect people, we are overcomers.  We may stumble, fall, fail, or get knocked down, but we are never out!

John wrote that “everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”   [1John 5:4-5 NIV]

In his letters Paul often reminded people of his struggles. He was forthright in telling of how he persecuted the church, of how he pleaded with God to remove his thorn in the flesh, of his difficulties in ministry.  He did it to identify with his readers and to point them to Jesus. Paul was an overcomer precisely because he placed his faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

I have had to overcome a difficult childhood, my own personality flaws, my sins, circumstances, and failures.  Many of you have had to overcome the same, or even worse.  We are overcomers because of Christ Jesus.

I encourage you to share your life with others, not just the good and great, but the silly, the difficult and the failures also.

When they see how you have overcome all, they will ask, “HOW?”  Then you can tell them that it’s all because of faith in Jesus, the Son of God.

In John 17, Jesus prays with and for His followers. At one point in His prayer He prays for “all those who will believe in Me ….”  [vs 20]

I am always astounded that I am included in His prayer. You are also. Jesus prayed for us. He asked that the full measure of His joy might be in us. He asked that we might be protected. He asked that we might be sanctified by His truth.  (Read His prayer for you today in John 17.)

What blesses me most is found in verses 22-23: “I have given them the glory You have given Me. May they be one as We are one. I am in them…” [HCSB]

 “I am in them.”  Jesus in me.  Say that with me, Jesus in me. Have you ever pondered all that means?

Charles Spurgeon wrote of this verse, “This is no narrow pipe through which a thread-like stream may wind its way, it is a channel of amazing depth and breadth, along whole glorious length a ponderous volume of living water may roll its floods.”

“I am in them.”  Jesus in us.  May we not restrict this flood of living water but instead by the power of, and our cooperation with His Spirit keep the channel uncluttered by doubt and sin.

Oh LORD, let your living water roll its floods through me!

I repeat myself. I remember in bible college one of the professors would constantly say, “Repetition increases remembrance,” as he repeated himself.

I used to laugh at old people who would tell the same stories again and again.  Now I am one of them. I wonder why I repeat. Perhaps as we age, we experience less so we have less to tell. Our adventures become less adventurous and our excitement less exciting. So, we repeat the things that were.

My college professor was right on; however, repetition does increase remembrance.  Peter thought so too.  In his second letter, he reminds his readers of their faith and the things he wanted them to add—goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. He also urged them to make their calling and election sure so that they would not fall.

Then he started to sound like my college professor, “Therefore I will always remind you about these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you have. I consider it right, as long as I am in this bodily tent to wake you up with a reminder …. And I will also make every effort that you may be able to recall these things at any time after my departure.” [2 Peter 1:12-15 HCSB]

The things of the LORD need to be repeated. The world, the flesh and the enemy of our soul are loud and determined to erase biblical truths and the knowledge of God from our remembrance. Instead of always seeking new things we need to be like Peter – it is right to refresh our memories of the biblical truth we already know.

Recently I was out walking later in the afternoon when it warmed up a bit. I was listening and singing to the worship songs on my playlist. Amazing Grace came up and I was singing those old familiar verses. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me…. When we’ve been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun….”

I thought about that wonderful reminder when we hear those words of God’s salvation and the marvelous future we shall have with him. Then I stopped; my thoughts had totally skipped over the middle verses. I heard God’s Spirit whisper … those middle verses are where you live right now.

“Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.” [Amazing Grace, John Newton 1779]

God’s grace, God’s amazing grace has brought us to where we are. God’s grace, God’s amazing grace will lead us home to Him.

That’s where we live, beloved, in the power and presence of God’s grace in our lives. His unmerited favor is stronger than anything that might come our way. His undeserved grace will embrace us and lead us every day in Him.  How could I have skipped over that truth?

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for reminding me that my past is covered with God’s grace, my future is promised in God’s grace, and my present is protected by God’s amazing grace.

Yesterday, I read Matthew 8 as part of my yearly Bible reading plan. It is a chapter that always amazes me. Matthew outlines Jesus’ authority over sickness and death, His authority over the natural world, and His authority over the spirit world. That chapter also contains one of my favorite events in the life of Jesus—the healing of the Centurion’s servant. [vs 5-13]

A Roman Centurion approached Jesus. That itself is amazing. Then the Centurion asks Jesus for a favor (even more amazing.) His servant is “lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony.”

Jesus agrees to come, but the Centurion rejects that offer with an amazing reply. “’Lord,’ the centurion replied, ‘I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured.’”

 And goes on to further explain, “For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes ….”

Jesus will heal the Centurion’s servant with just a Word and will point out the Centurion’s great faith to all witnessing this event.

What I have usually heard taught is that the Centurion’s faith was birth in the Centurion’s realization of his own authority – that he could order those under him to obey and they would.

But I think the Centurion also knew about authority because he too was “a man under authority,” a phrase we often skip over.

He had risen to his position because of his obedience to those above him. He knew BOTH the privilege OF and the responsibility TO authority. 

We are one week into the New Year 2024. This is resolution season!

My newsfeed is abundant with advice on healthy eating, exercise, and getting our acts together in finances, health, relationships, etc. After one week, I wonder how many resolutions have already been abandoned.

I gave up on resolutions years ago. Most of mine never made it past the end of January. Some never made it even that far. Someone once remarked that I did not have much willpower.  I disagree. My will has plenty of power – the problem lies in just where my “will” wants me to go. Left on its own my willpower will lead to my disadvantage, not my advantage.

That is why the verse in Philippians 1:6 means so much to me.  “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” [HCSB]

The good work started in me (God’s good work of salvation) is empowered by God Himself. It does not rest (solely) on my willpower. If it did, I would definitely lose.

Of course, I have a part in this good work. That part is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He leads, teaches, reveals, and empowers. But as I do that, I have the promise of God (and His promises are always, ALWAYS, secure in His nature) … I have the promise of God that He will bring about my complete salvation.

 For that, I am so very thankful!

Don’t you just love the way the Bible begins?  “In the beginning ….”  [Genesis 1:1]

 We think so much about being in the end times, we sometimes ignore the astounding statement made “in the beginning.”

God knocks our sock off right away … “In the beginning God ….”

He always has been … before there was ever a “beginning,” there was God.

“In the beginning God Created ….”

 God fashioned the “beginning.” God formed everything. “In the beginning …” wasn’t by chance. God had planned a beginning before it ever took place.

 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

 It wasn’t evolution. It wasn’t a big bang. It wasn’t an accident. God intentionally created everything “in the beginning.” God brought it all to pass by the power of His Word.

 When we grasp that … everything else falls into place. Thank you, LORD, for the “beginning” and the end.