Author

TerryLema

Running Home

by TerryLema

I love the Book of Colossians. Whenever I feel a bit downcast or unable to get my thoughts where they need to be, I run back to the Book of Colossians. It is like running home.

After Paul’s initial greeting, thanksgiving, and prayer for spiritual growth in Chapter 1, Paul turns to the centrality of Christ Jesus in verses 15-28. Oh, how my heart soars when I read of all Christ Jesus is.  How can I stay downcast after reading about my Savior and LORD.

He is the image of the invisible God, preeminent in all things. He is Creator of the things we see and the things that are invisible to us while we dwell in this earthly tent. All things have been created through Him and for Him.

He holds all things together, sustains all things. Why would I think mankind has the power the overcome the One who sustains all?

He is the head of the church, the body of Christ. He rose from the dead, and all are now alive in Him.

He pleased God! And all God’s fullness dwells in Him. He now reconciles everything, making peace through the blood He shed on His cross – everything, whether those are things on earth or things in heaven.

And now, verse 22 reminds us, He has reconciled us in order to present us holy, faultless, and blameless before Him.

Wow. How can I stay downcast when I read of my LORD? What can compare to Him?

0 comment
FacebookEmail

The Show to End All Shows!

by TerryLema

This Sunday, February 12, is the National Football League Super Bowl, featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

This is the culmination of the pro football season. As a side note, the people who set the odds in Vegas have the Eagles as winners.

Bob and I will watch the game. We both like football, although my preference is youth football, followed by high school and college. The pros are my least favorite, but it is the last game of the season so we will hunker down and enjoy it.

I was checking the time when I came across a few things. Apparently, the halftime is a “highly anticipated concert” by Rihanna who apparently has not had a concert for six years. I also saw that more than 100 million people are expected to watch and “brands” are getting ready to launch their biggest ad campaigns of the year.

As I read those things about the Super Bowl, I could not help but recall another “highly anticipated” event. It comes in Revelation 19.  “Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on His head. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is the Word of God…And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” [vs 11-16 HCSB]

The NFL world is “highly anticipating” the Super Bowl show. The music world is “highly anticipating” the half time show. But I am “highly anticipating” the show that will end all shows … the return of the KING of Kings and LORD of Lords. Amen

0 comment
FacebookEmail

An Undivided Mind

by TerryLema

“Lament & Petition” is the title of Psalm 86, a song of David. David laments that his enemies are pursuing him, and then petitions his LORD for protection and security.  I have been studying it in both the New King James and in the Holman Christian Standard versions.

First David talked about God bringing joy to him. Then he recalled those wonderful attributes of God, noting that God is good, kind, beautiful, pleasant, agreeable, merciful, and faithful to all those who call on Him. [vs 4, 5]

The verse that I am focused on today is verse 11. In the NKJV it reads, “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.”

 The Holman reads, “Teach me your way, YAHWEH, and I will live by Your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear Your name.”

The word for “unite” and “undivided” is yachad. And it simply means to be united. David asks God to unite his heart/mind. (It seems that often in the OT heart and mind are interchangeable). David also requests that God teach him the ways of God so that he can live in God’s truth.

James reminds us in his letter that a double-minded or indecisive person is unstable in all his/her ways. The one with a mind/heart that tries to live in both the world and in God’s kingdom will be both miserable and hopeless.  [1:8]

James also gives the solution for having a divided heart and mind.  “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners and purify your hearts, double-minded people!” [4:7-8]

Help us to draw near to you, LORD. Teach us Your ways so that we may live in Your truth. Amen.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Kind & Good

by TerryLema

I am in Psalm 86 today and tomorrow also. I am reading in both the NKJV version and the Holman Christian Standard. Psalm 86 is a song of David, titled “Lament & Petition.” Despite that foreboding title, there were three phrases that caught my attention.  I looked at the first phrase yesterday, “Bring joy.” [vs 4]

Today I want to look at verse 5, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” [NKJV]

The Holman reads, “For You, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, rich in faithful love to all who call on You.”

David uses the Hebrew word “towb” to describe God–for You, LORD, are good / kind. The word means beautiful, pleasant, agreeable, and good.

The Hebrew word “checed” is used to describe the magnitude of mercy and faithful love found in God. It means goodness and kindness.

Even in the day of David’s distress, when his enemies were seeking his life (vs 14), his attention, his hope, his assurance was in the God he describes as good, kind, beautiful, agreeable, merciful, and faithful.

No matter our distress, even after all these centuries that have passed, God is still good, kind, beautiful, agreeable, merciful, and faithful to “all those who call upon [Him].”

Praise His Holy Name!

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Bring Joy

by TerryLema

I was reading Psalm 86 in my Holman Christian Standard Bible. I love reading the different translations because they often use slightly different phrasing that enriches the context. As I read, there were certain phrases in this song that caught my attention and lifted my spirit.

Lifting my spirit may seem a bit odd because Psalm 86 is labeled a song of “Lament & Petition.” It was written by David.

Verse 4 in the NKJV is translated “Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul,” but in my Holman it reads “Bring joy to Your servant’s life, because I turn to You, Lord.”

“Bring joy.” What a wonderful request!

Recently I have been a bit sad. The cause of the sadness has come from a few different directions. I have been trying to reconcile some things in my mind. I also have become aware of some health issues in people I love. Those things have left sorrow in their wake. David refers to it as a “day of my distress.” [Psalm 86:7 HCSB]

David, in the day of his distress gives us an example to follow. He prays to the LORD to “bring joy” to His life. Happiness is fleeting and is often tied to the circumstances in life. Joy, true joy, is a gift of God given to those who turn to Him. In that joy we find the strength to face each day of distress that comes our way.

Today, as I pray, my request, LORD, is that you “bring joy to Your servant’s life.” Amen & Amen

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Trust in Him

by TerryLema

We sing a song in church titled, “I Will Trust in You,” written by Lauren Daigle, Paul Marbury, Michael Farren.

The song talks about how we stay strong when God doesn’t move the mountains or part the sea or give us the kind of answers we expect or want.

How do we handle trudging over that mountain? How do we continue when we have to walk through the floods? What kind of heart attitude must we bear when the answers to our prayers don’t rescue us from situations, illnesses, or circumstances of life?

The song says that it is then we must trust.  “I will trust, I will trust in You.”

That’s not a new thought. David during trouble said, “I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands.”  [Psalm 31:14-15 NIV]

Jesus told us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” [John 14:1 NIV]

We commit our spiritual well-being to God. No matter what we see with our natural eye. No matter what we must go through, endure, or overcome in this life, our belief in God and in His Christ holds us steady.

The mountains may loom, but God will give us hinds-feet for high places. The sea may seem to overwhelm, but Jesus can quiet our soul. And the answers to our prayers may be different than expected, but He will never leave us, nor forsake us. I will trust, I can trust, in Him.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

My Walking Stick

by TerryLema

Prov 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”  [NKJV]

I usually carry a cane with me when I walk. In the past when I walked outside, I carried a walking stick mainly as a guard against dogs or when I would walk on unpaved sections of the road where I’d have to deal with stones, uneven ground, and potholes. Lately, however, I use it all the time. My muscles are a bit compromised and that throws my balance off, so, I “lean on” my walking stick.  I trust it to keep me upright and bear my weight in every and all circumstances.

The Psalmist reminds us that we are to not rely on our own human understanding or wisdom but are to trust in the LORD our God with all our hearts.  Our own understanding often fails us. I could even say our understanding will “always” fail us if we base it on mere human knowledge and wisdom. 

Instead, we are to keep the LORD our God in the forefront of our mind in every situation, in every day. Trusting in God isn’t just a Sunday “come-to-meeting” experience, it’s a 24-7-365 experience. We are to remember Him all the time and not just remember, we are also to acknowledge Him. We are to follow Him.

When we follow Him, He “shall direct [our] paths.”  That doesn’t mean that every obstacle will be removed, or every circumstance or situation averted. It does mean, however, that at the very least we won’t have all those self-generated obstacles in our way!  Most of what I must jump over comes from my own impatience, rebellion, misdirection, and stupidity anyway!

Oh LORD, we trust in You, acknowledge You, and lean on You to direct our every step, every day. Help us, O God. Amen.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Living Hope

by TerryLema

Living hope.  There are some words that just say something in their simplicity. They don’t need a detailed explanation; you just know the minute you hear them how important they are.

Living hope are two words that speak volumes.  You find these words in the opening thoughts of Peter’s first letter.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” [1 Peter 1:3-5]

Our hope is alive because it is anchored in Christ Jesus who through the power of God was raised from the dead and is forever alive!  Our living hope isn’t wishful thinking – the kind of wishful thinking that prompts some people to buy lottery tickets. Our living hope isn’t just for one person whose numbers are picked over the numbers of millions of others.

Our living hope is for everyone who accepts God’s great mercy. It is alive now in Christ Jesus. It will be translated into a sure inheritance when we see Jesus. It can never perish, spoil, or fade away. It will never leave you bankrupt or worse off than before you obtained it.

When we surrendered our lives to Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, we were birthed into that living hope. We are alive in it. We flourish in it. We find God’s power operating in it for our good.

Living hope. How grand those two simple little words are.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Kindness

by TerryLema

On my personal Facebook page, I daily post an inspiration quote that I recorded decades ago in journals that I called “JoyBooks.” Recently, I posted one from Aldous Huxley. “People often ask me, what is the most effective technique for transforming their life? It is a little embarrassing that after years and years of research and experimentation, I have to say that the best answer is – just be a little kinder.”

Huxley was an English writer and philosopher. While I don’t necessarily agree with his lifestyle or life philosophy, I agree that we need more kindness. It is sorely lacking in our culture today.

As Christians, we had our life transformed by salvation in Christ Jesus. Paul reminds us that first “He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.” [Colossians 1:13 HCSB]

We have been moved from darkness into the Kingdom of God – that is a finished work in Christ. But the transformation of our lives is also something that continues in us while we walk in this world.  “We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.” [2 Corinthians 3:18 HCSB]

And part of that transformation is the active putting on, clothing ourselves with the characteristics of Christ Jesus,

“Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” [Colossians 3:12 HCSB]

Kindness. While kindness is sorely lacking in our world, in our politicians, corporations, media and sometimes even in our neighborhoods, it should never be sorely lacking in the life of a Christian. We are to be kind.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

He Wept

by TerryLema

I have been reading and watching the news and one thing that truly vexes my soul is the glee, the absolute delight I see on the faces of those who think they have discovered some “failing” or “shortcoming” or “fault” in another.  They run to-and-fro trying to scoop everyone else and relate the news of someone’s flaws before anyone else does.

When did we become so smitten with revealing the faults of others?  How can anyone in public life stand up under the scrutiny that is so prevalent in our society? When did we become so mean-spirited that we have to respond even to social media posts with angry, dividing, condemning words?

Or have we always been that way and now we simply have more opportunities to display our hardened hearts?

1 Corinthians 13 is a description of what love is. It tells us that love is kind and patient, that it is not rude or boastful. It always protects and hopes and is humble.  Verse 6 reminds us that “Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.” 

Shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus looked over the City of Jerusalem. He saw all the problems, the sin, the defiance, the unrighteousness in her. He did not rejoice in what He saw.  His reaction was the exact opposite of glee and delight.  “As [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.” [Luke 19:41]

Maybe it’s time beloved that we react to what is happening in our nation, in our world, in our churches, not according to the current attitudes of our society, but according to the way of our LORD. Maybe it’s time we weep.

0 comment
FacebookEmail