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Devotions

Heirs Don’t Earn!

by TerryLema

Ever caught yourself thinking you can “earn” something from God? We understand that salvation is unearned. Jesus paid it all. The Gospel is the declaration of “Good News,” and that news is that our salvation is already completed by Christ Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to the Right Hand of the Father.

Yet still, in the human heart resides a need to “earn” our way with God.

We wonder why God doesn’t heal us, or bless us, or give us what we ask for when we have been so obedient, or so good, or so loyal. There is something deep inside us that makes us think we need to gain God’s favor through our work.

We forget one very important thing … heirs don’t earn, they inherit. And as God’s children, we are heirs.

“The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ.” [Romans 8:16 HCSB]

When my aunt and uncle died in the early 1990’s, I inherited a part of their estate. I inherited, not because I worked for it, but because of my relationship with my aunt and uncle.

We are heirs, God’s heirs, coheirs with Christ! We have not earned anything!  We are heirs because of our relationship with God the Father through our Lord Christ Jesus.

And what an inheritance it is!

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What is the Least I Can Do?

by TerryLema

I am spending this week in the Book of Jude. A little book with great counsel for the End Times.

“But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.” [Jude 1:20-21 HCSB]

Jude wants all believers to contend earnestly for the faith, which is the saving truth of Christ Jesus and His teachings.  The faith is the Good News (Gospel) that Jesus has already done everything we need for salvation.  [1:3]

Now, we are to “build [ourselves] up in [our] most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.” [1:20 HCSB]

We are also to “keep [ourselves] in the love of God.” [1:21 HCSB]

Building, praying, and keeping requires diligence and work.  Too many of us live our life of faith trying to answer the question, “What is the least I can do?”

“How much can I do to get by” is not the mindset of a true contender. A true contender vigorously endeavors to win the competition (which is what “contend” means).  A true contender does not hold anything back.

Father God, make us true contenders. Give us the mind and determination of Christ that we might seek not to do the least but the most! Amen.

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Contend

by TerryLema

I have been reading the Letter of Jude. It is a small letter, only 25 verses. It is a letter we do not often read, but it is a letter with great relevance for our generation.  As I was reading, I came across that word “contend.”

“I found it necessary to write and exhort you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.” [Jude 1:3 HCSB]

That word (contend) had special meaning in light of a warning I read the other day. As I was studying for a message, I came across this comment: “The church is always only a few generations away from losing the Gospel.”

When Jude wrote his letter, he was concerned because the Christian message of the Gospel of Christ Jesus was under attack from false teachers spreading dangerous heresies. These teachers were seeking to undermine and erode the truth of the Gospel.

Jude urges them to “contend for the faith.” The Greek word translated as contend is only used in this passage. It means to struggle for or earnestly contend. It usually describes an athlete striving with extreme intensity to win the victory. Jude is urging his readers to fight strenuously for the defense of the faith.

Jude’s message for his generation is a message for our generation.  The Gospel is under attack in our midst also. False teachers, false doctrines are seeking to undermine and erode the truth of the Gospel. False teachers seek to dilute and distort the message of Christ Jesus.

We are in danger of losing the Gospel in the next few generations if we do not step up and “contend for the faith” now!

Make us brave O God!

 

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Danger Ahead

by TerryLema

The Book of Jude (the brother of James) is a small work. It is only one chapter. It begins with a greeting and ends with a doxology.

“To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ. May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.” [Jude 1:1-2 HCSB]

“Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.”  [Jude 1:24 HCSB]

Jude is not usually a book we spend a lot of time in, but between the greeting and the ending, we find a book which is important for us today. Jude is a book which focuses on apostasy. Apostasy is the abandonment or renunciation of faith. It is a book for the End Times.

Jude admonishes us to contend for the faith because there are false prophets in the church and the saints are in danger. Whether or not we are living in the End Times, we know we are living in a historical time in this nation. All we hold dear in the church is under attack. False teachers and false doctrines abound.

Saints of God need to know the Gospel, they need to know the Scriptures. You cannot defend something you do not know!

And we need to be totally surrendered to the LORDship of Christ in every area of our lives. We need to know His voice so that we can readily obey. Only He is able to protect us from stumbling through this life. Only in His presence will we experience His Glory and share His Great Joy!

“Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy….”  Amen

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Thankful for You!

by TerryLema

I pray you have a great day counting your blessings in Christ Jesus!

You all bless me. I am always amazed that someone will read what I write, and sometimes comment on it. I am always overwhelmed when a devotion resonates with someone and helps them along the way.

Please know how grateful I am for you!  When I thank my LORD for His many blessings in my life, please know that you will be on my list today.

Enjoy the day. Enjoy the love. See you tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Terry

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I Am Blessed!

by TerryLema

Blessed beyond my ability to comprehend at times. I have found there is a big difference between being blessed and life being easy. Too often we equate God’s blessings with escape from the difficulties of life, or always getting every little thing we might need or want. That has never been the case for me.

Growing up was a difficult experience, yet still had its share of joys. My teen years were full of rebellion, yet God kept me from harm. Married early, three children, financial difficulties, and God through all those things brought supernatural healing for a child, led me to salvation, and gave me a hope that transcended every grievous trial.

We built the house of our dreams and lost the house of our dreams. We found a church we loved that loved us back. Recession moved us away from that church to another state. And as I look back, God led each step of the way.

There have been joys and griefs, delights, and discouragements. Through it all I have learned that God loves me. He loves me. Me! That unhappy, rebellious, short-tempered, impatient person, AKA me, is loved by the Everlasting, Infinite, Almighty God. He has walked with me in the joys and in the griefs. I know His presence in the delights and discouragements. He loves me.

That is blessing—not that I might have avoided all the dark trials and circumstance, but that He has been the light amid every one of them.

Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.”

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Oh, that Amazing Grace!

by TerryLema

His amazing grace captures my heart every time I think of what the LORD Jesus Christ did for me.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.” [2 Corinthians 8:9 HCSB]

I grew up in a traditional church. I am so appreciative of the truths that they instilled in my soul – that there is a God and that I have an accountability to Him.

While I embraced those truths, I was a bit unsure how to live out that accountability. In my search for how to live for God, I learned about grace, but it was not until I met Pastor Jim Gardiner at Loomis First Assembly in the early 1980’s that I began to grasp the depth of God’s grace. He taught me about God’s wondrous love and about God’s Amazing Grace.

Oh, that Amazing Grace, the power of that grace in my life!

After four decades I am still plumbing the depths of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. I think I will be plumbing those depths throughout eternity. Every time I will see my Savior, who gave up the riches of glory to walk this dusty earth – without even a place to lay His Precious Head – I will be overwhelmed by His love and Amazing Grace.

He gave up everything so that I (a wretch who had nothing) might have everything in Him. Now I live in the power of that grace … and will live in it for all eternity.

 

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I Got Nothing

by TerryLema

I have been reading a new book. I am not sure how it was picked for me on my Amazon Kindle Daily Deals email, but I am glad it was. It is “Defiant Grace: The Surprising Message and Mission of Jesus” by Dane Ortlund.

The book looks at “Defiant Grace” in each of the Gospels. So far, I have made it through Chapter 1 on Matthew. After finishing that first chapter, I realized that this is one of those books that I am going to have to read, and then go back and read again, and read maybe a third time to fully appreciate the message. But one sentence in Chapter 1 brought me up short.

“… in the kingdom of God the one thing that qualifies us is knowing that we don’t, and the one thing that disqualifies us is thinking that we do. In other words, all we need is to know our need. To put it briefly, the only thing to offer is the single statement: ‘I have nothing to offer.’” 

That sentence made me stop and ask God, “Why?” “Why me?” “Why would you call me to be your child?”

I was a difficult child, a rebellious teenager. I’ve been a thief, a liar, am often arrogant, impatient, and unkind. I fail often. In other words, I have been (and am still) a sinner. But I am also something more because two of the most wonderful words ever uttered appeared in my life … “But God ….”

“We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!” [Ephesians 2:3-5 HCSB]

“But God” rich in mercy saved me and made me His child.

I am a sinner, now saved by His amazing grace. I am a child of God. And when I realize that I am not qualified to be His child, that I have nothing to offer Him, I am overcome with “Why me?” I will never be able to answer that question, but I can rest in His love, mercy and grace.

Thank you, Father!

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Today

by TerryLema

Today is the day The Way Middleton will meet the pastoral candidate selected by the Recruitment Committee to replace me. There will be a message, a Meet & Greet Potluck, followed by a vote. If this candidate is voted in, my last day will be December 31 … and my last Sunday will be December 26.

It is becoming very real that soon my life will change dramatically. I am soon to be 75 years old. I am not going to be doing the same thing I have been doing for so long. I am sure God has something for me, I am just unsure of what that might be. And not knowing is definitely not my favorite place to be!

I am a planner. I am a little bit OCD. I like knowing where I am going, how I am going to get there and when I will arrive. Right now, I have no idea.

I feel a bit like my son when he was little. Before we left the house each morning for school, he wanted to know what was for dinner that night. If I did not know, he would become upset and his whole day would be more difficult. Of course, if I told him we were having meatloaf and he came home to spaghetti, he was still upset. I think I know from whom he got those attitudes!

I am praying that God has His best for The Way going forward. I am praying that God has His best for me going forward.

I am just fussing a bit this morning that He has yet to reveal what His best for me is. I want to know, am I having meatloaf or spaghetti! (Smile!)

 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” [Proverbs 3:5-6 HCSB]

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Everything We Have

by TerryLema

In the middle of last Sunday’s song service, I was overcome with a truth. One of those “Ah ha” moments that can come when we sing a song or read a Scripture or pray a prayer.  It may be something we already know or have studied in the past, but now rather than just knowing … we KNOW!

This “Ah ha” moment came as we sang the song, “Above All.” As I was singing the chorus, I felt the LORD touch me deeply.

“Crucified, laid behind a stone. You lived to die, rejected and alone. Like a rose trampled on the ground: You took the fall and thought of me above all.”

I realized in that moment that everything I have, everything I am as a child of God is mine because Jesus sacrificed something of Himself.

“For [God] made [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” [2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV]

“[Jesus] Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds.” [1 Peter 2:24 HCSB]

And that is just the beginning. For every blessing, every benefit, everything we have in God, Jesus sacrificed something that those things might be ours.

As we count our blessings this month – as we gratefully come before our God with praise and thanksgiving, let us be reminded of what our salvation and acceptance cost our LORD and Savior.

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