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Devotions

by TerryLema

I was cleaning off my desk and came across a card I received from my son a little while ago. When he signed the card, he added a note and called me resilient. That word “resilient” intrigued me, so I decided to look it up.

Resilient: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.

After looking it up, my mind began to travel back to some of the difficult conditions that decorated my life. I guess there were a few. More than a few if I wrote them down on paper and counted them.

Yet, when I look back at my life, I seldom focus on the difficult conditions. I know they are there, but they are in the background not the forefront.  In the forefront is God’s loving compassion and care that adorned my life in the good times and in the not-so-good times.

Occasionally the enemy brings one of those difficult conditions back to my remembrance. He wants to use it as a weapon against my soul.  He wants me to become bitter over some offense, or angry over some circumstance. He wants me to live in the hurt.  He wants me to blame God.  But he will not succeed.

A recent daily verse reminded me of God’s promise that the enemy of our soul will not succeed. “’No weapon formed against you will succeed, and you will refute any accusation raised against you in court. This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, and their righteousness is from Me.’ This is the Lord’s declaration.” [Isaiah 54:17HCSB]

If I am resilient, if I am able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions, it is all because I have a heritage as a servant of the LORD. I have His righteousness flooding through every nook and cranny of my life.

I am His, He is mine. My LORD, not the enemy nor the difficult conditions, has the last say.  Amen & Amen.

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No “Buts” in Repentance

by TerryLema

There is something about that three-letter word “but.” “But” is used to introduce a phrase or clause contrasting with what has already been mentioned. In other words, the word “but” negates or cancels everything that goes before it. It is generally accepted as a signal that the really important part of the sentence is coming up.

One of the things I learned from Pastor Laura at The Way Middleton as we studied the reasons why God removed the anointing from Saul, is that King Saul hedged his repentance.  He would say, “I have sinned,” but then would explain, rationalize, or justify his sin.  [1 Samuel 15]

To give Saul grace, we have to admit he was not the first one to hedge his repentance with “but.”  When Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation in the Garden of Eden, they did the same thing when God confronted them.

Genesis 4:12-13: “Then the man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.’ And the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’” [HCSB]

Eve disobeyed God, “but” blamed the serpent.  Adam disobeyed God, “but” blamed God – “The woman whom You gave to be with me….”

When we repent, we need to stop with “I have sinned,” and never include a “but.” Sinning is never justified. Sinning can never be explained.  Sinning cannot be rationalized.  Sinning is simply sinning.  And repentance is always to be repentance.

There are no “buts” in repentance. 

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Stand and See!

by TerryLema

As I wrote yesterday, Pastor Laura at The Way Middleton Church is doing a summer series about David and as she spoke about the removal of Saul as King of Israel (preparing the way for David), I heard a couple things I wanted to share.

“The Battle is the Lord’s!”  God had always dwelt with Israel under the banner “The Battle is the Lord’s.” Saul, however, believed the battle was his, that it was his reputation on the line in winning or losing.  That colored all his decisions and choices. (one of Pastor Laura’s points.)

“The Battle is the Lord’s!”  When I heard that I immediately asked myself if that is how I respond to the threats that often come in life. Or do I respond with fear. After all, fear and its close cousin anxiety are the normal emotions in response to a danger or threat.

The physiological and psychological response to threats and fear is called “Fight or Flight.” It is defined as 1) Fight: facing any perceived threat aggressively, 2) Flight: running away from the danger, 3) Freeze: unable to move or act against a threat, and 4) Fawn: immediately acting to try to please to avoid any conflict.

In the Old Testament, however, there was another way to respond to threats and fear.  It was to “Stand and see.”

Exodus 14:13: “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.”

1 Samuel 12:16: “Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes.”

2 Chronicles 20:17: “Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes.”

In the New Testament, Ephesians 6 reminds us to pick up the armor of God and stand in the power of God.  “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Threats in life produce fear. Fear demands a response. Will we choose “Fight or Flight” or will we choose, “The Battle is the Lord’s” and stand strong in Him?

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You Did Not Come

by TerryLema

Pastor Laura at The Way Middleton Church is doing a summer series on David.  I am loving it!  A couple Sunday’s ago, she delved into Saul’s attitude and why it led him to be removed as king over Israel and why the Spirit of the LORD departed from him.  During her message God had me key on three things.  I asked her if I could use some of her thoughts in a few devotions and she agreed.

The first thing that stood out to me was Saul’s accusation, “You did not come” (or Excuses, Excuses). This was out of 1 Samuel 13. Saul and his army were facing a battle against the Philistines who were described as “thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude.”  [vs 5 HCSB]

Saul had been instructed to wait seven days for Samuel to arrive and offer sacrifice for the battle, but he increasingly grew impatient. Eventually, as he watched his own army grow discomfited in the situation, Saul took things in his owns hands (Pastor Laura’s point) and assumed the privileges of the priests and offered sacrifices.  That’s when Samuel showed up.

When questioned by Samuel about what he had done, Saul tried to put the blame on Samuel … “you did not come ….” [vs 11 HCSB]

Those four words, “you did not come” resonated in my soul. I know as I look back that many of my issues and problems were because I thought God was late. He was not going to come in time, so I needed to do something – like Saul did, only to find that God was not late at all. He was operating within His timeline, not the one I set for Him.

I am sure that much heartache could have been avoided had I just waited a little longer and allowed Him to move on my behalf.  How much peace did I forfeit?

Thankfully, God did not give up on me. Through His Holy Spirit, He patiently taught me (and is still teaching me) how much better it is to wait on Him!  His answers are always better than mine.

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Joy

by TerryLema

My backyard is alive and full of joy!  It is spring and all the little birds that take up residence in our cedar trees during the winter months are making their nests.  They are flying in and out of the trees with sticks and pieces of fluff—anything they can find to prepare for new life.

While they are in the trees, they are singing their hearts out. I like to think they are praising their Creator when they do that and are inviting me to join them! Join them I shall. How could I not?

I have the ability today to choose how I face what this day, May 10, 2022, holds. I can bemoan growing older, curse the aches and pains that often accompany my day. I can dwell on the insecurity of my income amid rising inflation. I can choose to complain about the everyday difficulties. I can become depressed or anxious. I can … but I won’t.

Not today. Today I will join the little birds in my backyard, and I will praise my Creator and Savior and LORD. Today I will be grateful. Today I will sing, and maybe even shout a bit about how wonderful my God is. I will smile and be joyful.

“The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.” [Exodus 15:2 HSB]

“I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” [Psalm 7:17 HCSB]

“I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.” [Psalm 27:6b HCSB]

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!” [Psalm 103:1 HCSB]

Today I sing!  I sing joyfully to my Savior. I praise His beautiful name. My joyful voice joins the little birds as they praise our Creator!

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There You Are!

by TerryLema

Every now and then I come across a list of “laws.”  Laws such as: The Law of Mechanical Repair: “After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will start to itch,” or The Variation Law: “If you change lines or traffic lanes, the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now.” And this one: The Law of the Last Word: “Hey, watch this!”

Most of the ‘laws’ make me laugh.  Recently, one really made me think.  It is the Law of Location: “No matter where you go, there you are.”

The writer of Chronicles tells us where we can find the circumstances or events of David’s reign.  “As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, note that they are written in the Events of Samuel the Seer, the Events of Nathan the Prophet, and the Events of Gad the Seer, along with all his reign, his might, and the incidents [circumstances] that affected him” [1 Chronicles 29:29-30 HCSB]

But when Paul peached at Pisidian Antioch, he could have talked about all the events and circumstances that David experienced. Instead, he tells us about David’s heart — how God testified “I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart who will do all My will.” [Acts 13:22 HCSB]

Too often, we are more concerned with the circumstances we find ourselves in than we are about the condition of our hearts. We keep praying for God to take us out of our circumstances, but even if God does take us out of our present circumstances, unless we change, nothing changes — “no matter where [we] go, there [we] are.”

Our hearts must change; we must change.  We must have hearts after God’s own heart just as David had.  Then it won’t matter our circumstances.

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Make a List (Check it Often!)

by TerryLema

A list of problems.  A list of things for which he could give thanks.  That is what Robinson Crusoe did after he was shipwrecked.  He took inventory of his life and was surprised at the size of the list of his assets. Perhaps we should do that on a regular basis—make a list of our problems and a list of things for which we can give thanks.

The one thing we learn about the Apostle Paul by reading his letters to the churches is that he did the same thing.  He often cited the things that were against him, but he never dwelled there.  He acknowledged all He suffered, but then went on to show all the things for which he gave thanks.

“For we don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia: we were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life.  Indeed, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves…. But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”  [2 Corinthians 1:8-9, 2:14 HCSB]

That, “but thanks be to God” should be the heading of the list of things for which we can give thanks. Whatever we put in the list of problems, we can always begin the second with, “but, thanks be to God….”

For example, if our problem is fear, “but, thanks be to God” we have God’s promise that He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. [2 Tim 1:7]

If our problem is financial, “but, thanks be to God” we have God’s promise that He shall supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. [Phil 4:19]

It really doesn’t matter what we put on that first problem list, there is always a “but, thanks be to God” promise from God on the second.

Father, You have provided everything we need, even our very breath.  I know my “Thanks be to God” list far outweighs any problems I might face in this life.  Thank you, Father, for Your abundance in my life.  Keep me ever aware that you are Good, Good, Father.  Amen

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A Base for Further Advance

by TerryLema

Utah. Pointe du Hoc. Omaha. Gold. Juno. Sword. Do you recognize those names?  They are the beaches of D-Day, where the Allied Forces landed at Normandy (WWII).  They gained a foothold in that battle that would allow them to sweep across the continent and defeat the enemy forces.  The European war would still rage for about another year and a half, but most historians mark D-Day as the day that victory was set.

A foothold.  Merriam-Webster defines foothold as a position usable as a base for further advance.  No wonder Paul warned us in Ephesians 4:27: “do not give the devil a foothold.”

In Ephesians 4:25-32, Paul lists some of the thing that will allow the devil to gain that foothold, including lying, anger, stealing, unwholesome talk, bitterness, rage, brawling, slander, malice, unforgiveness.  And that’s but a sample.  Once the enemy of our soul has that foothold, he can use it to make advances in our lives that will cripple and main us spiritually.  Once he has that foothold, he can advance toward victory over us.

So, what are we to do when we think the enemy might be trying to gain a foothold?  I think Paul gave us the answer in the next chapter: “Walk as children of light– for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth— discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.”  [Eph 5:8-10 HCSB]

Live as children of light.  We need to stay as close to the Source of Light as possible.  This spiritual walk isn’t a game to see how far we can get from the Source of Light and still be in it!  It’s a persistent endeavor to remain as close as we can.

And we also must make it our life goal to find out and do what pleases the Lord, not ourselves.  When we start to drift away from the Lord of Light, when we begin to think about self’s desires, we put ourselves in danger of giving the enemy a foothold from which to launch a battle against us.

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See Me Through

by TerryLema

I wrote yesterday about how I enjoy reading and contemplating Romans 5:1-5.  I hope you took the time to also read it and that it spoke to you.  Sometimes it is good to not just read through a paragraph in Scripture, but to look at the individual words and think about each word, or combination of words.

In that paragraph, you will find faith, hope, and love.  You will come across rejoicing and suffering.  Did you notice the Trinity?  God the father. Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit.

My focus kept coming back to verse 5: “This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  [HCSB]

My thoughts centered on the hope that does not disappoint.  I’ve lived 75 years and I must acknowledge that there have been many disappointments in my life.  Many times my expectations have not come to pass.  Too many times people have disappointed me.  I’ve been disappointed in employers, church, friends, products, vacations, locations, you name it.  Disappointments abound in this world.

But Paul’s emphasis here is on “the hope” that does not disappoint.  That hope is born out of suffering; it is produced when suffering is approached correctly.  That hope does not disappoint, Paul says, “because God” … because God in the midst of our suffering poured out his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

I can look back on these 75 years and admit there have been many disappointments.  I can look back and see the times when suffering seemed to be the norm rather than the exception.  But I can also look back and see the times that God simply picked me up and set me on His lap and held me close.  I can hear His whispers that He was with me, that this too shall pass.  

 Those were special times, and they produced a hope that whatever suffering might arise, God’s love will see me through.

 

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What a Punch!

by TerryLema

I always enjoy reading the first paragraph of Romans 5, verses 1-5.  Listen to some of the truths found in those verses reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

We have been 1) declared righteous by faith…have peace with God…obtained access into this grace in which we now stand, 2) rejoice in the hope of the glory of God…rejoice in our afflictions (sufferings), 3) affliction (suffering) produces…hope will not disappoint, and 4) God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Wow, could Paul pack more punch in one paragraph than he did here?  I love the contrasts.  We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God; we rejoice in our sufferings.  

 I also am captivated by the two outcomes that follow each other.  Suffering produces; hope does not disappoint.

 Suffering produces – what it produces depends upon how we approach it. I remember friends of my parents.  Their first child was born right after Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, she died shortly after birth.  Then they had another girl, raised to adulthood.  Their third child, a boy died of a brain tumor at age eight.  Shortly after he died, they had another boy, raised to adulthood.  Their fifth child, a boy had Down’s Syndrome.  This was at a time when that condition was viewed quite differently than it is today.

Many people looked on this couple and expected to find bitter people, instead they found people who were joyful and loved the Lord.  They were patient, kind, wonderful people. Suffering produced much good in them.

Suffering produces – what it produces depends on if we approach it with God or against God.

 Take a moment today and read Romans 5:1-5.  What do you find there?

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