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Devotions

A Fatal Mistake

by TerryLema

During the occupation of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, the remnant came to Jeremiah with a request.  “Please hear our petition and pray to the LORD your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left.   Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”  [Jer 42:2-3 NIV]

Then the remnant pledged to obey whatever God said.  Jeremiah did pray and brought back a message to the people that they were to stay where they were and not be afraid about going over to the Babylonians. If they stayed, they were safe.

Unfortunately, the people did not obey and Jeremiah told them, “I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, ‘Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’ I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the LORD your God in all he sent me to tell you.” [Jer 42:19-21 NIV]

I love the way the NIV says that … “you made a fatal mistake.”

They wanted an answer from God about what to do and where to go, but they did not like the answer they got. So, they disobeyed.  Instead of being safe, they were given over to the sword, famine, and plague.  It truly was a fatal mistake.

Aren’t we like that sometimes?  We seek God in prayer for answers, but when we get an answer we don’t like … well, that’s where the obedience is supposed to come in.  It’s easy to obey the answer we are seeking; not so easy to obey the one we didn’t expect – or didn’t want. 

God says stay, we want to go, so we go. May not be a fatal mistake, but it often is one that will affect our lives for a very long time.

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Holiness

by TerryLema

There have been times when I was still pastoring that I would bring a message on holiness.  That subject is not an easy one – especially considering that to give it, you have it live it.  Preaching about holiness would usually wipe me out – probably wiped out my listeners also!

Holiness is not an easy message, but one that needs to be brought.  Holiness has been missing in our times.  It’s not something we preach or teach on very often.  It is so difficult to understand, if not impossible.  God is so far above us, so separate from us, His holiness cannot be grasped.  Yet it must be desired and pursued.  In fact, we are commanded to do so.

1 Peter 1:14-16:  “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”  

 There is not much room for argument in that passage.  We are to be holy, conformed now to the image of our God, no longer conformed to the evil desires we had when we lived as the world lives.

When I look at my life, I realize that so much of it is still operating like the world.  There is so much of my thinking I must still renew in the knowledge of Christ Jesus.  So many times, I let my feelings lead the way instead of my spirit.  So many times, I must return to my Savior and repent.  So many things remain for which to seek forgiveness.

I never want to trample on the grace of God.  I never want to get in that mode of taking God’s grace and forgiveness for granted, thinking I can live life according to the evil desires of the world and He’ll always be there with a load of grace and forgiveness to cover those things.  I want to draw and live as close to the holiness of God as I can.  Maybe that is where we all start?  With the awareness that we need to start?

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Reckless!

by TerryLema

Recently at The Way we sang one of my favorite songs, “Reckless Love,” by Cory Ashbury. I was singing along with the worship team, enjoying the music and the opportunity to worship when I sensed God giving me one of those “nudges.”  You know those “nudges” don’t you?

God “nudged” me into paying attention to what I was singing. He did that so that my praise would be based on substance. So, I listened to what I was saying.

“Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine. I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away. Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah.”

There are two things to think about when we view that word “reckless.”

First, Pastor Laura reminded me of its definition, “without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action.”

The second thing is that one of the opposites of the word reckless is “cautious.”

God nudged me so that I might fully appreciate that His love for me was given recklessly – He gave no thought or concern for what it would cost Him to pour out His love upon me. He pours out His love on all men and women even while knowing we might reject Him.

Romans 5:5: “God’s love has been poured out in our hearts [recklessly!] through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” [HCSB]

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A Rich Welcome

by TerryLema

I love reading the Apostle Peter’s letters to the church.  That big stubborn fisherman turned out pretty good once the Holy Spirit got hold of him.

I was reading his second letter to the church recently in the NIV. That is my version for this year. (When I read my Bible through each year I use a different version, that way I don’t get stuck in the “ruts” I tend to make in my Bibles.)

“For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” [2 Peter 1:10b-11 NIV]

Those words “rich welcome” caught my attention.  So I checked out a couple other versions of that passage.  The NKJV says, “For if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

The Holman Christian Standard Version translates it as, “Because if you do these things you will never stumble.  For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.”

The “these things” Peter was referring to are outlined in verses 5-7. They are character traits and attitudes that we should be adding to our faith, things like virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Still, it was those two little words, “rich welcome” that claimed my thoughts.

Our California family visited us recently. We waited all day on the day they were to arrive. We had not seen our one grandson for over a year as he went off to college. To see them drive up and get out of the car, holing their arms wide for a giant hug, I experienced a hint of the “rich welcome” our Savior has waiting for us when we enter into His Presence. Wow!

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An Unusual Freedom

by TerryLema

My doctor of nearly two decades recently decided to leave. She was worn out from the pandemic that took a toll on many physicians and nurses. She graciously referred me to another physician she thought would be a good match for me.  I met that new physician a few days ago.

At our first introductory meeting she went over everything. Asked me numerous questions, re-did some of my medications. She was personable, listened, and explained. Everything you want in a physician.  Then she brought up the POST. I had no idea what a POST is.

POST stands for “Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment.” It is filed at the state level and the first choice on the form is about resuscitation. If you are without heartbeat or breath, do you want to be resuscitated or not? This isn’t just for hospital staff, but is available to paramedics, etc. She told me to think about it and we would go over everything when I see her in September. She did say that “at your age” you might want to lean toward the “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR) response.

I walked out of the office with that form and wondered about “my age” at 75. (For those of you who have not yet attained “old age,” I should tell you that only the body feels 75, inside my heart I am 35.)

I walked out with that form and wondered about the DNR Response. It just felt odd thinking about it. Then I remembered it really does not matter what I put on that form. My God has already “filled it out.”

“Your eyes saw me when I was formless; my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.” [Psalm 139:16 HCSB]

Today is Independence Day in the United States commemorating our freedom. To know God knows all my days is true freedom. The day of my birth and the day of my death are no haphazard occurrence. Whatever I put on that form I need to remember that God has already “filled it out!”

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Length of Years

by TerryLema

Recently a 17-year-old by the name of Christopher Harding Jones from Georgia became the first person to successfully complete the latest American Ninja Warrior course.

This young man and his family were wearing tees that read “Living Wide.” This was a motto that the teen’s father lived by. Jones explained, “My dad built me a Ninja course. He started getting really excited about the prospect of me legitimately being on the show. But, about five years ago, my dad was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and given only four months to life. It didn’t seem fair, my dad never smoked in his entire life. My family’s worry was that he’d sort of give up and shut down.”

Instead, Jones said that his dad did the opposite and “coined the phrase ‘Living Wide.’ It wasn’t about the length of your life; it was the width. ‘Living Wide’ ended up changing hundreds of people’s lives around the world. He entered these groups with people with terminal illnesses and encouraged them to live their life to the fullest. Not only did it change their lives, but it also changed our family …. He was given only four months to life, instead, he lived four years.”

As I read about what this young man had to say, I was reminded of a verse in Psalm 90:12. “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” [HCSB]

Psalm 90 was a prayer of Moses. Moses had a lot of days, 120 years of days. I wonder what he was thinking when he wrote that we develop wisdom in our hearts when we learn to number our days? Think he would have agreed that “Living Wide” is much more important than simply “Living Long”?

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Acquainted with Grief

by TerryLema

That great Chapter 53 of Isaiah describes the first coming of the Messiah. We know that description fit Christ Jesus our Savior, who was rejected and brutalized by those He came to save. Part of that description says that He was “A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” [Isaiah 53:3 NKJV]

As I read through that chapter, I was drawn to those three words, “acquainted with grief.” To some extent, those three words describe life. At some point, all of us will become “acquainted with grief.”

 It may come sooner for some, or later for others, but grief is a certainty. I say that not because I am a fatalist or pessimist. In fact, I am an optimist! However, when sin and death entered this world as mankind rebelled in the Garden of Eden, grief became a certainty.

Grief becomes our companion when we lose a loved one. It walks with us when health is threatened. It abides in our aging. It flows through our sin (and the sin of others against us) as well as sin’s consequences. Once grief arrives, it never completely leaves.

But the one thing that I take great comfort in is those few words that precede “acquainted with grief” in Isaiah’s passage … our LORD is a “Man of Sorrows”, and He knows what it is like to be “acquainted with grief.”

 My LORD knows grief. And not only does He know it, but He can also provide comfort to us when grief threatens to overwhelm. Hear what Paul said:

 “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows.” [2 Corinthians 1:3-5 HCSB]

We may be “acquainted with grief,” but because of Christ Jesus, “our comfort also overflows.” Amen & Amen

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Perilous Times

by TerryLema

The events we see happening in our nation and around the world have brought up a lot of talk about the end times among Christians. Perhaps those “Perilous Times” that Paul wrote to Timothy have arrived. [1 Timothy 3:1-5]

I have read article after article talking about the events in the Book of Revelation. Authors are applying some of those ‘prophetic revelations’ found in Scripture to what we see broadcast in the media each day. Everywhere we turn people are talking about globalism and the Anti-Christ, the Mark of the Beast, and other such things.

Maybe we need to back up a bit here. 

When John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos Jesus appeared to him and showed him what John would later record as the Book of Revelation. Jesus did not start with the Anti-Christ or the Mark of the Beast. He did two things first: 1) He gave a revelation of Himself, and 2) He spoke to the churches about what was right and what was wrong within them.  Only after that did He speak of the difficulties that would arise as God reclaims all that is His by His Authority as Creator, Redeemer, King of Kings, and LORD of Lords.

If we are in the last days now – and we are certainly closer to the coming of Christ than any generation before us – then maybe, we should do it Jesus’ way. First, we need to reclaim a true vision of Him. John said we would be blessed simply by reading the Book of Revelation, so start there … at the beginning.

Rev 1:12-18: “I [John] turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.’”

Want a double blessing today? Read that again!

Let us focus first on Christ Jesus our King. Let us do the ‘end times’ His way!

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One More Step

by TerryLema

My California kids gave me a Fitbit for my birthday a few years ago. I love it. I had another cheaper brand that tracked my steps and such, but this Fitbit watch does it all, steps, exercise, heartbeat, tells me who is on the phone, shows me my email, etc.

I like to walk and get my steps in each day. That has been difficult to do in recent years because of my physical condition (and my bout with that nasty virus.) While I have not returned to my “old self before auto-immune,” I am working to increase the distance in my walks and increase my daily step count.  That means I watch my Fitbit a lot each day to see how I am doing.

The other day I noticed that my step count was increasing even though I was not up walking. I was sitting in my rocker reading. Apparently, if I hold my arm a certain way, my Fitbit registers steps when all I am doing is sitting and rocking. What a delightfully easy way to get my step count up! Except, that does not do anything good for my body. It just looks good on the outside record.

Ah, LORD, are you trying to tell me something? What am I most concerned about – my outside appearance to others or the inside spiritual condition of my heart before you?

Too often we care more about how others see us than we do about what our LORD sees in our hearts. When that happens, it is good to pray David’s prayer.  “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.” [Psalm 19:14]

We must let God do His work in us—even though that work demands we get up and move with Him. We cannot “sit and rock” our way into spiritual health.

 Amen & Amen.

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Count the Cost

by TerryLema

f we are going to do this Christian walk correctly, it’s not going to be easy. What is “freely given” – our salvation – costs a lot! Jesus even warned His followers that they needed to “count the cost.”  [Luke 14:28]

Paul commanded his readers to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Then he told them what that would cost to do so.  “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” [Eph 4:1-3 NIV]

That means it’s going to cost me my arrogance (to be completely humble) and my anger (to be gentle.)  I’ll need to throw in my irritation (so I can be patient), and my indifference (so I can bear with others in love.)

And if I am going to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, that will cost me my divisiveness, murmuring, gossiping, envy, and resentment.

Paul didn’t stop there either. He came right out later in his letter and identified even more cost!

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”  And finally, He said we are to “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ in God forgave you.”  [Eph 4:31-32 NIV]

It’s going to cost even more when I must get rid of my rudeness (so I can be kind), my heartlessness (so I can become compassionate) and finally my unforgiveness (so that I might reflect the forgiveness I received in Christ).

Yes, to do this walk right will cost quite a bit.

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