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Devotions

Cheerful Perseverance

by TerryLema

On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripkin, Jr., Orioles Hall of Famer, broke Lou Gehrig’s all-time consecutive game streak of 2,130 games.  I remember watching that game, hearing the standing ovation that just would not stop, watching Ripkin shoved out of the dugout to take a lap around the field in the middle of the game just to get the game going again.  Before he was finished, Ripkin would stretch that streak to 2,632 games.  2,632 consecutive games!  He is baseball’s all-time iron man.

If there is a word that describes Ripkin it might be perseverance.  Perseverance in our English dictionary means a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or disappointments.  I’m sure Ripkin had all those, he may not even have wanted to play baseball some days.  But he persisted.  It was his ethic to be there and do his job.

Heb 12:1 says, “let us run with perseverance [endurance] the race marked out for us.” The Greek word is hupomone (hoop-om-on-ay’).  It adds something to our English definition of perseverance.  It means cheerful (or hopeful) endurance.

Hopeful endurance.  Why hopeful?  Because of the following verse in Hebrews 12:  “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the source [author] and perfecter of our faith.”  [HCSB]

Our perseverance is cheerful and hopeful because what we see in front of us is not the acclaim of men, not a statistic in a record book, or even the garnering of Hall of Fame votes.  It is Jesus, out in front of us, leading us in the race, urging us on to a perfection of faith.  We fix our eyes on the One who died for us, who endured the cross with joy because of us.  Because of Him, we can certainly persevere in our race, full of hope and cheerfulness.

 

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Marvelous, Amazing, Wondrous Grace!

by TerryLema

“And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” 

That is a verse in Zechariah 4.  We are perhaps not as familiar with it as we are with the one that precedes it.  “Not by might nor by power, but by My spirit, says the LORD of hosts.”   [Zechariah 4:6-7 HCSB]

The captivity of the Jews in Babylon had come to an end after 70 years and a remnant was returning to their homeland only to find the temple had been destroyed and much of the land was rubble.  God gave Zechariah a series of visions to reassure this remnant that He was with them.  The temple would be rebuilt.  God would once again dwell with His people.

God put a man named Zerubbabel in charge. The foundation would be laid and the building completed.  It would not be done by human strength or power, but in the power of God’s Spirit.  And when they brought out the capstone to signal the house of God was complete, the song they would cry would be, “Grace, Grace to it!”  It would all be accomplished, from foundation to roof, from room to room, from depths to heights and widths through God’s marvelous grace.

The Scriptures remind us that now by faith we are the temple of the Living God.  He no longer dwells in houses made with brick, but in His children who have come back to Him by faith through the salvation obtained by Christ at Calvary.   This is all accomplished by God’s marvelous grace. The same thing that Paul claimed is our claim also, “But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective.” [1 Cor 15:10 HCSB]

There is coming a time when we shall stand in the presence of our God.  One by one the capstones of our lives will be raised, and the song each one of us will sing is, “Grace, Grace to it!”

It’s all because of God’s amazing grace.

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Stopping Short?

by TerryLema

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” [Rom 10:9 HCSB]

You are probably reading this devotional this day because at some point in your life you did exactly what Paul wrote in Romans 10.  You confessed that Jesus is Lord, you believed that He died, was buried, and rose from the grave.  And you know that through that confession of faith, you are saved now and will be with Him one day.

Jesus is Lord.  Lord, NT:2962, kurios (koo’-ree-os); from kuros (supremacy); supreme in authority.

Jesus is Lord.  He is the supreme authority over and in our salvation.  (Colossians 1:15-20 also declares His authority over everything, “in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities….”)

Salvation, of course, is our greatest need, but I wonder what would happen if we, His church, started claiming and confessing His Lordship over more than just our salvation.  What if we started seeking His Lordship over our bodies, our minds, our wills?  What if we started claiming His Lordship over our jobs, our families, our finances, our marriages?  What would happen if we started claiming His Supreme authority over our churches, our neighborhoods, our politicians, our scientists, our doctors, and our lawyers?

I wonder if we are stopping short of what God’s great will is.  Jesus said that we are to pray that the Father’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  We acknowledge with our minds that God’s will is the supremacy, the Lordship of Christ over all things, but are we praying that way?  Are we expecting God’s Spirit to move in answer to those kinds of prayers? 

Or, are we stopping short?  Something I am surely going to be thinking and praying about today.

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His Child and Forever I Am

by TerryLema

The other night there was nothing on television worth watching, not even a baseball game. It was 7:00 PM and Bob and I were staring at each other. He suggested I find a war movie on that “other channel.” You have to understand that Bob is extremely electronically challenged. That “other channel” he was talking about was the internet which I occasionally bring up on the television.

When I switched us over and we futilely scanned for a war movie, I convinced him it would be great to spend our evening watching some Christian music videos on YouTube. He agreed, thankfully.

One of the videos that popped up was the old hymn “Redeemed.”  As they began to sing, my heart began to soar, especially when they hit the chorus. “Redeemed, redeemed, Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed, redeemed, His child, and forever I am.”

I was lifted into praise as I heard them sing that chorus. I was lifted even higher when they got to verse three. “I think of my blessed Redeemer, I worship Him all the day long, I sing, for I cannot be silent! His love is the theme of my song.”

His love is the theme of my song.

There are times when I cannot, and should not, contain the wonder of God’s love for me. No matter how difficult life gets, to know that I am “His child, and forever I am,” is overwhelmingly sufficient for every one of life’s moments.

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Wonder!

by TerryLema

Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain and was transfigured before them.  Coming down from that experience he found the other disciples arguing with some teachers of the law. A large crowd was standing around watching. The argument apparently was focused on a father with a son possessed by a spirit that continually tried to kill him. The other disciples had tried to cast the spirit out but had been unsuccessful. Jesus, however, cast out the spirit and set the young boy free.

This morning as I was reading that chapter, instead of focusing on the transfiguration or the events surrounding Jesus and this father and son, I found myself focusing on a verse between those two events. “As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.” [Mark 9:15]

The people were overwhelmed with “wonder.” The English does not do that Greek word justice. It is a very intensive word, used only in Mark’s Gospel.  It means to “astonish utterly, to greatly amaze.” It even carries a hint of fright.

The people were greatly amazed before they even saw the miracle. They were utterly astonished simply when they saw Jesus.

There is something undefinable that happens when coming face to face with holiness. Moses knew it on the mountain with God, Isaiah felt it when he saw the vision of God high and lifted up in the heavenly temple. The crowd recognized it when Jesus descended from the transfiguration on the mountain.

Oh God, how holy, how wondrous You are. Blessed be the Lord God Almighty. Amen.

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But God, Part 4

by TerryLema

But God. Acts 13:30: “But God raised [Jesus] from the dead.” [HCSB]

“Then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.” [Romans 8:9-11 HCSB]

Hallelujah!

I hurt in various places. My right knee often gives me trouble. I ruptured a bicep (which they won’t fix at my age). My hair is getting more sparse. Lots of stuff droops and sags. I am sure the floor is further away than when I was younger. In other words, this old body just ain’t what it used to be!

In this life, our bodies are still subject to the curse of death, even though our souls and spirits have been set free.  We truly are in the ‘land of the dying’ heading, as believers, to the ‘land of the living.’ And what a promise God has given us—that He will one day give us a new body, one that will operate in the New Heavens and the New Earth.

I think everyone at some point in life looks back and thinks that their best days are behind them.  But, beloved, as followers of Christ the truth is that our best days are still ahead of us!

Hallelujah!

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But God, Part 3

by TerryLema

But God. Heb 12:10-11: “but [God] [disciplines] for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness.” [HCSB]

Discipline, not the most thrilling of words. In the NT Greek, it means “to train up a child, i.e., educate.” It is often translated as instruct, learn, teach, and part of teaching can be punishment.

When my middle grandson was a preschooler, his parents were trying to teach him not to use the word “stupid.” Saying “stupid” brought a short time-out to enforce the instruction. Grandpa and I were visiting with them in California and as we sat around the kitchen table, Grandpa unfortunately used the word “stupid.”  Immediately, of course, little Marcus said, “PapaBob, you can’t say ‘stupid.’ We don’t say ‘stupid’ and you said ‘stupid’ so you have to go to time-out.”

My daughter-in-law smiled and backed up little Marcus, “Yes, PapaBob, time-out.” So, there went PapaBob to the time-out chair, the little kitchen timer counting down the seconds of his discipline, with Marcus sitting there watching and wearing the biggest grin.

God disciplines us. He does it to educate us for a divine purpose that we may share in His holiness. At times that education is reinforced with a bit of punishment when needed, a time-out as it were.

We should never confuse God’s discipline with condemnation, however, for Jesus took our condemnation. Discipline is part of sanctification and designed to conform us into the image of Christ Jesus, God’s dear son.

Thank you, Father, for the discipline that makes me more like Jesus. Amen.

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But God, Part 2

by TerryLema

But God.  Paul had been worried about the church in Corinth. He had sent them a tough letter, urging them to deal with both the blatant sin in their midst, and the false teachers that seemed to be winning them over to a heretical gospel.  Paul had sent Titus to Corinth to get a feel for their reaction and report back.

Travel and postal service were a lot slower in those days. News was not instantaneous as it is now, so Paul had to wait, and while he did, he worried. He worried that the work he had begun in Corinth was being perverted. He worried that his “children” were being lured away from the truth of Christ.

Titus finally did return, and with his good report, brought comfort. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul identified that comfort as coming from God.

2 Cor 7:6: “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.” [NKJV]

God comforts the downcast. He comforted Paul through the good news that Titus brought back from Corinth.

God comforts us when we are downcast – and yes, even strong believers get downcast at times.  If it could happen to Paul (and David), it can certainly happen to us.  Good News from God, however, will always revive and lift us.

If you are feeling downcast, read Romans 8. It is full of God’s Good News, and it is a great cure for being downcast.

Glory to God. Amen.

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But God, Part 1

by TerryLema

But God. Two 3-letter words. But God. Have you ever thought about what you would be, what your life would be if those two little words didn’t exist?  But God. It is an interesting study looking up “but God” in a concordance. I want to spend a few days looking at some of my favorite “but God” occurrences in Scripture.

In Luke 16, Jesus tells the story of the master and the dishonest manager. He ends with a dynamic statement, “You can’t be slaves to both God and money.” [Luke 16:13 HCSB]

Luke then tells us that there were Pharisees listening, “who loved money…and were sneering [scoffing] at Jesus.” 

Jesus sees their sneers and tells them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts.” [v 14-15 HCSB]

But God knows your hearts. That is both a negative and a positive statement. For those who sneer at the things of God and hold themselves up for glory in the sight of men, God sees through the arrogance. He knows their hearts. But for those who by their very lives seek to honor Him in the sight of men, God also knows their hearts and they are pleasing to Him.

Father, my heart breaks when I see the sneers or read the insults to You. May I always remember to pray for those souls. May my own heart always honor You. Amen.

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He is Able

by TerryLema

“To him who is able … to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless [faultless] and with great [exceeding] 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 24-25 HCSB]

I do love this doxology that closes Jude’s letter.  Yesterday I wrote about our God and His ability to “keep us from falling,” the first praise expression of Jude.  But there is a second reason Jude is praising God, and that is God is able to present us before His glorious presence blameless and with exceeding joy.

Blameless/Faultless. The Greek word means simply unblemished, without blame or fault. Have you ever wondered what it will be like to be eternally faultless, no blemish on our soul ever again? Have you ever wondered what it will feel like to be completely, absolutely without shame?

I know that is the way God sees me now in Christ. I also know that is not how others see me, or even how I see myself. In this life, my blemishes and faults are often very visible. And inside my soul I am often reminded I have no one to blame but myself for my choices, my sins, my flaws.

But the day is coming … that day when all my blemishes, faults, shame will remain in the grave and I will exit into the presence of the Lord white as snow. No wonder Jude says that when that happens there will be great, exceedingly great joy!

Thank you, Father, for Christ whose sacrifice makes me white as snow. I long for the day when I will no longer be able to see (or perhaps even remember?) the faults and failures of this life. Amen.

 

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