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Devotions

Handwashing

by TerryLema

We are almost to the end of 2021. As of today, there are 50 days remaining in 2021. These last two years have been interesting and challenging. We have seen divisions and opinions over all kinds of topics. The main one, of course, is that illness stemming from C___D. (If I spell it out, when I post this on FB, I’ll get one of those “information notices” over the top of my post. But I’m sure you know what I’m talking about!)

I think one good thing that has come out of these troublesome two years is that we are better at handwashing. We may differ on how to handle the fear and virus pandemic, but I doubt anyone can dispute the value of washing our hands more often.

Jesus’ disciples got in trouble in Matthew 15 for not washing their hands before they ate. The Pharisees and scribes confronted Jesus about it. However, they were not concerned about germs, they were concerned about the traditions that had been handed down by the elders. [vs 1-2]

Jesus turned the tables back on those confronting him by reminding them that they broke God’s commandments through some of their traditions. Then Jesus quoted the words of Isaiah 29:13: “These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commands of men.” [vs 8-9 HCSB]

As I read the account in Matthew 15, I could not help but wonder what Jesus would say if He walked into our midst today. The issue would not be about handwashing, but I wonder if we too are teaching “as doctrines the commands of men.”

I wonder if He would say we honor Him with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him. I know I want my heart to be as close to Him as it can get. I want my heart to be full of Him. Whether I am worshipping alone or worshipping in church with my brothers and sisters in Christ, I never want it to be in vain. I want everything I do to honor Him.

 

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To Each As He Wills …

by TerryLema

Today is Veteran’s Day, a day to honor and acknowledge all those who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, Coast Guard.  Their sacrifice and that of their families should be greatly appreciated by all.

I often think of my father on Veteran’s Day, even though he was not a veteran. He tried to enlist during WWII but was told he had a talent needed elsewhere. He was a shipfitter. He worked in the Philadelphia Naval Yard and when the war was winding down on that front, moved to California to work in the Vallejo Naval Yard. He told us once that when the ships came limping in from Pacific battles, often bodies were still contained in compartments that had been sealed off. He said he still remembered opening those compartments.

My dad’s service in WWII was not readily seen but vitally important. Without people like him who built and repaired, the soldiers on the frontline would have been unable to do what they were called to do.

In the NT you can find lists of gifts. You will find them in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4. Some of those gifts are resident in us, some of them are resident in the Holy Spirit who indwells us and makes them available to us as needed.

Paul reminds us that while we all have different gifts “one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills.” [1 Corinthians 12:11 HCSB]

Some of our gifts are exercised in front of people where all can see … like those veterans who served on the frontlines. Some of us have gifts that work behind the scenes, gifts that may not be readily seen … like my dad who repaired ships. Yet the Spirit of God is active in every gift, and He is the One who determines which gift we have.

Today I honor my dad and those who served as he did. Not veterans but people who served this country quietly in ways not always seen by others.

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Patience

by TerryLema

I am one of those people who think that arriving five minutes early is being late.  I fuss if I am not “on time,” and have often made life miserable for those around me who do not carry my sense of timing.

There are other people (some in my family) who live by “ish” time.  When you ask them what time they will be over, they reply with something like “5-ish,” which really means any time between 5 and 10.  To say I grow impatient waiting is an understatement.

Despite my sense of time, one thing is clear, God’s timing will bewilder us.  He rarely operates according to my schedule. It seems I am always “waiting for God.”

Last Sunday at The Way we looked at Jesus and Jairus in Mark 5:21-43. Jairus was a man of authority, but as so often happens, desperation drove him to do something he would not normally. His little 12-year-old daughter was at the point of death and out of love for her, he found himself at the feet of a Galilean carpenter.  Jairus’ only hope was that Jesus would get there in time to stop her death.

On the way to Jairus’ home, a woman with a chronic illness touches Jesus and is healed. When Jesus’ perceives that power (dunamis) has gone from Him, He stops the parade and questions the woman. Can you imagine Jairus’ anxiety in the delay?  While Jesus is talking to the woman, Jairus receives the news he feared, his daughter has died.

What does Jesus say to him? “I’m sorry?” No, Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” [vs 36 HCSB]

Jesus is telling Jairus, “Trust me,” and therein is the dilemma we often face. Can we trust Jesus when His timing is different from ours?  Can we trust Him when everything is crashing down upon us and what we asked of Him is not immediately coming?

Jairus had no choice but to trust Jesus. There was no one else who could meet his need. We, too, must trust, because truthfully, there is no one else who can meet our need.Pat

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Thanksgiving

by TerryLema

The Thanksgiving holiday is just up ahead and for many of us that is a reminder that we are to be thankful always.

“…giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [Ephesians 5:20 HCSB]

I have so much for which to be thankful. Sometimes I am stunned by the grace and love God continually showers upon me. I try to put my thanksgiving into words, but there just are not enough words to express what my heart knows.

When that happens, I remember the advice of Ecclesiastes 5:2: “Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” [HCSB]

That is where I am this morning. I am overwhelmed by God’s presence. I am sitting in the quiet, few words, but with a heart that can barely contain the enormity of my Savior’s love.

Jesus, I am so in love with You.

Matt Redman Let My Words Be Few with lyrics - Bing video
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I Am Persuaded

by TerryLema

I was just listening to an acapella rendition of an old hymn, written by George Matheson and published in 1882, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.”  (Link below)

As I listened the power of those words brought my heart to its knees.  “O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.”

God’s love … I am overwhelmed. It is 4:30 AM, I am sitting in my chair with my laptop. It is quiet, Bob is still asleep. The words keep echoing, “O Love that will not let me go …”

We speak so much of God’s “will.” We want to be in the center of it. Sometimes we are not sure of it. Too often we think we just bounce in and out of it, one day we are in His “will” and the next day we are not. This morning I realized that I am always in His “will.”

His “will” is His “Love that ‘will’ not let me go …”

Paul wrote it this way.  “For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” [Romans 8:38-39 HCSB]

Nothing “will” have the power to separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That is His “will” for us … a strength of love that is unbreakable, unmovable, that can never be conquered or vanquished. His “will” is His Love for us that never lets us go!

How can I ever thank You enough LORD!

David Phelps, Bill Gaither, Marshall Hall, Guy Penrod - O Love That Will Not Let Me Go [Live] - YouTube
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Laugh!!

by TerryLema

I miss laughter. Laughter that makes your sides hurt, takes away your breath, makes your cheeks tight. Laughter that makes you feel better.

I miss the old comedians. I loved Lucille Ball (remember her and Ethel working in the chocolate factory). I miss Tim Conway (remember the dentist scene, or the elephant snuffles). I miss watching Carol Burnett (who could forget the Miss Scarlet O’Hara scene when she came down the stairs in the green velvet curtains with the rod across her shoulders).

I miss good clean funny – fun laughter. Today’s comedians are often more social or political commentary than they are funny.  Or their subject matter and language leaves much to be desired.

My brother and I grew up in a terribly dysfunctional home and humor (laughter) is what kept us as sane as we are. Humor got us through the tough times … still gets us through the tough times. I look at how I went from the “energizer bunny” at age 72 to the “struggling sloth” at (almost) age 75 and I just have to laugh. Laugh out loud even!

My favorite proverb is 17:22, “A merry heart does good like a medicine!” 

I had that on my signature line when I worked at St. Luke’s and when I left, they gave me an engraved silver bookmark with that proverb. It is one of my treasured possessions.

Nature is designed to wear us down. The enemy wants to shut us down. Laughter (a merry heart) will lift our hearts and revive us.

Today I’m going to find some good old fashioned humor that makes my sides buckle with laughter.  PTL

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Who Owes Whom?

by TerryLema

Genesis 3 is one of the saddest chapters in all of Scripture. Scripture begins with “In the beginning God …” creating this glorious world, including mankind described as “made in His image.” [1:27]

Before we get very far in, we see the failure of Adam and Eve, sin and its curse death, and mankind driven from the garden. [3:14-24]

The serpent invaded the garden, deceived the woman to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She then convinced her husband to eat. When God found them trying to cover their nakedness (which had never been a problem before) the “Blame Game” began.

The woman blamed the serpent for deceiving her. Adam first blamed the woman but then blamed God. “Then the man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.’” [3:12 HCSB]

Now lest we think Adam stands alone in placing the blame on God for troubles, we often do the same thing.  We approach God and ask Him to do something. Instead of responding to us by giving what we want, He gives us something different, or perhaps does not appear to respond at all. (Remember Paul and his thorn in the flesh. God denied his request for healing three times and then gave grace to endure instead. [2 Corinthians 12:7-9])

When we blame God, it shows our wrong thinking. It shows that we believe God is in our debt. It shows we believe that He must do everything we ask.

Truly, correct thinking is the exact opposite. We are in His debt. First by sinning against Him and creating a debt so great we can never eliminate it. And second, we have a debt of thanksgiving for the sacrifice of His Precious Son and the salvation offered (eliminating that debt we could not pay.)

Today, I stand in repentance, asking God to forgive me for all the times I blamed Him for what I thought was His silence. And today, I stand in thankfulness to Him for taking away the debt I could not pay.

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He Cares

by TerryLema

When the disciples were in the storm recorded in Mark 4:35-41, they asked Jesus a question. “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” [vs 38 HCSB]

A violent storm had risen on the Sea of Galilee. That was not a rare occasion, the fishermen on this boat would have experienced many storms on this sea. This one, however, must have been especially bad as the disciples were sure the boat was about to capsize. So, they woke Jesus who was asleep in the back of the boat on a cushion.

“Don’t you care” they asked Him. What they were really saying was, “if you really cared about us, we would not be going through this storm.” 

Ah, how many times have I thought that! And I know lots of others who have come to me with doubts thinking the same thing. I love the LORD. I try to be obedient to what He asks of me. Yet, bad things happen. That is so common a thought that books have been written to try to explain why bad things, storms of life, invade the lives of God’s children.

I find it very interesting that Jesus did not answer the disciples’ question. He did not remind them how much He cared for them. He did not explain why they were in the storm. Jesus simply quieted the wind and waves leaving a terrifying calm, then asked them a question.

“Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?” [4:40 HCSB]

Jesus displayed His power to His disciples, power over the creation He brought into existence. And by His actions both in the storm and later on the cross, Jesus displayed to His own just how much He cares.

Peter, one of the fishermen in that boat that day would later write, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.” [1 Peter 5:6-7 HCSB]

 

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Don’t You Care?

by TerryLema

One of my all-time favorite events in the life of Jesus (perhaps my favorite all time event) is The Storm in Mark 4:35-41. It was the text for last Sunday’s message.

Jesus had been teaching the crowds from a boat along the shore. When evening approached, He told His disciples to go the other side of the lake. They set out and one of those Sea of Galilee storms arose. This storm was so violent it threatened to sink their boat. The disciples were bailing as fast as they could.

Where was Jesus? In the back of the boat sleeping on a cushion.  Desperate, they wake him up with the question “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” [vs 38 HCSB]

Jesus never does answer that question. He gets up and tells the wind to “Quiet!” and the waves to “Be still!”. And they obey. The wind quiets immediately, and the sea becomes like glass. [vs 39 HCSB]

Ever felt like those disciples? Your boat (your life) is in the storm, and it seem you are about to be swamped. The heavens seem like brass, prayers go unanswered, all the while you are bailing as fast as you can against the rising flood.

Where is God? If He really loved you, would you be in this storm? If He really loved you, would He allow bad things to happen?

Two things to think about this morning. One, the disciples had done everything Jesus asked of them. They set out for the other side of the lake. They were in this mess precisely because they were obedient.

Two, in the storm Mark tells us the disciples were afraid. After the storm, the disciples were terrified! Why? Because Jesus was even more uncontrollable, more powerful than the forces of nature aimed at them. That’s both a terrifying and a comforting truth.

“They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’” [vs 41 HCSB]

Who indeed!

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“Thank you for … “

by TerryLema

A couple days ago (October 31), I wrote about how God invites us alongside Him to work for His will and His purpose. He does it all, calls us, empowers us, gives us His vision, and then when we accept His invitation to work through us, we get the rewards. God gave me a demonstration of that the other day.

I had a tooth suddenly become sensitive to cold and hot. I called my dentist. He was booked solid, but his associate had an opening. After testing the tooth for sensitivity and taking x-rays, it was determined that I needed a root canal. I started an antibiotic and went back one week later.

The root canal was not all that bad. The dentist is very good, hardly felt anything. I had a delightful dental assistant who tucked a blanket around me and was kind and considerate, funny, and very caring. When the dentist completed the root canal, he patted my shoulder and said, “Thank you for letting me help you!”

I was stunned. After 16 surgeries, numerous procedures, numerous root canals, office visits, infusions, and other such stuff, I have never had a provider thank me for letting him/her help me. I have gotten postcards thanking me for my ‘patronage,” but never thanking me for allowing them to relieve my pain.

In those few simple words, I saw my Savior and LORD. He moves into our lives when we are without hope, without help, without a future. He relieves our pain and gives us life. And in the end, when we stand before Him in glory, He thanks us.

There are rewards in glory, there are even crowns in glory waiting for us. Five of them are mentioned in the New Testament. (The imperishable crown, the crown of rejoicing, the crown of righteousness, the crown of glory, and the crown of life.)

Isn’t it amazing! Our LORD will one day say, “Thank you for letting me help you.”

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