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O LORD Send Now

by TerryLema

Praying through Psalm 118 in order to keep my attitude adjusted to the glory of God rather than the doom and gloom message of this world. Today I am in verses 25-26: “O LORD save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.”

When I read this verse, I got stuck on that word success. The NKJV translates verse 25 as “Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.”

The Hebrew word for success or prosperity means “to advance, to prosper, to make progress, to succeed, to be profitable.”

In our culture we often think of prosperity in terms of financial rewards. Success is tied to our own efforts, to job promotions, sports, or other personal achievements. It is an “I did it” type of thing. I got that promotion. I won that race. I invested in the right stocks. I made it happen.

I think the Psalmist gives us a different perspective. “O LORD, grant us success; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.”

Fear of a virus has shut down our economy. Opportunities for personal success or prosperity have been crushed in fear’s wake. When told to stay home, shut doors, do not work, there is not much we can do to be able to proclaim, “I did it.” But with the LORD, godly success and prosperity are not only within reach, they are ours for the taking.

Our success, our prosperity is contingent upon our relationship with our God. “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” [2 Peter 1:2-4 NKJV]

Now that’s success and prosperity! Amen.

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Falling Short

by TerryLema

Right after the writer of Hebrews reminds us that God disciplines us in order to provide spiritual vitality, he also encourages us to “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God.” [Heb 12:14-15 NKJV]

Three things to consider in that short sentence. First, we are to “pursue” peace with all people. I noticed that it doesn’t say we are to “achieve” peace with all people. That would be an impossible task. Some people just won’t make peace with us. Whatever their reaction is, however, we are still to pursue that possibility of peace through Christ Jesus.

In addition to pursuing peace with all people, we are to also pursue holiness. Just like we’ll not achieve peace with everyone, we are not going to achieve complete holiness until we stand in the presence of God. In this life we are going to fail. Still that doesn’t mean we simply give up or make excuses. Yes, we’re human, but we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God whose job it is to lead us into righteousness and holiness.

Last of all, we are to be very careful that we don’t “fall short of the grace of God.” That little phrase always confounds and amazes me. God’s grace, His unmerited favor is given to us for both salvation and for sanctification – for becoming conformed to the image of God’s Dear Son.

We need His grace for salvation because we can’t save ourselves. The price is too great to pay and we are bankrupt. We also need His grace to grow in our spiritual walk. It’s there, in abundance, ready and waiting for us to appropriate as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. God makes His grace available to us. It confounds me why He would do such a thing for us. It amazes me that we might leave His grace sitting there and not use it to become more and more like His Son, Christ Jesus our LORD.

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I Press On …

by TerryLema

While our children gathered in California for Thanksgiving, we were in Idaho. We took care of our daughter’s and her husband’s pooch, Bennie Boo. He’s a good dog, one trained in the cooperative program between the Humane Society and the State Prison.

We took care of Bennie because he doesn’t do well in Doggie Daycare. His early life, prior to coming to live with Michele and Mike, was difficult, being returned to the Humane Society a few times before being put through the Prison Program. So, when it seems as though he’s been left again, he gets nervous and that leads to some bossy behavior that’s not welcomed in Daycare. But when he’s with Grandpa and Grandma, he relaxes, gets all the attention, and of course, gets a bit spoiled.

Bennie reminded me that it is often difficult to let go of our past. Even though he’s now with wonderful owners who treat him well and care for him greatly, when put in a position that reminds him of how difficult his early life was, he reverts to old ways of coping.

We often do the same thing. We forget the new life we have in Christ Jesus and we revert to old habits we thought we conquered, addictions we thought we’d overcome, old ways of thinking and acting. We need to understand that the goal of the enemy of our soul is always to try to put us in positions that remind us of difficulties and trials, of old life, rather than the new life we have in Christ. The enemy wants us looking back rather than looking ahead.

Paul wrote in Philippians “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” [3:13-14]

While we need to remember what we were before coming to Christ (so we can appreciate all Christ Jesus has done for us and in us), we are not to return to those things. We are to keep our focus ahead … toward that goal, that prize, that we will have when we enter the presence of Christ Jesus. Let’s let go of our past and embrace our present redemption and future glory in Him.

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Offline November 13-18

by TerryLema

Just a note that I will be offline tomorrow through the 18th. I’ll be traveling without my computer.

I pray you spend the time in thanksgiving and praise – tis the season for such!

Terry Lema

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Enter His Gates

by TerryLema

Yesterday I wrote that I’m jumping right over Halloween and heading straight to the Thanksgiving Holiday. I figure if Halloween (candy, costumes and god-awful movies) can begin in August, why can’t Thanksgiving.

A better question might be, why aren’t we celebrating Thanksgiving all year long? Thanksgiving is the key that opens the gates into the presence of the LORD. I truly believe that God will not grant the “awareness” of His presence to the ungrateful.

Yes, God is omnipresent, ever-present. He’s ubiquitous, present in His fullness everywhere. He is always with us. But we are not always aware of that. And, we won’t ever be aware of that if we do not unlock His Gates with thanksgiving. The psalmist wrote, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” [Ps 100:4-5]

Praise and the giving of thanks for all the good the LORD has done, for His faithfulness, for His everlasting love will unlock the awareness of His Presence to us individually. We will learn, as we praise and thank Him, how precious it is to walk together with Him. We will sense His comfort, compassion and kindness no matter how harsh the world is to us.

I’m not celebrating a holiday just because the world says I must. I’m celebrating God’s Holy Day every day! I fully intend to bask in His glory from now, today, through eternity.

Thank you, Father God, for Your infinite mercy and grace, for calling me into Your Presence, for making me Your own. Amen & Amen

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In the moment, in His Presence

by TerryLema

I am sitting in my rocker this morning. We are doggy-sitting our daughter’s dog, Bennie. Bennie and I have played catch, had breakfast, and I did sneak him an extra treat that I wasn’t supposed to do until this evening. But, hey, grandparents are known to spoil! Bob is over at the church spraying more wasps’ nests found recently. Bennie is sleeping under the window. Occasionally he awakens and runs into the back yard when he thinks he hears something that should not be there.

I’ve been looking out the front window, the sun is shining, there’s a gentle breeze and except for Bennie’s occasion bark, all is quiet. It’s a beautiful day.

As I sit here the greatest sense of peace is rolling over my soul. I would like to describe what I’m feeling at this moment, but I doubt I have the words. I’m thinking about Jesus, my Savior and LORD. I am marveling in His grace and beauty. I can truthfully say, I am at peace with God.

Isn’t that an amazing experience – to be at peace with God. We are told that this peace is ours because of what Christ Jesus did for us on Calvary’s cross. “We have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” [Romans 5:1]

I am simply in the moment, in His Presence, at peace with my Father. Amen and Amen.

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Carefully Choose

by TerryLema

I’ve heard it said that everyone can serve as an example for others … some showing what to do; others showing what not to do. In other words, there are good examples and bad examples and we need to carefully choose which to follow.

Paul invited the Corinthian church to follow his example. He then told them why – because he was following the example that Christ Jesus left. “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” [1 Cor 11:1]

I heard one minister say that Paul must have been pretty arrogant to invite others to follow or imitate him. I don’t think it was arrogance that prompted that invitation. I think it was the realization that whether we like it or not, if we claim to be Christian, others are looking at us. They want to see just how much we resemble this Jesus we claim as LORD and KING.

Jesus chided the leaders and rulers of religion in His time for not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. We had better know both and display both while here on earth! [Matthew 22:29]

God our Father is also setting us forth as an example for the future ages. Remember the Scripture verse? “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” [Eph 2:6-7]

Our Father God is using us as an example for all the ages to show the riches of His grace and His kindness given to us in Christ Jesus. Wow. Let us, by the power of His Spirit in us, strive to be the best example of God’s glory that we can be. Amen.

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My Soul Finds Rest

by TerryLema

It’s Thursday, May 2, and I woke up this morning in the hotel that is still under reconstruction, traffic whizzing by on Highway 99. I poured a cup of coffee, opened my computer and then stared at the screen. I opened my Bible to a chapter I had finished reading on the way down and stared at it for a while also. I looked up one of the verses in my Greek Lexicon and stared at the words. My mind is a complete blank.

I had thought to study and write a bit before we head off for a busy day…Grandparent’s Day at school for our youngest grandson, early release and then to Boomers for some fun, and then to his older brother’s baseball game.

But I have to say, “I got nothing” this morning, except the remnants of a cold, swollen fingers, and a high blood glucose reading (even though I only had a protein bar last night for dinner). I guess there are some days like that, when it seems that you just have “nothing;” days when weariness stakes a claim on you.

The past month was very busy. A trip to California, the holy season, and now another trip to California. I am not ashamed to admit that I am weary.  In my weariness this morning, I am reminded of one of my favorite psalms. Psalm 62 begins, “Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.” [vs1-2, NKJV]

I like the way the NIV translates those first two verses.  “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

My soul, today, needs to wait on God and find its rest in Him alone.

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Offline

by TerryLema

I will be off line from April 30 to May 6 – see you on the 7th!  Have a great week, pray, grow closer to the LORD, listen for His voice. God bless you abundantly!

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