Past Devotions

Bring Up the Rear

by TerryLema

“All the men assigned to the camp of Dan number 157,600. They will set out last, under their standards.” [Numbers 2:31]

There was a particular order in which the tribes of Israel camped and marched in the wilderness.  The tabernacle and ark were always in the center, with tribes in front, on both sides and behind.  The Danites were assigned to be the rearguard.  [Numbers 10:25]

I’m not sure any of want to be assigned to bringing up the rear, especially if a few million people are marching in front of us. I can only imagine what it was like for the Danites back there, eating the dust of people, dodging the droppings of the herds of sheep and cattle.  (I remember going to a 4th of July parade in Middleton one year. There were several horse troops and right behind them was the much needed “pooper scooper” crew. It reminded me of what the Danites must have had to deal with as they brought up the rearguard.)

And yet, the rearguard is vitally important.  They make sure the stragglers don’t get left behind. They also make sure that the enemy doesn’t go around and attack from the rear. The rearguard must be just as vigilant as those in the front and on the side, maybe more so. The enemy of our soul seldom comes knocking on the front door declaring his intentions to subdue us, but he will mount an attack from the rear and hope we have left that unguarded.

Our Father God thought it so important to have a rearguard that He Himself promised to be ours! “The LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” [Isa 52:12 HCSB]

Father, thank you for being my rearguard. Let me be mindful of the Spirit’s warnings and promptings. Help me to remember that the attacks against my soul are seldom from head on but will often blindside me or sneak up from behind. I know, Spirit, you send out the warning. Help me to be vigilant in hearing Your alert!  Amen.

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Gifted

by TerryLema

1 Peter 4:10-11: Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God.  If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. [HCSB]

This quote from Peter follows a command to love each other deeply and to offer hospitality without grumbling.  He tells us to use whatever gift we have to serve and minister God’s grace in various ways.   Have you thought about the gifts God has given you?

All those “gift tests” tell me that I am primarily an encourager, and secondly a teacher.  Those are the things that motivate me to serve and minister God’s grace in every setting. And of course, the enemy of my soul knowing this often seeks ways to pervert those gifts.  Instead of encouraging, I can find myself enabling.  Instead of teaching, I can find myself drifting into manipulation (a primary trait in the family I grew up in).

So, I try to stay on my guard knowing that it is often our strongest traits and motivations that can be corrupted the easiest.  I try to stay open to the Spirit’s discernment so I can recognize when I’m getting too close to the line, when I’m beginning to move not in the motivation of God, but in the manipulation of my own worldly desires.  It isn’t easy, but oh is it necessary.

Our goal in life is always that “God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything.”  We should keep that as a plumb line and measure all we say and do against it.

Father, how often, how easily I slip. When I think I am strong is when I am in the most danger of trying to do things in my own worldly ways.  Keep me in line with Your Spirit. Keep my motivations pure so that in all things praise may flow to You.  Amen.

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Nothing is Easy

by TerryLema

I woke up yesterday with two thoughts in mind. The first one was that summer’s comin’ and I hate the heat. The second one was a bit different than just my yearly whine about summer. It is that “nothing is easy anymore.”

That line was uttered by a character in a book I was reading a few days ago. It stuck with me. It has popped up in my thinking over and over since reading it. It was one of the first things I thought about upon waking yesterday.

Personally, nothing is easy anymore.  Where once I bounced out of bed and made my way through the day with nary a thought to pain, or stamina, or strength, now all that has changed. I must plan my day and my way around my pain, and reduced stamina and strength. The days are much more difficult than they were.

But beyond just a personal level, nothing is easy anymore. We live daily with wars and rumors of wars, pandemics, inflation, famines in various parts of the world, mass shootings, deadlocked politicians, homelessness, and hopelessness.

When I think about nothing is easy anymore, I must admit that nothing in this world has ever really been easy. It just seems more widespread and intense in these latter days.  But like the promise of God’s covenant yesterday—that there will always be a springtime and harvest—we have the promise of our Savior Christ Jesus, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace.  You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” [John 16:33 HCSB]

No matter how difficult this world gets, nor how difficult our personal lives become, Jesus is with us. We can be courageous because He has conquered it all!

We can rest in that until we see Him face-to-face.

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Hot

by TerryLema

I woke up this morning with two thoughts racing through my mind. First, summer is on the way. I hate the heat.  (I will write about the second one tomorrow.)

Consider this my annual whine about summer.  I know many people love the warmer weather. I am not one of them.  I much more prefer cooler temps.  If I could find a place that was 50-60 degrees year-round, I might even consider moving!  At least here in Idaho, there are four seasons. We have both hot, cold, and in between.

There is a covenant promise found in Genesis 8:22: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.” [HCSB]

That promise was given to Noah following the flood. God even confirmed that He will remember that covenant whenever the rainbow appears in the skies. “The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth.” [Genesis 9:16 HCSB]

I, too, remember the LORD’s everlasting covenant when I see the rainbow in the sky, but there is one other rainbow that thrills my heart this morning. It is found in Ezekiel, Chapter 1. Ezekiel had a vision of the Glory of the LORD. In that vision, he saw a rainbow.

“There was a brilliant light all around Him. The appearance of the brilliant light all around was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the form of the Lord’s glory. When I saw it, I fell facedown ….” [1:27b-28 HCSB]

One day, we will stand before that throne. We will see the Glory of the LORD. I think, just like Ezekiel, we will fall down and worship the One who loves us so much. In the meantime, the rainbow will remind us of Him.

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How Many Favorites?

by TerryLema

I noticed that I often use the phrase, “one of my favorites” when I am writing about a passage of Scripture. As I started to write that this morning, I began to laugh as I wondered, “how many favorites can I have?”

When reading my Bible, it seems I have many favorites.  Maybe a favorite is simply one that speaks to my spirit at the time. So, as I was reading “one of my favorites” this morning ….

That favorite is found in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat of Judah found himself in a difficult situation when a group of enemies (Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites) came to do battle with him.  Jehoshaphat was afraid, but he resolved to seek the LORD. [vs 3]

When he and the nation finished praying, the LORD sent a promise through a Levite, Jahaziel.  “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” [vs 15 HCSB]

The next morning Jehoshaphat and the people got up early and went out where the battle would be fought. All that seems pretty normal for Judah until you get to verse 21. That is where the “one of my favorites” enters. Jehoshaphat appointed some to sing for the LORD and some to praise the splendor of His holiness. In other words, the king formed a choir—then sent the choir out in front of the army.  What general sends a choir into battle first?

The choir sang, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His faithful love endures forever,” and the moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set an ambush against the opposition and “they were defeated.” [vs 22]

I do not know what battles you are facing or will face. I do know that in the midst of any battle, it would be well to remember “one of my favorites” and face the battle with shouts of thanksgiving and praise to the LORD.  Remember, “the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

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One of the First Things

by TerryLema

When Judah’s King Asa died, his son Jehoshaphat became king. Jehoshaphat reigned 25 years over the nation and was one of the better and stronger kings after David and Solomon. When he assumed the throne, he first fortified the land. [2 Chronicles 17:1-2]

The second thing recorded about Jehoshaphat is that he walked in the way of “David,” and did not follow idols. Verse 6 records that “His mind rejoiced in the LORD’s ways and he again removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.” [HCSB]

But it is the third thing recorded about Jehoshaphat that caught my attention.  In verses 7-9 we are told that Jehoshaphat sent his officials and some of the Levites to teach in the cities of Judah.  “They taught throughout Judah, having the book of the LORD’s instruction with them.  They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people.” [HCSB]

Jehoshaphat realized how important it was that everyone in his kingdom knew and understood God’s Word to them.

That has not changed. It is still fundamentally important for all people to be taught the Word of God. It is vital that we know God’s Word if we are to walk correctly in this life. Whether we like it or not, God’s Word sets the requirements for all. We may not agree with it, but that does not change it one iota.  He created us; He has the authority to set the holy standard for us.

We need to make sure that we are in a church which teaches the truth of God’s Word. If we are not being taught, we need to find a place where we will be. There will be no excuses in heaven for those who fail to teach, or those who fail to learn God’s truth.

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Rejoice With … Week With

by TerryLema

One of my daily verses recently was the well-known one from Romans 12:15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” [HCSB]

It is drawn from a paragraph about Christian ethics.  I think it may have been chosen because of the images and news coming out of Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman took the lives of nineteen children and two teachers. That was Tuesday, May 24.

Thursday, May 26, I talked to and prayed with a friend who recently got a stage 3 cancer diagnosis.

Saturday, May 28, I messaged a friend on Facebook who struggles with constant pain.

Sunday, May 29, I learned that the daughter of a friend had died unexpectedly.

Monday, May 30, is Memorial Day where we remember those servicemen and servicewomen who gave all.

Paul tells us that we are to rejoice with those who are rejoicing. That is pretty easy to do. Everyone like a party to celebrate something wonderful and good.  But we are also to weep with those who weep. That does not mean we are to weep with them just one time, or two times, or three, and then abandon them. It means that however long they weep, we are to be by their side weeping with them.

Jesus stood outside the tomb of Lazarus, and He wept – even though He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from that tomb. There were two reactions to His weeping … “So the Jews said, ‘See how He loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Couldn’t He who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?’” [John 11:36 HCSB]

Some blamed Him for not keeping Lazarus from dying (but then He raised him from the dead so I guess that was just as good). Others saw His compassion and love in His tears. And didn’t Jesus say the world would know us by our love? 

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It Ain’t Over

by TerryLema

As I was thinking about that list of defeated kings in Joshua Chapter 12 yesterday, I remembered a phrase I hear sometimes, and actually say sometimes.  “It ain’t over till it’s over.” 

American baseball legend Yogi Berra first uttered that phrase about baseball’s 1973 National League pennant race. His team was a long way behind when he said it and they did eventually rally to win the division title.  After reading about the defeated kings yesterday in Joshua, I began to think about life and about the battles we face in this life.

We do face battles.  That’s a given.  We may go years breezing along with nary a problem and then sudden it is as if the walls of our security are tumbling down around us, the roof’s caving in, and the wolf is at the door puffing away.

We do fight, as I noted yesterday, from a position of victory.  Jesus claimed our victory on the cross when he shouted, “It is finished!”  The verb tense is such that it means, “It is finished and will forever remain finished!”  That victory was sealed when He rose from the grave carrying the keys to death and hell.

But … it ain’t over till it’s over.  It may be finished forever but it’s still not over.  It will be over when we get to the end of the Book of Revelation, when the Lord Jesus casts death and hell and the enemy of our soul into the abyss.  It will be over when we are seated at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, when all tears are wiped away, and pain is forever banished.  Then it will be over.

Until then, we live and battle knowing “It is finished!” but “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

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by TerryLema

There are a lot of “lists” in Scripture.  Some are lists of predecessors, those “begats” that often bog us down when we get to them. I am not fond of lists.  There is, however, one that intrigues me. It is a list of defeated kings found in Joshua Chapter 12.

This list names defeated kings on both the east and the west side of the Jordan River.  There were two kings on the east side, Sihon, King of the Amorites, and Og, King of Bashan.  Those kings were defeated by Moses and their territory was given to the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

After Joshua and the children crossed over the Jordan and into the Promised Land, they defeated 31 more kings on the west side of the Jordan and all of them are listed.

Thirty-three defeated kings listed in the Book of Joshua.  All of their kingdoms became the property of Joshua and the Children of Israel.

That made me wonder if when we get to our Promise, when we see our Savior face-to-face if there will be another list of defeated rulers.  We know our Savior won the victory over all wickedness and evil and that He defeated through His cross and resurrection the enemy of our soul, Satan.  We know that all sin, death, and darkness will be done away with, cast forever into the pit at His Second Coming.  That is a surety; it cannot, will not change.

Yet in our life we still battle.  We fight from the victory Christ attained for us, not for victory; but we still battle.  We still battle sin, temptations, depression, oppressions, hurts, rejections, and the like.

I wonder if God is making a list for us so that when we find ourselves in His presence, we will see the list of all those “kings” that were defeated by us through the power of Christ Jesus in us.  Wow!  Wouldn’t that be something!

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Pain

by TerryLema

My doctor reduced the dosage of my infusion medication. It is a trial period to see if I am in remission or if the auto-immune diseases are just under control. The proof will be if the PMR and GCA pain returns. So now I am on the watch trying to determine if the pain I have is from the diseases, from old age, or from the side-effects of the medications or the lingering effects from the virus I had last year. And if that pain is going to stay at the level it is or get worse.

Pain. Ugly four-letter word. Three years ago I was doing well. I did not wake up each morning thinking about pain. Then in the span of two weeks, pain invaded and has never left. Some days are worse than others, but all days I battle some sort of pain.

Pain, of course, is a warning that something is wrong. It is not always physical; it can also be mental or emotional or spiritual. That makes a promise in the final book of our Bibles the most welcome of promises.

John saw a new heaven and a new earth. Everything that was – was no more.  Then he heard a voice shout from heaven.

“’Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous thing have passed away.’” Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.’” [Revelation 21:4 HCSB]

See that little phrase tucked right in the middle?  “Pain will exist no longer.”

Pain tells us that something is wrong with us – but there is coming a time when there will never be anything wrong with us again – forever. I wonder if we will even ‘remember’ what pain was like?

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