Past Devotions

Guided by the Spirit

by TerryLema

Have you ever thought of what you might miss if you did not follow the leading of the Spirit of God?

When Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to be dedicated as the law prescribed, they were met by a man named Simeon. He is described as righteous and devout. We are not told how old Simeon was, although it is assumed that he was an aged person because of his words that, having seen the infant Jesus, he was now ready to die.

As I was reading the account in Luke 2, I noticed something I had not really paid attention to before. “Guided by the Spirit, [Simeon] entered the temple complex. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for Him what was customary under the law, Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God, and said.…” [Luke 2:27-28 HCSB]

“Guided by the Spirit Simeon entered the temple complex.”

Everything that happened after that, the prophetic word uttered by Simeon, the blessing of the child, the word to Mary, everything hinged on Simeon being “guided by the Spirit” to enter the temple at that exact time.

I am sure God had a plan for what might happen had Simeon ignored the Spirit’s guidance, but what would Simeon have missed had he not responded to the Spirit?

That made me wonder what we miss when we ignore the Spirit. How many blessings do we leave unreceived because we just did not go where the Spirit told us to go, or do what the Spirit directed?

Holy Spirit, give us ears to hear Your voice. Amen.

 

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Falling Behind

by TerryLema

Reading in the book of Deuteronomy I came across this verse. “Remember what the Amalekites did to you on the journey after you left Egypt. They met you along the way and attacked all your stragglers from behind when you were tired and weary. They did not fear God.” [Deuteronomy 25:17-18 HCSB]

After reading that I needed to go back and see what the Amalekites did do to the children of Israel after they left Egypt. The attack is described in Exodus 17. It happened at Rephidim.

Exodus 17 begins with the children of Israel camping at Rephidim and finding no water there. Moses, instructed by God, struck the rock and water flowed to nourish them. [vs 1-7]

But, while at Rephidim, the Amalekites attacked. God told Moses to have Joshua command the battle while Moses stood on the hilltop with his staff in his hand. As long as Moses held up the staff, Israel prevailed in the battle, but when he tired and put his hand down, Amalek prevailed. Finally, Aaron and Hur came along side and helped Moses hold up the staff until Israel won. [vs 8-13]

Apparently, the Amalekites struck when Israel was tired and weary and picked off the stragglers. We all get tired and weary at times. It is not a sin to be tired and weary sometimes.

But as believers, we have been invited by our Savior to come to Him when we are tired and weary. He has promised to give us rest for our souls. “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” [Matthew 11:28]

The key word there is “come.” Like all invitations, it is our responsibility to respond and accept Jesus’ invitation. It is our responsibility to “come.”

If we fail to come when we are tired and weary, we might find ourselves picked off like the stragglers at Rephidim.

 

 

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Fear

by TerryLema

As I waited to leave for a class the other night, I turned on the national news. As the host came on the air, tense music began to play. The tenor of his voice was one of warning as he outlined the various news events the broadcast would cover. I have listened to this national news many times in the past, but something clicked in my spirit that night.

Fear. Everything from the music to the tone of the host’s voice to the events chosen to be covered was designed (perhaps not intentionally) to create fear in the listener.

Fear. It is the atmosphere of much of our society. We fear this v-and-fear pandemic. We fear the crashing of our economy. We fear the loss of the very foundations of democracy. We fear radicalism, hatred, injustice, and so much that is displayed across our government, media, and social lives.

As a child of God, however, fear is part of our past, not our present. When Christ redeemed us, when grace appeared for us, the fear that lived in us was replaced with something far stronger. We received the Spirit of adoption into the family of God.

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’  The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children.” [Romans 8:15-16 HCSB]

Now God is personal, He is our “Abba, Father.” He is not our enemy, but our Father. As His Spirit lives in us, He Himself testifies to us constantly that we are God’s children. GOD’S CHILDREN!

If there is anything that should bring us to our knees, it is not the fear this world promotes, it is the wondrous truth that “I am a child of God!” We cannot say that enough. We cannot meditate on that enough. We cannot live that enough. It is the only thing that will drive fear from us!

I am a child of God!

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Grace for a Purpose

by TerryLema

There is one last thought from Titus that I want to focus on this morning.  It closes out the paragraph that began in chapter 2:11. That last thought is “He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people for His own possession, eager to do good works.” [2:14 HCSB]

Over the last couple days, we have seen that grace appeared (epiphainó) and was clearly shown in Christ Jesus. Grace instructs us so that we might develop Christ-like character. Grace strengthens us to wait for the return of Christ Jesus.

Christ redeemed and cleansed us for His own possession. He made us children of God, no longer bound by the chains of sin and fear of death. And while that is wonderful, it is not the end, but the beginning. The grace that Christ Jesus brought to us also gives us a purpose and zeal. The purpose is good works. The zeal is the eagerness to do them.

Eager. I like that word. One definition I read resonated with me … “waiting with bated breath.”

I remember waiting with bated breath for a bike for Christmas when I was eight. I did not think I would get it because it was not my year to get the “big” gift, it was my brother’s. I was pretty sure I would get a doll instead, but still I was eager for Christmas. My brother got a bike but hidden behind the tree was a big surprise. Somehow my parents found the money to get a bike for me also.

I also remember waiting with bated breath to get married, to turn 21, and for the birth of each of my children. I remember many times in life I have waited with bated breath.

Paul reminds us that now, as God’s precious children, we are to be eager – waiting with bated breath – for the next thing He asks of us.

Oh, LORD, give us that child-like eagerness to do Your good works. Amen and Amen.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Grace While We Wait

by TerryLema

“…while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” [Titus 2:13 HCSB]

Paul in Titus 2:11 reminded us of the appearance (the epiphainó) of God’s grace for salvation for all people. That epiphany, a moment in which we suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way, came through Christ Jesus our Savior. The grace of God that was often cloaked in the Old Testament became very clear in the New when God sent His Precious Son to our earth to redeem us.

Paul goes on now to remind us of another appearing. The word is “epiphaneia” and it means appearing, manifestation, glorious display. We are now waiting for this appearing. It is our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.

We wait now. Amid the difficulties of life, grace enables us to wait for that promise given in Acts 1:11 when Jesus ascended into heaven: “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” [HCSB]

This same Jesus who brought grace at His first appearance will one day appear again bringing the blessed hope and glory that God has promised. The assurance of that promise that Jesus will not only return but will return in glory and set everything right under the authority of the King brings comfort now.

Even so, give us grace to wait for Your return, LORD.

 

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Grace Instructs Us

by TerryLema

John 1:17: For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. [HCSB]

As I read the book of Titus this week, I was reminded that when Jesus came, grace and truth were clearly shown and made universally available for salvation to all people.  [Titus 2:11]

Grace is God providing salvation for His enemies so that they might become His children. But grace has other purposes beyond salvation. Grace is vital for our sanctification—for maturing. Grace enables our character to be conformed to the character of Christ Jesus.

Paul reminds us that grace instructs us “to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age.” [Titus 2:12 HCSB]

As you read that verse you cannot help but focus on the descriptions of character, both negative and positive. Negative—godlessness and worldly lusts. Positive—sensible, righteous, godly. We are to deny the negative and encourage the positive.

The character trait that stood out to me was sensible. It is “sóphronós” and it means with sound mind, soberly, temperately, discreetly. I have been in the church for five decades and I must admit that I have not always found the character trait sensible flourishing among believers.

Five decades in the church have taught me that too often Christians get sidetracked from the path of the Gospel. Often, they get bogged down in things that draw their attention away from the Cross of Christ and the salvation provided through Christ Jesus. They major in the minors and ignore the centrality of grace and faith.

So, church. Grace has been provided so that we might be instructed to abandon the negative character traits, embrace the positive ones … and be sensible!  Glory!

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Epiphany: Grace Appeared

by TerryLema

I was reading in the book of Titus this morning. Paul had left Titus, his “true son in common faith,” in Crete to “set right what was left undone.” [1:4-5 HCSB]

This was a particularly difficult job because the Cretan Christians were being assaulted by false teachers, and as Paul described them in vs 12, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” Paul certainly wasn’t one to mince words.

Most of chapter 1 and 2 are focused on those things that were left undone, but then the end of chapter 2 ends on a wonderful note about grace and blessed hope and the appearing of Christ Jesus.

It begins “For the grace of God has appeared with salvation for all people …” —Oh, let’s stop there. [2:11 HCSB]

Grace appeared! The word for appeared is “epiphainó.” It means to become clearly known.  We get our word epiphany from it. (Epiphany: a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way.)

God’s grace has always been present. It was present in the Garden when Adam & Eve failed, and God slayed an animal and covered them. It was present in the Levitical sacrificial system when once a year God rolled forward the sins of the nation until they rested on Christ Jesus at the cross.

Grace, however, became clearly known to “all people” when God sent His Precious Son because He loved us so!  Grace for all is now clearly shown and universally available.

Grace appeared! Now that’s an epiphany!

0 comment
FacebookEmail

The Hope of Glory

by TerryLema

It is Christ.

“God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” [Colossians 1:27 HCSB]

“When [Christ], who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” [Colossians 3:4 HCSB]

“For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.” [2 Corinthians 4:17 HCSB]

Since Christ is our eternal hope of glory … since our destiny is to be revealed with Christ in glory … then we must seek to make Christ our only hope in every part of our life here.  That means He is our only hope in every trial, every difficulty, every circumstance of this life.

We can know His comfort in our trials because we know that nothing we will experience in this life compares to that “incomparable eternal weight of glory” that is ours in Him.

He enables us to look at the struggles of this life as “light affliction.”

The things of life that nearly crush us, the deep losses we all will experience at some time, when put side by side with Christ (the hope of glory in us) will hardly make us pause in comparison. Once we bask in that light of glory, everything else will dim.

It is Christ. Completely. Gloriously. Everlastingly. Ours.

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Hidden Treasures

by TerryLema

It is Christ.

“All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.” [Colossians 2:3 HCSB]

Wow, wisdom! Wow, knowledge!  And that wonderful word, “All!”

(All!) Knowledge is knowledge of God as revealed in our Savior and in Scripture.  It also means knowledge of ourselves as revealed in Scripture. We must remember that the Bible is the one book that reads us! It is living and reveals who and what we are as we search and study it.

(All!) Wisdom refers to the ability to apply all God’s revealed truth to our daily lives. Remember the two commands of God that we looked at on January 4, found in 1 John 3:22-23:  We are to have faith in Christ Jesus, and we are to love one another.  The wisdom (and knowledge) of God teaches us how to live and love those commands.

(All!) wisdom and knowledge are the true treasures of life and they are found in Christ Jesus alone.  It is Christ!

But then there is that little word “hidden.” It is “apokruphos” and it means hidden away, secret, stored up. That word implies that we need to seek out those treasures. They are not always lying around on the surface like seashells on a beach.

While they are hidden, however, they are not unattainable. In fact, God’s Holy Spirit has been given to us so that we might attain them. Jesus promised, “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.” [John 14:26 HCSB]

On the Day of Pentecost, Jesus fulfilled that promise. Now those who have surrendered their lives to Him are indwelt by the very Spirit of God who enables them to search for and attain (All!) those hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Him.

Remember though, that while God has provided all we need, we still have to do a little digging!

0 comment
FacebookEmail

Complete

by TerryLema

It is Christ.

“For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” [Colossians 2:9-10 HCSB]

The NKJV says, “…you are complete in Him….”

It is a done deal … well, sort of …. Ah, Paul, why could you not have just left it there?

“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ Jesus.” [Colossians 1:28 HCSB]

We have been filled by Him, we are complete in Him, but still the aim is to present every man mature.

That is the tension we live in between what God has made us positionally and what we must continue to endeavor to become practically. We have it all, but it takes all of life to learn to walk in the spiritual blessings that are already ours in Christ Jesus.

That is discipleship. Translating our position into our practice. And the world has no wisdom to add to that. It can only detract and undermine our walk.

It is Christ.

Above all. His fullness makes us complete. LORD, help us realize that truth in every moment of life. Amen.

 

0 comment
FacebookEmail