Past Devotions

So if you have been raised …

by TerryLema

Every now and then when I feel a bit dry, I run home to one of my favorite passages.  It begins the practical part of Colossians. “So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” [Colossians 3:1-4 HCSB]

This passage reminds me to reset my thinking. It starts with a bang! “So, if you have been raised with the Messiah ….”

I am reminded that my “if” has been changed to a “since.” It changed in August 1973! I was dead in my trespasses but now I have been made alive by God’s great mercy brought to me by Christ Jesus. Not only that, but I have also now been raised up and seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus my LORD. (Isn’t it amazing what changing “if” to “since” brings in our life!)  [Ephesians 2:1-10]

Since I have been raised, I now am to seek what is above where my LORD and King is seated in the place of authority, the Right Hand of God. My mind is not to dwell on the things of earth. (The things of earth seek to bring us down to its level, while our King seeks to lift us to be all we can be in Him.)

Oh, what an eternal protection He brings to me. My old life is gone, and this new life is hidden with Christ in God. (Nothing can take us out of the Hand of our Savior.)  [John 10:28-30]

And last of all I am reminded that my final and eternal state is glory with Him. (When our LORD returns, “[we] also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

 Funny how just reading that passage nourishes my soul! (I pray it nourished yours also.) Thank you, LORD Jesus. Amen

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Contented?

by TerryLema

It seems every time I turn on the news lately there is more and more about the supply shortages, the ships sitting waiting to be unloaded, not enough trucks or drivers to offload, etc., and how all of this will affect us this Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are urged to buy our turkeys early, buy our Christmas presents early, buy, Buy, BUY.

We live in a consumer economy. We are not a farming economy, nor a manufacturing one. Our economy is based on us buying “stuff.” In order to get us to the store to buy and keep the economy thriving, companies and corporations must make us want more. So, they want us discontented. What we have is no longer good enough, there is a new and improved version we just must have.

Learning to be contented in a consumer economy is a tough road. Contented means satisfied, happy, relaxed, comfortable, comforted. Those words do not describe many in our society or even in our churches. Contentment must be learned as it does not come naturally.

“I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.” [Philippians 4:11b-12 HCSB]

I think the first step to contentment is to realize that contentment is not found in things. We think if we just had a little bit more, we will be content. But when we get that little bit more, we find it is not as satisfying as we thought it would be and we crave just another “little bit more.”

Contentment is found in a person. “Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you. Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” [Hebrews 13:5-6 HCSB]

To know that the LORD Christ Jesus is our Ever-Present Helper is the only thing that will bring lasting contentment.

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Socks

by TerryLema

I am a barefoot girl. I love walking around barefoot, however since I have aged, and after three stress fractures in my left foot, I wear shoes and socks per doctor’s orders – even in the house. Does not meet I have to like it!

The one time I have remained barefoot is when I sleep at night. If I actually sleep at night. I have medication-caused hot flashes three or four times a night. They wake me up and it takes a while for them to disappear and allow me to go back to sleep.

A little over a week ago, I turned on the television to catch the evening news. The program before the news was still showing and it captured my attention. It was a sleep doctor who was outlining things people could do to sleep better. He had a number of items on his list, most of which I already do. But the last item caught me by surprise when he said to wear socks to bed. He gave an explanation I did not quite get, something about expanding veins in feet and dissipating core heat.

I thought it sounded a bit odd, but then what did I have to lose? So, for one week now I have worn socks to bed and have not had one hot flash. Not one. (Coincidence?)

How that works is beyond me, it sounds counter intuitive. I should be used to counter intuitive. Usually what God says seems counter intuitive to my human reasoning.

Luke 9:23-24: “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.’” [HCSB]

One of the greatest tragedies of American Christianity is that so many who claim to be Christian do not seem to have a true understanding of what that means. Jesus said if we want to save our life, we must lose it. That is so counter intuitive to our human reasoning.

We too often forget that our purpose in this life is to be conformed to the image of Christ Jesus. Whatever we are to be in Christ, whatever we are to be as His disciples, can only come about if what we are is allowed to die. [Romans 8:29]

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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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