Past Devotions

April Fools Day

by TerryLema

I have two favorite months in the year. April is one of them, October is the other. I love both months for their weather. I love the weather in October, even while hating the Halloween theme of the month. I love the weather in April but laughed this morning when I remembered that April begins with a celebration of fools.

I am not sure why we celebrate fools to begin this month. It is not like fools are a rarity, they are in abundance everywhere. I have met fools in the grocery store, at a theater, at work, and yes, even at church. Fools come in all sizes and shapes, both male and female. They come from every social background, ethnic group, and educational status.

How do we recognize fools and foolishness? Our Bible contains an entire book almost solely devoted to them. Read the book of Proverbs and before too long you will have a portrait of fools and foolishness. One thing evident about fools is that they will give themselves away when they begin to talk.

“The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness.” [Proverbs 15:2HCSB]

There is a saying that has been attributed to both Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain (and others) that reflects this proverb in a slightly different way. “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”

How do we cease being a fool?  Proverbs also has an answer for that. “The sensible man’s wisdom is to consider his way, but the stupidity of fools deceives them.” [14:8 HCSB]

A sensible or wise person will consider his/her way. That means we compare our way with God’s way, our thoughts with His thoughts, our will with His will. Then we chose God’s way.  To reject God, is to reject wisdom and remain a fool.

While it may be “fun” to celebrate fools one day a year, to choose to remain a fool in the eyes of God has deadly consequences.

 

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What Do You Hear?

by TerryLema

My husband loves to watch the news in the morning when he gets up. He starts with the local news and then goes to one of those national talk shows that begins with hard news and then merges into soft news about celebrities and events, fashion, food, etc. He is only content with that for a little while and then he heads to a national news broadcast.

That broadcast is nothing but negative hard reports. Even when someone being interviewed by the host might turn to something positive or something that disagrees with the host’s view, the host immediately turns it back to the negative. When Bob turns on that broadcast, I have to leave the room, or I become really irritated. That broadcast drains me.

This morning one of my daily verses was Proverbs 16:24: Pleasant words are a honeycomb: sweet to the taste and health to the body. [HCSB]

I read that just as Bob turned on that third morning news broadcast and I realized why I become annoyed every time I hear it … there are no pleasant words.

Pleasant positive words are sweet to us and bring health and strength to our body. Constant negativity saps our strength and drains our reserves.

God is the most positive Being in our lives. His words to us are always pleasant, sweet, and healthy. Even when He disciplines us, He does it to bring health to our souls.

When we let negativity invade our minds, wills and emotions, no matter the source, we are weakened. We are less able to deal with the complexities of life.

The world is filled with unpleasant words, let’s make sure our focus is not on them but on the pleasant words that flow from the heart of God toward us!

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One Person Can Change the World

by TerryLema

As I watch the reports and images coming out of Ukraine, I cannot help but wonder what Putin was thinking when he decided one day to invade a neighboring country? What prompts a man to order the destruction of hospitals, neighborhoods, schools, theaters? I also wonder why the people of his country cannot see what he is doing. How can they be so deceived to believe that these evil acts are justified?

One man, one day, decided to destroy his neighbor and he changed the world. History has proven over and over that one man can change the world. (Ah, you are reading between the lines and know where I am going!)

One Man not only changed the world, He changed eternity. He works where no other man can work, in the hearts of men and women.

He stands at the apex of history. Everything that occurred before His appearance pointed toward it. Everything that has happened since His appearance looks back at it.

Now we wait for that final declaration of God when the LORD Christ Jesus shall return, and the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our God. Sometimes it is good to remind ourselves of that when we see the evil of this world flourish.

“Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on His head. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword came from His mouth, so that He might strike the nations with it. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

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The Eyes of the LORD

by TerryLema

2 Chronicles 15 tells us about the Revival that happened in the Kingdom of Judah under King Asa. He removed the idols from the land, renovated the altar of the LORD and removed the obscene image of Asherah his grandmother had made.  The chapter ends with the notable declaration that “there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.”

The nation lived in peace for 35 years, then everything changed in year 36. The Northern King of Israel, Baasha, went to war against King Asa. Asa’s response was not to turn to the LORD, but to buy the assistance of King Ben-hadad of Aram. God did not miss that and sent the prophet Hanani to King Asa to declare His displeasure.

God’s message was clear that He had proved Himself strong to King Asa in the past and that “You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on.” [2 Chronicles 16:9b HCSB]

God’s message to the king through Hanani is pretty common for kings in the Old Testament. For many of them “being foolish” was a common trait. They looked past God and forgot all He had done for them in the past and sought help from men.

When Hanani declared God’s displeasure to King Asa, he also reminded Asa that “the eyes of [the LORD] roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His.” [vs 9a HCSB]

Unfortunately, “being foolish” is also a common trait for many of us. Too often we look past God in times of trouble and forget all He has done for us. Too often, we seek help elsewhere first. In 1 Peter 3:12, Peter echoes a reminder similar to Hanani’s. “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their request. But the face of the Lord is against those who do what is evil.” [HCSB]

God continually “searches” the world for opportunities to show Himself strong in our behalf. Let’s not be foolish but turn to Him first for help in times of trouble.

 

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A Dog on a Roof!

by TerryLema

The Hazleton Fire Department in Hazleton, PA, was called out recently to rescue a dog from the roof of a three-story apartment building. Passersby saw the large dog on the roof and were worried it could not get down. The dog, however, did not seem to be worried at all.

Neighbors informed the fire department that the dog likes to “sunbathe” on the roof and does this all the time. While the fire department was watching, the dog came down from the roof and entered a third story apartment through a balcony door. The fire department left and posted a picture of the dog on their Facebook page.

Have you ever wanted to be like that dog on the roof, high above the commotion of life on the ground, away from everyone and everything?  I know I have.

Recently the Pastor of The Way Middleton touched on one of my favorite passages in Mark. The disciples were just coming back from intense ministry and were probably tired. The crowds of people were surrounding Jesus, and no one could eat or rest, so, Jesus invited them to “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” [NIV]

That never happened, of course, because the crowds of people continued to follow them.  Still, I think that invitation from Jesus to come with Him to a place of quiet and rest extends to us when we get so busy with life.

Maybe we need to be like that dog on the roof. We need to find a place to get away from all the uproar of life. We need to spend a little time in that quiet place, simply enjoying the “son-shine” and finding rest for our souls.

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It Will Not Last Forever

by TerryLema

Ps 118:24:  This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. [HCSB]

“This is the day.”  Commentators say this means that we are living in the day or time of salvation and that this day will continue until the Second Coming of our Redeemer and LORD.  God gives us this period of time to respond to His call to return to Him, but it will not last forever.

The full passage reads, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” [Ps 118:22-24 HCSB]

The stone that was rejected, of course, is Jesus the Messiah.  He is the foundation and the capstone of salvation.  We rejoice and are glad in Him.

Yet, this day in time, this March 27, 2022, is also an actual day that the Lord has made.  It is contained within God’s time of salvation.  It is ours to live out, to enjoy, to celebrate, to worship and to praise Him.

We don’t know what it will hold for us.  Perhaps it will be a day of routine, predictable and unchanging from the day before.  Perhaps it will be a day of discovery or contain sorrows or joys unexpected.  Whatever this day holds, it is ours.  We have it in the moment, but it will pass and come to a close.  We need to find time on this March 27, 2022, to be glad and rejoice.  We may not have another.

And just as this actual day on the calendar will come to a close, so will God’s Day of Salvation.  We must remind people to seize the opportunity to return to God, there may not be another day to do so.

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NOW!

by TerryLema

Wait.  The word wait always conjures up images of long lines in grocery stores, traffic at a standstill and backed up for miles, long months leading up to vacations, another year without a cost-of-living increase or raise, etc.  Waiting and agitation seem to walk hand in hand.

There are other things that Scripture is quite clear about besides God’s desire for obedience and the fact that we are not very good at it (which we looked at yesterday).

One is that is, our Father wants us to learn to wait upon Him. I do not know how you are with waiting on God, but I am usually like the writer of Psalm 119: “How many days must Your servant wait?” [vs 84 HCSB]

We are just not very good “waiters.”  Remember the two-year-old’s we thought about yesterday.  They have another word in their vocabulary, “Now!”  It’s the same word in our vocabulary as adults.  We want it and we want it “Now!”

It doesn’t take very long to learn that God’s timing is not our timing.  And that some of the biggest messes we can create come when we fail to wait for God to move and try to do it in our own strength “Now!”

There is a much-sung chorus based on Isaiah 40:31. It starts with the Scripture quotation: “They that wait upon the LORD, Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” 

It ends with the prayer, “Teach me Lord, teach me Lord, to wait.”

Much good and much strength come when we learn to wait on God.

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A Touch Word

by TerryLema

Obedience.  Tough word.   You can’t get very far into Scripture without realizing a couple things.  One, God desires obedience.  Two, we’re not very good at it.

We have to learn obedience because it does not come naturally to us.

I love two-year-old children.  That stage of development has been labeled the “Terrible Two’s.”  First time parents always seem slightly taken aback by their two-year-old’s.  The perfect, adorable, sweet little infant has for the first time begun to display the sin nature that is inherent in all of us.

Terrible Two’s quickly learn a few words that describe the place where they are in life.  “No!”  “Mine!”  “Me do!”

In adulthood we slightly bigger words to describe the stage we are in. “Rebellion! “Selfishness! “Self-Rule.”  In other words, disobedience.

Just like parents must now begin to teach obedience to their toddlers, so the Lord upon salvation begins to teach us obedience.  Some of the Lord’s commands are easy to obey, others are more difficult.  God will not give up, however, until His love in us is made complete in our obedience.

1 John 3:23-24:   Now this is His command: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commands remains in Him, and He in him. And the way we know that He remains in us is from the Spirit He has given us. [HCSB]

 

 

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Partly Cloudy, Mostly Sunny

by TerryLema

What is it about old men and the weather? My husband loves to watch the news when he gets up and always pays special attention to the weather. That weather report, however, seems to disappear from his mind about mid-morning and he asks me “what’s the weather going to be today?”

I have a weather app on my computer and phone, so I will check it (usually several times during the day) and remind him what he can expect, temperature, conditions, rain, wind, etc.

The other morning, checking the weather app, I noticed something I probably never considered before. Sunday was going to be “partly cloudy,” and Monday was expected to be “mostly sunny.”

Huh?  Isn’t that the same thing? What’s the difference between partly cloudy and mostly sunny? Aren’t there clouds on mostly sunny days? And doesn’t the sun shine on the party cloudy days?  I am sure meteorologists have specific guidelines for those definitions, but I doubt the person standing there looking at the skies on Monday and Tuesday can tell the difference between partly cloudy and mostly sunny.

Maybe it all has to do with attitude! When I look at the sky on Monday and Tuesday what will I see, the clouds or the sunshine?

Philippians 4:8-9: “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things. Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” [HCSB]

 

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It Doesn’t Just Happen

by TerryLema

The moment we trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord we enter into a life of faith.  Salvation is instantaneous.  One moment we are aliens and strangers to the Kingdom of God, the next moment we are “a people belonging to God.”  [I Peter 2:9]

While salvation is instantaneous, it takes a lifetime to understand and incorporate all that it means in our life.  Paul said it this way to his beloved in Philippi: “So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.” [Phil 2:12-13 HCSB]

We have to continue to work out our salvation.  The official term is sanctification.  God wooed us and brought us to the point of salvation, and He doesn’t stop there.  He continues to work in us for His good purpose for our lives.  We now must learn to listen and obey (spiritual maturity) – that is what is meant by working out our salvation.

Even with the indwelling Spirit of God, we will still battle our flesh.  We will still have to repent following those times when we allowed our flesh to rule instead of God’s Spirit.  We still have daily choices that will lead us toward God or away from Him.

Learning to hear and obey God’s voice doesn’t just happen.   It takes a fierce determination and persistence to learn the things of God.  While salvation is all of God, sanctification is a cooperative effort.

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