Past Devotions

Pleasant Places …

by TerryLema

It is the last day of the first month of the new year.  The new year is not so new anymore.  There are already cracks in the “unity” promised by politicians. There are new strains of the virus invading the US. Science is unsure whether the vaccines will be effective against these new more contagious strains. Schools are trying to reopen in many places where they have been closed all year. People still are not back to work. The shine on the new year is dulling rapidly.

It would be nice to know what the future holds for the remainder of this year and for the next year and the next. Unfortunately, we do not have a crystal ball to read the future, but, then, I am not sure I want to know what the future holds. Living one day at a time is a much better option.

While we do not know the future here on earth, we do know who holds our future.  David reminds us of two important things in Psalm 16.

“Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” [Psalm 16:5-6 HCSB]

We are reminded first that the LORD God Almighty is our portion and our cup of blessing. We may not have much here, but oh the glory that we have in knowing God!

Then David assures us that God holds our future, and that future is one of eternal beauty.  The “boundary lines” of our inheritance are eternally secure.

Peter, in his first letter further defines the “boundary lines” of our inheritance.

“Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” [1 Peter 1:3-4 HCSB]

Our inheritance is one of living hope. Imperishable. Uncorrupted. Unfading. Kept in Heaven just for us!  Glory!

 

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Sweet Mercy!

by TerryLema

Matthew 5:7: The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy.  [HCSB]

 That Scripture verse from the Sermon on the Mount came as a Verse of the Day to my inbox the other day.  It started me thinking about mercy and being merciful.

The word for mercy is “eleémón” and it means full of pity, merciful, compassionate. One of the word studies I checked said it is “acting consistently with the revelation of God’s covenant.”

We are shown mercy by our Father God who loved His creation so much that He sent His beloved Son to die to save it. We now, having experienced that covenant of God’s mercy are to be merciful to others.

Unfortunately, being merciful is not overflowing in modern society. We have little patience with anyone or anything that goes against our “opinions.”  We seldom give people the benefit of the doubt. The media is intent upon finding anything wrong they can dig up in the lives of others. Even our 30-minute national news outline is 29 minutes of all that is wrong everywhere, ending with 1 minutes of an “uplifting” story.

God’s people are to be different from this “present age.” We are to be merciful to others. This is also one of those “back at ya” rules in that the more merciful we are to others, the more mercy we will receive in return.

Mercy is to influence our attitudes toward all people—family, friends, enemies … and yes even politicians and broadcasters and freeway drivers! It should also drive our actions. When we are merciful, we pray, we give, we spend our time and money on others, we help, we support, we love.

Oh, Father, let us be a channel of the mercy you gave us … let it flow from Your heart to ours and then to those we meet every day. Amen.

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It’s About Relationship!

by TerryLema

I was asked the other day to review my medical information, update my insurance for the new year, and make sure all my “choices” were current, such as emergency numbers, religious affiliation, etc.  Everything was correct except there were changes to my insurance regarding my co-pays. Thankfully, those changes benefited me.

I smile whenever I must choose my “religious” affiliation. I know it is just a standard form that needs to be completed, but I always want to say that I do not have a “religious” affiliation, I have a “relationship with a person” affiliation.

In yesterday’s devotion, I mentioned that “religion” can be anything we want it to be. We can change it anyway we want. We can ignore some parts, embellish others. We can interpret it according to when it was written or according to the norms of the society in which we live. Religion is uncertain.

Now a faith based on a relationship with a person is different. When Jesus invited us to come, He did not invite us to come to a set of rules and regulations, not even to principles or doctrines. He invited us to come to Him.

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.” [Matthew 11:28-29 HCSB]

When we come to God through Christ Jesus, we enter a relationship with someone who does not – cannot change.

“Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning.” [James 1:7 HCSB]

When we are in a relationship with the Holy, Living God, He does not change. We do. We conform to His image; He does not conform to ours.

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Ask! Please!

by TerryLema

You are going to be hearing about “Ascendant Liberal Christianity” in the media. Apparently the NYTimes wrote an article declaring that President Joe Biden may “perhaps” be “the most religiously observant commander in chief in half a century.”

They go on to declare the new President as a champion of a better Christianity. They declare that “a different, more liberal Christianity grounds his life and his policies.”

As one man tweeted in response to this article … “There’s no such thing as ‘liberal Christianity’ there’s just Christianity.”

I do not doubt that President Joe Biden is a religious man. But the problem with that is Christianity is about relationship with the One True and Holy God who will not compromise His nature or attributes for anyone.

Religions can be anything we want them to be, ascendant, liberal, conservative, progressive, post-, etc. But when you enter a relationship with JEHOVAH God, you enter on His terms not yours. You agree to His way, not yours. You follow His will, not your own.

We need to be wise about many things in life – our relationship with our God is one area where knowledge and wisdom is vital. And as James reminds us, God wants us to be wise in our relationship with Him and with others. He will give us all the wisdom we need; we just need to ask.

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.”  [James 1:5 HCSB]

We must pray for our President. We are commanded to pray for all those in authority over us. We need to also pray for wisdom that we might see things as they truly are!

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On a Hill!

by TerryLema

A lot of people are contemplating a change in the social media platforms they use. They are talking of abandoning Facebook, Instagram and others and their reasoning is the censoring of posts that may contain ideas, thoughts, words, that are not considered socially acceptable to some.

I have received a few invitations to join other social media sites and have had to prayfully consider what my response should be.

I have decided to stay where I am – at least for the time being. Do I like censorship?  No, I do not. But I am staying put on Facebook for one specific reason, that is, if all who speak the truth of God’s Word leave, there will be no one left to shine a little light where it is needed most.

Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, said that “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.” [Matthew 6:14-15]

I strive to bring the light of God’s Word, not just to those who already have that light, but to those in darkness. I seek to encourage Christians in the midst of troubling times, but I am also seeking those lost souls who are looking for hope and do not know where to find it.

Will I get censored. Probably. I already was blocked from posting something, and I am sure there are those who have either “unfriended me” or at the least, “snoozed” me for 30 days because they do not like what I share. Still, I will hang around Facebook for a while until God tells me I can no longer do any good there.

We not only need to make sure our lamps are lit, but we also need to make sure we have put them where others who need the light can see them.

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Reaping!

by TerryLema

I do not think I have ever experienced a time like this. I know my parents did during WWII when they experienced fear, rationing, and a world gone mad. My lifetime, however, has been fairly mild. The roughest time was the View Nam era with the protesters in the streets of our cities and the venom aimed at our returning military.

Now we have multiple calamities. We have the political unrest, the virus-and-fear pandemic, the economic downturn, unemployment, closed schools, masks, vaccines and conflicting data from science and medicine.  It has made me weary.

I know I should hold my head up and face it head on, but all I really want to do at times is give up.  That is a natural reaction to the circumstances of our present age.  As Christians, however, we are not to respond to life with “natural reactions.” Instead, we are to see these challenges as opportunities to do good.

Following Paul’s reminder in Galatians 6 that God will not permit Himself to be mocked and that we will reap what we sow, he urged his readers to not quit but to keep working for good.

“So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.” [Galatians 6:9-10 HCSB]

Beloved, no matter how difficult the political climate gets, or how virulent the virus, or how devastating the health and welfare of our nation, or how strong the opposition, we do not quit. We do not give up. We do not go silent.

We keep doing good, speaking truth, reaching out to others. The world is growing darker and darker—which should not take us by surprise. That means we need to grow brighter and brighter with the light of Christ. Our brightness shines best when we are meeting each challenge with good.

If we do not give up, we will reap a reward that is out of this world! Amen!

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Sowing

by TerryLema

We are about halfway through winter and so far, where we are in Idaho, winter has been mild. I have walked a bit around the neighborhood in the afternoons, usually with just a sweater or light jacket. We have seen little in the way of freezing temperatures, icy roads, or snow in the valley. The mountains, however, have a good snowpack going so water should be plentiful for the farmers when it comes time to sow their seed.

There are many farms around where we live, although they are becoming fewer as people move into the Treasure Valley. Subdivisions are scooping up any available land. Still, close to us this spring we will see corn growing, alongside pumpkins, sugar beets, alfalfa, beans, mint, and lots of onions.

I like to watch after the farmers sow their seed and see what crop will come up in that field. I especially like the mint fields in the summer when the sun comes up and warms the plants. The mint gives off the most wonderful fragrance.

Paul, in the closing of his letter to the Galatians talks about sowing and reaping.  He begins by reminding his readers that God will not permit Himself to be mocked. “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” [Galatians 6:7-8 HCSB]

That word “mocked” means to turn up the nose, to turn away to sneer, or scornfully disdain.  Paul also adds the admonishment that whatever we sow, we will also reap. If we continually plant seed in our life that feeds only our flesh, we will reap death.  But if we plant spiritual seed—sowing to the Spirit—we will reap the reward of eternal life.

Every day we make choices. Those choices will either nourish our flesh or nourish our spirit. Those choices will lead us away from God or closer to Him. Those choices will either mock God or honor Him.

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Faithful

by TerryLema

I was found by God in my hiding place in August of 1973, almost five decades ago. God had been calling, and I had been running. Finally, with nowhere else to turn, I surrendered my life into His Hands. I can say without one shred of doubt, I have never regretted that decision.

Has it always been easy to serve the LORD God Almighty? No, of course not. There have been times when it has been difficult to obey. There have been times when I have struggled with what God asked. There have even been times when I have not been as faithful as I should have been.

Yet despite my struggles or even my lack of fervency, God has been always been faithful to me.  He was faithful when He was pursuing me – never giving up on me. He was faithful when I was first learning to walk with Him. He was faithful whether I was traversing a dark path or a lighted roadway.

And I know that as I have aged and have entered a time of life when I am dealing with physical limitations and difficulties, God has and will continue to be faithful to me. Whatever I face, be it remission or extended times of disease, whether it be life or death, God will strength me to the end. That is His promise to all His children.

“[God] will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful.”  [1 Corinthians 1:8 HCSB]

When I one day stand before my LORD and Savior, Christ Jesus, I know I will be there because God has brought me there by His love, His mercy, His grace, and His faithfulness.

The most marvelous cry of the Christian has been and remains … “God is faithful!”

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Which Ones?

by TerryLema

I was reading in Matthew 19 yesterday and got to the account of Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler. The young man came to Jesus and asked Him a deep question.  “What good must I do to have eternal life.” [vs 16 HCSB]

Jesus immediately answered the young man’s question with another question, “Why do you ask Me about what is good?”

Then Jesus redirects the man’s thoughts toward God and gives him a command. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” [vs17 HCSB]

It was the Rich Young Ruler’s response that had me both laughing and thinking. He immediately asked Jesus, “Which ones?” [vs18 HCSB]

Isn’t that so like us.  Jesus says, keep the commandments, and we ask, “Which ones?”  We certainly do not want to have to keep any more than is necessary to be in good with God. So LORD, just show us the least we have to do to please You.

Now, of course, the Rich Young Ruler was seeking the answer to salvation, and as Christians, we know we are saved not by keeping the commandments but by the grace and mercy of God in the giving of His Precious Son Christ Jesus to die for us at Calvary.  But Jesus, Himself, gave us commands … commands to love one another, commands to love even our enemies. He told us to pray and to bless, to be peacemakers, protectors of children, and lovers of all things holy.  We do those things not to be saved, but because we are saved. They are an expression of our salvation experience.

Still at times we prefer like the Rich Young Rulers to pick and choose what to obey … we quietly say to Him, “Which ones?”

He whispers back, “All of them.”

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What’s Missing

by TerryLema

I seldom go outside the house to shop anymore, but I needed to last week. So, I hopped on one of those electric carts at Target (my first time using one and they are not as easy as they look). When I could not find everything I wanted there, I went to Walmart and hopped on another one. I tried to avoid people, wore my mask, did not handle anything I did not have to handle, checked myself out to avoid even the cashiers and headed to the car. All in all, not an enjoyable experience.

Many of you probably do not like to shop, but I do. I like to smile at people as I walk through, talk to the cashiers asking them how their day is going. I have even prayed for people I met along the way at times.

All that has changed, of course, since the virus-and-fear pandemic hit. I order online and things are either mailed, delivered or I pick them up outside the store. And when I do go in, I am nervous about encountering people.

2020 has stripped so many of us of the joy we found in the common, everyday things of life.  But as I sit here this morning, I find that my heart still rejoices.

For the Christian, joy is found in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It resides in hearts that have been set free from the shame and punishment of sin. It resides in hearts that cling to a Savior who has made them alive through His death and resurrection. Its security is a relationship. The world may strip away the happiness that we find in earthly delights, but it can never oust the joy of the LORD from our hearts – unless we let it.  [Romans 5:11]

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I praise Him with my song.” [Psalm 28:7 HCSB]

 I sing today because God has set me free. He indeed is my strength and shield. I am helped!

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