Past Devotions

Does Not Disappoint

by TerryLema

I was reading Alton Garrison’s book, “A Spirit-Empowered Church*” for our Act2Journey at The Way when I came upon these words: “We know faith is a process—comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. The more Scripture you get inside you and the more you believe it, the more faith you will have. Faith is almost educational in nature. But hope is emotional. You can’t educate people into hope. Yet even in our darkest moments of disappointments and heartache, the Spirit of God can renew our hope.”

Then Garrison quotes Paul in Rom 5:3-5 “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

This is a difficult time as we walk through this COVID-19 pandemic. We are isolated. We are forbidden to “gather.” The relationships that we often depend upon in our daily walk aren’t there. As I got up this morning I was sad as I remembered I wouldn’t be heading over to The Way building to set things up for all the people I love who would normally “gather” at the 10:30 AM service.

My faith in God is not diminished. We serve an Almighty LORD. If anything, faith is stronger because many of the things of this world that distracted me are gone…I’m locked away with just my LORD.

But I miss my brethren. And I know that they probably miss me. My hope diminishes just a bit. So, my beloved, this morning I pray for you and for me that through this time of distress, we persevere. That our character will be shaped by our faith, and that character strengthened in faith will produce hope. And that Holy Spirit given hope will invade our emotions – and when it does, it will not disappoint us! God bless you this Sunday!

*Influence Resources

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7:14 PM Prayer

by TerryLema

2 Chronicles 7:13-14: “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” [NKJV]

Many Christians leaders are calling for a day of fasting and prayer tomorrow, March 29. They are also asking Christians to stop at 7:14 PM every night during this crisis and pray 1 Chronicles 7:14. That certainly seems a prophetic word since we are in the midst of a “pestilence” in our land.

We can’t gather in our buildings in most places across this nation. We are to self-isolate to prevent the spread of this COVID-19 pestilence. But I have learned over the years that there is no time nor distance in the power of the Holy Spirit and prayer.

So, let’s join the world and set a timer on our phones, watches, Kindles or whatever to remind us to stop what we are doing at 7:14 PM and pray and repent and humble ourselves before the LORD our God Almighty.

The United States is a great nation, one of the greatest in history. Our people have invented more, done more, that we probably even realize.

Still, there is much for which we need to repent. We are a divided nation under the control of greed and covetousness. We are a nation that sheds the blood of innocents every day. We are a nation that often disregards the poor and the marginal of our society. We spew hate from our media and social media. Many of our churches have become bastions of complacency and heresy.

God promised, however, that if we seek His face, if we turn from our wicked ways, He will hear and forgive and heal our land. 7:14 PM Prayer. Amen.

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Vulnerable Warrior

by TerryLema

When did I go from being the “energizer bunny,” working a job, pastoring a church, running around all the time to do things for others … when did I go from that to being “the most vulnerable of our society?”

I laughed at a meme on Facebook that said something like “when you are thinking about caring for the elderly and then you realize you are the elderly.”

At 73, during a COVID-19 crisis, I am the most vulnerable. Vulnerable as applied to me means age, two auto-immune diseases, medication that lowers resistance to infection, and now Type A blood. (It’s been discovered, apparently, that Type O blood is more resistant to COVID-19 and Type A more susceptible.) And the hits just keep on coming.

Well, society has labeled me “the most vulnerable” but I sure don’t feel that way, and I don’t see myself that way. Inside I’m 35. I don’t like retirement or sitting around. I have no plans to while away my “latter years” doing nothing. Why?

The LORD’s return could be any day now and there is still too much to do before His Second Coming. Honestly, I don’t believe in “The Rapture” but I am sure looking forward to the LORD’s Return to re-claim this earth as the Kingdom of God Omnipotent. I want to be ready; I want others to be ready, I want all to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The time is short. We just may be in the precursor of the tribulation Jesus described in Matthew 24. When I see my Savior’s face, I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things.” [Matt 25:21 NIV]

So yes, society you may go ahead label me The Most Vulnerable. But I hope my God sees me as A Mighty Warrior for Him. And His opinion is the only one that matters!

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God Sets the Lonely in Families

by TerryLema

I took a walk the other day before our cold, rainy weather returned. Walking around the neighborhood is about all one can do with this social-distancing order in effect. I left my earbuds and music at home since I wanted to connect with people who might also be out and about (of course, maintaining the 6-foot separation rule).

There’s one larger home that I frequently walk by. It often has five cars parked in the driveway or on the street in front of the house. Four of those cars are different model Toyotas. One is a Honda. I tend to notice things like that.

As I walked by on my most recent walk, all five cars were there. It made me wonder how one becomes a Honda in a home full of Toyotas. Then I began to speculate, “is the Honda the rebel or are all those Toyotas rebels.” “What came first, the Honda or the Toyota?” My brain gets crazy like that some days.

That’s all silliness. Except … yep, there goes my brain again. I thought about choosing Christ Jesus as LORD. When I came to know my Savior, I was surrounded with people who did not. I was that lone Honda amid all the Toyotas. Eventually, most of the people around me changed. Some came to know the Savior also, and some who did not rejoice with my choice simply went away.

God began to surround me with a family of brothers and sisters who now had the same Father and the same LORD. God took me from being the lonely one and put me in a family, His family.

I have always loved Psalm 68, especially verses 5-6: “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing.”

God did that for me (and you). He put me in His wonderful family, He brought this prisoner of sin and rebellion into a life of joy and freedom. Amen.

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The Greatest Equalizer

by TerryLema

Madonna, the singer, has been offering COVID-19 encouragement on social media. The latest one was delivered naked from her bathtub filled with rose petals. She said about the virus, “It doesn’t care about how rich you are, how famous you are, how funny you are, how smart you are, where you live, how old you are, what amazing stories you can tell. It’s the great equalizer, and what’s terrible about it is what’s great about it. What’s terrible about it is it’s made us all equal in many ways – and what’s wonderful about it is it’s made us all equal in many ways.”

 I’m glad Madonna is trying to keep us all positive, good for her. I’m not sure though that any other of us are offering our encouragement to the world while sitting naked in a tub full of rose petals. And while I agree with her that the virus doesn’t have any preference or feelings for whom it infects, I disagree that it is “the” great equalizer. That place of preeminence has already been claimed by “The Cross of Christ Jesus” and He’s not about to relinquish it to a virus.

At the cross, everyone comes the same way– spiritually bankrupt, with nothing to offer, on our faces, begging for mercy. We don’t bring our achievements or lack thereof. We can’t offer our money, our homes, our fancy cars. The cross cares not about our intelligence nor our social standing nor our talents nor gifts. The cross doesn’t care if we sing like an angel or croak like a frog.

The cross only cares that we are broken and in need. We come, equally unable to save ourselves and our God in Christ provides us with everything we need for eternal life.

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” [Col 1:19-20 NIV]

The Cross of Christ = The Greatest Equalizer for All of Time and Eternity.

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You Do For Me

by TerryLema

I woke up Monday morning remembering a woman I met just about this time last year outside the Gallo Center in Modesto. I wondered how she was doing while being quarantined and I prayed for her. I am reposting the devotion from last year. We need to remember the most vulnerable sections of our society as we pray during this “lock-down for COVID-19.”

April 18 2019

As we arrived last Saturday to the Gallo Center for Performing Arts in Modesto to see our grandson play Will Parker in the musical “Oklahoma,” a woman arrived about the same time. She came by bike, settled herself on the corner outside the center and began to sing. She had a strong, clear voice and sang songs I remember singing in my twenties.

After the performance inside, she was still performing outside. We said our goodbyes to family and started to walk to the parking garage. I felt God drawing me toward her and I pulled $5 out of my wallet. As I walked toward her, she called out, “are you heading toward me?” I said, “Yes, I am.” Then she responded, “well, I’ll head toward you.”

As we closed the distance, I realized she was not as young as she first appeared, in fact, closer to my age. I also realized life had not been kind to her. I slipped her the money and opened my arms to her. We stood on the corner as I hugged her, and she hugged back. She was thin, I could feel her bones, but still there was a light in her eyes. I told her “you take care!” and hugged her again. She gave me one last hug and said that she would.

I don’t know what kind of choices she made in life, or perhaps what kind of choices were made for her that she found herself on a Saturday night in downtown Modesto singing for donations outside a performing arts center. With her voice, she possibly could have been singing inside.

I know I felt God’s love for her. We stood there, two old women, one black, one white, strangers, hugging and blessing each other on a street corner. She blessed me for the little bit of money I gave her. I blessed her for reminding me that there are real people behind Jesus’ command, “whatever you do for the least of these…you do for me.” [Matt 25:40, paraphrased]

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Fill You

by TerryLema

Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Right now the world isn’t overflowing with joy, peace or hope. That doesn’t mean Christians can’t. After all, while we are “in the world” and to a certain extent vulnerable to the world’s trials and difficulties, we are not “of the world.” We view things from a different perspective. Our view is a heavenly view. We see things through the eyes of the Holy Spirit.

Our buildings are closed, but the church is not. What an amazing time for the church to show this frightened, locked down world, that our God is bigger than our buildings.

If we allow our Father God, He will through the power of His Spirit, fill us with joy and peace – all He asks is that we trust in Him. Once we are filled, we begin to overflow, and our overflow is hope for those who are bound by fear and anxiety amid this present COVID-19 crisis.

Sure, we are “locked down” in our homes, but we have telephones and social media. We can call people, check on them, encourage them, pray with them. We can remind people that our lives are not governed by human officials but by the power of God’s very Spirit through Christ Jesus our LORD. When all is said and done, God will still be on His throne.

So church, be the church today. Share Jesus. Pray for Revival. Encourage the Hopeless. Help Others. This is an amazing time for God to be exalted in our everyday actions and attitudes.

Press on Beloved!

 

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Buildings are Closed; The Church is Open

by TerryLema

Yesterday morning, I saw this on Facebook: “Satan is winning, churches are canceling services. Prayer warriors get loud, we need Jesus now more than ever!”

My response: “I believe we need Jesus, but I will never agree that Satan is winning. For the first time in a long time, churches may have shut their doors, but buildings are not the church, people are. And when we reach out to those in need, to the frightened, to the lonely, no one is asking what denomination we are or how big our churches are. All they see is Jesus and that’s how it’s supposed to be! Close the buildings and the church must focus on something other than itself!”

For too long the church has been focused on itself. We want our churches to have the best coffee bars, ATMs in the lobby, nice seating areas, music that wows us and every other amenity we think necessary for our Sundays. Well, church, we don’t have that now.

What we have is Christ Jesus in us, “the hope of glory.” What we extend to the world is His Hand in their sorrow, grief, fear, and loneliness. They don’t care, really, about what denomination we are when we are sharing our toilet paper and eggs across fences or calling them to break up their lonely days.

For years now we’ve been asking for God to bring us those who need salvation, those who are hurt, or in bondage. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen a great flood of those people bursting through my church doors. Instead of bringing them to us, God is taking us to them. And He’s making us be creative in how we do it. Through telephones, across fences (with 6-ft separation), in social media, by thanking and praying for those on the frontlines.

So, rather than weep that our doors are closed, let’s rejoice that the world is open to us in ways we never dreamed!

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Learned Your Lesson?

by TerryLema

I grew up learning what were called the rules of common courtesy. Requests contained the word “please” and were follow with the words, “thank you.” Another’s thank you was to be responded to with, “You’re welcome.” We were to hold doors open for others. Stand in the presence of elders. Greet people with a handshake and a smile. Not interrupt when someone was talking but wait for a pause in the conversation. I tried to pass these common courtesies on to my children.

I say all that because this morning I am laughing at myself. I often use the “Alexa” function on my Kindle, or the “Hey Google” function on my phone to set an alarm or a timer. This morning it was, “Alexa, set a timer for 45 minutes starting now.”

To which Alexa (on my Kindle) responded, “Setting a timer for 45 minutes starting now.” Then I told my automated “Alexa” system, “thank you.” It did not acknowledge my thank you nor respond with “You’re welcome.” You know you’ve learned your “thank you” common courtesy well when you say it to an inanimate object.

But have I learned my “thank you” common courtesy well? Especially when my thanksgiving should be offered to God for all He has done and is doing and will do for me. Do I thank Him on the difficult days as well as the pleasant ones? Do I thank Him amid the trials, or the pain, or the discouragement, or the grief?

I hope I do. I try to do so. I’m just not sure I do it enough. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name” [Heb 13:15]

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Grow in Grace

by TerryLema

I received an email from a group asking for money. Its subject line was, “Progress Doesn’t Just Happen on Its Own.” The email originator is an organization seeking people to donate for a cure for Juvenile Diabetes.

When I get emails with great “subject lines” I often think about the people who are developing those clever “subject lines” that capture the attention of readers. After all, most people receive a lot of emails asking for them to donate or to buy something. An organization needs something that stands out so people will at least open their request.

“Progress doesn’t just happen on its own” grabbed my attention, but probably not in the way the originator hoped. It immediately drew my attention to our spiritual walk.

I’ve been saved for almost 50 years, and a pastor for much of that time. In those years, I’ve known a lot of people who think that just because they are saved, they’re done. They’ve made no, or very little progress since the day they’ve accepted Christ Jesus as Savior. They’ve certainly not made Him LORD of their life. (I’ve probably spent some time with that same attitude in my 50 years.)

I’ve come to realize, however, that if we want to progress in our Christian walk, it’s going to take effort. Peter urges us to “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” [2 Peter 3:18 NIV]

The Holy Spirit’s work in us is to enable us, give us the power to progress in our walk, to become like our Savior and LORD as best we can in this life. We must cooperate with His urgings and direction. We must appropriate His power. It begins with acknowledging that “progress doesn’t just happen on its own,” but will requires work on our part as well.

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