Past Devotions

Tomorrow is Memorial Day.  Many think it is National BBQ or National First Camping Trip of the Year Day. It’s not.  Memorial Day is the day we honor all those men and women who gave their lives so that others might be free.  My husband, the former Marine, will get up early and head down to the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery.  He’ll park his truck and ride the shuttle up the hill to the cemetery grounds and participate in the memorial service that is held there.  He’s proud of his service, as he should be.

There is something in all of us, a God-given desire to be free.  Yet, like many God-given desires, the enemy of our soul often perverts that desire into something God never intended it to be.  Paul issued a warning to the church in Galatia about using our freedom other than how God intended.

“You, my brothers [and sisters], were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” [Gal 5:13-15 NIV]

We are not to use our freedom to indulge our sinful nature, our “flesh” as the KJV calls it. We are to use our freedom instead to serve others. Paul says that can be summed up in a single command, to love our neighbors as ourselves. Then he warns us that if we don’t serve each other in freedom, we will end up devouring and destroying each other in sinful living.

Remember: sin always kills something when it is given reign in our lives. It not only harms the sinner but harms those close to them.  Love serves; and through service, it sets free.

The church of Jesus Christ is under attack; we would be extremely foolish to deny that. One attack shouts that we aren’t doing enough social good, that we should get moving, spend our time and money to eliminate poverty and need. Another attack tells us to shut up, sit down and stay out of their business.

Perhaps the greatest attack, however, is the one that is seeking to silence the truths found in the Word of God. I can understand why. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” [Heb 4:12-13 NIV]

That’s a scary concept if you aren’t living according to the Word. No wonder people want to silence God’s Word.

Every day I fail to live up to the Word of God. Still, by the power of God’s Spirit in me, I seek to know and honor it. I don’t want anything in me that dishonors God, so I ask God to show me my heart’s thoughts and attitudes, uncover and expose anything that hinders God’s Presence in my life so that I might repent and receive forgiveness and experience His Fullness.

Do I always like this process?  No, but I’ve been called to live up to and testify to the Word of God, not re-write or edit it because its truths hurt. Paul reminded Timothy to testify about our Lord Jesus Christ. His words are a good reminder for us also.  “Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” [2 Tim 1:8-9 NIV]

I was talking to someone who mentioned that they didn’t think very much of the concept of “Revival.” They had their reasons. I think many of us have different definitions of what “Revival” means and how it will happen.

For me, “Revival” is synonymous with the Presence of the Lord Jesus in our midst.  When Jesus comes, He brings life and immortality to us.  When Jesus comes into our midst death cannot abide in His presence.  He is the destroyer of death. That is what Paul wrote to Timothy.

 “…Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”  [2 Tim 1:10 NIV]

There are many forms of death other than the physical.  The progression to death goes like this:  evil desires give birth to sin, sin when full grown gives birth to death. Death takes many forms, relational, financial, emotional, mental – death can and does come into many areas of our life. Sin always kills something. [James 1:13-15]

But when Jesus comes, life comes. That is revival. Give it any name you want, revival, spiritual awakening, Spirit outpouring … Resurrection life more abundantly! Jesus is here, and we are alive in His presence.

Lord, we hunger for your presence. We hunger for life!  Amen.

When Jonathan brought word to David that his father, King Saul, did indeed want to kill David, David escaped and went into enemy territory to Gath. You can read about it in 1 Samuel 21. When the servants of Achish, the King of Gath, reminded the king of the victories David had against his enemies, David feigned madness and escaped. It is thought that Psalm 34 was written on that occasion. In that song, David extends an invitation to all of us, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good….” [vs 8 NKJV]

Taste and discover the goodness, the graciousness of the Lord. In the New Testament, Peter takes David’s invitation to taste and see and he tells us that there are two results when we discover the goodness, the graciousness of our Lord.  There is a negative action; there is a positive action.

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” [1 Peter 2:1-3 NKJV]

When we discover how gracious our God is to us, we will lay aside malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking. That is the negative. We will through repentance, forgiveness and by cooperating with the Holy Spirit, remove these far from us.

Then we will desire to grow through the nourishment of the Word of God. That is the positive. We will add to our lives the power and strength of God’s Word to lead us into righteous living. It is not enough to simply do the negative, we must add the power of the positive to live well.

All this, of course, hinges on David’s original invitation – “if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

In 2 Peter, chapter 3, Peter wrote about the Day of the Lord, and about the scoffers who would come during the last days. He wrote about how the Day of the Lord will bring about the new heavens and new earth, and that it could happen just like that! He also reminded his readers that God’s purpose in being patient is that He doesn’t want anyone to perish but all to come to repentance.

Then he said, “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.”  [Vs 14-15 NIV]

As I read those verses I checked my heart with three questions.

Am I looking forward to the Day of the Lord and the New Heavens and New Earth? Oh, I am! I can hardly wait to hear that great trumpet sound and see the dead in Christ rise and be with Him forever.

Am I making every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with God? That is a bit more difficult to answer. Am I? Every effort? I have peace with God through Christ Jesus my Lord, but I’m not sure how energetic I am in pursuing holiness (spotless, blameless). I need to obey better than I do now.

Am I bearing in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation (and am I doing all I can to bring salvation to those who don’t know Him)? I would have to answer this honestly with probably not. Too often I grow impatient with others instead of modeling God’s patience and desire for them to know Him. This one needs a lot of work

Father, help me to wait patiently, to pursue holiness, to have Your heart for the unsaved. Amen.

If you have been following along on Facebook, you probably already know the “Saga of the Sink!” The Sunday before we left for California on May 1, we discovered our kitchen faucet had begun to leak under the sink. We had water damage. We shut everything off, called the insurance company and a mitigation company came to survey the damage. Then we left for our trip.

Upon our return, we contacted the insurance company and on the 10^th the mitigation company removed all the water damage and set up loud fans and de-humidifiers, which were finally removed after three days. Then on the 15^th we got a bid for reconstruction, and the company installed a laundry tub so I wouldn’t have to use our hall bathroom as a kitchen. The newly installed sink leaked. Back they came and fixed the leak.  At last! I could now cut up salad in my kitchen.  Little did a know.

The following day I cut up lettuce, put it in a colander to be washed and set it under the cold-water tap. Coming back to it after a minute, I noticed it was wilted. I discovered that I didn’t have a cold-water tap in my kitchen, I had two hot-water taps. They had accidentally connected the dishwasher line to my cold-water tap. They fixed that the next day.

Yesterday we finally heard back from the insurance company approving reconstruction. My kitchen has been almost useless since April 29. As I see the broken counter top, the cut-up floor, the laundry tub, I can’t help but laugh. I have always tried to make Proverbs 17:22 my attitude during trying times. It sure has come in handy over the last 22 days and will probably be needed all through reconstruction!  A merry heart does good like a medicine. [NKJV]

I really am laughing at “The Saga of the Sink!”

Something changed in me recently.  I received a healing that I neither expected nor requested. I wrote recently about the volatile and difficult relationship I had with my mentally-ill mother. For years I tried to reason with a woman who did not have the capacity to reason. Our relationship left me impatient, angry, frustrated.  It left me wounded in many ways.

I have forgiven my mother. I have worked free of her fears that for years took residency in my own emotions. I really thought I had reached the end of that healing. Forgiveness and freedom, what more could there be? This past Mother’s Day I learned there was one thing more … love.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. [1 John 3:2 NIV]

When my mother left this world and entered the presence of our Lord Jesus, she was healed. The wounds which dominated her life on earth were healed. I know that when I enter His presence, I too shall be completely and finally healed. I also know that I will be able to look my mother in the eyes and say, “I love you,” and for the first time truly mean it.

Forgiveness. Freedom. Love. It is found in knowing Christ Jesus.

Father, tell my mother I love her, and that I look forward to the day when I can hold her and tell her myself. Amen.

I was playing around on Facebook recently and hit one of those links. It was reported to give me my “Warning Sign.” I seldom do things like that, figuring it’s just a way for others to gain information about you.  This time, however, I hit that link.  This is what I got in return.  “Warning!  Terry Lema:  Be warned that this woman has no time for drama.”

Okay!  This time it hit the nail on the head!  I don’t have time for drama. Let’s cut to the chase, get to the bottom line, peel away the layers!  Maybe that is why I love Proverbs 12:1 so much. “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” [NKJV]

When our grandson was little, his parents didn’t want him to use the word “stupid.” Calling something “stupid” meant timeout.  One day PapaBob uttered the word “stupid” in front of our grandson, who immediately jumped on the opportunity to send PapaBob to the timeout chair.  He went, although not particularly happy about it.

Solomon had no qualms, however, about using a word we translate as brutish or stupid. “He who hates correction is stupid.”  God corrects us, instructs us, so that we might not stray from the right way. He corrects us because He loves us. We may not like to be corrected (no one likes to be told that they are wrong), but we need to embrace correction.  That correction will keep us safe, away from the harm intended by the enemy of our soul.

Father, by the power of Your Spirit in me, make me willing to embrace Your correction.  I don’t want to be “stupid!”

1 John 4:16: We have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

 As I was reading in 1 John two words in verse 16 drew my interest—they are: know and believe.  John is emphatic when he says that we know and believe the love that God has for us. I asked myself, do we? Do we really know and believe that love?

*Know:  ginosko (ghin-oce’-ko); to “know” (absolutely).

*Believe: pisteuo (pist-yoo’-o); to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well-being to Christ)

Wow. John uses a word that means to know absolutely. Absolutely says we know God’s love without even a hint of doubt. And because we know absolutely, we can entrust our spiritual well-being to Christ Jesus.

I watch news shows such as Dateline and 20/20 on occasion. What I see so often is the trouble that happens when people become so eager to be loved that they entrust their well-being to the wrong ones. This yearning to be loved often overpowers good sense. It places people in desperate situations and at times even leads to death.

But to know absolutely the love that God has for us, to entrust our spiritual well-being to Christ Jesus, always leads to life, eternal life. God loves me! God loves you!  Do you know absolutely and believe that love?

*(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)