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hope

More Than Enough

by TerryLema

I started reading in Romans 15 this morning. It begins with an exhortation about bearing other’s burdens. Paul than turns his attention to Jews and Gentiles glorifying God together in the faith. As I was reading along, I got stuck on Paul’s prayer in verse 13. (I was reading in my new favorite translation, the Holman Christian Standard Bible.)

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” 

Where I got stuck was on that phrase, “overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” The New King James translates that as “abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The Greek word for abound or overflow is perisseuó. It means to be over and above, to abound, to exceed the ordinary, to go beyond the expected measure.

Paul prayed that his readers in Rome would not just have enough hope to get by but would go over and above what might be expected.

My interpretation of that prayer is that when we place our faith in the wonderful God of Hope, He will fill us with a joy and peace by the power of His Indwelling Spirit. We get so filled that we begin to spill out hope over everyone we meet.

That prayer is so important in our time as we live in a day characterized by hopelessness. So much going on around us saps us of hope on a regular basis. We are bombarded with accounts of death and devastation, economic and medical challenges, dueling politicians and fallen heroes. It is difficult to not let the “bad news” overpower hope.

But for the person who placed their faith and trust in the God of Hope, we are to abound in it – to have so much of it we have plenty to share.  Who can you share your hope with today?

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Rejoicing

by TerryLema

Last December a friend sent me a quilt square with the words of Romans 12:12 embroidered on it. “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” [HCSB]

I do not remember if I thanked her, but I have read those words every day since receiving her gift. (I put the square next to my hearing device case so that I see it every morning and every night.) Those words have ministered to my soul over and over. As I repeated them once again this morning, I realized that they are the roadmap to take me [us] through those difficult times of life.

Over the course of the last two years, I have been hopeful that my two auto-immune diseases will one day go into remission. While waiting, I am trying to be patient in the midst of the debilitating symptoms. I am also persistent in praying for God’s most perfect plan for my life … whether that brings healing or simply His grace that is sufficient for my every need. [2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”)

This morning I am “tentatively” rejoicing in hope. The past two weeks I have been relatively free of the PMR pain and GCA scalp and face discomfort. I have developed side effects from the medication that apparently has shut down my adrenal glands (weakness, lack of stamina, sweating and hot flashes), but the daily battle with pain has not been an issue.

That is amazing! And I am praising God for this, and cautiously hopeful that the PMR and GCA is in remission. I am also hopeful that I can deal with the new issues. To have two-weeks pain free after two years of constant pain is truly a blessing.

Rejoicing in Hope: “I put my hope in You, Lord; You will answer, Lord my God.” [Psalm 38:15 HCSB]

Patient in Affliction: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose”. [Romans 8:28 HCSB]

Persistent in Prayer: “[Jesus] then told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not become discouraged.” [Luke 18:1 HCSB]

Bless the LORD O my soul! Amen

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Heroes

by TerryLema

The Sunday before we left for California, we watched the final day of the PGA Championship. Phil Mickelson, at 50 years of age was leading the field. Winning would make him the oldest golfer to win a major event.  By the 16th hole it was looking good, and because he and his closest opponent, Brooks Koepka, were the last ones on the course, the fans followed them all the way through the day.

I do not know if you can imagine what that looked like. When Mickelson and Koepka left for Hole 2, they took all the Hole 1 fans with them; then when they left for Hole 3 they had Holes 1&2 fans following. By the time they reached the 18th Hole the size of the crowd was enormous and began to press in on Michelson who now looked like he would be the winner.

They were so thick they had to have security around Michelson. At one point a fan pressed in close and tried to jump on his shoulder. At times it looked like he would be swallowed up.  At the 18th green they had to wait for Koepka (who did get swallowed up) to make his way out of the crowd and onto the green, all the while the crowds are screaming for Michelson.

I thought about all the people around Michelson. It has been a while since people were allowed into a golfing event after COVID-19 shut everything down. They were rooting for the underdog. It is as if they were finding hope in his win and they could celebrate vicariously with him.

As I watched all that unfold, I thought about Jesus and the people that pressed in around Him. Luke tells us in Chapter 5, verses 1-3, that the crowd as He was standing by Lake Gennesaret “was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word”. He had to get in a boat that belonged to Simon Peter and push away from shore just to be able to teach.

The crowds that pressed in around Jesus were looking for hope. They prayed that this homeless preacher who often defied the religious leaders would have the hope their hearts yearned for.

Unlike Michelson who could only provide a momentary thrill, Jesus, Savior, LORD, provides hope, salvation, eternal life, and an inheritance in glory.  Praise His Glorious Name!

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A Hope Without Wavering

by TerryLema

If there is one “let us” phrase in the Book of Hebrews that stands out as we begin 2021, it may be this one:

“Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” [Hebrews 10:23 HCSB]

As Christians, we are called upon to hold on to the confession of our hope – without wavering. If there is one dynamic quality of Christianity, it is hope.  Our hope is secured by the One who is faithful to fulfill all – yes ALL – His promises.

We have the promise of salvation. We have the promise of everlasting life in the Presence of God Almighty. We have the promise of new bodies, of sin and temptation being dealt with forever. We have the promise of an inheritance in the saints. We have the promise of God’s abiding Presence and Attention with us now. We have the promise of being predestined to being conformed to the image of God’s Dear Son. We have the guarantee of all those promises in the Holy Spirit who was given to us at the moment of our surrender to Christ.

Because all those promises are anchored in God, who is forever faithful, we have a confession of hope that goes beyond the norm. To many, hope is merely wishful thinking. To the Christian, hope is certain and assured.

We have no idea what 2021 will hold for any of us. The world is “hoping” it will be better than 2020 but has no assurance that it will.  But whatever 2021 holds for us, beloved, we have a “confession of hope” that God will be with us, will guide us, will empower us, will keep us in His loving care.

Let us hold on to that confession of hope without wavering. It is our testimony to a world without hope! Amen.

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And with it hope …

by TerryLema

Today is another infusion day and with it the hope that the medication will do what it is supposed to do, that is cover my cells so that inflammation cannot penetrate and eliminate these auto-immune diseases or at the least, put them into remission. I am so tired of the side effects of the Prednisone that I take to hold the diseases at bay.

The least side effect, but perhaps the most noticeable, are the changes to my face. I have the chipmunk cheeks going. The face I see in the mirror is not the one I saw this time last year. My smile has been altered. The shape of my face is different. I walked around yesterday reminding God that “I want my face back!”

Of course, with everything going on in the world today, and the truly devastating diseases and difficulties affecting so many, my face is way down on the list of things that truly matter. And I will admit, I laughed when I made that request to God!  Still … LORD … if you are looking my way …😊

Hope. That spiritual quality is so vitally important to us. I love the progression that begins with affliction and ends with hope and God’s love that Paul gave us in Romans 5.

“And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.   This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” [v3-5 HCSB]

When afflictions are handled correctly, they produce endurance in us. When endurance is produced, our character is altered from weakness to strength, from inconsistency to conformity to God’s will. That altering of our character produces hope. This hope is not wishful thinking (like I might one day win a lottery and be able to live a life of pleasure and ease). No, this hope can never disappoint us.

Why is this hope so solid and faithful? Because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts by the power of the Living, Wonderful, Awesome Spirit Who lives in us!

Today’s infusion may or may not do what it is designed to do. But the hope of God, the love of God, will always do what it is designed to do!

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A Ditz …

by TerryLema

Last Sunday after church I went up on the platform to disassemble all my electronics. I use my phone to do the live Facebook event and I bring my computer to hook up to the church projector for the PowerPoint presentation. I took my phone off the tripod and noticed a message from the hospital about my appointment the next day, so accessed my voice mail and listened to a long list of things while I folded up cords and packed my computer.

Then I had a moment of panic. I could not find my phone! I started looking all around where I thought I might have set it down only to realize that I was still holding it in my hand and listening to the voice mail. Senior Moment? Medication foggy-brained moment? The beginning of something worse? Maybe even an “Aunt Irene” moment?

Everyone knows an “Aunt Irene.” I did. She was often defined as a ditz. She would drive from the suburbs into Pittsburgh to shop, take the bus home, and then call her husband to tell him their car was stolen. She did that with her kids once, left them in the department store. She painted the furnace in their basement the day before her daughter’s wedding reception because it looked “tacky.” The weather turned cold and they had to light the furnace for the reception only to drive the guests out coughing and teary eyed from the fumes. Yep, that was Aunt Irene.

Am I now becoming “Aunt Irene?” Probably not, but I am having to handle moments of forgetfulness, which seems to be a side effect of my medication. Bodies and minds change from all kinds of influences, and we need to learn to adjust to things we never expected.

Yet as I sit here contemplating, I am reminded that even if my mind should fail, that changes nothing with my LORD. My hope and my future are in His Hands, tucked away securely so that when I leave this life with all its challenges, I will have life abundant beyond measure.

When Jeremiah surveyed all the challenges his beloved people were facing with Babylonian captivity, God reminded him that the captivity had a limit, 70 years. Beyond that was promised welfare, not disaster, and a future and a hope. So, yes, body and/or minds may fail us here, but that does not negate our future or our hope!

“’For I know the plans I have for you’”—this is the Lord’s declaration—’plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” [Jeremiah 29:11]

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Hold on …

by TerryLema

I am returning this morning to one of my favorite chapters, Romans 5. That chapter always ministers to my soul. It begins with righteousness, peace, access to God by faith, grace in which to stand, and rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God. Those things make my spirit soar through the heavenlies as I meditate on them, and that is just the first two verses.

Then Paul gets down to earth and begins to write about this life on this planet, and the words change … afflictions, endurance, proven character. That is how we move through our days. Sometimes it seems we are pushing through so much muck and mire. The struggles are real.

At the end there is a bright and shining jewel—hope. Yes, we have afflictions that we must face with endurance. That endurance will produce character in us that can be achieved no other way. Through the stress and pressure we find our jewel, a hope that will not disappoint us.

The writer to Hebrews tells us that contained within that hope are courage and confidence. “But Christ was faithful as a Son over His household. And we are that household if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope.” [3:6 HCSB]

We must understand, however, that the world hates our hope and seeks to destroy it. Circumstances and difficulties seek to chip away at it. Neglect and complacency can cause it to slip from our grasp. We must “hold on” as the Hebrew’s writer reminds us. Hold on to the promises of God. Hold on to His hope. Hold on to Him!

2020 has been a destroyer of hope for many. Their courage and confidence have been chipped away because of uncertainty, loss, difficulties and even the ignorance of others. Beloved, hold on. We may not see the end yet, and the fear that 2021 may not be different can arise, but our God is the same today as He has always been. Hope in Him is a sure thing especially when everything is crumbling around us!

 

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2020 Disappointments Abound, but…

by TerryLema

Disappointments in this life abound. We think something good is going to happen, or something bad is going to be averted, and then the exact opposite of what we expect is what takes place. This year, 2020, has certainly proved that to be true. Teens who worked all their young lives to see high school graduation were disappointed. People who owned businesses that were growing, or flourishing were stunned with the economic hit of the virus-and-fear pandemic. People who planned on enjoying their old age found their lives cut short.

The second half of 2020 does not look much better. Schools may not open, churches are still being bombarded with directives, the virus does not appear to be retreating. Businesses are still struggling. Colleges are deciding how to open and what to do about their sports programs. Truly, disappointments abound.

One of my favorite chapters in the Book of Romans is chapter 5. Paul begins by reminding us of our righteousness by faith, peace with God, and access to grace through our LORD Jesus Christ. Then he reminds us that “we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.” [v2-4 CSB]

“This hope,” Paul tells us, “will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” [v5 CSB]

Three times hope is mentioned in those first five verses. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Afflictions produce much if we allow them, ending in the final product, which is hope. And this hope (both produced by affliction and resting in the glory of God) will not disappoint us.

Life disappoints, but God’s love poured out in our hearts will not. God loves us. He gave us His Spirit to indwell us and one of the primary functions of God’s Spirit in us is to constantly remind us that we are children of a loving, giving, All-Powerful Father. Everything in life may be unsteady, may lead to disappointments, but the hope we have in God, combined with His abundant love for us, will never disappoint. He proves that to us now; He will prove that to us throughout eternity.  Amen

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Hope

by TerryLema

I opened up my news feed this morning and the headlines read: “Doctors keep discovering new ways COVID-19 attacks body,” “Predicted death toll rises with states reopening,” and “7 new virus symptoms that are surprising doctors.”

That was just the headlines. That does not include the news of politics, polls, reopening clashes, food chain safety, fear, murder, and death numbers. The way we describe what we see daily in the headlines could be with the one word, “hopeless.”

But the media, remember, is designed to report the worst. Reporters are looking for the latest scoop, constantly trying to one up each other. Each news report must be escalated to grab attention away from another network or commentator. Since we are a people who have an aversion to reading and research, we only see the headlines and think we know the entire story. So, yes, “hopeless” seems very appropriate for today.

Unless you are a Christian. Our daily news report is governed by the word “hope.”

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” [Heb 10:23]

We profess hope. We hold to the hope we profess. Our God is a God of Hope. He has made promises to us and He is faithful to every promise He made. In this world today, Christians should be a living, professing, action of hope. Everyone else might succumb to the hope-less headlines, but we should know better.

We serve an Almighty, Wonderful, Good, Faithful, True God. This world and its headlines are temporary, and shall all pass away, but the God we cling to will faithfully love and care for us for all eternity. Now that’s hope.

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A House of Prayer

by TerryLema

After the Triumphal Entry, Jesus went to the Temple area and drove out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers who were making a profit by selling animals for sacrifice. He quoted words given by the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, “’It is written,’ he said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ for all nations, but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’” [Mark 11:17, Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11]

When the religious leaders heard this, and saw Jesus healing the sick in the Temple area, it angered them beyond belief, so much so, that they began looking for ways to kill Him.

There are times when I read about the events of the last week of Jesus’ life that I wonder what He would do if He came into our “temple area,” into our places of corporate gathering. Would He be allowed to sit and heal the sick and wounded, or would He have to drive out the moneychangers first.

You might think we don’t have moneychangers in our modern day church … but we do. Moneychangers are anything in our churches that have taken the place of the presence of Jesus and the fire of the Holy Spirit. They can be amenities, attitudes, false teaching or an incomplete Gospel. They must be driven out so that Jesus can once again teach and heal and set free.

Today (and perhaps for many weeks) the meeting-sites are closed. The church must be creative in how we worship our God, minister grace and bring hope to the world. What we have to offer now are the great eternal truths and the love and care that will lead others to salvation and strengthen those who are bound with fear.

There’s no room for the moneychangers in our temple areas. Maybe that’s something we need to remember when the doors open once more.

Jesus, we welcome you into our “temple areas” with great joy. Amen.

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