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Remember

Oh God, I Remember You!

by TerryLema August 26, 2024

Whoever wrote Psalm 42 was deeply discouraged, grief-stricken, and facing many enemies. He expresses all those thoughts in the psalm. Most believe David is the author of the song and that it was written at a time when Saul was pursuing him through the desert. The opening line is so familiar …. “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.” [NKJV]

But right in the middle of the song, amid all the discouragement, one phrase stands out. “I will remember You ….” [vs 6 NLT]

The psalmist makes a focused decision of his will to remember God and when he does, what comes to mind is a reassurance, a promise from God.

“But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.” [Psalm 42:8 NLT]

When the world, our flesh and the enemy of our soul seek to overwhelm us with circumstances, trials, distractions, and shame, that is when we must make a concentrated effort to “remember” our God and His promises.

Every day God pours His unfailing love upon us. Every Day. He never misses a day or skips a week. And that love is unfailing. It never comes up short. It is never deficient. And God doesn’t just dribble that love, He pours it upon us! Our God is not skimpy with His love, He lavishes it upon us.

Why are we discouraged? Hope in God. He is our Help. Our God!

August 26, 2024 0 comment
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Remember Well

by TerryLema July 25, 2023

A couple Sunday’s ago Pastor Jerrad was preaching on fear out of Psalm 23:4, “When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.”

I love Psalm 23. I repeat it every night as I go to sleep, visualizing in my imagination those green pastures and quiet streams. Because of that I listened very carefully to what Pastor Jerrad was saying. He used verses from Deuteronomy to expand his thoughts. Two of those passages caught my attention.

One was Deuteronomy 7:17-18: “If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’—you shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.” [NKJV]

Notice that little phrase, “you shall remember well ….”

The Hebrew word for “you shall remember” is ZAKAR. The word for “well” is ZAKAR.” It is repeated. That’s like an exclamation point!

Moses was calling on the people not just to remember what the LORD their God did for them, they were to remember it WELL!

Remembering well what God has done for us in the past, will enable us to not be afraid when enemies come our way in the future.

July 25, 2023 0 comment
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I Will Remember

by TerryLema July 30, 2022

King David assigned worship leaders in 1 Chronicles 6:31-32. One of those men, a descendant of Levi was named Asaph. You may have noted his name in the superscriptions on some of the psalms, specifically Psalms 50, and 73-83. Like David, Asaph was a skilled singer and poet. He was a gifted individual, and he recognized his gifts as coming from God.

I was reading Psalm 77 this morning. Asaph is struggling in the beginning of the song with his emotions and expresses his troubles. He seems to be seeking God, but unable to find Him.  Then in verse 11, everything changes.

“I will remember the LORD’s works; yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all You have done and meditate on Your actions.” [HCSB]

What follows is a retelling of the Exodus when God parted the Red Sea and when Moses and Aaron led the people through.

“I will remember … I will remember … I will reflect … and meditate.”

Asaph retold the story of God’s glory among His people. Asaph remembered, reflected, and meditated.

When we are going through life-altering events, when we are surrounded by enemies of our soul, when we are stunned by the actions of others – it is a good thing to remember the story of God’s glory in our lives. We need to look back and see how God has moved in other life-altering events. We need to see His glory and grace as He has ministered to us along our way.

Have you ever told others your story? Have you shared the deepest, darkest moments of life that God brought you through? Have you recorded, as Asaph did, the glorious miracles God has wrought for you?

Might be a good time to start – leave a legacy of God for others to follow.

July 30, 2022 0 comment
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Remember

by TerryLema December 9, 2020

I love the Christmas music. One of my favorite carols is “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” The opening verses remind us of several truths.

“God rest ye merry, gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay. Remember, Christ, our Saviour Was born on Christmas day. To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray. O, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O, tidings of comfort and joy.”

I like how this carol reminds us to “remember.” We are to “remember” that Christmas is all about Christ, our Savior. We are to “remember” that He came to save us from Satan’s power. And, when we “remember” we will find comfort and joy.

It is easy to forget the deep message of Christmas. The world wants to keep us on a superficial level. It wants us to think about gifts and elves on the shelves and Christmas movies and food and Santa Claus. The world wants us to focus on temporary things that will pass away.

The enemy of our soul has his own goal also. He wants us stressed, weakened, hopeless, lonely, and unsatisfied. He wants us dismayed.

It is only when we “remember” that the reason for the season is the birth of our Savior that we overcome the intentions of the world and the devil.

1 Timothy 1:15: “This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…’” [HCSB]

(770) [OFFICIAL VIDEO] God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Pentatonix - YouTube
December 9, 2020 0 comment
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Do Not Forget …

by TerryLema August 18, 2020

If you are looking for a quiet resting place today, take a walk in Psalm 103. It begins: “My soul, praise Yahweh, and all that is within me, praise His holy name. My soul, praise the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits. He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases.” [Psalm 103:1-3 HCSB]

It is so easy to forget. Last night I forgot our nighttime medications. I was getting ready for bed when Bob asked, “Did we take our pills?”  Nope, I forgot. So, I asked him to remember to remind me to remember next time. Hopefully, one of us will remember.

The LORD’s benefits to us are very real. The psalmist lists two, forgiveness and healing. We could probably list many more, rest, renewal, the promise of a future and a hope, peace that passes understanding, an inheritance in the saints, new mercies every morning. That does not even scratch the surface of blessings found in the LORD.

Still, it is easy to forget. The things of this life are often louder or seemingly more intense. They distract and pull us toward them. Will I lose my job? Can I afford groceries or gas? Can I feed my family? Will I get this virus? Will my employer provide protection? Will I die? Those are just a few 2020 distractions, not to mention the regular ones, like cancer or loss of a loved one, aging, or rebellious children or …?

The psalmist provides the best way to not forget God’s benefits by reminding us to praise the LORD, to bless His Holy Name. To command our soul to praise our LORD is to put God’s blessings foremost before us. To do so drives the other things into the background.

There is nothing like praising God to find the renewal we need in those green pastures beside those still, quiet waters. Praise Him today, beloved, and see if the things of life that challenge us most are not rendered silent before Him.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=praise+music+youtube&cvid=43d7834433d84b4abf3cac5844dfb53a&pglt=803&PC=LCTS&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dpraise%2bmusic%2byoutube%26cvid%3d43d7834433d84b4abf3cac5844dfb53a%26pglt%3d803%26FORM%3dANSPA1%26PC%3dLCTS&view=detail&mmscn=vwrc&mid=B31EAAC8A6F497BFE0EFB31EAAC8A6F497BFE0EF&FORM=WRVORC

 

August 18, 2020 0 comment
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Pastor Terry Lema

Pastor Terry Lema has been married for 53 years, and has 3 children and 3 grandsons. Terry graduated from Trinity Bible College, and and recently retired as Lead Pastor at The Way Church in Middleton, Idaho.

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