Dear Ones,
Hope you had a blessed and joyous Easter. We enjoyed our time going to the lake, hearing Leif preach, the yummy dinner, games and just being in nature. We came home feeling thankful and blessed. Today the Easter decorations will be put away and I plan to go to exercise and do some baking.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How many times have we prayed that the Lord would draw us closer to Him and that we would sense His nearness. We may have sung the old familiar song, “Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it Jesus is my plea, daily walking close to Thee, Let it be dear Lord, let it be.” We know in our hearts when we have drifted away from the Lord and we desire His nearness. Chances are we have taken over control of our lives again and like Anthony Bloom said that “So often when we say to the Lord, “I love you” we say it with a huge “I” and a small “you.” The bigger our “I” becomes, the more isolated we feel from the Lord.

When we get all get wrapped up in self-love, life becomes curved in on our self. Eugene Peterson describes such a life as boring and barren, and prayer is needed to create the space that helps us get detached and opens us to freedom. Rather than use people for fulfilling our own need and greed, we will be set free to give and receive love as a free act. As we pray and praise the One who is love, we are set free from our selfishness and can relate and love others as Jesus would have us.

Let us trust the Lord and be dependent on Him rather than on self or others. I read today from I John 4:16b (Amplified), “God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.” We will become more aware of His love as we pray and open our hearts in praise. Let us read His love letter daily, receive His plan for our day and let go of our self-life to love Him and serve others.

Challenge for today: Meditate on God’s love for you and ask Him to help you find ways to express His love for others.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy