Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! The weeks go so fast and here it is Friday already! Today I plan to study, shop and to work in the kitchen; Al has been enjoying my new recipes but not all will be made again.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I was fortunate to be raised in a church that helped in the support of many missionaries. When they were home on furlough they spoke at church and Bible camp and showed us a whole world that was not like ours.  Growing up we had a big map of the world on our dining room wall, with markers on various countries of missionaries we were familiar with and prayed for daily. At one point when I was quite young, we had 2 missionaries from China stay with us for 6 months in our two-bedroom home with already 5 people living.

 At an early age I learned that Jesus was for all people of the world and all colors, and not just those who were like me. They didn’t all speak the same or look like us and some taught us Swahili words as we tried singing in another language. It was similar when I got married and our parsonage was often frequented by missionaries who had exciting stories to tell our kids as well. I think the  Bible smuggler that stayed with us was their all-time favorites!

But through our experiences we came to understand that the Body of Christ is rich and made up of many different kinds of people whose common denominator is Jesus. Even when we can’t understand their language we still seem to communicate in the spirit. God’s mercy is so vast and extends to all the corners of the earth. While reading the book of Jeremiah, I noted Jeremiah gave messages from the Lord to 10 different nations. It doesn’t matter where we come from, we are all in need of the Lord and once we receive Him, we are to share Him with whoever He leads us to for “God so loved the whole world.” (John 3:16) Let us not just huddle with people similar to us, but open our hearts and let them be stretched to include all.

Challenge for today: When noticing someone who seems on the fringes, invite them in and share your common need of the Lord.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy