April 27, 2022

Dear Ones,

  Hope you are having a good day. It is so good to see the sun shining today after the days of rain and wind! This morning I did food prep and went to Aldi’s and Exercise class.  This afternoon is crafts and tonight is Bible Study. We PTL that when we went to the dentist yesterday we were told we had no cavities and we went out and celebrated with a gourmet meal on the way home! 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   As Jesus followers we are told in different ways to seek first His kingdom and to deny ourselves. Over and over again I keep coming across the convicting words that He is to increase and I am to decrease. But how do we practice that in this culture that is all out for me, me, me? It takes a lot of renouncing of self-gratification, to channeling our attention and energy on others and most of all putting the Lord first.

  It may mean saying no to certain pleasures that satisfies our own desires, and to move on to serve the Lord in the sick, the poor, and those that mourn. For a pleasure-seeking society, that is not the norm. But it is in giving ourselves to the Lord and others, that we find joy and peace.

   The Lord wants us to become people of compassion that forget ourselves and show love for others, especially the poor, the stranger, the lonely etc. This involves forgetfulness of ourselves in order to do that. Of course, if we do it simply out of duty, then we are missing the mark. We are to have empathy and try to put ourselves in their place, to feel what they are feeling. Sometimes it is just a matter of listening with a compassionate heart. It could simply involve doing practical things like bringing a meal or taking time to listen to a fellow worker, or any small act of kindness.

   We should not underestimate what others may be going through physically, emotionally or spiritually. We must listen with an open heart for some things are not visible to our eyes and they need understanding if they have been abandoned, suffered loss, abused etc. We are told in Romans 12:15 to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. We might not need to say anything but just to sit with them in their loss and sometimes even shed tears together.

   Let us not spend our time in superficialities but invest in His kingdom and reach out to those around us as the Holy Spirit prompts us.

Challenge for today: In place of spending time on your cell phone today, show compassion to someone in need.