Dear Ones,
  Hope you wake to a day of blessings. Al is with the men of his Accountability group and I just finished making his favorite cookies. Soon I will go downstairs for donuts before going to Aldi’s and then off to Bible Study this afternoon. The Salmon supper at church last night was simply delicious  and the couple who processes it from the wild Alaskan salmon were also present with their family. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  How big is our world? If our focus is only on ourselves and our needs, our world is very small. When we know the Lord, our world should become very big as we are concerned for His kingdom. That means our families, our work and all that we do, serves a much bigger purpose for we want to extend His kingdom.
   Having said that, it may lead us to work with other Christians to accomplish things we can never do on our own. Recently, a young woman felt led to establish a Christian school in our town but that isn’t a job for just one person; other Christians are needed to do their part to help this dream from God to become a reality. We are to work together and not just concerned about our own agendas but the bigger picture.
   God calls us to be team players. There is no room for pride or selfish ambition for we are all needed in the big purpose God has before us. That takes humility and realizing that each person is important, whether the position seems small or large. Our goal is not to impress others with our self-importance but humbly recognize we are privileged to be part of the Body. Like the apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV), “I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another n love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Paul goes on to say we belong to one body, one Spirit, one faith, one hope, and we are all connected. Therefore, all of us are important in the big picture.
   Let us not be self-serving and focused on ourselves, but open ourselves up to work with others in carrying out the Great Commission to win the world for Jesus.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord how He can use you for His kingdom purposes and don’t worry if you will get recognition.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy