Dear Ones,
Hope you have a good day and stay warm. It is starting to snow again and it is suppose to continue the next few days. The house is full of aroma though as I have a big pot of stew in the crockpot. I have exercise class this morning and I’m quite sure Al and I will be walking in the underground again this afternoon. Bible study tonight at church but will have to see about the roads. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  Things are not always as they seem and we must always seek truth. Sometimes what we may think we know later turns out to be in error and we have to change our ways. That keeps us on our toes to be open and have our antennas up to catch the right signals.
   When we lived on the lake, I could make all the noise I wanted as we didn’t have any neighbors living nearby. Also, if no guests were staying on our lower level, it didn’t matter if the pans banged when I was baking or if the music was loud. But moving to apartment living changed that since we have someone living below us and along one side of us. We want to be considerate neighbors so try to be quiet when we get up in the morning and walk softly etc.
  Our neighbor downstairs told us she was leaving on Saturday for a Christmas trip and would be gone a couple weeks. When Saturday came, I told Al she was gone for a while and we could wouldn’t have to be careful with the noise. Then much to my surprise a few days later I saw her getting her mail downstairs and all those of us around her said, “I thought you were gone!” She said that complications had come up and she was still home for a while. I felt bad and apologized right away for the added noise we made! What we thought was not true.
   But more importantly, we are hearing things today that sound good but are not truth. It may be what we want to hear and we go along believing it, because it is in line with what our culture is saying. But truth of the scripture doesn’t change, even if a majority of people disagree with it. Today we hear messages, even from the pulpit; that contradict what Jesus says and tell us everyone will go to heaven, truth is relative, there is no hell etc. But we must always go back to the Bible and believe Him who is truth. Jesus said in John 14:6 (NRSV), “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  It really doesn’t matter how we feel about it, for Jesus is the only way. We celebrate this Christmas season, but every day can be a celebration of His coming to save us and to give us abundant life. Our deepest joy is in knowing Him and following His way of truth. Let us not be fooled by the artificial substitutes of the world but come to know intimately the One who loves us beyond words and speaks truth to our ears.
  Challenge for today: Stick with the truth of the Word no matter what the world may say. 
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy