Dear Ones,
Hope you are keeping warm. It was -13 here today. I decided to stay home and bake cookies and take down the Christmas decorations this morning. I’m sure we will walk in the underground this afternoon and not outside.  
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Jesus is for the poor and showed great love and compassion for them; He instructs us to do the same and tells us to remember to care for the poor, the widow, the orphan. Sometimes we forget those who are struggling to make ends meet and who live in fear that they will end up on the street.
It was an eye opener when Al and I worked at the Soup Kitchen and saw those who feel down and out. Some were dressed very warm as they lacked proper shelter and had to brave the elements. As I helped serve and looked into their eyes, one particularly looked like the lights had gone out in her life. Since we had enough help Al was able to visit with some of the ones that came for a hot meal. One man was rejoicing that he had a place to stay and was no longer homeless. Others go to a warming place for the night that is now up and running in Brainerd. All were needy!
But we don’t have to go to Soup kitchens to find the poor, for they are all around us each day. They may not be physically poor put they may be spiritually lost and hungry for the Bread of Life.
Whenever we help the poor, we are doing it for the Lord and He said in Matt. 25:35-36&40(Message), “I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to see me… Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me- you did it to me.”
We are to help others as if it were the Lord Himself. Not all acts of mercy depend on how much we have to give; for it costs nothing to give a glass of cold water or to visit someone in prison. And maybe we need to let go of clothes we no longer wear and give to those in need.
Many people give to organizations and missions at Christmas but let us have hearts that want to give all year long and do it as unto the Lord.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to make you alert to meet the needs of those around you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy