Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a good day! I am getting my exercise in today as I cleaned all the blinds in our apartment, went to my fitness class and later Al and I will go for our walk. Al had the Band of Brothers this morning at church and went well.
Devotions from Judy’s heart,
It’s good for all of us to have a healthy rhythm to live by. Monasteries have a beautiful rhythm that alternates between work and prayer. We can learn from them as prayer can quiet us and centers us in the Lord, and work energizes us to make a difference in the world. Al and I have taken silent retreats at monasteries and we love to enter into the rhythm they live by. We can all get so caught up in our world that emphasizes work but neglects the important part of prayer. Jesus followed a rhythm as he would be ministering to people and healing the sick, but He also took time to go apart to pray. In Luke 6:12 (Amplified) it says, “He went up into a mountain to pray, and spent the whole night in prayer to God.” The next day he chose His disciples and when they came down from the mountain crowds gathered to be healed. If Jesus went apart to pray, how much more do we need to. Without prayer, our daily lives of work can become empty and be self-serving and even become an idol; many try to go from one thing to another with busy schedules so as to gain power and prestige. But when prayer is neglected, we lose focus and have no purpose. Then when we add prayer and dependency on the Lord, it gives value and eternal significance to our day. Some might wonder how can I add more to my busy day by adding prayer? But maybe we have that backwards and should plan our work around our times of prayer. We can get up a little earlier to pray for the day, adjust our schedules to His, and read scripture.  If we are having lunch with other Christians, we can pray together for needs of our work place. Or we can pause briefly during the day to pray for our family and those around us with whom we work. And on Sunday we can gather with others to worship but also take time to rest and play and get refreshed. When Monday rolls around we will find we are much more ready to work and the rhythm begins again. At bedtime it is also good to review our day to see how we did in being mindful of the Lord and shining our lights at work and helping others. Let us not be lopsided Christians that work only at the expense of prayer; let us instead have a wonderful rhythm of both.
Challenge for today: Spend some time accessing your rhythm and be willing to change where is  needed.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy