Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a good weekend! Yesterday we enjoyed time out for lunch with two couples whose love for the Lord shines so brightly. Prayers appreciated for our friend here, for the remainder of his retreat before going back home. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
   Jesus last command to His followers was to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. (Matt. 28:19) He was leaving to go to His Father, and the work of sharing the gospel was left for them to spread the word. It’s amazing what they accomplished in their lifetime through the power of the Holy Spirit, and God used even persecution to spread the good news far and wide. But Jesus’ mandate is also for us to be His witnesses wherever we are placed.                            
  Have we considered our sphere of influence? Who has God put before us in our lives to share Him with?  Recently we had our last video from the series, Now We Live, and we discussed how each of us can engage our neighbors, our community, our coworkers for Him. We are not put on earth just to enjoy all the comforts of life but we have a bigger calling, an eternal purpose. The Lord wants us to go into the world and be His witnesses.
  We are not to live compartmentalized lives by expressing our spirituality on Sunday, but then forgetting about the Lord when we go to work. No all aspects of our lives should be an opportunity to share Him with others. At Bible study we discussed at each table the areas we could influence others for the Lord, by our actions and also by our words. Not that we force our views on others but that we look for opportunities to be a witness whether verbally or by our attitudes and actions.                                                                                                                                                                          For Al and I, since we live in an apartment complex, there are opportunities each day as we are surrounded by residents. Al leads a Bible study here, but there are so many other ways to share His love like bringing meals to those who are sick, or taking them to an appointment, or just listening to their stories or concerns. Many of us are probably in special interest groups like book clubs, working for Faith in Action, Teen Challenge, exercise classes, choir, etc. and we need to be alert for openings to share the Lord. Like Jesus said in Matt. 5:16 (God’s Word), “In the same way let you light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven.”
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord for new ways to share Him and express His love to others around you.                                                                                                                                 Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy