Dear Ones,
More rain and thunder this morning and now it is starting to clear up for the weekend fishermen. We saw a beautiful rainbow about 6 am. I studied this morning, made soup and Al and I went to Costco for the Birthday cake. I have the tables set up and decorated for the 4th of July and soon we will have the party.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Sometimes we just know it is the Lord! Maybe we walk out of a meeting or a service and we have such a vivid awareness that the Lord was present and we are filled with a sense of awe.
I felt that way yesterday as we had our weekly Bible study here at Northern Living. We had only 11 residents present as some were out of town and others that had engagements; so we closely gathered around a long table and Al began our study. We had left off in John 17:20 as Jesus had just prayed to His Father before He leaves this world. But then He goes on to pray for us to be one as He and His Father are one. The Message translation says, “The goal is for all of them to becomes one heart and mind-just as you Father, are in me and I in you, so that they might be one heart and mind with us… The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they’ll be as unified and together as we are— I in them and you in me.”
Isn’t Jesus’ picture of unity beautiful as He desires for us to have one heart and mind and not to be divided? That is what He prayed and what He longs for all of us. Al went on to ask each of us to share our individual beginnings with the Lord and what churches we grew up in and where we are at now. It was interesting how diverse we all are and even ages varied from 63 to 94! None of us are in the same church as the others present, and even though we may have started out as a Baptist, we may have ended up Methodist etc. But since we all have the same Heavenly Father, we are family, and are accepted and loved. We can be who He created us to be not try to change one another. Denominations and age are not important, but only that we worship the same Lord and walk together in oneness.
After Bible Study as I walked back to our apaartment, I felt like surely the presence of the Lord filled the community room we were in. It made me think of the song by Lanny Wolfe: “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place/ I can feel His mighty power and His grace/ I can hear the brush of angel’s wings/ I can see glory on each face/ Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.”
Each time we gather together in unity with other Christians may we recognize His presence in our midst!
Challenge for today: Seek to be in oneness with other Christian brothers and sisters!
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
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