Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying this weekend and getting refreshed. This  morning I cleaned the apartment, shopped, and wrote letters. This afternoon Al and I are going to Culver’s for flavor of the day! Every two weeks or so, Al takes me there for a treat Emoji !
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We cannot live by our feelings and let our emotions rule but rather do what is right in God’s sight. It seems our culture today is running on feelings and doing whatever it takes to feel good…but look at the fall out! As Christians it is the Lord who has the final say and He won’t ask us to do anything that goes against His word, even if we think it will feel good at the time. Our granddaughter Lily just turned 17 and is passionate about soccer. She is on a traveling team plus varsity team and was named All-Midwest regional High School team and honorable mention All American team. Lily can’t live by her feelings as she has to play soccer in all kinds of weather and adverse conditions. Recently she has had to play in temperatures near 100 degrees and other times it could be in rain, wind and cold. The team doesn’t vote on if they want to go to St. Louis, Arizona, or Florida etc. on the weekend: they go to where ever the game is scheduled. Lily has to watch what she eats before a game and choose the right carbs; after the game her parents reward her with her favorite foods. Lily doesn’t hold back when she plays but has her eye fixed on the goal; that helps her not to get distracted and to do her best in practices and persevere at game time. Sometimes she might be playing with some pain but she doesn’t give in and plays to win. Of course, there are times her team loses, but they can’t let their feelings take over and think of themselves as losers; instead they seek ways they can improve and win next time.
Isn’t our Christian walk like that as we can’t go by our feelings but trust our Coach? He knows best and puts us in the best position for the gifts He has given us. All members on the team are important and need to do the job assigned to them. We are to watch what we consume and not to partake of things that are not healthy for our spiritual lives. We will experience difficult things but we are not to be quitters. We also shouldn’t get so busy doing things we aren’t called to do, or we will not be in the place of importance that God has given us. We are to keep our eyes on the goal and not get distracted. Like Paul said in I Cor. 9:26-27 (The Message), “I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.” May all of us listen to our Coach for one day we will spend eternity with Him and the whole team!
Challenge for the day: Ask the Lord to obey His promptings even when you may not feel like it.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy