Dear Ones,
Hope you have an amazing day! Al is going to Men’s Group and then we have friends coming over for coffee this morning that just became grandparents for the first time. I can’t wait to see pictures of their new grandson! Kurt and friends shoveled their way down to the cabin and sauna yesterday and hope to enjoy a few days of fun. We have Bible study this afternoon and a party tomorrow! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  It’s one thing to know a lot of about the Lord and to quote scriptures off the top of our hat, but it’s quite another thing to know Him and to trust the Lord and to have faith in Him. We may go to many Bible studies and gain a lot of knowledge and agree that it is truth, but that isn’t the same as knowing the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
   The Pharisees knew the scriptures well and practiced all the finer points of the laws, but so many missed believing and having faith in Jesus. We can also say we believe and yet we don’t put our trust in the Lord in our daily lives: we live as if we were orphans on our own who have to fend for ourselves. 
  Sometimes we may need to remind ourselves that we are not in charge but our life is in God’s hands, who is worthy of our trust. The Lord is faithful, He is for us, and He is trustworthy! We can rest in Him and know that He loves us and will never ever fail us. 
    I find it helpful to have reminders of His presence so that I will focus on His faithfulness and strength and not my own. I wear a gold ring that was a gift to me, and has the image of Jesus with arms stretched out on the cross. I don’t take it off and it is a reminder to me that I can go to the Lord with everything for He paid the price for me. It is also good to have our homes reflect our faith as we can have pictures on our walls or sayings that cause us to pause and think of the Lord. We might ask ourselves if a stranger came to our home, would they have a clue that we are a Christian family and that Jesus is Lord over our home and family?
  There are so many things in our culture today that vie for our attention. Let us not forget the Lord for as He says in Isaiah 49:16, “I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” He does not forget us! Let us come to Him in faith and trust Him with all of our hearts.
Challenge for today: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of your life that you are not trusting the Lord and to give you faith to believe.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy