Dear Ones,
Hope you had a good weekend and that this will be a blessed Holy Week for you. Last night we had a choral musical candlelight srvice by our choir with forcus on Jesus going to the cross. It was so beautiful and meaningful! Today I am baking cookies and a dessert and going to my exercise class. We hear more snow is coming tomorrow. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How many of us could say that we have left everything to follow Jesus? Is it more truthful to say we have left some things behind but have kept things for ourselves and our own will and comfort?
When I married Al, I was not saying that I was only partially committed to him but rather only to him and no other man; I was done looking around at others as I had found the one! He would be the first to say he is not perfect, just as I know I am not perfect, but we are fully committed to love one another.
But even more important in our lives is the place the Lord has. He wants to be in first place in our hearts? Are we willing to leave everything behind to love and serve Him? It’s wonderful when we can do that as a couple but each one individually has to make their own decision. It makes for peace when our hearts are not divided but totally given to the One who loves us most of all
While reading my devotions this morning I was struck how when Jesus called men to follow Him, they left everything behind. In Luke 5, after Jesus had used Peter’s boat to preach to the crowd, He told him to go out into the deep and lower his nets and get ready for a big catch of fish. Peter had fished all night and caught nothing but he obeyed and got so many fish they had to call for help from James and John. Jesus told Peter that from now on he would catch people and not fish and it says in verse 11 that he pulled the boat up on shore and “left everything, and followed Jesus” The same thing happened when he called the tax collector Matthew, he “got up, left everything and followed Him.” He walked away from everything and went with Jesus.
Like the song goes, “All to Jesus, I surrender, all to Him I freely give: I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live. I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.” As the song continues, let us forsake all the worldly pleasures and be filled with His love and power.
Challenge for today: Be fully committed to the Lord and leave behind those worldly pleasures.
Blessings on your Holy week and prayers and love, Judy
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