Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying this day. Al gave a communion service next door at Assisted Living this morning.  I went shopping and then to exercise class. This afternoon I have crafts and then tonight is soup supper and Lenten service….a full rich day.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
While doing food prep in my kitchen one morning, a thought came to me of something I foolishly did many years ago; not something that big but just dumb. The enemy seems to bring up things from our past that we have said or done that have already been forgiven, but he wants us to ruminate on them rather than praise the Lord that they are gone in the sea of forgetfulness.
But there are also underlying character flaws that we may have that the Lord wants to rid us of, and we need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to change us. Will power by itself cannot change us in the long run. We need God’s power to take those hidden faults we have and to straighten us out. I marvel at how God places us next to individuals that He uses to help shave off our rough edges, and He knows just the perfect ones. As it says in Proverbs 27:17 (ESV), “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
Maybe we lack self-esteem, or perhaps we are stubborn, or lazy, or negative, or judgmental; the list goes on and on. There are things we may accept in ourselves and yet God wants to shave off those rough places and bring change from the inside out.
Perhaps as you read this you are saying, “Yes, I wish God would straighten out my mate or someone close to me”, but that is not up to us. The Lord wants to change us! He uses others to help in that process and it can be mutually beneficial, just like when two iron blades are run together, the edges get sharper and more efficient.
We are told to meet with others, just as the early Christians did, and to fellowship together, share the word and encourage one another. In the process we can help one another and exhort one another to deal with the hidden things. God has used friends in my life to do that and I am so grateful. Sometimes after such a time, I feel lighter in my spirit and that something heavy has been lifted…or maybe a rough edge has been shaved off!  We are told to “spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” (Psalm 133:1); that may involve confessing our sins to one another, challenging one another, and sharpening one another.
Let us forge ahead by dealing with the flaws and grow in grace and love.
Challenge for today: Make yourself accountable to another who will help you see your hidden flaws.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy