Dear Ones,
Hope you have a listening day. What beautiful weather we have been having and each day on the trail we see the trees and flowers blossoming. I plan to go to Exercise class and Crafts and later Bible Study.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How open are we to God? We say we want to know Him in a deeper way, but often we just go on in our busy lives and don’t take time to be with Him, to hear what He has to say, and to know how He would lead our lives. We must be open to what He has for us and that means quieting down and seeking to hear Him and love Him.
The first step in our path to draw closer to the Lord is to humble ourselves and the Lord himself gave us His example. Philippians 2 tells us how Jesus was equal with God but He humbled Himself and took on the status of a slave. He lived a selfless, obedient life and died the worst death. Paul says to us in the same chapter, “Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of Himself.” Without humility, we cannot draw close to God and offer our whole selves to Him.
Of course, we need to spend time in quietness and give our passions and thoughts to the Lord, all the while seeking to hear His voice to our hearts. We are to be in the Word, letting it speak to us. We are all unique and God speaks to each of us a different word, for He is forming us according to His plan and timing. We are to be honest and real with Him in our prayers, and He will transform what we give so that His image will be seen in us by others. It makes no sense to spend a lot of time rehearsing our plans to God and then ask Him for His will. Much better is to lay down our will and plans, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us in His way. Words are useless if we don’t live out what we say. Let us draw close to God sob that His imagine can shine out of us to the world!
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to open your heart door to desire more of Him and draw ever closer.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy