November 18, 2022

Dear Ones,

Happy weekend to you! Today is party day here and soon we will be going to Costco to get the Birthday cake. I am also going to make soup. Yesterday’s Bible study group was special in many ways as we spent the time singing and sharing and praying. We all come from different backgrounds but our common denominator is the Lord. I think most had tears in our eyes too as we sang songs that perhaps were sung at services for our loved ones etc. It was a very blessed time and gathering together makes us stronger.
Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Connect! Connect! The enemy is always trying to divide us but the Lord would have us connect and unite. Satan knows there is great power when Christians are united in Spirit and he does everything he can to cause division. He wants to separate us! But may we not fall prey to his tactics.

   So much today is virtual but let us not lose the importance of being physically present. In Heb. 10:24-25 (God’s Word) it says, “We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good things We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.”

  The Message translation says we should be inventive in ways we can encourage love and help others out, not avoiding actually worshiping together so we can spur one another on.

  We need one another and all of us can use to know that others are standing with us. Al and I meet regularly with another couple to pray together and we go away each time feeling refreshed and strengthened. All of us need the encouragement of others standing with us in faith, and it gives us hope; then when the answers come, we can also rejoice together and give thanks to the Lord. It seems our own hearts are made lighter when we also bring encouragement to others.

  Let us gather with other believers to worship together, pray together, laugh together and unit as one in the Lord. More than ever before we also need to meet together and pray for our nation, that we would be humble and pray and seek God’s face and turn from wicked ways, so that the Lord will hear and forgive us and heal our land.

   May we not live our Christian lives in isolation and separation but use every opportunity to connect with other believers in faith and hope.

Challenge for today: Find new ways to spend quality time with other believers.