Dear Ones,
Another lovely day and hope you are enjoying it. Yesterday our grandson came and then surprise company from Starbuck. Fun time! This morning I made bars, wrote letters, and studied, and now I am going shopping. Emoji  Enjoy your weekend!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How does faith and politics relate today? Do we express our faith in love for others and in service to them? Of course, to love and help others must begin with our own experience of God’s overflowing love for us and for the world. It does not begin with politics (left or right) but with us. Faith should be our starting point and loving others with Christ’s love instead of beginning with politics and then using religion to try to figure out how our faith fits in.  I read an article by Rev Wes Granberg-Michaelson who was formerly head of the Reformed Church and he writes about how Jesus embodied what God’s love intends for the world. He didn’t just show the way, He lived the way of love by the power of God. He loved His enemies, He embraced the marginalized, He disregarded social exclusion and helped the oppressed. He lived in the presence and power of love and is our example to follow. What if all Christians lived the same way and showed compassion for the poor, loved our enemies, included others that are on the fringes etc. Our world would be vastly different today. In fact, isn’t it hard to find positive examples of people of integrity today for the young people to look up to and follow? Jesus wants to show us the way and tells us how to live His way that can change the world. In Luke 6 (NRSV) He says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you…Do to others as you would have them do to you.” God wants our hearts changed so that we love others as He does. In Micah 6:8 (NRSV) He also says, “And what does God require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” It’s pretty clear He wants us to live our faith out by being fair, just, merciful and humble. Let us not put our trust in politics to change the world we live in, but to begin by letting the Lord change our own hearts to love.
Challenge to love: Express God’s love to someone who is in need.
Blessings on your weekend and prayer and love, Judy