Dear Ones,
May you have a day full of His peace. I will be off before 8 to the dentist who is going to put in 2 temporary implants this morning. Emoji I didn’t realize when my tooth abscessed on the way to N.C. in May that it would be so involved! Over the weekend my cousin’s husband suddenly died in his sleep and I would ask you to please pray for Barb and her family. My thoughts have been much on eternity and what awaits each of us. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
   One day there will not be any more pain or death but eternal joy and peace for it says in Rev. 21:4 (God’s Word), “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There won’t be any more death. There won’t be any grief, crying, or pain, because the first things have disappeared.” Doesn’t that sound like a dream? But it is reality for those who know the Lord and it helps us endure whatever difficulties come to us today, for we know we have an eternity that is indescribably beautiful and without pain. 
  We can live today with that glorious future in mind and know that our loving Father will not withhold anything that is not ultimately best for us. When our 3 kids were growing up, they wondered why other kids got by with things, but they always got caught if they were doing something wrong. I said it was because God loved them and wanted what was best for them. I didn’t pray that they would get out of the painful predicament they were in but rather that they learn what God was trying to teach them. So it is with us, that we would seek to know what God is teaching us even in the hard circumstances we may have to walk through. It comes from His hand of love as He prepares us for an eternity with Him.
  Today I read Jesus words recorded in John 15:9-10, “I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts. If you keep my commands, you will live in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by His love.” Can we even imagine the greatness of His love that is same as He is loved by His Father? The book of John is one of my favorites as he was the closest to Jesus and writes from the perspective of things he saw and heard as his disciple, but also as a friend who was loved by Jesus. Let us not doubt His love for us but be nourished in His love each day.
   Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for your present circumstances as He prepares you for a life eternally with Him.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy