Month: September 2024 (Page 2 of 4)

Dear Ones,

Happy weekend! May you enjoy the beautiful day before you. I plan to clean the apartment and shop and maybe bake. I am excited as two weeks from today we will be on our way to see friends and family in Iowa, N.C. and WI.  

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I think we would be surprised at how often our thoughts focus on ourselves and what is good for us. We are basically more selfish and self-centered than we would like to admit. But the Jesus way of loving Him first and putting others before self is really the way to a rich and wonderful fulfilling life. How do we get to the place where we can love more like Jesus and follow His example of loving and serving others?

 In the last chapter of the book of Hosea, he tells Israel to prepare their confession and pray to God and return to Him. They have wandered off again just as his wife had but he received her back. Israel makes confession and the Lord responds, starting in Hosea 14:4 by saying, “I will heal their waywardness. I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out. I will make a fresh start with Israel. He’ll burst into bloom like a crocus in the spring…from now on I am the One who answers and satisfies him. I am like a luxuriant fruit tree. Everything you need is to be found in me.” The Lord never gives up on us and shows us His unconditional love, just like Hosea did to Gomer, his wife. He also gives us a fresh start over and over again and gives us everything that we need out of His abundance.

Hosea concludes with saying, “If you want to live well, make sure you understand all of this. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll learn this inside and out. God’s paths get you where you want to go. Right-living people walk them easily’ wrong-living people are always tripping and stumbling.”  Let us not turn our backs on the Lord but respond to his voice that keeps calling us back to Him with a fresh start.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Trying to be someone we are not, leaves us feeling poor about ourselves. But when we accept ourselves for who God made us to be and thank Him for the unique gifts He has put into us, we will find joy and a sense of peace. Very often it won’t be the first job we have, because that is simply preparation for what is coming. We may have to go on to seminary or to nursing school or a trade school, but it is getting us set for being a pastor or nurse or an electrician. It is not about what makes the most money but what God has programed us for. We may also work many years in our profession and later the Lord may bring us into a new season so we must always be listening and be open to change. What we are now doing may actually be preparation for the next thing He has for us.

One thing we need to ask ourselves, is our life making a difference? Are we using our gifts for His kingdom and are we willing to pour ourselves out for others. Those that are only concerned about themselves go through life feeling empty and lonely. Whatever we do, we should do our best and live with purpose.

Let us pursue what God has for our life and do it with joy and passion.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake up to the joy of forgiveness!

This morning, I have plans to make egg dishes and a zucchini cake and go to my exercise class and this afternoon is Crafts and Bible study tonight.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

The Lord loves us so much that He not only convicts us of our sins and forgives us, but He delivers us and sets us free. I’m sure we have all thanked the Lord for those times He has forgiven us of something we are not proud of, but then we do again and sometimes again. The Lord is a holy God and He exposes our sins so that we might repent and live in forgiveness. Of course, we have to agree with God and repent so we can be made clean. For we have the promise in I John 1:9, ”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We probably all have secret sins that we have not openly confessed and even if others don’t see them, God does, and He will bring conviction so that we may seek His forgiveness.

I like what Pastor Larry Christianson writes about forgiveness and deliverance. He pictures forgiveness like a rocket that has been launched towards us from heaven, but deliverance happens when the rocket hits the earth. It is much like when the Apollo Mission was launched but it wasn’t completed until splashdown. With us when we have done wrong and the Lord convicts us, the rocket is launched; but we are delivered through faith when the rocket splashes down where God decides and when God decides. Sometimes we miss it as we are at a different landing site thinking we know how the Lord will do it. Of course, the enemy also tries to block that reception and does all he can to destroy our rocket. He doesn’t want us to experience forgiveness and victory over our secret sins. He may say to us, “Do you really think God can forgive you of that?! Why bother as you know you will repeat it again!” Or “One more time, what’s the difference, you can’t change!” But the truth is that Jesus is the life-changer, and we need to hang on in faith after we have made our confession and pray and believe until the rocket arrives; we will then find that our lives are changed by Him. Let us be open to whatever rocket landing He decides and experience deliverance and a changed life.

Challenge for today: When the Lord shows you a secret sin, repent and by faith wait for Him to do His work in you and bring lasting change.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Taylor who many of you have prayed for in the past, along with her husband, live in a Christian community where unity is so important and practiced. They live it out for the world to observe and in all the years this community has been in operation there hasn’t been one divorce. Does unity come easy, probably not, for we are all selfish by nature and need help to not get offended and to forgive others. We need to regard others better than ourselves. Unity is a gift and one we need to live out and takes lots of humility.

I read today from Jesus words to his disciples as they were on the mountain (Matt 6:14), “If you forgive people their trespasses (their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment), our heavenly Father will forgive you. “These are important words if we are to live in harmony with others and it means letting go of being offended and extending grace, just as we have received God’s grace when we offend. We have so few days on this earth and why live them full of resentment and attempts to get even when we can live in peacefulness of a life of forgiveness. No offense is worth hanging on to and as we let go and extend grace, we will live in unity with others and be a beacon light to the world out there that needs forgiveness.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a great weekend! We were blessed through the missionary couple that came from Brazil and shared about their work at our Sunday service. Their joy in serving the Lord was so evident. This morning I am going to Aldi’s and to Exercise class and bake Al’s favorite pie!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

As I had my time with the Lord recently, I was impressed of the importance that we keep moving forward with the Lord. Sometimes we get comfortable and are satisfied to plateau rather than pursuing Him every day and drawing closer to Him. The Lord always has more for us and He desires that we keep growing and experience his fullness.

I read a dream by a Pastor that I thought was insightful for today especially, and it makes me realize how important it is not to remain in neutral and just trudging along in our Christian lives but rather to move on and enter into all that the Lord has for us. In the dream Dawson was walking on a wide dirt road with thousands of believers, most of whom seemed bored and lacking joy. There was a bridge to the right that had a sign (Kingdome of God) and only a few people headed towards it when he did as the rest kept walking aimlessly. At the end of the bridge there was a gravel road that later became a grassy pathway but if people stopped, they started to sink. It was imperative to keep moving. Those that did noticed the grass became greener and more lush, and they ran with joy. There were fruit trees with beautiful fruit, but they still had to keep going if they were not to sink. Dawson’s interpretation was that God is looking for those who are seekers of Him and want to go on in their life with Him; too many believers are missing out and just settling for what the culture offers and are empty of joy. Let us remember there is no limit to God and His kingdom and as Dawson said, “The harder you run after God the easier and more joyful your life will be.”

  I believe that as things continue to get worse in our culture, more and more Christians are going to need to choose if they will settle or will they pursue the Lord. May we run after the things of God and not ever stop until He takes us home to glory. Like Paul’s prayer in Eph.3:19, may it also be true for us, “(That you may really come) to know (practically, through experience for yourselves) the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience) that you may be filled (through all your being) unto all the fullness of God (may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself)!

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to fill you with His power and resolve to never quite pursuing Him, but keep running.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

 Lately I have found my shoes don’t feel very comfortable and I often vacillate over which ones I should wear. The night of Bible Study I asked Al which shoes would go with my outfit, one being a fairly new pair and the other a very old pair that had lots of room for my hurting toes. Al said the old and so we were off to church. When he let me off right at the church door, I stepped out and my feet suddenly didn’t feel level on the pavement; I looked down in horror for my right shoe had broken down and the black insides were all over the cement. I had to take off the shoe and as I limped into the church, I noticed the left shoe was also “exploding” on the church carpet. A friend at the first table saw what was happening and helped release the strap on that shoe, so that both shoes could be deposited in the garbage. Another gal said, “I can’t believe it!” and she heartily laughed and laughed! Two people quickly got a broom and cleaned up my mess, inside and outside as I snuck to the far table barefooted. I sat through Bible Study with my bare feet and as soon as it was over I snuck out the side door and tiptoed shoeless to the car and later up the elevator and to our apartment!

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

The weekend is here and may you have a restful, peace-filled time as you give all your concerns to the Lord. I plan to do some baking and shopping and writing. As I shared previously, one day each week before the election I will include a prayer.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

As you know we are in a stressful and polarizing time in our nation right now as we prepare to vote for our next president.  There are many political views causing deep divisions in families and some are split apart because of differing views. We need God’s help and prayers for peace that can unify us. I would like to share the second of Whitney Hopler’s prayers as she writes a Prayer for Peace for our nation.

As we rely on you to help us be peacemakers, we look forward to the positive change that will happen around us. Thank you, our wonderful source of peace. Amen.”

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a grace-filled day! Al will be off to men’s group this morning and when he gets back, I have an appointment to go to. We also have Bible study today and I have food prep etc as we are catching up after being gone.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

While attending the Pastors and Wives Conference, I was made more aware of the precious gift of grace, God’s undeserved favor. Many Pastors shared their lives and over and over again it was not what they did to deserve salvation but totally a gift of grace. Some lived in rebellion for many years before their hearts were softened and opened up to God’s grace and went on to become a pastor.