Dear Ones,
Happy weekend! Hope you enjoy the fall weather and beauty of the season. I plan to bake cookies and clean cupboards
today and maybe get in some shopping.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Recently I was in the book of Ecclesiastes and a verse stood out to me that was about man rejoicing in his work, and it goes on to say in Eccl. 5:20, “For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.” The Message translation says that we should make the most of what God gives and the capacity to enjoy it. “God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live.” Real, deep joy is found in the Lord and in His presence.

Our joy is in relationship with God. The closer we come to Him, the more we experience deep down joy. This joy is different than happiness, for happiness depends on our outward circumstances being comfortable and pleasureful. But joy goes deeper and can be experienced even in the hardest of circumstances. It’s more about our hearts being filled with love, gratitude and purpose because of knowing the Lord.

Think of the people in your life that have joy. Are they the richest and is everything in their lives going super well? Probably not. We have a friend whose cancer has come back and she is having chemo at St. Mary’s in Duluth at this time. Now many of you have prayed for her in the past, as she had a long road of hospitalizations, cancer treatments and nearly died. Yet even now, she is at peace and expresses how God is loving her in her cancer. She said God’s ways may not be our ways, but we can embrace what He brings into our lives, for His love covers whatever we go through. Yes, joy still persists in hardship and all that we experience, for we are loved beyond all else.

Challenge for today: Don’t run from suffering, but experience God’s love to you in new way.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love Judy