Dear Ones,
Hope you are having an enjoyable weekend. My heart is singing as our computers are up and running again. So thankful for helpful Geeks! Today, I am going to make meatloaf and may surprise Al by making “Pumpkin Bites!”
Devotions from Judy’s heart
God’s will for all of us is to flourish and bear fruit until our last days on earth. No matter how young or old, we are meant to be vitally connected to the Vine and be fruit-bearing. That doesn’t mean we try harder and work, work, work in our own strength, but rather that we depend on God and let Him work through us. We will notice that as we do this, life has meaning and joy and we bring glory to Him.

The enemy, of course, does not want us to flourish and tries to rob us of our freedom. In fact, he often tries to shame us and make us feel bad, not just about what we may have done wrong, but also about who we are. He fills our minds with negative thoughts, whispering words of discouragement and shame. Let us not listen to him, but ask the Lord for forgiveness when we fail or do wrong. Then we can simply trust in His grace and know that He has wiped away all our sin because of the price He paid for each of us on the cross. Paul says in Ephesians 1:7, “Through the blood of His Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of His overflowing kindness.”

It is vital for all of us if we are to flourish that we live by grace and spend time with the Lord. We need to let our roots go down deep into Him rather than depend on our own strength and will power. The Hebrew word for “flourish” could also be translated “to bud or flower.” Earlier, I was looking out the bedroom window while having my devotions to behold the buds on the tree directly in front of me. I knew that soon there would be beautiful blossoms and the tree would look awesome. We also know that it is God who is the source of our fruitfulness, and the Holy Spirit within in us is the reason for the beautiful fruit. Let us not live in shame and emptiness, but grow in grace and flourish as we are connected to Him.

Challenge for today: Pray for your roots to go deeper into the Lord and enjoy time with Him as He produces beautiful fruit in you.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy