Dear Ones, Hope you have a blessed day. I made a layered dessert for company coming today and Al and I sampled it already! Emoji  Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
One day I was making Swedish meatballs and they were quite big, but not nice and perfectly rounded. When Al walked through the kitchen, I told him, “These do not look like my mom’s!” I had a flashback of being at the lake where my mom made a big meal each day not only for our family, but my sibling’s families as well. She would make a scrumptious meal in her kitchen and bring it to the cabin at the Point where we gathered to eat together. I wondered if we fully appreciated at the time the extent of her labor, although she always seemed to wear a look of joy in serving. I don’t remember hearing her complain. Is that true of each of us? Do we love to serve even if there aren’t words of appreciation for our efforts?

The question gets down to: whom are we really serving? Is it for the Lord and to please Him alone or is it that others should notice our efforts? If it is not out of love for the Lord that we serve, we will be disappointed when others don’t express their thanks for our labor. We will need an adjustment in our motives. In Colossians 3 Paul says, “Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ.”

I keep going back in my mind to how Jesus gave us the ultimate gift of salvation by giving His life for us. We can never pay Him enough for rescuing us and we owe Him everything. No matter how much we do in this life, it can never compare to what He has done for us, so our serving others is only an expression of our gratitude and love. We deserve nothing and owe Him our very lives. Let us keep that in mind when we are tempted to complain of how our work is not fully appreciated, but instead thank the Lord for the opportunity to express His love.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord for a giving grateful heart, then go about serving Him as He leads you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy