Dear Ones,
Hope you have a great weekend!  Our grandson is now a new graduate and will be going off to Kansas State like his two sisters did. Today I am going to do food prep and clean the apartment and shop!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Can we begin to count the times we have surrendered to the Lord and then taken it back, and had to surrender again and again and again? I suspect none of us would be able to recall the many times that we have prayed, “Lord I give you my all. I surrender everything!” but then we want our own way back again. Dr. John Ortberg writes about how we need to surrender daily and suggests doing the opposite of what we would be inclined to do. We act against our automatic responses, like instead of trying to get even, we forgive, or if we are prideful, we take a servant’s stance with others. We will also find our strength is made perfect in weakness not in trying to be strong.

Our prayer throughout our day is to tell the Lord, “Thy will be done, not mine.” I often tell the Lord of something I would really like to do or wish would happen, but then I follow with, “But I surrender to your will, whatever that is.” My heart is lightened even if I don’t get my way, for we can trust that His way is best. Surrender is a daily act, not once and for all. I remember at Bible Camp when I was a senior and felt such a need to rededicate my life to the Lord, as I knew He was not in first place in my life. Afterwards, I had great joy and a feeling of lightness, and a burden was lifted.

It’s good to daily do spiritual house cleaning, and see if there are things that are blocking our relationship with the Lord. This means taking an honest look at ourselves, rather than thinking of how others need to change, and ask, “How do I need to change?” Self-examination is for the purpose of change and growth. When we take responsibility for our wrongs, rather than blaming others, we can receive God’s healing grace. Let us not resist the truth about ourselves, but be willing to know ourselves and our need for forgiveness. Paul said in II Cor. 7:10, “Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Challenge for today: Be fearless and willing to daily do an honest self-examination, and commit to change where needed.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy