Dear Ones, Happy weekend to you!! We are excited as we are going to get ready for Mark’s family coming tomorrow from N.C.. Sadly, I won’t be able to participate in everything but we look forward to 10 days with them!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I’m sure we can all think of people we know who we wish would change and be more something…perhaps more thoughtful, more loving, humble, or less angry…you fill in the blank. But the biggest thing we have to really know is that we can’t change people. Only the Lord can do that, and our part is to simply pray for God to work in their lives and to love. If we can’t even change ourselves, since it is a work of the Spirit with our cooperation, how can we think we will change someone else?

This is where prayer gets so important, and we don’t need to rehearse with the Lord how He should change others. We can simply pray they will become all God wants them to be, and that healing and wholeness would happen in His timing and His way. We are in the book of Philippians in our Bible study here at Northern Lakes, where Paul tells the Philippians, “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” The Amplified Bible says, “(Not in your own strength) for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you, (energizing and creating in you the power and desire), both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” (Phil. 2:13) We all need to will and to work at what is His pleasure.

We have to also show patience and grace to ourselves, for we know we also need to make many changes and it doesn’t happen over night, even though we may want to be on a fast track. He loves us right where we are now, but has more for us as we cooperate with the Spirit. In my own life, I know that is going to be a continuous process until He takes me home to glory. There will always be more changes needed in all of us, but let us accept others and ourselves as we take the journey of becoming more like Him.

Challenge for today: Thank the Lord that He love you were you are at right now, but take the risk of asking Him to change you where needed.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy