Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! Take some time to enjoy it and get refreshed. Today I am going to clean the apartment and make Blackberry cobbler with berries that were brought to our door last night by a friend who just finished picking them. Emoji What a wonderful surprise!
Devotions from Judys heart
Scripture is not just a book to read but God’s story to us that reveals His love for us and His desire for a personal relationship with us. The Bible is an immense narrative that contains so many stories that we are to enter into. Too often we can read a book but fail to realize how it impacts us. But in the Word, it is especially important that we find ourselves in it, and to start with it could be the prodigal son that is far from home and needs to turn around and go to the Father.

Even though we may know may scripture verses by heart, it is important that it isn’t just informational but that we have a relationship with the One whose story it is. And of course, it is super important that we listen to what the story is saying to us. We may find ourselves in one of the characters, like Martha who is so busy serving and not giving attention to just being at Jesus feet. Or maybe we identify with Job whose friends misread him and tell him it is because of his sin that he has so many problems, making him feel worse rather than better.

We also don’t want to read scripture to see only what we will get out of it to improve our lives and be in control, but rather that we see how our story fits into God’s story. We ask how would He like to use me and how might I can fit into His larger story? This may draw us into community as well for we begin to see how important relationships are in the larger story of how God loves the world and wants all to be saved.

 Al and I use to meet with a group of half Lutheran’s and half Catholics for Lectio Devina, the scripture for Sunday was read 3 times. Each time we paused and spent time reflecting on what stood out to us, then what was God saying to us and followed with how we needed to change in some area of our life.

It’s important to know what God is saying to each of us in His Word. Commentaries and other means can help us know the details and meaning of things that may puzzle us and also give us what a word is in the Greek etc. Let us use all means to help us get the story right and to grow and find our place in God’s story.

Challenge for today: When reading your Bible first pray and then listen as you read and find your place in His story.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy