Category: Sister Judy (Page 119 of 270)

 

 

 

 

Dear Ones,

Happy weekend to you! It was -13 this morning and hope it warms up!  I made egg dishes this morning and fried a pan full of sunfish as it was a gift from one of our friends here! What a treat! We are going to get the birthday cake from Costco this morning and we are preparing for a big Birthday party this afternoon since 14 of the residents here have January birthdays. We even have crowns for the oldest ones.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Sometimes we may think we deserve better, but do we? What if God gave us what we really deserved? I recently read of an officer that stopped a mom because she didn’t have her daughter in a booster seat. She deserved a ticket as she broke the law but instead the policeman brought her to the store and bought a booster seat for the little girl with his own money. The mom was forever grateful as she couldn’t afford to buy one and she did not have to pay the penalty that she deserved.

This is just a small incidence but what do we deserve? We break God’s rules every day in many ways, whether they be in our silent critical judgments of another, or something very overt. Lest we think that we don’t sin big, let us ask ourselves how we would like our sins to be put on a screen some Sunday morning at church! We all deserve punishment because we fall short but God stepped in and provided a way of escape. But it means we have to give up our rationalizations and excuses and to admit our guilt and ask for His mercy and grace. Do we deserve it? No!

The Psalmist says in Psalm 130:2-4 (God’s Word), “O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be open to my pleas for mercy. O Lord, who would be able to stand if you kept a record of sins? But with you there is forgiveness so that you can be feared.” He goes on to say that with the Lord there is hope and mercy.

I marvel at how the Lord not only forgives us from anything we do if we but ask, but that He also forgets and doesn’t hold it against us the rest of our lives. It should prompt us to extend that forgiveness to others and not continually bring up something they did. It is no longer remembered or if it does come to mind, we can simply thank the Lord that is buried in the dept of the sea.

Let us live freely in His grace with gratitude and offer that same gift to others around us.

Challenge for today: Spend some time just thanking the Lord that all your sins that are forgiven and forgotten in the sea of forgetfulness.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying the day and keeping warm. This morning I studied and went to Aldi’s and down for coffee and donuts. This afternoon we have our Bible Study and it is a blessing as so many share. Tomorrow is our monthly Birthday party here. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

If you are like me, you have most likely prayed numerous times for wisdom from God. Wisdom is far more than knowledge and is the capacity to use the knowledge in view of the bigger picture. So many situations we find ourselves in and simply don’t know how to respond; we need God’s wisdom to know how to proceed. It’s good to admit that we lack wisdom for we are told we can ask of God and he will give it to us liberally. Think of how much trouble we would avoid, if we continually prayed for wisdom from above, rather than depending on our own limited knowledge and insight.

Recently I read what Debbie Holloway wrote on Crosswalk.com about God’s wisdom and how we should seek it. As James says in James 3:17 (ESV), “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

That means that when we are full of His wisdom, our motives would be pure and reflect what Jesus would do; nothing selfish or impure or greedy. His wisdom would also be peaceable and gentle. Wouldn’t others be able to receive from us better with that attitude?! We would also be reasonable and avoid angry debates and instead show mercy…even for those who put negative comments on Facebook!  God’s wisdom is full of good fruits that would be evident and pleasing to others. Debbie goes on to say that even in the midst of opposition we would be unwavering and our lives would match up with what we say and believe. Isn’t His wisdom what we should all seek daily?

Message translation says James 3:17 simply, “Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-face.”

Let us not be puffed up with knowledge, but rather recipients of God’s wisdom!

Challenge for today: Before giving your opinion, ask for God’s wisdom and share in a humble way.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying this day and keeping warm. Burr! There is quite a wind today. This morning I studied, did food prep and went to Exercise class. Again it is too cold to do our walk outside so we will do it in the underground this afternoon.  We are thinking we may go to a movie later too.
Devotions from Judy’s heart

Are you a member of a perfect church where everyone feels loved, the worship lifts you to new heights and the sermon is full of amazing and motivating truths that leaves you wanting more? Or would you say you go to an imperfect church where there are conflicts at times, the worship isn’t all you desire to suite your preferences, and the sermons don’t always seem relevant?

I was reading an article on Crosswalk.com that Lindsey Maestras, a journalist, wrote about the importance of belonging to a church, even though it is imperfect. Our focus shouldn’t be all about the perfect worship or the perfect sermons, but it is about the Lord and hearing his Word that can change our lives to be more like Him. It is also about being in fellowship where we can grow as we connect with others and minister to one another. The enemy, on the other hand, will try to steer us away and distract us and cause us to complain, if we allow him. Instead, we can be asking God what He is trying to get through to us and that we be good responders. I am thankful to grow up in a home where church was an important part of our lives and neither the pastor nor the service was commented upon in a negative way.

Lindsey quoted C.S Lewis who put it this way:

“The perfect church service would be the one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God. But every novelty prevents this. It fixes our attention on the service itself; and thinking about worship is a different thing than worshipping. It is mad idolatry that makes the service better than the god.”

Lindsey also shares how we as the church are the hope of the world. Jesus responded to Peter after his confession that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God in Matt. 16:18b (ESV) and said, “On this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Jesus wants to build His church and use it to storm the gates of hell. Our mission is to love and serve Him and help others to come to know Him and become part of His Body. Let us not neglect our calling but connect together with others who have come to know Him who is head of the church.

Challenge for today: Be joined with others in a church home and help and encourage one another.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake to anticipation of another day to share with the most important One in your life. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Soul care is very important in our lives and we need to give great consideration to it. I was reminded of that recently as I read from Day by Day, by Billy Graham and he quoted Isaiah 58:11, “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought.” He was expressing how our soul needs attention and demands fellowship with the Lord. When it doesn’t get fed and exercised daily, it begins to shrivel and get weak and restless. Some people may try to satisfy that longing with drinking or sex or even accumulating things but it will never work. Our souls were meant for God.

When I continued on with my personal devotional time, up popped another reference to the soul from Psalm 42:1-2a (God’s Word), “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” The Psalmist goes on to say his soul was discouraged and restless but then he remembers God’s mercy and goodness and love; he focuses instead on God’ ability to help and puts his hope in the Lord and begins praising Him again.

When we neglect our souls, we become spiritually thirsty and can only satisfy that longing when we drink in God’s presence. Maybe it seems like God is silent or far away and we feel separated from Him.

Like the writer, let us not rest until our relationship is restored. We need to take time alone with Him, meditate on His word, and get our focus back on Him, remembering His goodness and mercy to us.

Let us not go around thirsty and feeling down but rather drink deeply from the flowing stream of living water.

Challenge for today: Spend time with the Lord and let Him satisfy your soul.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a great weekend.  It is -4  and itis likely we will be walking in the underground again! This morning a I made S.F. Peanut Blossom cookies and went to my exercise class. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Joy is a fruit of the spirit and is not dependent on our circumstances. We can experience deep joy, even the midst of our suffering. I have been reading Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica, and he tells them in I Thess.1:6 (God’s Word), “You imitated us and the Lord. In spite of a lot of suffering, you welcomed God’s word with the kind of joy that the Holy Spirit gives.” The Christians were being persecuted and suffering for their beliefs and yet they had joy. The Message translation says, “Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit-taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.”

When we believe in Jesus, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit who helps us think His thoughts and view things from His higher perspective. This can look quite different than the outlook the world would give and in the midst of our trials, we can have deep down joy.

Recently, we received a beautifully written poem by our friend David who is losing his wife who is in her sixties, to late-stage Alzheimers and he titled it “Treasure from Love”. It is only God that can give peace like a gently flowing mountain stream when we see our partner slipping away a little more each day. He and his wife had a bucket list with their future dreams but their worldly bucket had a hole in it. Now it is replaced with a spiritual bucket list that has to do with God’s goal with treasures in heaven.

He also writes about how he goes to God in silence to listen to what the Holy Spirit would tell him and to shine His light of God’s love. “Love becomes like a heart-shaped stepping stone, giving a new appreciation for the cross and blood.”

Satan wants to tell him God’s love is fragile and weak but He is experiencing that God’s love is strong and powerful and available to all who seek. He goes on to write,

“Jesus, darkness has emerged. I need strength to stand alone.  

Your spiritual bucket treasure will have everything needed and known.

The treasures that we learned from yesterday will be with us today.

The spiritual treasures are eternal and will never go away.”

He closes saying that only Jesus has the power to lift our darkness and set us free and we need to have faith and to believe.

May each of us find his deep joy and freedom even in the midst of dark times.”

Challenge for today: Make a spiritual bucket list.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are keeping warm on this cold day! Burrr! This morning I did food prep and went to my exercise class. This afternoon is crafts, a walk and then Bible Study. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

 We’ve all had supernatural interventions in our lives as God is at work, even when we don’t always recognize His hand. When I asked about miracles in your life I was blessed as many  responded and I will share just a few with you that you may also give Him glory. 

My cousin’s wife wrote:

When I was 16 years old, me and my three older siblings (ages 17, 18, and 19) were driving home (to Illinois) from Naples Florida, in early January, after a visit with my grandparents. While still in a southern state, we came upon snowy roads that were very slick. Our car slid off the road and almost fell into a deep ravine, barely hanging on. People stopped to help us right away, even going to find a tow truck to pull us to safety. While waiting for the tow, the bystanders decided it would be safer for us to get out of the car if we could without causing it to fall. The siblings in the front seat had to climb over to the back to be able to get out. We each made it out, the tow truck came pulling the car to safety, no damage to the car and we were on our way again in no time…angels watching over us!  We told our parents about the incident when we arrived home and my mother told us she had felt an urgent need to pray for us at the exact time we were hanging over the ravine.

A good friend from our previous church in Des Moines wrote:

“I’m reminded of a miraculous healing in 1983! Shortly after Josh was born, my hands broke out in wart like sores! It was very unsightly and painful. I would try to hide my hands. I went to the dermatologist and they would try to burn them off, which made them more red and painful. Having a newborn was a challenge as you wash your hands frequently, which irritated them even more! The several weeks of treatment was not working! One Sunday at Redeemer your Husband asked if anyone wanted prayer to come to the altar! I went forward and Denise prayed for my hands to be healed! Praise God, shortly after that prayer, they were completely healed and I did not have to return for further treatment and it has never reoccurred! All Glory to God!!!”

Another friend from our church in Brunswick wrote:

“The first thing that comes to my mind on miracles is of course our little Gibby! Mel and Sam were told that there was very little chance he would survive when she went into labor at just 20 weeks but he didn’t arrive until 34 weeks and Mel was on bedrest the whole time. The Dr couldn’t believe It as he was so close to popping out. We always call him our little miracle boy!! He is now almost 12 years old!!😀”

Another friend wrote, “Our grandson Will born less than 2 lbs. and told his bowels did not connect and now he is 15 years old 6 ft. tall and the picture of strength and health. Drs. told me 7 years ago i would need kidney dialysis in 5 years and the numbers are better today than they were then.”  

There are so many more stories of God’s intervention for He answers the prayers of all who call upon Him. As it says in Deut. 10:21 (Message), “He’s your praise! He’s your God! He did all these tremendous, these staggering things that you saw with your own eyes.”

Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for a miracle in your life and share with another when the opportunity comes. 
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy