Canaan's Rest

Canaan’s Rest represents a quiet place “set apart” for the purpose of hearing God's voice, growing in intimacy with the Lord, and being renewed in soul and spirit.

Category: Sister Judy (Page 123 of 270)

December 15, 2021

December 15, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying this day! We woke to dense fog this morning. I went to my exercise class and made stroganoff for lunch. This afternoon I am going with my neighbor/friend to the Christmas open houses on each floor here, followed by hot cider and cookies. After that our walk and then we have Bible study so today doesn’t leave time for me to get in much trouble!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
So many of us have heard about Jesus since we were little children and are familiar with the Bible stories. Our head may be full of knowledge of the scriptures and can recite verses but we need more than that; we need a heart that trusts in the Lord. Our emotional brain is meant to function along with our rational brain. Sometimes we read the Word just with our mind engaged and our heart is not with it.
Yes, we may be able to quote a verse or two or even a chapter, but if it hasn’t touched our hearts, we come away much the same.
When we read the Word out of a trusting relationship with the Lord, it like reading a love letter, not some factual information that may tickle our intellect. 
The Lord wants a close relationship with us and out of that we want to know more and have a hunger for what the Word says. When our heart is engaged, we are like David who sang on his way to worship in Psalm 131:1b-2 (God’s Word), “I am not involved in things too big or too difficult for me. Instead, I have kept my soul calm and quiet. My soul is content as a weaned child is content in its mothers’ arms.” Some have grown up in homes where love was absent and life was harsh and it may be hard to picture being held in loving arms. But the Lord can bring healing and correct our heart image of God. He does this in many ways.
Often, the Lord gives us a Christian brother or sister that helps us on our way and is like a spiritual guide, showing us what it is to experience a trusting relationship. Others may sit in nature and observe God’s care for even the birds of the air and come to realize how God is there loving and caring for them. Some who participate in the life of the church may learn to trust as they see living examples around them. Others try to put themselves in the story about Jesus they may be reading and imagine themselves in the audience. His message seems so personal. I love to sing worship songs as it puts my focus on the Lord and His greatness and love. God has so many ways to draw us close to Him and to help us engage both our rational brain and our emotional brain. Delight in Him!
Challenge for today: Take a prayer walk with the Lord today and share your heart with Him.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

December 14, 2021

December 14, 2021 / / 0 Comments
 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Every Christmas, many people get robbed.  Houses are burglarized, packages on doorsteps are stolen and people may be beaten and robbed. Thieves are busy and we are to be aware. The other day Al and I drove to the bank and I noticed they had a nativity scene in front but no manger or baby Jesus. I told Al, “You mean people even steal baby Jesus!” When I went inside to make my transaction, I complimented the bank on having the nativity scene but asked if Jesus had been stolen. I was so glad to hear quick response, “Oh no, we must wait for Christmas eve, the time when Jesus was born. It is too soon so we wait until then!” I was so glad to hear that was the case and not that someone had kidnapped him!
It seems like there is so much spiritual robbery taking place at Christmas with many taking Christ out of Christmas. The literal meaning of Christmas is Christian’s Mass or Christ’s Mass and how can we celebrate if we leave Him out?  Greg Laurie wrote how King Herod was the first to try to stop Christmas. He pretended to be a worshiper and asked the Wisemen to come back after they found Jesus to let him know where He could be found. Of course, this knowledge was not to pay homage to Him but to kill him.
Today so many are trying to leave Jesus out of Christmas.  I was approached by a woman who hadn’t been able to find Christmas cards and wanted to know if I had any to spare. I asked her if she wanted religious ones or just holiday ones and she was quick to answer, “Nonreligious ones!”  Schools also want Holiday Programs not Christmas Programs and to sing Jingle Bells rather than Away in a Manger.
But we don’t have to live like those that have been robbed for we can read the Christmas story, go to see live Nativity scenes, sing carols, go to S.S. Christmas programs, have devotions around the Christmas wreath, give to the poor, help others to know of Jesus coming etc. Like the carol goes, “O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”  He wants our hearts, so don’t rob the Lord.
Challenge for today: Find a new meaningful way to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

December 13, 2021

December 13, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a great weekend! I enjoyed the Christmas luncheon at Sherwood Forest on Saturday with over 20 gals from church. This morning i made a double batch of G.F choc peppermint cookies and went to my exercise class. We have more parties this week coming up! Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How bright does our light shine for the Lord? Do we seek to know God and use the spiritual gifts that He has given us? I read today that as Christians we are like billboards that God uses to tell the world about Him. So, we may wonder how our billboard would read!
Would those around us notice we look past ourselves and seek to serve others? It isn’t all about us! We want to give back out of gratitude for what the Lord has done for us. Since we all have been given spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6-8), are we using them to extend His kingdom? Our gifts are given not to make us feel important or a matter of pride but to minister to others and share God’s love.
The world may tell us we are what we do, or we are what we have, or we are what people say about us, but that is not true. Rather than our position or self-importance, it is the Lord who gives our life meaning and reveals who we truly are. And then out of hearts that know we are loved, we can share Him with others around us.
I was reading Bill and Kristi Gaultiere’s book, Journey of the Soul, and they write how the measure of our life is love. We don’t have to feel we can’t serve the Lord because of our own guilt and shame for we have been forgiven. They give an example from Brennan Manning who tells the story of a prosecutor who presented all of his sins that he had committed and those sins of omission. It went on for hours and he felt worse and worse, like he was hit by a landslide. But a group of angels appeared to conduct his defense and all they could say was, “But he loved.” They chanted over and over again, “But he loved. But he loved. But he loved.” This continued until dawn and the angels won and he felt safe.
We are not perfect and even though we sin every day, let us rejoice that God forgives us and desires to use us to share His love with others.
Challenge for today: Share His love in some small way with someone else today!
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy



December 11, 2021

December 11, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you are having a great weekend. I am sending out early today as I am going with the gals from church to Sherwood Forest for a Christmas lunch. I have almond cinnamon raisin bread in the oven now and just finished making choc covered raspberries. Sounds like the cities got lots of snow last night but nothing here. Emoji

Devotions from Judy’s heart

God does the impossible and at this time of the year, movies and stories abound with Christmas miracles. But God doesn’t just do these miracles at Christmas but every day, and we need to be expectant and alert to see His hand at work.As I write this, I think of a chorus I sang as a child: “God can do anything, anything, anything/ God can do anything but fail/… He can save, He can cleanse/ He can keep, and He will/ God can do anything but fail/…He’s the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end/ He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul/ God can do anything, anything, anything/ God can do anything but fail.”

Maybe we have lost that expectancy of what He can do because we are disappointed that in the past, He didn’t come through for us like we wanted. In our eyes He failed. But could it be we don’t see the big picture? I can’t imagine that David knew that when he was tending sheep that he would be a king one day. Or that teenage Mary, would dream that one day she would birth the King of Kings. Maybe some of you reading this today can think of the recent miracle when Rutgers won in the very last second of the game when the basketball was thrown from mid-court and swished right through the basket. The whole court was immediately flooded with cheering fans and players, almost in disbelief that they won against the No#1 team in the nation. It seemed like a miracle.

I believe God wants to do far more miracles in our day and we need to believe, step out in faith and get rid of our doubts. In Matt. 13:57-58 it says, “But Jesus said to them, ‘The only place a prophet isn’t honored is in his hometown and in his own house.’ He didn’t work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” Sadly, the people missed out because of their disbelief. Let us live in faith and expectancy that our God who made the universe and created us, can do the impossible; may He open our eyes of faith to believe and anticipate the miracles He wants to perform.

Challenge for today: Ask forgiveness of your doubts and open your eyes to the miracles around you each day.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

December 10, 2021

December 10, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy Weekend to you! In just 2 weeks it is Christmas Eve! I have been baking more cookies for our relative gathering. Today I cleaned the apt and this afternoon we go to Costco to get my new glasses and other errands. Tonight our grandson Paul graduates from Art school in the cities and we hope that the weather cooperates!! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We all come to know both times of joy and times of sorrow and yet we can praise the Lord in both situations.  In fact, in times of darkness and pain, we can sing a new song as David wrote in Psalm 40:3(ESV), “He put a new song in my mouth a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” 
I received a poem early one morning from our friend David who walks the Paul Bunyan trail with us, along with his wife who has Alzheimer’s. He has experienced a lot of pain as he lost his son and is watching his lovely wife slowly fade. He writes poetry that helps him in dealing with his sorrow and God speaks to him through it and teaches him.
A few of the words he wrote of his loss: “A season of loss and the coming despair./ Around the dinner table is a half chair./ Alzheimer’s disease visited my wife./ The  light from her candle will leave, ending her life./ I find myself in a difficult place./ I ask where is God’s grace?/ I feel my home will never be the same as it was known./ I feel all alone.”
But he doesn’t leave it there and goes on to write about a powerful transformation of his attitude after he turns to the Lord for help and finds comfort in his despair. Instead of the stone in his heart, God uses it as a stepping stone for a new heart. He realizes God is controlling his destiny and thanks him for both sunshine and rain. He senses he has a covered bridge over earthly rain and pain.
He writes, “A season of gain as we turn to Jesus to help overcome our despair./ Around our table, with Jesus’ presence, we need an extra chair./ Alzheimer’s will never be the total of my wife./ With her life dedicated to Christ, her candle shines bright, lighting up her life.”
Then one day when he is cleaning a closet, he finds her wedding dress and is emotionally spent. But he remembers how he purposed to her and all the love and happiness they have experienced together, and the promise of his love to her always.  Instead of feelings of despair he thanks the Lord for the person she was before her illness and how His love is shining on her. God used the wedding dress to change his attitude and help him remember the precious memories of her life. His heart was opened and now resting in prayer and Jesus care.
Wherever we are at in life, know that Jesus will take us through the darkest times and give us a new song to sing.
Challenge for today: Give God your pain and ask Him to give you a new song!
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

December 9, 2021

December 9, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying the day. This morning  I made cookies on the stick for our Christmas gathering and went to Aldi’s and then downstairs for Donuts and coffee. Al went to the men’s group and will be leading Bible Study here this afternoon. We enjoy our walk outside in the fresh air too and everything is snow covered. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
This is the time of year many get panicky as Christmas is inching closer. For most of us it is coming sooner than we are ready for and so we must guard against feeling overwhelmed by all we have to do. 
Somehow, we forget that Christmas is the celebration of the coming of the Prince of Peace and yet we can become stressed and anxious, and anything but peaceful.
But we don’t have to go the way of the world and overdo on presents, lavish meals, and decorations, but can simplify and do the things that are meaningful. Sometimes less is better.
It’s important that we have peace with the Lord first of all and that He is Lord of our lives; then we can welcome the Holy Spirit to direct our lives and the activities of each day. It is best to hold on to our schedules loosely for the Spirit is the one leading us and it may not be how we have carefully planned but something so much better.
The Holy Spirit will also help us in our relationships with family and to be sensitive to their needs. He will direct us in our conversations so they are meaningful, and help us avoid hot topics that cause strife and usually does not change the mind of others.
We are not all alike so we can appreciate the uniqueness of others and the gifts that are evident in their lives. We can laugh and have fun and make memories as we connect in new ways. It is Christ’s love that we want to share and a good verse I read today is from Ephesians 4:32(Message), “Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.”
Let us enjoy this Christmas season and walk in peace and love and forgiveness.
Challenge for today: When becoming stressed, stop and pray and surrender all to the Lord.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

December 8, 2021

December 8, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones.
Hope your day is going well! I am beginning my Christmas baking and made Starch-free snowball cookies and G.F.  Xmas pretzel treats. I don’t know if they will last until Christmas though! I went to my exercise class this morning and tonight is Bible Study at church. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Our greatest joy is to be in the will of God and doing what He calls us to do. Our grandson is graduating on Friday and has his future ahead of him. His brother, our other grandson, is making decisions that will also concern his future days and it is important that each one finds what God has planned for their lives. But no matter what our age, our lives are best lived when we are doing what we are called to do, which only the Holy Spirit can tell us what that is. We can seek counsel when we are questioning what His will may be, but it is in the depth of our hearts that we recognize what that is.
Some people almost fall into their lifework without much thought, as they take on what they think will be a temporary job; but once they are into it, they realize how fulfilling it is and they are gifted for just this work. It feels right and satisfying. God may also use our earlier experiences to prepare us for what is ahead which can look quite different too.
I have been reading from the book of Amos and Amos was a a herdsman and farmer who raised cattle and pruned sycamore trees.  But that was not his life calling for God took him off the farm and he says in Amos 7:15(ESV), “But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’” Now that was quite a job change! He found it very challenging too, as people didn’t want to hear his messages, even though he spoke what God told him to say. Amaziah, the priest, told him to get out of the country and prophesy somewhere else but he just kept on prophesying as God directed him. He found his calling! He was not the son of a priest but just a simple humble layman without man’s qualifications; but he was a man of God, faithful to give His message.
What is it that God has for us to do? Paul said in I Thess.1:4(Message), “God not only loves you very much but also has put His hand on you for something special.”
Whatever God has planned for our life that is most special? Each one of us will be most fulfilled when we are walking in the path that God has set for us. May we be obedient and serve Him with enthusiasm, and integrity and love!
Challenge for today: Thank God for his wonderful plan for your life and do it with joy!
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

December 7, 2021

December 7, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
May you wake to a fresh day full of promise and blessings! We had a fun party last night with 4 great soups and lovely decorations and caroling etc. Al also won a prize that  lit up on our table and used later as our power went out for  while. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Haven’t we thought at times that we could serve God better if he removed some of what we see as hindrances or roadblocks in our lives. We might say, “Lord, I could serve you better if you gave me good health and healed me,” or “Lord if you gave me more eloquent speech, I would preach and teach others.” You can put in the if’s, but the truth is that God uses even our weaknesses to bring glory to Him…especially our weaknesses, for others know it is the power of God working in our lives.
We may not understand why God doesn’t heal us of our chronic condition and restore us now, but He has purpose in everything and one day we will know. Jesus told his disciples when he was washing their feet “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” We may not even know in this life why we must live with disabilities and pain, but one day we will know. In the meantime, may the Lord use whatever we go through to demonstrate to others that He is enough!
Helen Keller ended up thanking the Lord for her handicaps because she said through them she found herself, her work and her God. “The Messiah” was composed my Handel who was paralyzed on his right side and arm. Paul suffered so many hardships and had a thorn in the flesh that was never removed but kept him humble and dependent on God. He said in II Cor. 11:30 (ESV), “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”
We all have weaknesses and some are evident to others but some are hidden. Rather than complain and hold back from serving the Lord, we are to gain our strength from Him. 
Some of the best speakers have been in wheelchairs and are radiant as they share how the Lord meets their needs. Or maybe you are a caregiver and have to keep reminding yourself that as you care for your loved one, you are serving the Lord.
May we all remember that “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5b) One morning we will have perfect bodies and minds and glory in His presence.
Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for how He will use your weaknesses and handicaps for His glory.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

December 6, 2021

December 6, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Today it’s cold and we got lots of snow so the view out our bedroom window has changed. We had a lovely Christmas Tea on Saturday and fun to see old friends. The program was excellent! This morning I studied and had exercise class and at 5 we have  Soup Supper party here at the apartments. Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Our days were written in God’s book and he knows the number of them and has a plan for us. But do we sometimes wish we could trade lives with someone else who we feel is successful, beautiful, exciting and has it all together? But is that really wise?!
While at exercise class, doing leg stretches with our hands pressing against the wall, the gal next to me confessed she had felt envious of a mutual friend who seemingly had such a beautiful life. But her feelings of envy were short lived as so many tragic things happened to this beautiful gal, as her life was turned upside down with griefs.
We have only one life and we need to remember that the Lord has a plan for each of us. As it says in Prov. 20:24 (God’s Word), “The Lord is the one who directs a person’s steps. How then can anyone understand his own way.” The Message translation says, “The very steps we take come from God; otherwise, how would we know where we’re going?” If it is the Lord who directs our lives,  it is not for us to envy or compare our life and what we are going through with anyone else.
I went to a Christmas Tea on Saturday and the theme was Joy and how the Lord is our exceeding joy. (Psalm 43:4) Joy is not having the right circumstances or it is not finding it in another person, but in the Lord who made us. At each table, we all had time to share moments of joy in our lives; and all that was shared seemed to result from times of hardship when we discovered how the Lord is enough. We closed with a song you may know from Fires by Jordan St. Cyr, and the refrain goes, “You’ve walked me through fires/ Pulled me from flames/ If you’re in this with me/ I won’t be afraid/ When the smoke billows higher, oh and higher/And if feels like I can barely breathe/ I’ll walk through these fires/ Cause you’re walking with me.”
The Lord has given us everything we need to face whatever comes on the road we walk in this life for He is always there for us and with us.
Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for a specific hard time in your life when you experienced the Lord walking with you through it.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

December 4, 2021

December 4, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying the weekend! You are getting this early as Lynn and I are going to Hackensack this morning for the ladies’ Christmas Tea at the Lighthouse…. a highlight in preparation for Christmas! We hear snow is coming tonight and hope it isn’t a lot as we are serving at church in the morning! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Yesterday I wrote of the inner journey and what it is to hit the wall. Everything seems to be going well outwardly as we have been busy serving the Lord, and yet we come to the place we are inwardly dry. We don’t feel that joy bubbling up and we begin to rely on ourselves and take matters in our own hands. We may try to remedy this by seeking to read the Bible and praying more, and doubling our efforts by spending increased time in spiritual disciplines etc… and yet we still feel unsettled and dry.
It could be that it is a wake-up  call from the Lord, inviting us to go into the next stage of the journey, where He brings us into a new place of intimacy. All that we have been doing in helping others etc. is good but our first calling is our own relationship with the Lord. Drs. Bill and Kristi Gaultiere authors of Journey of the Soul, write of how it is a time we have to stop doing for the Lord and start just being with Him. When we feel stuck and tired and lacking in peace, it is time to not do more but to rest in His love without the sense we have to accomplish something.
St John of the cross, practiced “holy idleness” and said to pastors that it was more profitable to spend half their time with the Lord in prayer and the other half in their work. The challenge is to us also to cut our work load of doing, and spend time with the Lord.
A group of pastors who were overworked went on a retreat and spent 24 hours in silence where they were not to try to make things happen or write sermon notes etc. but just be with the Lord. They could relax in His presence, go for a walk, sit by a lake, and open themselves up to God’s loving presence.
Maybe some of us experienced that in a small way if we were quarantined because of Covid and had to stay quietly apart from others. It can be an opportune time to help our souls to be realigned and cultivate new ways to relate to the Lord and to prepare us for the next stage of the journey where we work in harmony with the Lord and in His strength.
It says in Heb. 4;9-11(Message), “The promise of ‘arrival’ and ‘rest’ is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. At the end of the journey, we’ll surely rest with God. So, let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.”
Challenge for today: Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, open yourself to the next stage the Lord has waiting for you.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

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