Category: Sister Judy (Page 126 of 270)

Dear Ones,

It seems like it is trying to snow today but we are hoping it holds off as our son and buddies are painting the Silver Chateau. They went to the cabin yesterday afternoon and trying to get it done. This morning I baked cookies and mades stew and  went for my eye appointment. This afternoon is Crafts and tonight is Bible study. Al preached this morning next door at Assisted Living and gave communion, and will be doing it once a month.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Have we forgotten God? Do we take Him for granted? I was reading today from Psalm 106 (The Message) and it tells of how the children of Israel took God’s wonders for granted and forgot God’s great and wonderful love. They cared only about pleasing themselves and turned a deaf ear to His voice; so, God gave them empty hearts and most of them never entered the Promise Land. Sadly, they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness and then missed seeing the land flowing with milk and honey.

All of us need to come back to God if we have wandered off on our own. We need to get rid of the things that separate us from Him and come into His presence in deep ways.

I was reading of King Hezekiah who ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years and how he helped the people come back to God. The temple was in disrepair and he called the priests and Levites together and told them to consecrate themselves; he also said to consecrate the temple and give it a good housecleaning as the doors were boarded up and acts of worship were canceled. They obeyed and took 8 days to get rid of the filth and pagan junk and cleansed and consecrated the temple. I was reminded of all the worldly rubbish that has entered the church today how it needs to also be cleansed. We are to be witnesses and lights to the world and not let the world take over the church!

After the cleansing, the people brought thank offering and sacrifices and worshiped the Lord. King Hezekiah had the Levites form an orchestra with instruments of cymbals, harps, zithers etc. and the priests played their trumpets while the singers sang. When the burnt offering of 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep was finished, the king and all of the people bowed to the ground and worshiped. Following that the Levites sang anthems of praise with joy and reverence as they knelt before the Lord. The people had come back to God and it was an awesome time.

The people went home and later the King sent out invitations for the people to return for Passover.

They celebrated for 7 days with feasting and worship, and then decided to keep going for another week as they were bursting with joy. What a difference it makes when we give ourselves fully to the Lord rather than wandering off. Let us not forget the Lord but live in His immense love and joy.

Challenge for today: Ask for forgiveness and cleansing and for a heart that seeks the Lord.

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying this sunny day! I imagine there are some happy hunters that have gotten their deer. I did food prep and cleaned the apartment this morning  and got some chicken soup made. Ann may stop by  as she is shopping in Baxter. 
Just think, we get an hour more sleep tonight so must remember to set our clocks back tonight! 

 Devotions from Judy’s heart

God is always at work, even though we may not see what He is doing with our physical eyes at the time. He does not slumber but is at work all the while. When we plant seeds in our gardens, it takes time for what is happening beneath the soil before we actually physically see something begin to sprout. During that time, we have to be patient and wait, making sure the seed gets sunshine and water.

In the Fall I bought a small growth kit for parsley. I put the medium pellet in water, fluffed it and put it in the pretty pot and sowed seeds. After being in a sunny window on my tea cart for a short time, all kinds of greens peeked up and were visibly growing. I was excited as it is hard to believe that the dry small pellet was the seedbed that produced life, and a short time later decorated our dinners with fresh parsley.

It is a lesson in faith when we can trust that the Lord is working, even though there is no physical evidence. When we pray, He hears and answers, even though it still remains hidden what He is doing. But during this time, we are to trust Him, to pray, and to read His Word, while watching in faith for signs. We need spiritual eyes to see and we can pray as Paul did in Eph.1:18-19 (NRSV),” so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power for us, who believe, according to the working of His great power.” Our eyes need to be enlightened and focused on the Lord in trust. The enemy will sow seeds of doubt in our hearts, telling us that nothing is really happening, or even that the worst is taking place. But we have to have eyes of faith and not let the deceiver distract us and cause defeat. The Lord wants us to be full of hope and to know His incredible power and love. Let us pray and rely on Him and expectantly wait in faith for what He will do.

Challenge for today:  Pray about a concern you have and then begin thanking him for how He is working, even though you don’t yet see.

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a fun weekend and time to get refreshed. This morning i made egg dishes and veggie stir fry etc. and went to my exercise class with my friend just two doors down. It seems like it is trying to snow out today…burr!
Devotions from Judy’s heart

Are we copycats? Do we see what others are doing and then try to mimic the same or do we rather seek to find what is individually best for our own lives? Teens especially want to know what is “in” and then dress like others, even if the style is not favorable for them. Pastors can hear what program was successful in another church and decide to do the same, even though it may not be what is best for their congregation. We can hear of some method of spending time with the Lord but then discover that it is not what works for us to draw closer to Him.

We are individually made and unique so we don’t need to copy someone else to find out know how to live our lives. We can observe and learn from them, but we have to discover what is right for us. God has put the exact gifts, the perfect personality, and everything needed to carry out what He has planned for our lives.

I was reading from Psalm 119 today and in verse 33 (The Message) the Psalmist says, “God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—my whole life one long, obedient response.” Then in verse 73 he says, “With your very own hands you formed me; now breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you.”  The Psalmist wants to be taught God’s way for his life and goes on to say that God’s Word is a lamp for him and will light his path.

This morning I asked Al how he spends his time with the Lord after we have had prayer together. Since he is in his study and I am at my desk in our bedroom, I don’t know what His time with the Lord looks like. But we did discover that ours are different for I am more methodical and he is more spontaneous. But we don’t have to approach our devotional life the same but what is meaningful in our walk with the Lord. God wants to individually lead us and we don’t have to copy anyone else!

Challenge for today: Don’t be a copycat but ask the Holy Spirit to be your guide in your daily walk.

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying your weekend as the sun is shining and leaves still beautiful. This morning I did food prep, studied and cleaned the apartment. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart

Our work in life matters and is important not only to us but to God. Sadly today, there are many who do not wish to work and our society is experiencing the ramifications of that. There are signs on restaurants and other establishments asking for patience from the customers, as they don’t have enough help and the wait may be long. In contrast we can probably look back to our own fathers and grandfathers who took pride in hard work and were dependable, doing their jobs well. But today that seems to be lacking and we have forgotten how good it feels to hear the words, “Well done!”

Mark Roberts from Fuller Seminary writes about why we should work and quotes Eph. 4:28 (ESV), “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Yes, we need to earn a living but we should do it in such a way that it adds goodness to the world. We are all called to do good work and in Greek the last part of verse 28 reads,” Working with their own hands that which is good.” 

It doesn’t matter if we are a homemaker or a CEO of a company, if our job is more hidden or seen in neon lights, we are to do it for the glory of God. It should be honest and one that makes a contribution to the needs in the world.

I remember as a child going to a party for the janitor of our church who was being honored for his hard work. They had a “This is Your Life”, bringing together people from his past whose lives he had touched. I was impressed for when we saw him working around the church, we visualized he was doing it for the Lord.

Robert brings out in his writing how the majority of Jesus time as an adult was working as a craftsman in a small village. He probably built tables and chairs and was faithful to honor His Father by doing good work. I had never thought before of how he did physical work for years in obscurity before his 3 years of public ministry. Likewise, our work matters to our Heavenly Father and also affects others, whether it is seen by the world or only a few. But let us offer our work as an act of worship to the Lord.

Challenge for today: Stop for a moment in your work and tell the Lord you are working for His pleasure!