Category: Sister Judy (Page 138 of 277)

Dear One,
Hope your day is full of sunshine. The trees are starting to turn their autumn colors and we see changes on the trail each day. This morning I made Al’s cookies and went down for Donuts. This afternoon we have the Bible Study here and then we need to do some errands afterwards.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

When we are in God’s will the outcome will be always be right. It may not be as we imagined or desired but according to God’s perfect will. I read recently of John Milton, the great orator and politician who wrote Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. He describes his crisis of faith in his poems, for he felt trapped by his total blind condition when he was only 43 years old.

In Paradise Lost he writes that his blindness will make his gifts and talents useless but yet he submits to God.  He wrote the first poem when he was only 23 and felt his life was empty and that he had accomplished so little. But half way through the poem he wrote that God gave him grace to submit to His will and he senses that everything will turn out as God planned.

In Paradise Regained he writes how he wants to do something great for God but was threatened by blindness. However, he goes on to say he learned through it all that God doesn’t need our work and gifts. Our value is not by what we do but who we are.

Maybe we can identify with Milton when our life dreams are trashed. Something or someone is taken from us and we feel robbed and confused. But God has the grand design and we are to submit to Him and accept His will. Milton goes on to say, “They also serve who only stand and wait.”

Milton overcame great handicaps to accomplish the work God gave him. He didn’t see God’s purpose right away but he trusted and submitted to it.

Psalm 130 (Message translation) reminds me of what Milton was saying, “Help, God-the bottom has fallen out of my life! Master, hear my cry for help! Listen Hard! Open your ears! …I pray to God—my life a prayer—and wait for what he’ll say and do. My life’s on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning.”

We may not see the picture at first of what God is doing in our life, but our part is to submit to His will and wait.

Challenge for today: When tempted to resent your present circumstances, submit to His will, and wait, while praying.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Happy Weekend! Hoping for nice sunny weather today for the many who are having outdoor celebrations. We will be packing up also, and going to the lake to gather with lots of family. Our 3 grandsons are all home for the weekend and in a week Joe will be headed south for training for the Marines. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I love to grocery shop, and especially take my time in the produce section. It makes me feel good when the frig and counter are overflowing with colorful fruit and veggies. The fruit of the spirit exemplified in the lives of Christ-followers is even more beautiful and seems to positively affect the people around them. Our kids memorized the fruit of the spirit when they were young and could quickly recite Gal. 5:22-23, “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” One fruit that is especially beautiful but often overlooked is gentleness. Although we don’t seem to hear much about it, gentleness is something so needed in our family relationships particularly. It’s so easy to blow it with raised voices and our tone that exudes impatience and anger. How much better to show kindness, compassion and considerateness in our tone and actions.

I failed so many times as a mom as I raised my voice at our children, hollered may be a more honest description. At night, as I tucked them, I would need to ask their forgiveness. But gentleness doesn’t just appear magically, it is something we all need to clothe ourselves with and need God’s help. I was touched recently as Al wrote a blog to the men about how God was convicting him of the need to become a gentle husband. He shared his desire to improve and gave 3ways that would help him, but really would help all of us. First become aware of our attitude and tone of voice and pray for a sensitive spirit. Second to confess on the spot when we detect a lack of gentleness. Third, to ask forgiveness for our failure, while asking our spouse to pray for us. This way works wonders for as we humble ourselves and pray for one another, it draws us closer together and to the Lord. It entails more than to mumble that we are sorry but is a softening of our hearts to sense how the other person is feeling and to show tenderness and love. It can even diffuse a tense situation. “A gentle answer can turn away wrath but harsh words stir up anger.”  Prov. 15:1 Let us reflect Jesus by our gentle spirit!

Challenge for today: The next time you respond in a harsh way, humble yourself and make confession to the Lord and the other person.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying this holiday weekend. We are having rain and it is suppose to clear up for the rest of the weekend. Let’s hope! We are leaving tomorrow morning for the lake and visiting a friend along with way. We plan to stay overnight and go to The Lighthouse on Sunday, have a picnic, swimming, sauna, etc. This morning I cleaned and made a pot of stew and another peach crisp and soon need to do some packing. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Now is a time of preparation! As we see things changing so quickly in our culture, and all around us, we need to be ready for what is to come. I think of our grandson who is going into the Marines in another week; he has been preparing for some time by working out, jogging and getting physically ready. My cousin is also upping the number of miles she walks a day in order to join her daughter and son-in-law on the final lap in their walk across America. She is getting in shape now and not waiting until she gets to California and then walks about 20 miles a day.

We also are in a battle as the enemy knows his time is short and bringing so much evil and destruction upon our lives and land.  We can’t just lay back and fearfully watch but rather we need to be preparing for whatever is ahead.

Joshua told the people, before crossing the Jordon River to prepare by purifying themselves as he says in Joshua 3:5, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow God will do great wonders among you.” We need to get rid of all those things in our lives that hinder us from a close relationship with God. Those little sins, those habits, those, distractions will only weigh us down in the battle. We have to be ready to move forward in faith when the battle intensifies.

We also need an arsenal of weapons. Reading and memorizing scriptures will be like fiery darts against the enemy. When he comes at us with fear and worry and tries to knock us out, we can shoot those scriptures in strength and boldness to hit the target. Prayer and intercession will be vital and we must make time to spend alone with the Lord, carefully listening to his battle plan and being strengthened.

It is necessary to go out in full armor that He provides…the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith and our feet shod with gospel the of peace.

Finally let us go forth in faith and be filled with love and move in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Unless we are ready, we won’t be able to stand in the dark days ahead.

Challenge for today: Spend time getting spiritually protected so you are ready!

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying this day. This morning I made starch free Peach Crisp, chicken tenders, and veggie stir-fry. Also, went down for donut day and this afternoon we have Bible Study. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Do you ever feel like you are being pulled in two directions? Maybe all of us have those times and wonder which way to go when we feel opposite pulls on us. We often waver and sometimes we go the way God is directing but there are other times we feel the pull of the world and end up going the opposite way.

Michael Casey in his book, Grace on the Journey to God, says our life often feels divided and we are easily distracted. We feel pulled two ways and it is the default condition of all of mankind. The apostle Paul knew that there is a constant battle going on inside us and he says in Romans 7:19 (ESV), “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” Like Paul, we have the same struggle between going God’s way or the enemy’s way. Yet in our hearts we desire to be strong and to resist the pull of the enemy. We may make progress for a time and then suddenly fail; and we end up realizing we are both are saint and sinner. In our hearts, we want to stand when the trials and storms of life hit us. Casey said it is much like being on a surf board and trying to stand while we let it take us forward. We have to deal with the wind and waves and constantly adjust as the center of gravity changes. It takes a lot of energy but even if we do fall and get swept under, we can be resilient and quickly get up again and stand.

Yes, life is full of good times of love and happiness but it also has hard times of loneliness and grief. Of course, it is easier to handle the good times but the hard windy times are unavoidable and have to be endured. We experience both and each has a purpose. Even the bad times force us out of our comfort zones and help us to grow and build character. Saint Bernard said that the changing times between good and bad things are necessary for then “we will neither be crushed by adversity nor lose discipline through too much joy. Also, it is by this means that joys are more appreciated and difficulties more readily endured. Blessed be God forever!”

Challenge for today: Thank God for what He is teaching you in both the good and bad times and ask for help in resisting the pull of the enemy. 

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

Dear Ones,

Hope your day is filled with His peace. We woke today to no internet, along with all the other CTC customers. so I did some baking. and later we are invited to friends.We just got back on and I found out my cousin Susie is now with the Lord. She passed from this life surrounded by her children, and  heard her sister’s voices and her mother’s voices by phone.  Her battle is over and she is in her heavenly home. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for her family.  She will be greatly missed.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Life can be messy! There are times we may have all questioned where God is in the midst of heavy trials we are going through. We may be crushed with pain, feel broken, or we worried about loved ones going through hard times. Why are these bad things happening we may ask? But in the midst of our questions, it is a time to cling to His promises, trust Him, and to seek the big picture, remembering that the Lord is right in our midst. David said in Psalm 34:15,17-18 (The Message), “God keeps an eye on His friends, His ears pick up every moan and groan…Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you. If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, He’ll help you catch your breath.” 

Jane Marczewski went through so many hard times and yet said, “I am so much more than the bad things that happen to me.” You may know her as Nightbirde who sang, “It’s Okay” on America’s Got Talent. She appeared on the show in June and even Simon Cowell, hit the Golden Buzzer and had tears in his eyes when she sang. It was after singing her song that she shared how her cancer had come back again and was now in her liver, spine and lungs. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer when she was only 26 and two years later was told tumors were in her lungs, lymph nodes, liver ribs and spine and had 6 months to live. She went to CA for treatment and 4 months later had a clean bill of health. Her husband left her during this time and she acknowledges that her life story would look different if she would have written the script. Hope isn’t a very natural response for all she had gone through, but she knows her life is in God’s hands and communicates hope to all of us. She said she wanted to be the bird that sings in anticipation for the good things that she trusts are coming. Her stage name comes from a reoccurring dream she had for several nights of a bird singing in the darkness. Then in the middle of the night, she woke to actually hearing birds singing outside her window as if it were morning. She said she wants to be like the bird that sings in the middle of the darkness, even when there are no signs that it will end.

We have much to learn from Nightbirde to remember, that whatever we are going through presently, It’s Okay. We have hope and joy even if God doesn’t take away our own pain and darkness, he adds light and is very near. God meets us wherever we are at, and will give us a song to sing in the night.

Challenge for today: In those dark times, draw close to the Lord and ask Him for a song to sing.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a great weekend! I was spoiled for my birthday  with a delicious steak dinner at our daughter’s after Al preached at our church yesterday. Also had a hot game of scrabble with our grandson Joe (he won)  at the cabin and time to catch up with with the family. I am blessed. Today is beautiful and clear and I got to Aldi’s and to my Exercise class this morning.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Some people mistakenly think that when we become a Christian, our problems are all over; so, when we go through hard times, that we must have sinned and are getting our just punishment. But if that were true, why did Jesus closest followers suffer and experience persecution and a martyr death? No, the fact is Jesus said we would be slandered, persecuted, and suffer because of our faith in Him. We are told to rejoice in our suffering for His sake and to be faithful and let our roots go deeper into Him.

Our hearts go out to those in Afghanistan whose lives hang in the balance, wondering if they will die because of their faith. Missionaries there have seen many many come to the Lord, though the cost may mean their very lives.

I was reading what Mark Morris wrote about the Afghan/English retreat they had 2 weeks ago. They learned that a Pastor in Afghanistan had received a letter from the Taliban saying: “We know who you are, what you do, and where to find you.” On that Saturday they were knocking at his door but he had gone into hiding. PTL! But another pastor wept as he shared about his Christian friend whose village had been taken by the Taliban 3 days before and young Christian girls were being pursued; his own niece was taken to become the wife of one of the Taliban.

As they all wept and prayed, they were exhorted to build their faith on Jesus, the only cornerstone that can stand in face of the Taliban. They ended the retreat sharing about The Cross and Suffering: first of all, to face suffering with a higher view of God and a humble view of themselves and others. Also, to remember that suffering and evil exist to exalt the glory of God’s grace, as seen in Jesus’ death for us. God may use suffering to refine our faith, to show His glory and to teach us dependency on Him. And finally, God may lead us into suffering as part of His plan to fulfill the Great Commission. They closed the retreat singing, “Let goods and kindred go/ this mortal life also/ the body they may kill/ God’s truth abideth still/ His kingdom is forever!”

May we also say as David in Psalm 61:2-4 (ESV), “From the ends of the earth, I call to you when I begin to lose heart. Lead me to the ROCK that is above me. You have been my refuge, a tower of strength against the enemy.”

Challenge for today: Pray for those being persecuted and ask for grace to stand firm in the days to come.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy