Category: Sister Judy (Page 178 of 277)

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Ann has a beautiful colorful bouquet of flowers on her table from Leif, and it is made up of many kinds of lovely roses, mums, carnations, cattails,  fall leaves etc. The variety and color  just adds to the beauty of the bouquet and causes me to praise the awesomeness of our creator.  It made me think of and appreciate our grandkids and how there is not one of them that is like the other.  Our 3 grandsons are so very much their own person and not like their brothers in any way. Joe is so tall and thin and rather introverted, Paul is solidly built and very artistic. Lars may be the smallest but not to be tampered with as he is strong and competitive. We love each of our grandkids and appreciate their unique qualities. How sad it would be if we wanted them to be all alike or maybe like us. I read just this morning in my devotions from II Cor10:12, “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”  Or like the Message puts it, “But in all this comparing and grading and competing, they quite miss the point.” Let us be ourselves and let others be themselves and rejoice in His creation!

God gives us a wonderful promise through the prophet Zephaniah, when he prophecies, “At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home.  I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes..” (Zeph 4:20).  Do you sense a restlessness deep in your soul, in that place within you that cannot be reached by your understanding and effort?  Is there a kind of homesickness that makes you a pilgrim looking for a place of security, trust and acceptance?  Ever since the garden, when Adam and Eve were banished from the garden, there has been a homesickness in the soul of each of us.

The tendency for men is to go in search of security and acceptance outside themselves.  But home, that place of acceptance, security and rest is f0und within, at the center, in a soulful life.  You don’t find home, but rather it finds you, as you are willing to pay attention to what your soul is saying to you.  Listen to Jesus’ promise: “I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so.  Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them” (John 17:26).  Notice the preposition “in.”  Jesus assures us that the same love he experienced with the Father and his very presence would be “in” us.  So men, don’t go searching for security, acceptance and safety outside yourself.  The love of the Father is at the center manifested in Jesus.

Remember the story of the Prodigal Son.  We read, “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself” (Luke 15:17).  In other words, he got stopped in his tracks and came to an inner awareness that things were going in the wrong direction.  He decided to turn around and come home.  Likewise we can have the same conversion with ourselves, in deciding to come home.  You discern Jesus waits at the center for us.  You come to our senses, by listening to the inner voice of his spirit calling us home.  The difficulty will be our willingness to listen to the urgings of our soul.

I can give testimony to this reality in my life.  I lived a lot of years on the surface.  I tried hard to be good and worked at finding my way back, after all I was “a professional holy man.”  But I never felt like I was home, in that place of acceptance and rest.  I must say to any man who is reading this blog and is adrift, away from home, the way back involves trust.  There is no other way.  You will have to let go of the controls and as it were “be led by the hand.”  You simply will not be able to find your way back by means of your “spiritual projects” not matter how sincere.  Like me, you will have to be tired of your start and stop efforts, and simply yield to the inner voice of the Spirit

The outer voice, heard through reading of Scriptures, preaching,  teaching and fellowship will stimulate the awareness of the inner voice.  Revelation 3:20 becomes very relevant at this point.  “Look at me.  I stand at the door.  I knock.  If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you.”  I assure you that God’s love for you is persistent.  Augustine observed, “You were within, but I was without.  You were with me, but I was not with you.  So you called, you shouted, you broke through my deafness, you flared, and banished my blindness, you lavished your fragrance and I gasped.”  When you dare risk in trusting the inner voice, you will not be disappointed.  The struggle will be in your letting go of the controls and the need to understand the process.

  Devotions from Judy’s heart

Last night we took our 3 grandsons to scouts as they met at the National Weather Service. We heard a good lecture with lots of diagrams and weather patterns etc. What impressed me was he said about water…we have all the water we will ever get and it is the same water that was present for thousands of years. It just goes through different cycles…like water, to clouds, to snow.  Isn’t it something to think that this same water that we are drinking could have come from the rock that Moses and the children of Israel drank from?  What also struck me was that how we take care of the environment is important but if others in China or some where else don’t do their part, it affects all of us here. We have acid rain!!  Isn’t that the way it is with sin too? We think we are the only ones affected by bad choices that we make but it touches everyone else in some way too. We are all connected and may we treat others and the land as we would want them to treat us.

Devotions from Judy’s heart,

When we left the North woods last Monday morning it was snowing and the temperature was only in the early 20’s. I had on a long sleeved shirt with scarf, a sweatshirt and jacket. Little by little it warmed up and I took off one more layer of clothes. By the time we arrived in Kansas I had on only my long sleeved shirt ( and jeans, of course). I thought of our hearts and how they can gradually get cold when we do not take time for Him. When we come to the realization and desire to come close again, it may take time for our hearts to “thaw” and warm up. We may not realize how far we have strayed and it feels so good to be warmed in the awareness of His loving presence. I think of this often when I am home and start the wood stove in the morning as the fire has grown cold in the night while we are asleep. Let us not fall asleep spiritually and let the fire of His love go cold in us, but let us be ablaze!!!!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We have gone through 5  states since leaving Paul’s  and we remarked often of the beauty of the hills and valleys … I especially liked the spacious meadows. In a spiritual sense, I would prefer the warm meadows where the sun is shining and it is problem free rather than the dark cold woods of adversity.  In fact there are some who think that being trouble free is a sure sign of spiritual maturity and sign of God’s favor. But as I read about the saints and people who have made an impact on my life, they are often the ones who have gone through dark times, struggles, and difficulties. I read about Constance Fink who went through dense woods of disappointments and darkness. And the Body of Christ told her she should be stronger and even questioned her salvation and fitness to minister. But in her words, “God often leads a spiritually healthy person onto a difficult path in order to develop qualities necessary for greater purposes.” Instead of judging we can pray for them, stand with them, encourage them, show understanding, remember that we may be next to go through dark wooded times. Let us put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another and forgiving each other…and above all put on love. ( Col 3)

Devotions from Judy’s heart,

I wonder sometimes if giving isn’t contagious and how one grateful heart prompts another to give too. When we were at Paul and Alison’s, I felt led to just buy Alison a winter coat and a dressy blouse when we were shopping at a store that helps support a Christian school. They showed us such warm hospitality and love and I wanted to express my thanks. But it wasn’t long before I got back just as much and more than I gave! When Alison went to pay her bill at Macy’s I waited in the shoe dept and found shoes that are comfortable and fit me perfectly, which is amazing. She had coupons that needed to be used before they expired and wanted me to use them so I got shoes for far less of the regular price. Then when we were on the road today, she called and wanted us to use a free stay at a hotel that didn’t even cost them any points. So here we are at the penthouse of the Indigo and everything is so plush. I know we don’t deserve all of this and we are receiving it from them in the love it was given. I read the definition of Agape love from Michelle Lazurek: “Agape is the selfless, sacrificial love that is completely motivated by the desire to benefit someone else. This love begins in the mind and manifests itself in loving choices and actions towards others.”   Let us be lavish with God’s love and giving as He has done to us!!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Yesterday we drove to my brother’s home in Indiana and when we arrived no one was home. We knocked and noticed there were no signs of life so we went to get gas, before coming back. Now we could have thought they were not very eager to see us, or so busy they didn’t have time for us, but that would have been the wrong conclusion. When we drove from Kentucky in the morning to Indiana we crossed a time zone which made it now an hour earlier. So it was we who arrived too early and they were not too busy but rather showed us wonderful warm hospitality when they got home!  Isn’t it easy to jump to the wrong conclusions with the limited info we may have?   So many times in the Body of Christ there are misunderstandings and they can cause disruption in the peace and unity. No matter what someone does to us though, forgiveness is a choice and an action of our wills.  Shana Schutte writes how important it is to let the person off the hook who wrongs us. It is not worth hanging on to.  “There is a God who is greater than the wrong that has been done to me and in this, I recognize that no one can do anything that will ultimately destroy me or God’s plan for my life…Someone may stop loving me, insult me, steal from me or abuse me, but they will never be able to destroy the love that God has for me or His sovereign rule over all that concerns me.”  God is so much bigger and can work even the hurtful things for the good in our lives ( Rom. 8:28) and bring us peace and growth.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

When Lily came home from school yesterday she was pleasantly surprised by what Brenda and I had made for her room –  a beautiful big fringed pillow with a floral design in the middle, a Roman shade, and a smaller matching corded pillow. She was so happy and Paige was happy for her. But as I tucked Paige in bed, I asked her if she would like pillows for her room too. She hugged me tightly and said, “Yes, grandma!” I thought of how our Heavenly Father’s heart is to give to us His children and it is His delight to do so. We read in scripture that He wants to give us many gifts like the gift of wisdom, the gift of faith, gift of hope, gifts of the Spirit etc. But we are especially to earnestly desire the greater gift of love. (I Cor. 12:31)  Often we may see gifts manifested in the lives of others and it puts a desire in our hearts too.  He is so ready to freely give to us, even as I am happy to do so for Paige. In Ps. 84:11 it says that “ No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  What a giving and loving Father we have!

 Devotions from Judy’s  heart

Last night Lily was at her soccer practice and her really good friend fell down as she was tripped. She landed on her wrist and broke her arm. It was fortunate that we were babysitting Paige and Grant so Brenda could go to the practice and was available to accompany Maddie to the hospital, since her mommy wasn’t there. On the way to the hospital Maddie said to Brenda, “I wonder who accidentally tripped me and I feel so badly for her.”   Later asked her daddy to pray for her. What a response!  She could have been angry at the one who tripped her and tried to get even etc but instead she showed what was in her heart.

( “By their fruits you will recognize them.” Matt: 7:16). Things happen to us and we don’t need to look at whom to blame but call on the Lord for His help in each situation.  May we rest in Him, knowing that He is ALWAYS there for us.  Let us follow David’s example in such times as he calls out to the Lord in Ps. 141 “O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. …My eyes are fixed on you…in you I take refuge.”

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Al and I got up today at 2:30 am. to begin our trip south. As usual we spent the first two or three hours talking and sharing our thoughts on many issues and seeking discernment on decisions we will be making.. It is important to me to know what he is thinking and I come away knowing more of his heart. Even more so, I desire to know God’s heart and thoughts.  As we were traveling, I meditated on Ps. 139 and verse 17  & 18 stood out to me. “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.”  God’s thoughts are precious and are unlimited like the sand of the seashore.  He wants to share them with us so that His thoughts become ours.  He knows us so well, and may we seek to know Him in more and more intimacy.