Category: Sister Judy (Page 186 of 277)

 Devotions from Judy’s heart,
Last night I saw a doe with her two fawns in our yard grazing on our grass.  As I watched the doe started going for my garden and munching there. I don’t mind sharing but there is a limit and my garden is off limits. I went to the door and made noise so she scampered off into the woods with her fawns.   I thought of it in another sense as we all need to have boundaries. Others can be a part of our lives but there is also a limit. We are all individuals and must be accountable to God. And at that day when we do give account, we can’t put the blame on someone else for we are responsible. Therefore we need discernment to hear God in our lives and not do things just because it is acceptable to others. When someone gets too close to our boundary lines, an alarm should go off inside of us and we need to have them step back. Yes, we need to be caring and giving, but only to a point so it doesn’t violate us.  As it says in Romans 14:12 : “So then each of us will give and account of himself to God.”

Devotions from Judy’s heart

How important it is that we quiet our spirit and listen to the Lord as He speaks to us throughout the day. He wants to be our guide and direct our steps. It says in II Chron. 16:9 that “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the entire earth, to strengthen those whose heart is true to Him.”  He will give us strength to follow His instructions and walk in His ways and be in His timing. I read today from Luke 5 how after Jesus used Simon’s boat to preach from, he told him to go out into the deep water and let down the nets. They hadn’t caught even one small fish all night but he listened to what Jesus said and obeyed. The result was astonishing and not only was his boat filled with fish but his partner’s boat as well.

Sometimes as our hearts are listening to Him, we are asked to say something or do something that may not even make sense to us. But if we obey, our “nets” may be filled and others are blessed. Just a couple days ago, I was praying with a friend over the phone, and a strange picture and word came to my mind that I prayed about. It didn’t make sense to me but made a lot of sense to her as it was something she was in the midst of dealing with. That brought encouragement to me as well. God wants to speak to us and as we obey we will see His hand in all that touches our lives.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I read today from Rev. 2 that “I am He who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.”  The Lord sees it all and knows when our motives are good and also when we try to hide what is in our hearts. That is so humbling for He sees what others may not see…the good and the bad!  Recently a friend was waitressing and couple came in, both in wheel chairs, and she gave them special attention. She felt almost badly as the couple next to them probably didn’t get as much service as they would have liked. When the handicap couple left they gave her a very small tip but she had a surprise at the table next to them. This couple gave her a check for $100 with a personal note as they had seen how she had so graciously served the handicapped couple and were impressed. That is not why she did it but how neat that she was rewarded.

May we do everything for Him and for His glory whether others see or not. …and when He shows us the hidden negative things, may we be willing to change.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I woke up the other morning and no water coming out of the facet. Little did I know Al was downstairs cleaning up water that had spurted all over our furnace and storage room The plastic hose going from the water softener just popped out of the tube it was inserted into and water all over. But even in the bad times, there are things to be thankful for. Had it happened the day before we would have been gone for much of the day to the Harvest Festival and unaware of what could have been a disaster.  Or one day later we would have had a retreatant in the room next to it, and would have interrupted her sleep.  Even when “bad things” happen, there is a silver lining if we look for it. In fact “faith shines most brightly in the darkness.” God brings order out of chaos and He wants us to put everything into His capable hands. Let us give thanks in the midst of whatever is happening. Ps. 113:3 “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!”

Devotions from Judy’s heart

The other day I went out on the deck to get rid of 3 tomato plants that were given to me. Their leaves looked pitiful but just as I was about to throw them away, I noticed they each had a few small tomatoes on their almost bare branches. What a shock!  And are we also surprised when someone who may not have all the social graces, may be sickly or old, or may seem rather dull, is being used of God and bearing fruit!  I noticed as I was reading today from Luke 1 how Elizabeth bore John the Baptist in old age. And there was Caleb that had the same strength when he was 85 years old that he had when he was 45 and conquered Hebron ( Joshua 14).  God uses the humble, and those dependent on Him to bear fruit for His kingdom. Let us not judge by the outward externals. You don’t have to be dressed in designer clothes  and on a platform to be used of God…you may be in your closet praying and it is having great affect for His kingdom.

Devotions from Judy’s heart
We so often quote the verse in Ps. 118, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” 

In today’s devotional I was struck by the last sentence of a prayer, “Help me see my day as Your day.” It has been a practice at our house that on your Birthday it is your day…you don’t have to make the bed, you don’t have to do dishes, you are just special in every way on your day. Well, Al just had his birthday and I tod him I would do whatever he wanted that day and he chose to go to Brainerd for the day. But on the way he saw a big sidewalk sale at Nisswa and he wanted to stop…though I felt it was really for me he stopped and insisted he didn’t need to.  But he had coffee and a book and was happy while I shopped to my heart’s content. I felt much of the day that I was the one benefitting from his special day. I believe the Lord loves when we give our day to Him from start to finish, and I see Him delighting in giving back to us in so many unexpected ways, just as Al did with me. I recall years ago on my birthday, I was given a truck load of clothes delivered to our door…and they were just the size of a friend who was in need as she was beginning a new  job. She came right over and my delight was seeing her delight!  I think that is how the Lord must feel too.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Al just had a birthday and I have a milestone birthday coming up in a couple weeks. The clock keeps ticking away and we are all getting older, even though we have not given permission for that to happen.
As we drove to Brainerd the other day there was a gorgeous flaming red tree in the midst of other trees that had barely started to turn their autumn colors. It stood out above all the rest in its brilliance and was like a sign post to me. Even as we are aging, we can be a light and flame to others that can cause them to seek the Lord. Yes, autumn comes to all of us and we will die, but we can shine in a brilliant color to bring Him glory. The Psalmist said in Ps. 71,”Do not cast me off in the time of old age forsake me not….O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”  Our last days can be our best days, if we allow His Spirit to shine through us and proclaim His power to those who follow.

 Devotions from Judy’s heart

As we watch the Olympics, many of the Olympians make it look easy on the balance beam, on the high dive, or jumping the hurdles etc. But if you asked any of them, they could tell you how hard they have trained and what they had to give up in order to compete. They may have dreamed of winning the gold since they were small children. But if they had not disciplined themselves and trained, they would not be competing now. It takes a lot of hard work and we dare not try going on the balance beam if we haven’t trained, or dive off the high platform without practice. Sometimes we can look at other Christians we admire and respect and think how easy it is for them….but we don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, the battles they have been through, and the training that has been required.  But like Paul said  (I Cor.9 the Message) “You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after the one that’s gold eternally. I don’t’ know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.” Let us be in the place God has for us and submit ourselves to His disciplines, running hard, with our eye on the eternal Gold!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We received a letter this week from a “Special friend” in Des Moines.. While we were at our church there, we had several “Special People” that attended, and they usually sat with me in the pew. When we moved away, Caroline wrote letters to us and after all these years she continues to write often. She prints her letters and usually they say the same thing each time. She always includes, “I love Jesus…. I go to church… I love you….You are good to me….Your are my friend…. ….write to me back soon.”   Now this appears very simplistic but doesn’t it say it all?   Most importantly she loves Jesus first and spends time each week in church. Then she expresses love for us and lets us know we are important to her. She also wants a response and asks that we write back and share with her. Our lives are filled with so many words, but when you remove the “fluff”, what is important?  First that we receive God’s love and love Him in return. Secondly that we reach out to others and show them His love. Thirdly, we receive from others what God gives through them to us.  Everything else is secondary when we get the basics.  Let us get our priorities straight that He is first, others second and ourselves third.  Jesus said it simply in reply to the Pharisees in Matt. 22:  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And a second is like it You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

 Devotions from Judy’s heart

Last weekend on our 7 ½ hour trip to Michigan I slept at least 5 of those hours. I could not keep awake and was so groggy….maybe just catching up from family time during the month of July. I was in a deep sleep and had several dreams. The only time I woke up was to eat or when we stopped for gas.  Today when I read from Mark 13 about the end times, over and over again Jesus reminds his followers to ‘Keep awake, be on guard, stay awake.”   It is important to be alert and awake spiritually and not be drowsy and groggy and half asleep. As we wait for His coming, we need to be seeking the things of His kingdom, sharing His love with others, and not just putting our lives on hold. By the time we got to Michigan I felt alert and refreshed and functioning again, and was so glad. May we daily be awake and not on “auto-pilot” but filled with zeal.