Category: Sister Judy (Page 188 of 271)

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Yesterday Al and I were eating our lunch out on the deck and was a beautiful day. But all of a sudden I saw a big black spider crawling on his back and neck. I brushed it off of him and stomped on it.  Because we live in a tick infested region, we also have a tick check each night. Even though they are very tiny they cause a great deal of sickness. I know from experience!  I thought of how there are things that are detrimental to our spiritual lives that seem very harmless at first, but they can soon bring severe consequences.  We need to nip them in bud and not pass it off as nothing.  Just like the tick that causes Lyme’s and a trip to the Dr, we need to guard our spirits against those things that cause us spiritual harm.  In Prov. 4:23, we are told to:  ‘Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”  Let us be alert and vigilant to shake off those things that will cause us harm.

Yesterday was a beautiful day and I took a walk to my neighbor’s.  On the way I noticed an area that had many fallen trees that had been there for quite some time. It made me think of people who have died or fallen like those trees and are no longer alive, yet they remain.  It could be our parents and other loved ones who have gone to be with the Lord but who still impact our lives. Their memory is vivid and although they can no longer speak with us, their “voice” is still heard in our hearts. Often I can imagine what one of my parent’s response would be in a situation, or remember their love of serving others, or coming home to the aroma of fresh bread etc. Though we can not speak to our fallen loved ones now, one day we will be reunited. I think of I Cor. 15: “ We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed….Death is swallowed up in victory.”  For now we have the memory of our loved ones that continually speaks to our present life, and then one day we shall meet again forever!!!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We all have need of discernment and to listen to the spirit. There are times we sense something is not quite right even though we may not know the specifics. The other day I was vacuuming and it didn’t seem to be picking up well. I had checked underneath the day before and the rollers were going fine.  But this time when I looked the belt was broken and needed a new one. I unscrewed the plate and put in a fresh one and there was a huge difference.  Sometimes things start out fine but over time, the enemy gets in there and messes things up. We are going about something the same way, but for some reason, we sense it is not quite right now. Pay attention and act on what you sense. In the past when we have not “listened” to our spirit, we regretted it, and later found out what was happening under the surface. In Eph 5 it says that since we are children of the light we are to “walk as children of light ( for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” The  Lord sees our hearts and wants to make His will known to us in all things. Let us be alert and aware of what is happening in the spiritual realm. We will notice how much lighter and freer we feel as we go the way of the Spirit.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I read in Ps. 92, “You have made me glad by your work; at the work of your hands I sing for joy.”  Often as I go on my prayer walk I marvel at what God has made for me to enjoy. Just the other day  as I was walking on the gravel road, two beautiful butterflies accompanied me all the way home…flying in front of me, and behind me and all around me, making sure I saw them.  Truly “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Ecc. 3:11.  I can’t even imagine all that we miss as go about our day, seeing only a minute portion of what He puts before us to enjoy. Let us open our eyes and our hearts to not only see beauty of creation but our Beautiful Savior, king of creation!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We can read verses of God’s desire to bless us but at times we may feel God is withholding or withdrawing blessings.  But the truth is, as it says in Ps. 84:11, “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” He delights to give to us, his children!  As parents we also love to give to our kids but sometimes we know it is good for them when they don’t get everything they want. Something may not be good for them, or maybe the timing is wrong and they are to wait.  Some time ago I was shopping at Penny’s and saw a burgundy sweater that I loved but didn’t buy as it was regular priced ($50).  I had bought something I needed and did not feel right to spend any more. Well, I popped into Penny’s last week for about 20 minutes and I spotted a rack of clothes for $4!  You guessed it…the burgundy sweater was on that rack and I bought it. I just thanked the Lord and received it as a gift from Him and was soooo glad I waited. My joy was twice as full and the waiting was well worth it. There may be things in all of our lives that are not as we would choose. But God has good in store and one day we may know why He seems to be “withholding” or making us wait.  Even the painful things we look back on can become fruitful in our lives, although it was not pleasant at the time. God is worthy of our trust and even if we don’t know until Glory the “whys” of things we go through, He is enough!!!

 Devotions from Judy’s heart

Go Green! We hear that a lot in our world today!! When I was walking yesterday I was aware of how the woods are dressing up in green…little by little. Each day I see more green but as yet, the trees are lacey looking but not nearly filled out. But I see change and soon I envision full leafy green trees so thick that we can’t see through the woods as we can now. I think our growth can be similar in that we are becoming and have not arrived yet. Each day should find us more like the Lord, but we will never fully arrive until eternity. It must give the Lord great pleasure to see us changing and filling out and getting “greener”.  Each stage is beautiful and hopefully we don’t stop blossoming. “ But let us grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.” Eph 4:18

Devotions from Judy’s heart

In our veggie garden the rows are marked with the specific kind of seeds that were planted. When we read the onion marker, we expect onions to grow there and carrots to grow in the row marked carrots etc.  Each row is different because of what was planted. It’s almost like the Body of Christ, as we are individually members of one another. If we are an onion, so to speak, we will not act like a carrot or beet. We were not meant to. As we read in Rom 12, we all have gifts that differ from one another and there are 7 mentioned there.( Prophet, server , teacher, exhorter, giver, leader, and mercy).  People with the same giftings have similarities much  like the same kind of seeds in the rows that are marked. But just like the different kind of seed in another row, the prophet does not come across in a group in the same way as the mercy person. We were meant to be just what He created us to be to add flavor and color to the Body, similar to the veggies in a soup or stew.  The danger is that we try to become what we were never meant to be. An onion does not taste or look like a carrot and should be used for just the purpose it was grown for. Let us celebrate what He planted us to be and allow others to be what they were created to be!

 Devotions from Judy’s heart

Yesterday a friend and I planted seeds of carrots, lettuce, radishes, spinach, Kohlrabi, onions, and beets in our joint garden. By faith I believe these seeds will produce, but for now, they are in good soil and being exposed to the sun and rain as we patiently wait.  Each seed has the potential to become something very specific and good but takes time to develop and grow. We need patience with others as they grow and become more of what He intended, but we also need patience with ourselves.  Don’t we wish we were spiritual giants with great faith all the time?  But we seem to grow little by little as we are exposed to the Sonshine of His presence, the daily reading of His Word, openness to His Spirit etc. I marvel at His patience with our slow progress. I read this morning from II Peter 39 “the Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you….”  May we be patient with others and ourselves as He is patient with us… but at the same time  let us live with expectation of what we will become.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

It is the little things that we are given to enjoy that we often overlook and take for granted.

I wanted to share what I received about Lisa Beamer – If you remember, she’s the wife of Todd Beamer who said ‘Let’s Roll!’ and helped take down the plane over Pennsylvania that was 
heading for Washington, DC back on 9/11. 
She said it’s the little things that she misses most about Todd, such as hearing the garage door open as he came home, and her children running to meet him. 
Lisa recalled a special high school teacher she had whose hubby died of a sudden heart attack.  One day the teacher shared with the class that each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves.None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end.  It can be taken away at any moment.  So it’s important to make the most out of every single day. She asked them from now on, as they went to and from school, that they find something beautiful to notice. It didn’t have to be something they saw, it could be a scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone’s house,  or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one colorful  leaf as it falls gently to the ground. But they were to look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite, these things are the “stuff” of life.   After that Lisa noticed more things on her way home from school and she never forgot the message of that teacher.  As we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn’t do.
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” 

May we enjoy the things the Lord has put before and savor and enjoy them.

 Devotions from Judy’s heart,

We all make mistakes and I made one the other day that was so disappointing. I was excited as I wrote several devotionals after I came back from a prayer walk and felt “inspired.”  But I’m not sure where in the process of copying, pasting and printing it happened, but the next day there were all gone! I couldn’t believe the boo-boo I made. I was in too big of a hurry. Sometimes in our rush through life, we make mistakes or miss what is before us. I know I need to slow down at times and focus on what is happening right now. It is easy to miss something important or even things that the Lord has spoken that we need to just ponder.  As I was reading from Deut. 4:9 and 15, Moses says to the people,  “Only take care, and keep  your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life…  Therefore watch yourselves very carefully.”   Let us purpose to slow down and absorb into our hearts, those things that He speaks to us.