Category: Sister Judy (Page 204 of 279)

Devotions from Judy’s heart

As we are traveling I have been reading books and I just finished one by George Mac Donald. It spoke to me about pride and how it separates us from God and from others in the Body of Christ. We can outwardly be doing the right things and even be prideful of our goodness, but no person is good enough. Our own goodness is an illusion. In fact we usually end up judging others. But if we to be children of Light we must choose to come into the light, even when it seems painful to face what we see.  But we can’t really hide as ‘there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be made known.”(Luke 12:2)  When we open the doors of our spiritual house and let Him shine His light and blow a fresh breeze through, we experience more freedom than ever before. Walls crumble and love flows. Also the pride we may have in our own church Body is done away with and love and unity becomes the trademark demonstrating to the world we are One!  Let us be His humble children of the Light!!!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I was struck in my readings of how we can hide from our pain but hiding out gets real lonely. We all have pain and we are tested in our faith as we go through trials. Do we believe God is God?  Can we trust He can take us through our darkest hours and shine His light into our hearts to show us what we are made of and what we are made for?  I am reading about the children of Israel and how they saw the Red Sea parted before their eyes, they ate manna from heaven etc but when trials came they forgot.  Sometimes the reasons for what happens to us don’t seem good and the answers are not what we’d like but let us not forget He is God. He knows best. If the children of Israel would have reached out to the Lord and followed, He would have led them Home. So sad that those over 20 never got into the Promise Land.  Going through the hard times can make us a better person and help us see things we would never have seen in the good times. “Once we learn to love like the Lord loves us, like we’ve never been hurt before, than that’s when we find our home…our Promiseland.”

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Each morning when the grandkids got up, I had a little prize waiting that they got to open after breakfast. It gives me great joy to see their anticipation and delight, for when we love our hearts want to give. I have been reading in Exodus about the children of Israel and how “everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work of the Tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments.” (Exodus 35:21)  What surprised me was that the people wanted to give so much that Moses had to tell them STOP!  They brought  gold, jewelry, fine linen, acacia wood, yarn, spices etc …so much he had to restrain them from bringing more as they had more than enough.  Wouldn’t that be every pastor’s dream for him to tell his congregation we have enough, give it some where else? I wonder if the lack of giving is really a heart problem. For each of us it is more than money but also giving of our time, our energy, our setting aside our schedules for His, etc. What is He asking of us at this time to bring to Him? Let us give with a grateful heart and the awareness that He delighted to give to us in the first place and we are only giving back.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

When we arrived at Kurt’s Sunday we are usually greeted outside as the kids are watching and waiting. But this time we didn’t see a soul and it looked like no one was home. I opened the garage door and we unloaded the car and were going upstairs when all of a sudden we heard voices. They were in their rooms and had not heard us.  All of a sudden we were engulfed in hugs and kisses. They weren’t expecting us quite so soon as we got here before our anticipated time. We are reminded in scripture over and over to be ready, to be alert for the Lord’s coming. We don’t know the day or the hour but we do know He is coming. Will He find us watching for Him, anticipating His arrival, telling others, getting excited…or will He find us so into the world that we are unaware. We need to guard our hearts and keep watch.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

As we are traveling, I am reading a book by Dawn Miller called, “Promiseland”. She is the Laura Ingalls Wilder of our century. One story had to do with a woman who made a memory-quilt from pieces of scrap materials of various parts of her life. ….some good like her childhood, her dad’s overcoat etc, and some not so good.  One piece she wanted to pass over but her pastor’s wife told her a good quilter chooses the pieces with her heart not her eyes. If you do that, no matter how ugly it may seem at first, how bad the colors clash, the quilt will always turn out good in the end when you put the whole thing together. Just like the good and bad things in our lives. God pieces them together to somehow make good of them and to make us what we are today. “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.” Rom 8:28  Let us give Him all the pieces of our lives that our quilt will tell a wondrous story of His grace.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Have you heard someone going through hard times say, “Why me?” I don’t suppose any of us like to suffer trials. But we are told to share in sufferings as a good soldier of Christ. ( II Tim. 2:31) and further on in 3:12 it promises us we will suffer. “Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” On Facebook one day I read the quote, “Faith doesn’t deny problems existence. It denies it a place of influence.” Let us not be bowed under by what we have to go through but, by faith, rejoice we can share in His sufferings. I noticed today in my devotional time that there is a blessing promised to us when we suffer for righteousness sake. ( I Peter 3:14). Let us not flinch and question why we have to go through trials but count it all joy. A portion of a prayer on a mug I bought says, “A trial, I know, may simply be a blessing in disguise, so help me look for miracles right before my eyes. Time will tell the pattern which You weave with love divine. Grant that I may help create Your Grand and glorious design.”

I noticed a most unusual sight as I watered my plants today. I have a 4 tier plant stand and a plant on the second level has also planted part of itself in the soil of the pot on the 4^th level. It is trying to take over not only it’s own pot but that of another.  God has given each of us a pot or place to fit and to flourish, that is not like any one else. He is the one that places us and we are to “bloom where we are planted.” But we are not to let anyone else take over our life as we are each responsible before the Lord. ( Rom. 14:12 “So then, each of us will give and account of himself to God.”)  We hear so much about enabling others, or being controlled by others and neither one is good.  God wants us to be free to be ourselves and to grow in the way He has ordained for us. He is watchful over us for,  “No creature is hidden from His sight, abut all are naked and expose to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Heb. 4;13

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Devotions from Judy’s heart

A couple nights ago Al’s cell phone not only went through the wash but was in the dryer for a short time before it was caught. I remembered hearing about putting wet cell phones in rice and went on line to find out exactly how to do it. It sat for 48 hours in rice, and like a miracle it came out working again. If I had not recalled hearing about the rice, I think we would be out shopping for a new cell phone. I thought of how spiritually we sometimes hear a word and it barely registers on the screen of our hearts at the time. The person who spoke it or preached it may feel his words were wasted. But someday, in the right timing and circumstances it comes to light. In fact the Holy Spirit may bring it to our remembrance just in the exact moment needed.  God is always speaking to us, and often we hear only faintly or try to block it out. He tells us again and again to listen to Him and it says in John 18:37 that “Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  Just like the message I heard some time ago about rice, the Holy Spirit can bring to light what we have heard…that means even things we gave only partial attention to. And also when it seems like our words were not really heard by another, we can trust that someday the Lord may use those words to bring change. As we go about out day, ”Let us be “Quick to hear”!! ( James 1:19)

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I just came back from my prayer walk and noticed my uncle’s road is open and plowed. Last week when it snowed I didn’t venture up his road as I didn’t know how deep the snow cover was. But now his road looks like an open invitation to enter.  It made me think of how important preparation is in our spiritual lives. When we prepare our hearts, it is like an open invitation for the Lord to visit us and bless us and also for others to enter into our lives. When we go to worship, it is good preparation to pray before hand that our hearts would be open and softened to receive what the Lord has for us. And as we prepare for communion to let the Spirit search our hearts to reveal things we are in need of forgiveness of.  Just going to a council meeting we can prepare by putting ourselves in neutral, so we don’t insist on our way but open to what the Spirit desires. Right now I am busy making preparations for a group coming tomorrow morning for brunch. If I waited until they were at the door to prepare the food, think of how much I would miss out on. Let us let the Lord plow the soil of our hearts in preparation of all He has for us. Hosea 10:12

Devotions from Judy’s heart

“It’s me, It’s me, it’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer. Not my brother, not my sister but me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.”  I remember that song as a young girl but the older I get the more I realize how much I need the Lord and His mercy to me. When we blow it, we know it in even a greater way!  The other day I went to the Co-op and a gal was standing in the front of the lentils that I wanted to grab. So I leaned down to reach them, and when I did my bag of flax seeds dropped out of my arms and the bag almost “exploded” spilling the contents on the floor. Oh my!  A very nice man who volunteers there simply said, “I will take care of that. Just go about your shopping.” Just what I needed to hear and music to my ears!  How often are we in need of God’s mercy as we blow it in so many more ways than we are even aware of? And when we really know that in the depth of our being, we will be most gracious in extending mercy to others. ( Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13)  I am so glad God doesn’t give us what we deserve but is merciful!  In Ps. 103:8, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”  How blessed we are to have such a merciful Father!