Category: Sister Judy (Page 206 of 271)

 Devotions from Judy’s heart 10-15

Last night I ate an enormous piece of choc birthday cake with 4 different kinds of choc filling. It was simply scrumptious and I am still feeling full today! I can’t imagine eating something that rich and sweet all the time and yet that is often what we want the Lord to feed us. We may say feed us sweet things and nothing difficult that would require any sacrifice on our part. We love when He gives us promises to feed us the finest of wheat, to prosper us and make us rich. But what about the meat of doing His will? To obey Him when it demands sacrifice on our part?  We would rather hear all Grace and not think about disciplines or consequences of our decisions. We may also want more than we can really eat. Last night most of us could not eat a huge piece of cake because it was so rich, and like a giant piece of fudge. We also, must eat the portions the Lord gives to us as we can only handle so much at a time. May we receive whatever the Lord gives us for each day, with the knowledge that He knows what is best for us and how much to give us. Sometimes He may surprise us with a rich dessert that is awesome, but we also need meat etc for our spiritual growth.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Let us not presume that we KNOW!  We can go by the law of averages and think that we have a 99% chance something won’t happen, but we could be in that 1%. We don’t really know! Our pride thinks we do know and we may advise others as to what they should do too. As we went to Nevis one Sunday morning we came upon 6 deer along the side of the road. Al slowed down and one crossed the road in front of our car and the others started going to our right. But two of them decided to run along side our Highlander for quite some time, and then one of them crossed right in front of us. Now we would have thought that that all of them would scamper into the woods but if we assumed that, we may have hit one of them. We must always keep ourselves open and not locked in our minds, thinking we know something. Only He knows it all, even to the number of hairs on our head. Let us go to Him afresh and let His Spirit instruct us moment by moment.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

When I went downstairs a couple days ago, I noticed an aroma from the cupboard being particularly strong with an onion smell. I checked out the bag under the sink and sure enough in the bottom was a rotten onion. It had already started to blacken the onions on either side of it and I quickly got rid of all that was rotting. Sometimes we get a whiff of something that is just not quite right and we need to pay attention. Maybe something smells “fishy”!  As I look back on our lives, there were times we had a sense that something didn’t feel good, but didn’t know why.  When we kept sniffing around, we often found out why we had uneasiness in our spirit.  It led us to refrain from acting on what we had previously planned. But there were other times when we just chalked it up to being too cautious and later found out we should have listened to our spirit. Let us not underestimate the ways God speaks as it can not only affect us but the people around us. If I had left that rotten onion alone, it would have affected the whole bag.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I went for a late afternoon prayer walk yesterday and noticed how most of the leaves are now off the trees. It made it possible to see deep into the woods. No longer hidden were the many down trees, piles of brush, and one stump after another.  I thought of how just a short time ago the leaves blocked all this from view. I’m sure we all have had need to see through things that have been hidden before our eyes. We may have asked the Lord what is going on here and question as to what is happening.  Our need is for clarity and for discernment for things that are hard to see into. I read this morning from Rom 11:33 : “O the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.”  On our own we can only see dimly but “With the humble is wisdom.” ( Prov. 11:2 )  May we be humble enough to admit we can’t see on our own but seek the hidden wisdom of God and discern His ways.  He knows the depths of all things and gives wisdom and discernment.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

One day when I was going to Line Dancing and Bone Builders I went into my closet and put on my black exercise pants that my daughter-in-law gave me. I neglected to put on the closet light and after I got them on they did not fit right. I wondered if I had gained weight but I had already weighed myself and was just the same as usual. I worked around the house and they felt tight and uncomfortable and just before I was to go to class, I realized I had them on backwards. No wonder they didn’t fit right. I wonder if there are things we are doing in our lives that aren’t a good fit for us. Maybe we are told to go into a certain field of work, or maybe we have been influenced by someone we respect.  I remember when Al was confused about his future, a pastor we respect told him to go into selling books for a while. Even though we thought highly of him, Al did not feel that was a fit for him. There are times when something doesn’t feel good and doesn’t seem to fit, we need to wait on the Lord and discover what He has for us. For then it will be a perfect fit.

“Wait for the lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage: wait for the Lord!” Psalm 17:14

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Yesterday I went to a gathering of women and was blessed by the program as each one talked about “Getting out of the Boat”…times in our lives where we were like Peter and dared to step out. Each speaker from age 13 up to 65 plus was good and I was especially impressed by one who said she was new in leadership, not adventuresome, quite shy, and not a speaker. But as she spoke I was very touched as I began to see her heart. She shared about trials that God had taken her through ( including a daughter who was raped and a son who was suicidal) and even questions she has now of what the Lord is up to in her own life. I thought of the scripture from I Sam. 16:7 “For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.” Samuel chose David over all his 7 brothers as the Lord revealed that he was the one to be anointed as king.  I think most of the ladies yesterday looked past the outward and saw this woman’s heart. May we do that for one another! I want to be a heart-reader!   I think we all know what a wonderful feeling it is when a friend understands and reads our heart.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Yesterday there was a strong wind and the leaves were just blowing about and floating down on me when I went for my prayer walk. I was reminded of the hang gliders we saw in Utah just letting the wind take them high above. They looked so free floating around in the air. When they dropped closer to the ground the situation looked more precarious and I wondered where they would land and what kind of landing it would be. But if the two people were worried and focused only on their landing, they would have missed the joy of the moment.  I know I have to remind myself again and again to live in the present and enjoy life to the fullest, smell the roses, & take time for what is important.. Just as those in the hang gliders, let us enjoy the ride and let the Spirit take us where He wills. As I was in the process of writing this, an e-mail came from a friend with tips for a beautiful day to enjoy the RIDE! What perfect timing!  To name a few of the tips that was set to music and pictures: Take a 30 minute walk a day and smile.  Sit in silence for 10 minutes each day.  When you awake ask, “What is my purpose today?”, Realize life is a school and you are here to learn lessons. Make peace with your past so it won’t mess up your present. Forgive everyone everything. Live life with energy, enthusiasm, and empathy. Before bed, complete the sentence,” I am thankful for…” .  Believe the best is to come. These are only a few suggestions to make the most of our ride!!  Enjoy your ride today!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I love when our house is filled with aroma and today I made chili and had it simmering all morning. It just made my taste buds sing and want to sample. As it says in II Cor. 2:14&15, we are the aroma of Christ and He spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere through us. Isn’t that amazing? We don’t always know those that are drawn to the Lord because they sniff the fragrance we are carrying. But we do know how our hearts leap when we come into a room filled with tantalizing aromas. In my chili, I put all kinds of my garden veggies and let them simmer to add more flavor. I think people and experiences in our lives are used to bring out the aroma of Christ in a deeper way as we let them simmer over time and process them. I have had retreatants tell what I have put in my main dishes, just by the aroma, even before tasting. How wonderful when others are aware of Him in our lives and smell His sweet fragrance. Next time we enter a room full of wonderful aromas, let us ask Him to spread His fragrance through us.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

As I went for my prayer walk I was aware of how the leaves let the wind just blow them freely about until they land on the ground. Some try to hang on and make it though part of the winter but maybe they miss the joy of the free fall.  I wonder how many times we are like those tenacious leaves that hang on and want to be in control. But are we ever really in control?   When we hang on so tightly and don’t release our selves to Him, we miss the wonderful freedom God has for us.   In  II Cor. 3:17 it says,  “Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.”  But when we let the Spirit blow us where He wills, it takes trust on our part as we don’t know where He will take us.  Fresh in my mind is the freedom Kurt and Brenda are experiencing now. They left if up to the Lord if they should move and the Lord gave a clear answer to their prayers. They didn’t get blown all the way to Chicago but are landing near the roots of their present tree. May each of us release ourselves daily so the Spirit can move us as He wills.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Devotions from Judy’s heart

This afternoon Al and I began our preparation for winter, including cleaning out the chimney and wood stove, piling wood on the porch, etc. We know winter that is coming even though it was a warm sunny day today.

As I was taking my prayer walk I thought of how important it is to prepare for the Winter Time of our lives as we look forward to eternity.  Eugene Peterson said we should pray every day for a good death. How do we prepare? If you have suggestions, I will print and pass on to others who get these daily e-mails. It seems like at this time of our lives we tend to revert back more and more to our beginning years, as we become more dependant on others and accept their help. Being a “grateful receiver” helps!  We start thinking of what we will leave behind, just like putting away the deck chairs and summer things.  We begin putting aside those things that we want to leave behind for those we love.

We focus more on what is ahead of us and not on our aches and pains, knowing we will soon receive a new perfect healthy body. We may do some cleaning up ( as the chimney cleaning) and make amends with people who we have been hurt by or whom we have hurt. We may spend more time appreciating the little things in the present, as we are not sure how long we will have. The more I think about it, the more I believe we should live that way every day, even before the winter season comes upon us.