Category: Sister Judy (Page 222 of 271)

Devotions from Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

Our view of death and dying affects the quality of our present lives. Death is not the final word for it was defeated by the resurrection of Jesus. As His children we shall never die, in the sense that our spirit lives forever.  Our bodies may decompose but the spiritual dimension of our life continues their existence with Him.  One day we will receive new spiritual bodies, although our unique personality will continue to exist. We will be recognizable, expressing our individuality and able to communicate to one another. Even though we may suffer in this life, all the broken pieces will be mended then. The author pictures heaven as ” rich possibilities of energetic action, participative worship,, challenging responsibilities, and unimaginable creativity.”  We will have plenty to do!!!  Let us develop self-giving love, sacrificial servanthood, faithfulness etc so he can take these spiritual qualities and employ them in His kingdom.  Can we picture what it will be like to see Him for the first time, to delight in being with other loved ones and fellow pilgrims, to experience wholeness, and to be creative in working in His vast universe?  In our every day lives, let us live from the perspective of the everlasting kingdom.

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

Our words are important and in Prov. 18:21 says “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” When used carefully words can be used to reveal ourselves, to build community, and to bring healing. When used carelessly, they can create confusion, hurt others, and create conflict and chaos.  Jesus places value on the words we speak and said we will have to give account for every careless word we say.( Matt. 12:36-37)  Words reveal the true condition of our hearts for out of the abundance of our hearts the mouth speaks. Our words manifest our attitudes, thoughts, feelings, inner wounds, choices etc that make up our souls. Our words impart spiritual power for either good or evil . When words are spoken unfairly and carelessly they can wound others, destroy confidence, tarnish reputations.  When they are spoken at the right time, they can bring life and light and make a significant difference in the lives of others. We can extend blessings to others by speaking good into their lives. It can be as simple as saying, “You are a special person!” or “May your life be filled with the light of Christ.” We can also share words or images drawn from the Bible. But whatever our situation is, we need to keep our antennae open to the Spirit and speak what He gives us to say. .

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

All that we possess belongs to God….our house, our car our savings etc. It is good to reflect on the personal management of all that we own. Do we think that what is mine is mine and I have the right to use it as I please, or do we see ourselves managing our material goods as a steward of God? “Managing responsibly our material goods for kingdom purposes requires rigorous self-honesty, prayerful planning, and the mighty power of God’s Spirit.” It isn’t easy to keep things without clinging to them, to own things without treasuring them, to possess things without being possessed by them. Before we realize it, we can end up serving mammon rather than trusting God. Dallas Willard said, “Get all you can; save all you can; freely use all you can within a properly disciplined spiritual life; and control all you can for the good of humankind and God’s glory. Giving all you can would then naturally be a part of an overall wise stewardship.”

Let us not be seduced by wealth but manage our resources well for the greater purposes of God. That may mean asking the Holy Spirit to free us from greed and stinginess and sign our assets over to Him.

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

Jesus stresses the spiritual dangers of having material goods, but he also emphasizes how they can be used for good. He pointed out how the poor widow’s sacrificial offering expressed genuine devotion. Also, how the rich tax collector gave away half of his possessions to show that the rich can enter the kingdom of God. If we give generously, it strengthens our relationship with God and brings us greater wholeness. Jesus taught us,  “give and it shall be given to you.” Luke 6:38  Do we find it easy to give with generous hearts? Generous giving symbolizes the depths of our love for Him. It is almost impossible to give sacrificially without giving of ourselves at the same time. Our material resources represent personal time, talent and toil. As we give to others we impart something of who we are.  When we hang on to what we possess, we become possessed by our possessions. Behind money and material things there is a powerful spiritual force. “We dethrone money when, in a spirit of loving abandonment and confident trust, we give it away.”  We all have many opportunities to bless the lives of others by sharing our resources and it builds eternal interest! Let us start with a tithe as the bottom line in our giving and experience the joy of generous giving, which expresses our love.

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book. Discovering our Spiritual Identity

Jesus talks a lot about money and possessions and what it means to put His kingdom first, to give generously, and to manage our resources responsibly. He talks about this more than any other topic, except for the kingdom of God. Our attitude and feelings towards money and possessions are shaped significantly by our childhood experiences and by the society we grew up in. Some live in fear of scarcity and so are not able to live in joyful trust and generosity. Either we put God first, or we allow money to capture our hearts and become our god. Instead of controlling our possessions, our possessions control us. Why do we tend to believe the lie that our well-being lies in what we possess? “ Worshipping material goods in the end leaves us feeling disillusioned, cheated, and spiritually bankrupt.  Even the poor can become consumed by the love of money, just like the wealthy. True security and freedom comes from centering our lives on Him and making the kingdom of God our focus. More tomorrow

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

A natural outflow of our life of faith is sharing the Lord with others. As we do this He becomes more real to us and deepens our dependence on the Spirit. Jesus tells us to let our lights shine before others.  (Matt. 5:16)  We can be his witnesses by: fasting from many words, discerning the right time, and sharing our faith with others.  There is a tendency to use many words to convince people of the gospel. But how much better to be quiet and give the other person our interest and attention. They will feel respected and valued and may ask us questions….what is different about us? etc. “We must let our lives speak, before our words can be heard!” Timing is also important and we need to watch for openings that the Spirit creates. If we rush in before the person is ready our words may be resented. When we do get the chance to speak to others we should use wise words and show respect. In I Peter 3:16 it says we should share the hope within us with gentleness and reverence. We should leave others the freedom to choose and trust the Holy Spirit to attract them to Christ. We don’t need to overwhelm them with our entire testimony. We all have a unique story of faith and even if ours seems ordinary and un-dramatic, the Spirit can use it for the glory of God.

Devotions from Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

Self-giving love is not only forgiving others who have hurt us but may mean being with others who are crushed by evil. On the cross Jesus joined himself in love with every victim of torture, rape and abuse, every homeless person, every person grieving the loss of a loved one etc. This kind of love means being present with others in their brokenness.  It means listening to the person before thinking of what we can do for them. Being with a suffering friend can be our greatest gift. God may use us to help them overcome despair and give hope for we bring His presence.

Sometimes we may need to take action against the evil and confront oppressive structures whenever we can. We may be led to include and share with others who have been neglected and forgotten. Judy Bassingthwaite is such a person demonstrating this kind of love as she ministers on the streets of Johannesburg amongst the homeless. She coordinates a feeding schedule, counsels those that are downtrodden, learns the names of those she serves, speaks on behalf of those who seem to have no voice. One thing we can all do is to pray and intercede for the spiritual battle can’t be won by just programs and our human efforts. Every time we intercede for others we increase the openings through which God’s power can freely flow. Let us practice holding others in the healing presence of Christ!

Devotions from Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering Our Spiritual Identity

How do we demonstrate this self-giving love as Christ followers?  One way is to forgive those who have done evil against us. Jesus died forgiving those who had crucified Him. We are asked to forgive those that are hard-to-forgive too. We may begin by expressing our hurt and pain but then we must go on to see ourselves as capable of hurting others too. As we accept ourselves as fallible and sinful, we become less judgmental. We become more aware of how we also need God’s mercy. The crucial step in forgiveness is to inwardly release those that have offended us from the evil they have done. This means letting go of the right to retaliate. “Forgiveness overcomes evil. It brings liberation from resentment, release from bondage of the past hurts, deliverance from bitterness, and the freedom to live fully in the present moment.”

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

As God’s children we are in an intense spiritual battle and we must recognize the dark forces that oppose us while knowing that in Christ they are already defeated. C.S. Lewis said there are two errors that we must guard against. One is to disbelieve in the devils’ existence and the other is to believe and feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. Jesus engaged the powers of evil head-on. In His death, Jesus absorbed all the evil into himself with the vulnerability of self-giving love. That love cannot be stopped by all the powers of evil for His resurrection proclaims victory over all evil.  As we deal with the evil in our own lives we need to celebrate the Easter message that evil will not ultimately triumph!
We must first face and acknowledge our evil tendencies and see ourselves as we really are. Confessing our selfishness and self-centeredness can be painful but it will put us in the inner position to receive help from the  Lord. We can turn to Him and ask for His empowering presence.  We need help from beyond ourselves. Sometimes when the struggle is great we may need a soul-friend to share the battle. “Allowing faithful friends to know how we are tempted not only decreases our spiritual aloneness, it opens our lives to vital life-giving resources of the Spirit.”

Devotions based on Trevor Hudson’s book, Discovering our Spiritual Identity

When we pray we need to be honest before God, and not just say what we think God wants to hear. We must come warts and all and not say who we should be or who we could be.  We are to ask for what we really need for this puts us in touch with who we really are and moves us beyond pretense. Then we will find that God encounters us at our deepest need. It is so good when we can acknowledge our feelings, even our angry feelings. If we ignore them a split will appear in our praying and living: a split between our conscious relationship with God and what we are experiencing in our emotional world. “Owning and expressing our feelings to the God who came in the flesh helps us to live fully and maturely.”

When we neglect to do this, it has a draining and depressing effect on us.  Let us be real before God and others and we will find greater intimacy with Him and growth in our self- knowledge.

The author also suggests praying the Psalms as it trains us how to speak to God and to confess our secrets. The Lord’s Prayer also gives us a framework for communicating with Him and draws us into intimacy.