Category: Sister Judy (Page 36 of 267)

Happy weekend to you! Take some time to enjoy it and get refreshed. Today I am going to clean the apartment and make Blackberry cobbler with berries that were brought to our door last night by a friend who just finished picking them.  What a wonderful surprise!

Even though we may know may scripture verses by heart, it is important that it isn’t just informational but that we have a relationship with the One whose story it is. And of course, it is super important that we listen to what the story is saying to us. We may find ourselves in one of the characters, like Martha who is so busy serving and not giving attention to just being at Jesus feet. Or maybe we identify with Job whose friends misread him and tell him it is because of his sin that he has so many problems, making him feel worse rather than better.

We also don’t want to read scripture to see only what we will get out of it to improve our lives and be in control, but rather that we see how our story fits into God’s story. We ask how would He like to use me and how might I can fit into His larger story? This may draw us into community as well for we begin to see how important relationships are in the larger story of how God loves the world and wants all to be saved.

 Al and I use to meet with a group of half Lutheran’s and half Catholics for Lectio Devina, the scripture for Sunday was read 3 times. Each time we paused and spent time reflecting on what stood out to us, then what was God saying to us and followed with how we needed to change in some area of our life.

It’s important to know what God is saying to each of us in His Word. Commentaries and other means can help us know the details and meaning of things that may puzzle us and also give us what a word is in the Greek etc. Let us use all means to help us get the story right and to grow and find our place in God’s story.

Right now, as I am writing this, I am in need of His wisdom as to which way I need to go in a decision I have to make. I want to hear His voice and know what is His best and to obey but I am unsure of that is right now as there are 3 possibilities. Al will be making the decision with me, and we both want to seek His will and have the Lord teach us.  When decisions come, I try to put myself in neutral with a willingness to wait to know which way the Lord is directing. He is pleased when we obey and do what brings glory to Him. We don’t want to make things happen but believe God to make things happen His way. In the night I woke and thought maybe the Lord gave me the first step to take, and I will do that. The rest I don’t know at this point but want to have an open heart.

I’d like to share Robert’s prayer and perhaps it will be one to pray when you are unsure of how the Lord would lead you.

“Gracious God, thank you for teaching me what is best for me. Left to my own devices, I quickly mess up my life. But when I seek you, when I shape my life according to your Word, when I heed the quiet whisper of your Spirit, when I listen to your voice through my brothers and sisters, then I live in the best possible way. Thank you!

Help me, dear Lord, to pay even closer attention to your teaching. May your words echo in my mind and conscience. In every part of life, may I choose to do what honors you, knowing that living for your glory is the very best life there is. Amen.”

Words like these said in love will encourage men to open up and share their feelings and like Paul said in Eph 4:29 that we should speak what is helpful for building one another up according to their needs and that may benefit those who listen.

Let us not think that people in Bible times didn’t have the same problem as they waited. Can you imagine Sarah’s thoughts as she waited for a promised son when she was old enough to be a great-great grandmother. Or how Joseph must have felt remembering his dreams that showed others bowing down before him while he was still in prison. Jesus had to help His disciples to view life through kingdom eyes, not through their limited short-term vision that wanted to be rescued from the Roman rule.

While we wait our focus gets shifted from how we are going to solve things in our own strength to trusting His resources and timing.  As this happens and we wait on the Lord we have renewed strength as the eagles. (Isa. 40:31) As things get worse in the days to come we need to persevere and we wait for God to act. But even as we wait may we be assured that God sees and cares for us and will act in His timing.

That being said, works are like the natural outflow of our faith and helps give life to our faith. James said, “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (James 2:17)

Faith is more than agreeing and knowing Jesus as Savior, for it is opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit and Him living within us. He does good works through us, and the glory goes to the Lord. We are instruments through which God can do great things as we allow His power and love to flow through us. He created us for good works, and we do them not because we have to or feel obligated or because we are supposed to, but as an opportunity to live out our faith. As we listen to the Spirit, He will direct us into specific works.

I love football and hate to miss watching the Vikings play. We can learn a lot about the game of life from watching football. As I read Back to Square One, Christianson compared God’s kingdom to a group of people who come together under a coach who molds them into a team. Of course, there are rules for the game, and we never get beyond the fundamental rules; we likewise don’t have to debate what the Bible says for we go by what Jesus said. We don’t wing it but just like the team needs to learn the fundamentals for blocking, tackling and running etc. we need to learn discipline and obedience. We do whatever it is our Coach says!

We also have to be mindful of teamwork, ready to give up our personal preferences for the whole. That means doing things for others and recognize that our life depends on others doing their part as well, for we are interdependent on them. We cannot exist without the rest of the team doing their jobs and we need to let the coach mold us together. We all need radical obedience to do what our Coach says and most of all we need a close relationship with Him.