Category: Sister Judy (Page 44 of 278)

Dear Ones,

Hope you will have a peace-filled day. I plan to make an apple recipe and go to Exercise class and Craft Cuties and later to Bible Study. Having such gorgeous weather!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Fear is something perhaps we all struggle with in life, and it is something we have to learn to cope with it. Priest Ronald Rolheiser writes that we have ways to deal with sadness as in shedding tears, and deal with anger by shouting or doing something physical, but fear is different for there is no release valve for it. We have to wait and endure, and in the meantime, we can name our fear and pray that it would not dominate in our lives. When we acknowledge we have good fear, that is a sign of maturity and love; but we may also have to acknowledge we have bad fear, that is not good and blocks maturity.

   Rolheiser describes the healthy fear as a reverence and a loving awe, a love that doesn’t want to disappoint. We are to have that kind of fear for God, not that we are afraid of Him, but we can trust and reverence Him. It might be called holy fear that is inspired by love, and King David is a good example of that. In relation to others, we don’t want to disappoint them or betray them either.

Bad fear are those things that frighten us that do not come from God. We probably all have a list of those fears in the back of our mind and the enemy knows what things to put before us to rob us of our peace. He may bring up bad memories to cause more fear, but we are not to give heed to them but look to the Lord who is always open and waiting for us to come home to Him.

When fearful things come to my mind. I like to picture them as like a package I have wrapped and am handing to the Lord and asking Him to take it. The scripture comes to mind, “Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. (Matt. 11:28) To me the load of fear is very heavy, and I know the difference in my spirit when I give over to Him my fears. As the song goes that I love to sing when I am fearful, “Be not afraid I go before you always. Come follow Me and I will give you rest.” May we reverently fear the Lord but fling those bad fears into the Lord’s hands.

Challenge for today: When you have fearful situations, ask the Lord to go before you and clear the way.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope your day is full of expressions of His love. Ann is coming today, and I plan to make stroganoff and Almond bread.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

How are we being formed by Jesus in our everyday life. Would others know that we belong to Him and are in the process of becoming more like Him, or are we so much into the world that they aren’t able to discern the difference? I am reading John Mark, Comer’s book on Practicing the Way and I like how he frames apprenticeship to Jesus as He teaches us to do what He does. Very simple training: 1. I do; you watch. 2. I do you help.  3. You do; I help.   4. You do: I watch.

“Dear God, we need your wisdom and discernment as we face critical decisions in this election season. Guide us to make choices that honor you and reflect your will for our nation. Help us to discern truth from falsehood, integrity from deceit, and justice from injustice. Show us the moral character of the candidates for all the positions on our ballots during this election season. Help us set aside political positions and look directly at the level of holiness in the lives of each candidate. Help us understand who is truly walking with you faithfully and who is not. Reveal those who are motivated by service and living in love versus those who are motivated by power and living in sin.

Your Word promises in James 1:5, ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be give to you.’ We ask for your generous gift of wisdom God. Illuminate our paths and lead us in the way we should go when we vote. Help us to elect people who genuinely care about the well-being of all Americans, and who will govern with compassionate hearts as servant leaders. Grant us the courage to stand for what is right and the humility to admit when we are wrong. Let our actions be guided by your Spirit, and may your wisdom prevail in our nation.

We believe the words of Daniel 2:20-21,’Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.’ Thank you, our wise Father. Amen.”

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Happy weekend! May you enjoy the beautiful day before you. I plan to clean the apartment and shop and maybe bake. I am excited as two weeks from today we will be on our way to see friends and family in Iowa, N.C. and WI.  

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I think we would be surprised at how often our thoughts focus on ourselves and what is good for us. We are basically more selfish and self-centered than we would like to admit. But the Jesus way of loving Him first and putting others before self is really the way to a rich and wonderful fulfilling life. How do we get to the place where we can love more like Jesus and follow His example of loving and serving others?

 In the last chapter of the book of Hosea, he tells Israel to prepare their confession and pray to God and return to Him. They have wandered off again just as his wife had but he received her back. Israel makes confession and the Lord responds, starting in Hosea 14:4 by saying, “I will heal their waywardness. I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out. I will make a fresh start with Israel. He’ll burst into bloom like a crocus in the spring…from now on I am the One who answers and satisfies him. I am like a luxuriant fruit tree. Everything you need is to be found in me.” The Lord never gives up on us and shows us His unconditional love, just like Hosea did to Gomer, his wife. He also gives us a fresh start over and over again and gives us everything that we need out of His abundance.

Hosea concludes with saying, “If you want to live well, make sure you understand all of this. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll learn this inside and out. God’s paths get you where you want to go. Right-living people walk them easily’ wrong-living people are always tripping and stumbling.”  Let us not turn our backs on the Lord but respond to his voice that keeps calling us back to Him with a fresh start.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Trying to be someone we are not, leaves us feeling poor about ourselves. But when we accept ourselves for who God made us to be and thank Him for the unique gifts He has put into us, we will find joy and a sense of peace. Very often it won’t be the first job we have, because that is simply preparation for what is coming. We may have to go on to seminary or to nursing school or a trade school, but it is getting us set for being a pastor or nurse or an electrician. It is not about what makes the most money but what God has programed us for. We may also work many years in our profession and later the Lord may bring us into a new season so we must always be listening and be open to change. What we are now doing may actually be preparation for the next thing He has for us.

One thing we need to ask ourselves, is our life making a difference? Are we using our gifts for His kingdom and are we willing to pour ourselves out for others. Those that are only concerned about themselves go through life feeling empty and lonely. Whatever we do, we should do our best and live with purpose.

Let us pursue what God has for our life and do it with joy and passion.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake up to the joy of forgiveness!

This morning, I have plans to make egg dishes and a zucchini cake and go to my exercise class and this afternoon is Crafts and Bible study tonight.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

The Lord loves us so much that He not only convicts us of our sins and forgives us, but He delivers us and sets us free. I’m sure we have all thanked the Lord for those times He has forgiven us of something we are not proud of, but then we do again and sometimes again. The Lord is a holy God and He exposes our sins so that we might repent and live in forgiveness. Of course, we have to agree with God and repent so we can be made clean. For we have the promise in I John 1:9, ”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We probably all have secret sins that we have not openly confessed and even if others don’t see them, God does, and He will bring conviction so that we may seek His forgiveness.

I like what Pastor Larry Christianson writes about forgiveness and deliverance. He pictures forgiveness like a rocket that has been launched towards us from heaven, but deliverance happens when the rocket hits the earth. It is much like when the Apollo Mission was launched but it wasn’t completed until splashdown. With us when we have done wrong and the Lord convicts us, the rocket is launched; but we are delivered through faith when the rocket splashes down where God decides and when God decides. Sometimes we miss it as we are at a different landing site thinking we know how the Lord will do it. Of course, the enemy also tries to block that reception and does all he can to destroy our rocket. He doesn’t want us to experience forgiveness and victory over our secret sins. He may say to us, “Do you really think God can forgive you of that?! Why bother as you know you will repeat it again!” Or “One more time, what’s the difference, you can’t change!” But the truth is that Jesus is the life-changer, and we need to hang on in faith after we have made our confession and pray and believe until the rocket arrives; we will then find that our lives are changed by Him. Let us be open to whatever rocket landing He decides and experience deliverance and a changed life.

Challenge for today: When the Lord shows you a secret sin, repent and by faith wait for Him to do His work in you and bring lasting change.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Taylor who many of you have prayed for in the past, along with her husband, live in a Christian community where unity is so important and practiced. They live it out for the world to observe and in all the years this community has been in operation there hasn’t been one divorce. Does unity come easy, probably not, for we are all selfish by nature and need help to not get offended and to forgive others. We need to regard others better than ourselves. Unity is a gift and one we need to live out and takes lots of humility.

I read today from Jesus words to his disciples as they were on the mountain (Matt 6:14), “If you forgive people their trespasses (their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment), our heavenly Father will forgive you. “These are important words if we are to live in harmony with others and it means letting go of being offended and extending grace, just as we have received God’s grace when we offend. We have so few days on this earth and why live them full of resentment and attempts to get even when we can live in peacefulness of a life of forgiveness. No offense is worth hanging on to and as we let go and extend grace, we will live in unity with others and be a beacon light to the world out there that needs forgiveness.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a great weekend! We were blessed through the missionary couple that came from Brazil and shared about their work at our Sunday service. Their joy in serving the Lord was so evident. This morning I am going to Aldi’s and to Exercise class and bake Al’s favorite pie!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

As I had my time with the Lord recently, I was impressed of the importance that we keep moving forward with the Lord. Sometimes we get comfortable and are satisfied to plateau rather than pursuing Him every day and drawing closer to Him. The Lord always has more for us and He desires that we keep growing and experience his fullness.

I read a dream by a Pastor that I thought was insightful for today especially, and it makes me realize how important it is not to remain in neutral and just trudging along in our Christian lives but rather to move on and enter into all that the Lord has for us. In the dream Dawson was walking on a wide dirt road with thousands of believers, most of whom seemed bored and lacking joy. There was a bridge to the right that had a sign (Kingdome of God) and only a few people headed towards it when he did as the rest kept walking aimlessly. At the end of the bridge there was a gravel road that later became a grassy pathway but if people stopped, they started to sink. It was imperative to keep moving. Those that did noticed the grass became greener and more lush, and they ran with joy. There were fruit trees with beautiful fruit, but they still had to keep going if they were not to sink. Dawson’s interpretation was that God is looking for those who are seekers of Him and want to go on in their life with Him; too many believers are missing out and just settling for what the culture offers and are empty of joy. Let us remember there is no limit to God and His kingdom and as Dawson said, “The harder you run after God the easier and more joyful your life will be.”

  I believe that as things continue to get worse in our culture, more and more Christians are going to need to choose if they will settle or will they pursue the Lord. May we run after the things of God and not ever stop until He takes us home to glory. Like Paul’s prayer in Eph.3:19, may it also be true for us, “(That you may really come) to know (practically, through experience for yourselves) the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience) that you may be filled (through all your being) unto all the fullness of God (may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself)!

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to fill you with His power and resolve to never quite pursuing Him, but keep running.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

 Lately I have found my shoes don’t feel very comfortable and I often vacillate over which ones I should wear. The night of Bible Study I asked Al which shoes would go with my outfit, one being a fairly new pair and the other a very old pair that had lots of room for my hurting toes. Al said the old and so we were off to church. When he let me off right at the church door, I stepped out and my feet suddenly didn’t feel level on the pavement; I looked down in horror for my right shoe had broken down and the black insides were all over the cement. I had to take off the shoe and as I limped into the church, I noticed the left shoe was also “exploding” on the church carpet. A friend at the first table saw what was happening and helped release the strap on that shoe, so that both shoes could be deposited in the garbage. Another gal said, “I can’t believe it!” and she heartily laughed and laughed! Two people quickly got a broom and cleaned up my mess, inside and outside as I snuck to the far table barefooted. I sat through Bible Study with my bare feet and as soon as it was over I snuck out the side door and tiptoed shoeless to the car and later up the elevator and to our apartment!

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy