Category: Sister Judy (Page 69 of 270)

   I was reading today about Moses who was about ready to die and gave some encouraging words to Joshua who was to take his place and lead the Israelites into the Promised land. He said in Deut. 31:7-8 (Amplified), “Be strong, courageous, and firm, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to possess it. It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you. ( let there be no more cowardice or flinching, but) fear not, neither become broken (in spirit-depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm).”

  I find it reassuring to know that the Lord sees the whole situation and He goes before us and prepares the way, so that we don’t have to fear. Sometimes I give a knowing smile as it is obvious to me that God has been there ahead of time… like when I went somewhere to speak and I note He already had everything arranged perfectly.
  I am reminded of a song by a Jesuit priest in1975 who was a composer of liturgical music. A few of his words are:

  

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Happy Labor Day! Hope you take time to celebrate. We are home now after a fun time at the lake. We enjoyed a wiener roast with about 20 relatives one evening, went to our former church and dinner at Ann’s afterwards, and then headed home when the thermometer reached 100 degrees!
I am making egg dishes and cookies and then we are going for our walk on the trail early before it heats up again. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Happy Labor Day to you! Perhaps today each of us will give some thought to the work we do and also rest on this national Holiday from our work. This morning I read about what Mark Roberts of Fuller Seminary writes about work beginning with how God was the first worker in creating the heavens and the earth and all that is in it, including us…and it was all good! God worked 6 days but then on the seventh day He rested from His work. He left us a great rhythm for us to follow also.

Blessings on your long weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

God’s ways are so different from the worlds, and He often uses weak and humble people that have no extraordinary abilities nor are esteemed by the world. In fact, others may view the persons as unqualified and looks at them as being weak. But God views them far differently and sees what He can do through them since they are humble and open. I still remember a sermon back when I was a young adult given by a lay person who would not be viewed by the eyes of the world as important or eloquent. Yet he spoke deep truths with conviction and authority of the Lord. I knew that night that God will use who He wants to accomplish what He purposes.         

Recently we were at a friend’s home for coffee and were served fresh apple pie ala mode. I smiled as that very morning I thought how soon it will be the season for apples and I would be able to taste delicious apple desserts. But during our conversation, it became known that the apples for dessert came from the little apple tree in their yard. Now it is not a big tree at all and looks much like Charlie Brown’s tree with hardly any leaves. They had had it for 4 years and at one point Bruce was going to cut it down, but he saw some blossoms coming forth. He dug around the tree and put in some black dirt and continues to water it faithfully every day. But it is still so small, and it’s hard to believe that it produced the big apples for the pie. When first told, I thought he was kidding as it seemed impossible since it was even anchored by a small rope to hold it up.  On the way home my thoughts were reflecting on how God uses the weak and foolish to produce fruit and confound the wise. There is no mistake it is not them, but it is the Lord in them, that His power is demonstrated for all to see. Let none of us think that we are not valuable and able to be used by the Lord for His kingdom, but may we be like the little tree that produced big fruit.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a beautiful day! I am going to my exercise class this morning and then this afternoon we are having another birthday party. The friends we walk with are coming over as his birthday is close to mine. Tonight, we have a class at church on The Holy Sexuality Project.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I love to give gifts and have wrapped prizes to take with when we go to N.C.see our grandsons in September. I am delighted when I hit hot sales and can buy more to give. We usually have prizes for games that test our skills or help us share with one another and give cause for much laughter. But who doesn’t like to receive gifts…. some beautifully wrapped but also even those unwrapped that perfectly meet our need.

We can also give back to the Lord and show our love for Him in many ways like in our praying, in giving of our time, meeting needs of others, giving of our money, witnessing of our faith, etc. He said that as we give, we will also receive and that the measure we use to bless others will be measured back to us. Let us not be stingy but generous as the Lord has been with us.  We can never outgive the Lord!

Challenge for today: Give to an unsuspecting person today as the Holy Spirit directs you. 

 

Dear Ones, 

Hope you have a beautiful day in every way. The house is full of aroma as I made G.F. cookies on a stick and have a meatloaf in the oven now. I had a lovely birthday yesterday and also good news as my MRI was negative. PTL! Today we are going to friends for coffee and fellowship and tomorrow we are having another birthday celebration here as the friend we walk with has a birthday too. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Sometimes those small decisions we make turn out to be the doorway to bigger things. It is very important that we pray even about what we may call insignificant decisions as they may play out to be bigger than we can imagine. I was reminded of that just recently on my birthday. It was such a pleasant day that started even the night before when our door was plastered with a banner, gifts and birthday cards. The next day proved to be even bigger as there were cards on the door every time I opened it, and more gifts. It prompted me to thank the Lord that he brought us to this place, where we now reside. Almost 5 years ago we were making a decision to move off of the lake to find a place in Brainerd. We prayed and visited one place several times that we were ready to sign on, but waited and prayed and then looked here at Northern Lakes. There was a two year wait but felt if the Lord wanted us to get this place it would come up sooner… and It did. When we went by one day to ask where we were in the placement line, the manager said, one apartment just opened up and you can look at It now. We saw it and loved it and signed that day for it was like a gift from the Lord.

   But what if we would have made a decision to take the first place without praying, I don’t think we would experience the kind of life we have here. We are blessed to have Bible studies, opportunities to have fellowship, coffee times all throughout the day and evenings if we like, parties, and being around people that care for one another etc. 

  We don’t always know what is ahead in our journey, but we must just take the first step in obedience, and he will show us the next, one day at a time. We don’t know the future as He does, so we must seek His will. We can go to the Word and find promises to lay hold of. As the song goes by Amy Grant, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet/ And a light unto my path/..When I feel afraid/ and think I’ve lost my way/ Still, you’re right there beside me/ Nothing will I fear/ As long as you are near/ Please be with me to the end.”                                                                                    We don’t want to miss what God has for us by jumping ahead and we don’t have to know what is far ahead in the future but just to trust Him for today and doing His will. As it says in Psalm 119:105 (Message), “By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back from living by your righteous order. “ Let us walk in obedience and just walk one step at a time in His will.

Challenge for today: Let the Lord guide you in all your decisions and seek His will first. 

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy 

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying the weekend! I just made egg dishes and cookies and am cleaning the apartment as I am trying to get my work all done before the Vikings play! 

Devotions from Judy’s heart 

  One day I listened to an interview with Bishop Robert Barron and again I was touched by what he had to say. This time it was on death and why we should ponder our own death. I have written on death in the past but sometimes we need reminding that the time we live in this world is not all there is. In fact, for the Christian, we are told that what awaits us is far more glorious than anything we experience on this earth. In I Cor. 2:9, it says, “Eye hath not seen or ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” We cannot even imagine with our mind how glorious our next life will be, but God has given us His Spirit to reveal those things to us.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         When we live with the truth that we are going to die and leave this world, it should change the way we live today. At one monastery, the monks were to dig a scoop of dirt from their own grave each day as a reminder of the life to come. Wow! That certainly would help us approach our lives today with the future in mind. We should not be afraid of death but looking forward to what is ahead.                                          Bishop Barron shared about how so many TV shows and movies are full of sex and violent deaths. Some movie stars when interviewed about death believed it was all over when you breathe your last breath.  Arnold Schwarzenegger said that you just go into the ground and rot!

Many are so afraid of death and try to keep it at bay. Years ago, the one who was dying was surrounded by family and after death placed in a coffin in the main room where people came to be with the family and grieve together. Today many people die in a hospital room and often alone. During COVID that was sadly a common practice. We’ve tried to ignore thinking about death, but it will come to all of us one day.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Bishop Barron shared about frightening things that people view about death. One that when you die you are no more. But that is not true for we are just transfigured into a new version with a spiritual body, and we are still a person. Secondly, that all our achievements are gone and fade away. No, what we did in this life is transferred over to God and he rewards us for all that we did for others. Thirdly, that death robs us of love of our loved one. No, even when they die God’s divine love is more powerful than death and our love for them is not lost. Fourthly, death robs us of earthly pleasures and joys. But that is not true either for what is in glory far exceeds anything we have known on this earth. Like Paul said, we can’t even imagine what God has for us ahead.
Let us be careful how we live each day, making the most of our opportunities but also with heaven in mind and life forever with the One who is love.

Challenge for today: Tell the next generation of what the Lord has for those that love Him.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy