Category: Sister Judy (Page 74 of 290)

Dear Ones,

Hope your day is filled with sunshine and recall of many blessings you have received. This morning, I have women’s Bible study and this afternoon we are having friends over for a time of fellowship.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  How often do we focus on the negative in life and miss the beautiful things the Lord has for us in the present? Such an attitude can lead us to become self-absorbed and not pleasant company to be around. How can we keep from coming a complaining, griping person that misses the joys in life by our negative attitudes?

  I was reading an article by author Lisa Elliott in “Just Between Us magazine (My favorite), and I read of her how life was radically changed through a simple act of posting her own thankful list. She has seen firsthand what had helped a friend of hers by doing that every day for about a year. So, what can it hurt? She decided to publicly post five things she was thankful for that was honest and simple and centered on the Lord. It helped her begin her day on a positive note than previously, by watching for blessings instead of the negative. She based her new outlook on Psalm 92:1-2 “What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God! To announce your love each daybreak, sing your faithful presence all through the night.” When we proclaim His love in the morning and watch during the day for His faithfulness, it’s bound to make an effect on our lives. Most days she named simple things she was thankful for like sunshine, a meaningful chat with a friend, a chance to serve etc. Even those that were reading her daily list were encouraged and inspired to do the same. Not everyone has to put it online, but maybe write in your journal.                                                                  Lisa quickly found that cultivating a grateful heart resulted in her own life spilling over with joy. She started to focus on the Lord and learn from the example of His life and attitude. She began setting her mind on things of a heavenly viewpoint, what is true, pure, lovely etc. She discovered her selfishness was being replaced by a humble spirit. She also reflected back on how God had been faithful in her life, through all the crises she had experienced. She began her day now with thanksgiving and an attitude of gratitude, expecting that God would show up… and looking for Him to reveal Himself. She also challenges us to let others know what we are thankful for; maybe when we gather for coffee or Bible study, just begin with sharing the blessings you have received that day. Some of you reading this may even want to post it on social media.

  The article closes with encouraging us to gear our praise to the Lord Himself for He is the One who has blessed us in more ways than we can ever count. Let us praise the Lord from our inmost being!

Challenge for today: Make a gratitude list of 5 things you are thankful for every day for a week and share as you are prompted by the Spirit.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

When I checked my e-mail, I found that our neighbor next door had died. I had seen her before we went on our trip and we talked about the Lord’s healing power since she had cancer. Now she was with the Lord.  Right after a friend e-mailed that she had just lost her 67 year-old brother-in-law in the night and family would now be getting plane tickets to go to Florida to help make arrangements.  Not long after that we got news that Al’s former secretary and her husband were in an accident in Mexico and her husband broke his back and they were trying to get an ambulance to transport him to the States for surgery, so insurance would cover. I remembered the words of the song:

“All the way my Savior leads me, what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt his tender mercy, who through life has been my guide? Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in Him to dwell! For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well; for I know whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.

The song goes on to say that Jesus gives grace for every trial even when we are weary and may falter. He will give us perfect rest in Him and share with us the fulness of His love. Even when death comes and we are clothed in immortality, our song is still that Jesus leads us all the way. Whether in life or in death, we are not alone for the Lord is always with us and shows us His tender mercy and grace.

We don’t know what things may happen to us in any day, or if the Lord will take us home, but we need to be ready and to trust Him that He will lead us. Words from songs based on scripture can remind us of that and give comfort. Jesus last words to his disciples before He ascended were, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake to the sense of the Lord knocking on your heart’s door and desiring to be invited into all of your day. May your weekend be a time of spiritual refreshing as well.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  One morning I woke up with a song playing in my heart and it was one I haven’t thought of or sung for so long. The author is unknown, but it asks the question if we have room in our heart for the Lord. Jesus knocks and asks admission, but the question is, will we let Him in.

  Recently I got fresh beef from a farmer, and I had to make room for it in our small freezer/frig. I took out much of the baked goods etc. and made space for what was more essential and to be used for many meals in the future. I am overjoyed as I think of the possibilities of what I can make from the meat since I made room for it!  But the song asks a more important question that we need to ask ourselves, do we have room for Jesus in our hearts or is He crowded out by all the things of the world. Like the song goes we have room for pleasure and for business but no place for Him to enter in. He never forces His way in but waits for us to open up and invite Him in. It’s a time of grace to just realize He is knocking and tomorrow we may not hear Him if we are caught up in our worldly things. So, we need to give our attention to the Holy Spirit who will open our ears to hear the knocking. It could be He is calling us today to make more room so we may go deeper in intimacy with Him. As the chorus goes:

     “Room for Jesus, King of Glory!

       Hasten now His Word obey:

       Swing the heart’s door widely open,

       Bid Him enter while you may.”

 We know what it is like when we go to visit someone and they swing the door open and hug us and let us know they are glad to see us, it is a happy moment.

  I read today from Jer.29:13-14 (Message), “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.”  Let us open wide to the Lord and let Him into the deepest parts of our heart.

Challenge for today: Respond to the Lord when He speaks to you, and don’t harden your heart!

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake to a loved-filled day! Al will be going to Men’s group this morning, and I plan to make him egg dishes and replace the Valentine decorations for Easter ones. We have Bible study this afternoon.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I woke early one morning with the familiar song playing through my mind, “The Love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin.” And the chorus continues to express His love, “O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure-the saints’ and angels’ song.”

Challenge for today: Spend some time basking in His love and letting it penetrate your heart.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

While on our trip, I began reading a book of a young woman whose openness to God was so inspiring, and His love just poured out of her to all those around her. She had a hard beginning as she lost her mother when very young, and she died when only 24, but in that time, she touched so many lives. I would like to share a few of the things she had to say so that we may love the Lord in deeper ways and give Him all that we are. But just like Valentines are often secretly given, I will keep her identity a secret that we may apply what she has to say to our own lives today.

We don’t have to be rich and beautiful to be loved, because God loves us in our littleness and poverty. In fact, the poorer we are the more we may rely on God rather than ourselves. It is like when we approach God in our weaknesses, it is not a liability but an asset. We don’t have to feel bad that we are not better than we are because the littlest in God’s kingdom is the greatest. God knows our faults and we all have them, but we can cast them into the fire of His love, just like that of a trusting child, and they will be consumed for God is full or mercy and love.

We don’t have to be fearful of God, but rather open ourselves to His ways and transforming love. He loves us for our own sake and wants us to love Him also for His sake. He doesn’t hate us when we sin but rather hates the harm our sin does to us. We can never be good enough to earn salvation but our serving others is an expression of our love for the Lord. All love must be freely given or it isn’t love. We must be humble and childlike for Jesus said, “Whover humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 18:4)

Let us be single minded in our love for the Lord so that we express love to Him whether we are experiencing good things or hard things. Let us also be true to Him and not chase after other lovers, only Him. The young person I write about was so eager for heaven and humbly waiting to be with the Lord.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 “Under His wings I am safely abiding; Though the night deepens and tempests are wild, Still I can trust Him—I now He will keep me; He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

  Refrain: Under his wings, under His wings, Who from His love can sever? Under His wings my soul shall abide, Safely, abide forever.”

Challenge for today: The next time you go through sorrow and times of darkness, call out to the Lord and let Him hide you under His wings.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a good weekend. We have enjoyed being at Kurt’s and lots of hoopla with the Super Bowl game. What a win in the overtime and lots of celebration and fireworks going off in Kurt’s neighborhood. Today we are heading north towards home but and going to spend the night on the way and have a time of retreat. Appreciate prayers as we travel.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Death comes to all of us and until we learn to face death, we don’t really how to live. Lately we have so many funerals and it doesn’t let us forget the brevity of life. Death is something that none of us can avoid and it will happen one day to me and also to you. So how then should we live? Many try to deny death and even use other words to describe it, and such people may not choose to be with a loved one in their last days but desert them. When I was a nurse, I had to look at death in the face often, and sometimes it happened suddenly and other times, it was prolonged. Even that we don’t get to choose. If I had my way, I would like to go to bed some night and just wake in glory the next day. But none of us know exactly how it will happen.

  Challenge for today: Pray that you may have a good death and live each day as if it was your homecoming day!

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

  We can’t compartmentalize our lives into what we are at church and then what we are in the world. We are the same on the inside and often there is a battle going on as to choose to do right, even when we want to do wrong and hit the horn at our neighbor! But besides forgetting patience when we leave church, we may be neglectful in our prayer lives. While in church we may love the beautiful prayers, but when we get home, we worry rather than pray. We forget to go to God first and tell Him even the smallest details of our lives to the biggies. Maybe we also lose our joy when we leave the peaceful setting of the church for our trying circumstances at home, and we feel downcast. But as Nehemiah says in Neh.8:10 “The joy of the Lord is our strength!”  Our joy is not dependent on everything perfect and harmonious but in the Lord.

Well, when leaving church there is also forgetfulness in serving, for at church we may gladly join others as we work together but then forget to serve at home. Heavens forbid that we should have to take out the garbage!  We may also neglect to show love to our enemies or tell others about the Lord. Sometimes we can also lose our peace when leaving church for we get overly busy and don’t take time to rest and be restored; it’s just work, work, work! But lastly let us all not forget His grace to us, for we are not perfect, but His grace will cover us!

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Happy Weekend! I am sending my Friday’s devotion out early as we plan to leave at 4 a.m. for KS. We are excited to be going to our son Kurt’s and that we will be celebrating the Super Bowl with them. We are stopping on the way in Des Moines and am excited to have lunch with a dear friend.

Appreciate prayers for a safe trip.
Devotions from Judy’s heart

 Isn’t it wonderful when we experience unity of Spirit and everyone gets along? Harmony is beautiful thing and once we come to know the Lord, we are immediately made part of God’s family with many brothers and sisters. Of course, we are not all alike and vary as to how we see things but we have a common denominator which is the Lord. He is the One who unites us in spirit, and although we may be vastly different, we can still be one.