Category: Sister Judy (Page 75 of 270)

Dear Ones,

Hope your day is full of sunshine even though it is raining outside. I just finished doing some food prep as Ann is coming for lunch when I get home from my exercise class. We also have Bible Study tonight. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

It is so important to tend our souls each day and that means dealing with our sin. Every day it is a battle to die to self which is not reforming of our sinful patterns, but rather a death of those things that hinder our relationship to the Lord. The more we die to sin, the more we come alive to God through faith.                                                                                                                                                                                                             When we come to know the Lord, we are justified, which means we are made right with God and He looks on us as if we have never sinned. But then comes the sanctification process which is an ongoing process as we grow to be more like the Lord. That is a life long process and He gives us rules to live by that will help guide us, and show us when we go astray. The rules are not bad; they are really a guide and like a mirror to help us see where we go off on our own. In some ways it is like a protecting wall against doing evil and perverse things.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             As children we probably thought teachers that had few rules were the best ones, but when the room was full of chaos and was hard to hear and study, we may have wished for a stricter teacher. We are in a culture now that seems to think that rules don’t apply, or at least only to certain people and we see what results. It is no longer safe on the streets, and innocent people are suffering. We need laws because we have a sinful nature.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Each one of us is accountable to the Lord. It is against Him that we sin and do evil. He gives us rules to help us know how to live and show us when we go astray. But He also gives us Gospel to motivate and empower us to follow Him. We need both. When we throw off restraints and choose to live any way we choose, we can end up like the prodigal son… far from home and wondering if his father would hire him even as a servant. God is a loving Father but we are not to live according to our flesh nature that does not submit to God’s laws, but rather live according to the Spirit which is llfe and peace. (Romans 8:6-8)   May we choose not to neglect our souls but choose to deal with our sin and grow in grace.

Challenge for today: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas you have compromised and to walk instead by the Spirit.  

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy                                                                  

 

 

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a good weekend and got the needed rain. The sun is shining here now and I am doing food prep and going to my exercise class this morning. This afternoon we have an appointment and hope to walk the trail. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  I wonder if we realize the wonderful privilege that is ours that we have been chosen by the Lord to be channels of His love; that means we can share Him with others, bring encouragement and hope, and most of all pour out His love to them. It Matt. 10:8 we find Jesus words to his disciples as he sent them out two by two, to share the good news. He said, “Freely you have received, freely give.”                              We are only frail human vessels and yet He wants to pour His love, power, and strength into us to reach others with His love. Hopefully that is the desire of our hearts. We must guard against getting so involved in worldly affairs that we neglect what He has called us to do. We need to keep our priorities straight.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    We have received so much from the Lord and with hearts full of gratitude we share with others. That means being generous with our time, our talents, our means, and to share freely with those He brings into our lives. Because we are grateful, we desire to give to others!! When Samuel was getting old, he reminded the people of all that God had done for them and his words were, “Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.”                                                                                      Maybe that is a word for us today, to take time to recall his blessings and focus on His goodness that was freely given to us. As the hymn goes: “God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name/ I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name/ And is Jesus’ name I come to you/ to share His love as He told me to/ He said, ‘Freely, freely you have received;/ freely, freely give./ Go in my name/ and because you believe others will know that I live”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        We go, not in our own power but in His power, and with gratitude and love to share Him with others. Let us be conduits of His love!

Challenge for today: Write down a dozen blessings God has freely given you and share one of those blessings with someone He puts in your path.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Happy weekend! So glad for all the rain and we may get more today. I just cleaned the apartment and thankful to feel good today, although I may have to put up with a drippy nose for some time.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  It seems today that we have a culture that is obsessed with self and decisions are made by asking ourselves, “What is best for me?” Children in grade school are told they can be anything they want to be and when they get older the message is to follow their heart. But is that advice really true and does it agree with scripture? Probably not. It seems more is written in the Word about forgetting self and thinking of others and letting the Lord increase and we decrease!                           I read what Emily Rose Massey wrote about her experience of following her heart, rather than God. She made decisions based on her emotions and what the people around her thought and not necessarily what God had for her. It did not produce joy and she became depressed and never did become a famous actress like she had dreamed. One day she became aware of her selfishness and repented and discovered the importance of following what God had for her life. She was changed as she spent time with the Lord and in the Word and submitted to Him. Instead of becoming a movie star and going to Hollywood the Lord showed her His plan and led her to a godly man who became her husband.                                                                               When we live for ourselves and follow our own self-centered desires, we will miss out God’s perfect plan for our lives. Our heart can be deceitful and as wise King Solomon said in Proverbs 4: 23, “Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it.” God’s vision for our lives will supersede anything that we can imagine.  He has the power to fulfill our destiny and we can trust Him with all our heart, rather than leaning on what we think is best. If we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct us in His most perfect way. ( Proverbs 3:5-6). I read today that we should “Be so confident in God’s plan that you don’t even get upset anymore when things don’t go your way!” Let us follow God’s way rather than trying to control our own life or letting others control us.

Challenge for today: Open wide your heart to the Lord and seek what He has planned for your life!

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones, 
Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Our apartment is filled with aroma as I have a big pot of lentil soup on the stove. I have a sinus head cold and the taste of stew perked my taste buds. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart 

 Al and I received a poem from a friend who is choosing joy rather than focusing on his loss, as his wife is fading away from Alzheimer’s. He is choosing joy by turning everything over to the Lord instead of being a victim, that he may be a victor. He shared Psalm 16:11, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Joy is not the result of wonderful external circumstances but rather joy is found in the person of Jesus. When we give Him control of our lives, we experience deep joy and the Spirit sets us free, almost as if we were flying.                                                                                                                                           In the poem our friend asks the question to a caterpillar if he would like to fly. But he responds by saying he couldn’t imagine why he would want to do that since he was content to be just crawling on the ground. He then asks the butterfly if he wanted to be a caterpillar again and he responded that when the spirit touched him he was no longer bound but free to fly and filled with joy. No, he would not want to be earth bound again.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          As I read the poem, I thought of how the Lord has so much for us to experience of Him and that often we settle for far less. Just like the caterpillar, we are content to stay put and not be growing and entering into all the new things the Lord has for us. In fact, sometimes life gets boring and we lack enthusiasm. It’s much like a plane circling overhead and not going anywhere. But like the butterfly, we can experience growth and fly here and there and know no bounds. We are set free for we have turned everything over to the Lord and our joy is not dependent on our present circumstances. Our friend quotes Hab. 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.“                                                                                                                                                           Let us choose joy by giving Him our whole life for then we can praise Him no matter what!

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you live joy in the moment that He has given you right now.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you can stay cool today as it is supposed to be 91 degrees here.  Yesterday we enjoyed time in Duluth and it was windy and cool. Nearly everyone was in jackets and sweatshirts, but when we got home it was 90 degrees! Today I plan to go to Aldi’s, exercise class and Bible Study and I doubt very much if we will walk outside! 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

What is the pastor’s role in our world today? There are many expectations from people in the congregation who may each view the pastor differently. Even pastors are not sure who they are supposed to be, and many burn out and are criticized for not being everything to everyone! He is not primarily an expert at counseling, a CEO or a psychologist, but he is one who cares for the souls of his flock. God uses all kinds of pastors with different personalities and gifts and their chief role is to shepherd God’s sheep. Pretty simple when it all gets boiled down to just preaching the word and caring for the flock. They teach, preach, baptize, commune, and point others to the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit.                                                                                                      But they can’t do everything and are often blamed for youth that have gone astray, saying it is the fault of the church. But the church is only to be a supplement of what the parents are teaching and modeling at home. It is in the family that respect should be taught, obedience, faith, prayer, worship etc. Author, Victoria Riollano, writes about how many of the youth are leaving the church today and often because they don’t see their parents modeling the faith. Many parents show behavior that is quite different at home than what it is seen at church. They may neglect sharing about what it means to have a relationship with the Lord, and instead emphasize many rules.  Parents may talk negatively about the church and complain, and children may wonder then why go to that church.  Home should be a place where God’s love and care is reflected, a place to talk over tough issues and to encourage one another. The pastor may have our child for only one or two hours a week to teach confirmation or for them to listen to his sermon. We have all the other time and need to capitalize on the important things at home and to discuss what is happening in our culture, to pray over them and to point the way.                                                                                                                   Let us not expect our pastors to do what is primarily our job but to pray for them and their families and encourage them.

Challenge for today: Show appreciation for your pastor and encourage him.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Devotions from Judy’s heart

It’s the little things that count! Isn’t it true that often it is the casual comment that someone gives us that can make the difference in our lives and to give us hope. Maybe we are going through a dark time of testing and a word spoken to us at the time or a deed of kindness is used to help us see light at the end of the tunnel.                                                                                                                                                                                                         One of our friends here at Northern Lakes is a kind welcoming person who is always ready to help others. But recently she went through a difficult time with several health concerns and just feeling terrible. Every day she had a severe headache etc. and she went to the Doctor who tried to find the cause of her symptoms. The Doctor sent her to several specialists and it took some time but after taking her off insulin, adjusting medications etc. she looks and feels fine now. At her last appointment she told her doctor how much she appreciated her for giving back her life and how wonderful she felt now. The Doctor never gave up but persisted in helping her and our friend was so grateful. The Dr. went out of the room and when she came back, she told our friend, “You will never know how much your comment meant to me. You made my day!”   Of course, we don’t know what was going on in the life of her doctor, but that day she needed to hear that she was making a difference.                                                                                                                                                                                               Not long after when I went to my audiologist, who spent about 50 minutes going over my case. I am aware that doctors usually spend only 15 minutes or so between patients, so I also shared with her how grateful I was for her thoroughness and caring. Sometimes we don’t know if our words make a difference, but we are to speak as we are led.                                                                                                                               The Holy Spirit wants to fill us and use us to show God’s love and kindness to others. Jesus gave us a command to love others as we do ourselves (Mark12:31), so we not only receive His love, but we also pour it out to others. He desires us to live intentionally and be open to ways of blessing others by our words and actions. It could be only a smile to a distressed person or sharing what we have with someone in need. But when we feel prompted by the Holy Spirit, let us obey.  

Challenge for today: Be alert to how God wants to use you today and follow through.    

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy                                          

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and if you are a father, that you had a blessed Father’s Day. Our sons all called yesterday and tomorrow Al and I are going to Duluth for the day to celebrate both Father’s Day and our Anniversary. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  For Father’s Day I wrote a devotional to fathers as we all had a father; one that may have been very good or could be one that failed. I read an article on Crosswalk.com by Lynette Kittle who wrote to fathers who know they missed the mark. Sadly, we are getting to be a fatherless culture as there are an estimated 24.7 million children under 18 that have no father in the home. It seems like the role of father is being devalued and men are not stepping up to the plate. They may feel that they don’t make a difference in the life of their child or maybe mom has chosen to be a single parent and shut out dad. Some fathers abused their kids, ignored them or abandoned them altogether. Many did not show affection or give affirmation and are ashamed. Even if they have regrets, they may not know how to restore the relationship.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        One day the children will need to forgive them. Kittle gives a prayer for them to pray to help them forgive their dads. Part of the prayer is: “Dear Father, Help me, Father, to forgive my father for his failures and shortcomings and how he hurt and disappointed me. I also ask you to help him to receive forgiveness for his falling short in my life. Soften his heart, Lord, to turn towards You and receive forgiveness. Let us both walk in the forgiveness You give to us. Help me forgive him for his failures in my life and help my father to find forgiveness for how he failed me. Pour out your love over us, O Lord, to bring healing and reconciliation into our relationship. Help me to recover from the wounds of the past and to be willing to open my heart to forgive my dad for the past. Strengthen both of us to move forward to restore our broken relationship. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”  If you are reading this and your father failed you, it is important that you forgive. May you also know that you have a Heavenly Father that is for you, will never abandon you and loves you most of all. David said in Psalm 68:5 that “God is a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows.”

Challenge for today: Forgive your father for any failures and then thank the Lord that He is your perfect Father and cares for you.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you have an enjoyable weekend. I have cookie dough already mixed and ready to bake Al his favorite cookies. We have a funeral later this morning and tomorrow will celebrate Father’s Day.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Happy Father’s Day to all the father’s reading this. Your role in life is so vital and more important than you can possibly realize. Of course, you are not perfect, for only our Heavenly Father is, but through you, we get a glimpse of what He is like. You are the first model of godly fatherly love that teaches us as children the many important things in life like loving unconditionally, forgiveness, patience, kindness, fairness, integrity etc.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         As children we notice what place God has in your life and the family, and that God should come first and foremost. We are hopeful that we will learn that getting things is not as important as what we give from our hearts and that money does not buy happiness.                               It is our desire to know in our hearts that we are loved even if we are not the prettiest, even if we do not stand out as the best football player, or the smartest whiz at math, but rather that we are doing our best. We especially need to know you are in our corner if we fail or someone hurts us. You will stand with us and help us get up again and grow in strength.                                                                                                                   But we want to tell you how often we know you put aside what you want to do for the sake of our family. You show how going to our game is more important than your golf, or going to see us in the class play gets priority over going fishing. Even when you correct us, it is not that you don’t love us but that you are helping form our character to become the person God wants us to be.  We may complain about chores but later in life we will thank you that we learned what is necessary to live on our own.                                                                                     By your example, we see that serving God is the outflow of a life centered in the Lord. We note that you take time to be with Him, and when we see you praying at your desk, it makes us feel safe and protected and loved. When we are tempted to go astray, we know you will pray and help us find our way back.    So dad, on this Father’s Day we applaud you, we honor you as our first teacher in life who taught us what it means to be loved and cherished and known by the Lord.  We thank you for protecting us and guiding us and teaching us the most important things in life.

Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for the father he gave you and all that you learned from him to prepare you for life. 

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy