Category: Sister Judy (Page 83 of 270)

Dear Ones,

  Hope you had a great weekend. We enjoyed our time with our dear friend who was here on retreat. This morning I have been doing food prep and soon going to my exercise class. I need to work out after all we ate over the weekend!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Haven’t we often told the Lord at certain times that we need to hear His voice clearly? Like we really want to know if we are to take a particular position and make a move, or to know if this is the one we are to spend our life with etc.? We may pray and tell the Lord to open the door wide if we are to go through or close it tight so we know for certain that this is not His will for us. But there are times when it seems gray when it is not clear to us and so we wait.

   I read what author, Peyton Garland, had to say about the signs God may use to close doors for our own well-being and to protect us from those things that would hurt us. Rather than trying to break down the door, we need to get in touch with reasons He may have for closing it. First of all, we would know He has shut the door because we are praying for something that violates scripture. He would not tell us to do something against His will and principles. One gal in a prayer group I was in, announced to us one day that God told her to divorce her husband, although no grounds for the divorce. Perhaps she was tired of him or had another guy in mind, but not what God was saying. 

   Peyton says another way to know if the door is shut if all those who we respect like our pastor, mentor or a trusted spiritual friend, give us the same wisdom that we need to let go of our pursuit. God may be telling us through them that this door is closed and we need to move on. If all of them agree and discern this is a no, then we need to listen.

   Another factor could be a gnawing feeling we have. Things may look good and it would be easy to just act on it, but something holds us back. Sometimes I get an intuitive sense that I shouldn’t do something, although I don’t know why. Then later I find that God had something far better for me and I am glad I didn’t go through the previous door. Let us not ignore those gut feelings we have or we may miss God’s best.

   Sometimes we know the door is closed as we lack sleep. Our bodies are tired but our spirit is awake as God is trying to get through to us, bringing conviction. It could be we need to repent and surrender our will for His will and come to know His best. When I look back on my life, I can see how the Lord saved me out of situations that would not have been good for me.

  Lastly, when doors are shut, we need to recall God’s loving nature and character. In our hearts we know that He has more for us and He will open another door of opportunity that is His best. Like the words of the song go, “Have thine own way Lord/ Have thine own way/ Thou art the potter/ I am the clay/ Mold me and make me/ after Thy will/ While I am waiting/ yielded and still.”

Challenge for today: Sing or say the words of the song and tell the Lord you want His best in your life

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are having a restful weekend. The sun is shining and looks to be a beautiful day. We have a retreatant here and spent time together sharing last night and this morning he will have some time alone with the Lord. I just delivered breakfast outside his door. We want to leave the day up to however the Holy Spirit leads. 

Devotions from Judy’s  heart

  Whose perspective do we choose in our lives…our own limited perspective or looking from God’s point of view? If we are honest, too often we live life from our small range of vision and fail to view it from His limitless perspective. Wow! Do we ever miss out!

  As I write this devotion, I find it necessary to put on my reading glasses or I would waste time doing a lot of squinting and putting my face close up to my computer screen. Much easier to just put on my glasses and see how clear everything becomes and do my work in half the time. Likewise, when we are bent over in worry, we need to reach for our spiritual glasses that give us the right perspective on things, God’s s perspective. 

   When we go through difficult times and wonder if things will always be this same way, we get stressed and lack hope as are bowed over in worry. But that is because we are looking from our own limited view and not from God’s all expansive panoramic one. The Lord sees and He knows exactly what is happening behind the scenes and may have designed this time in our lives as a character-building experience. As Paul said in Romans 5: 3b-4 (God’s Word); “We know that suffering produces endurance, endurance creates character and character creates confidence.”  The Lord may be using our present circumstance to exercise our faith muscles for He knows it will help in the days ahead.

   Our perspective can also be changed when we rehearse past victories in our lives and remember how the Lord took us through similar trials. I just read today how after the Children of Israel crossed the Jordon River God told them to take 12 stones from the river and erect them on the land where they would spend the night. God told them to do this so they would never forget the miracles He performed for them. We need to recount God’s miracles in our lives as well, so we will have peace in our present trials, knowing God will come through for us.

  Because we are so limited and tend to see things from our small perspective, we need to put on our glasses of faith and trust and wear them all the time!

Challenge for today: When getting anxious and worried, stop and put on your spiritual glasses and go in peace.

Blessing on your weekend and prayers and love,, Judy

Dear Ones,

Happy Weekend! Take time to enjoy it! Today is Birthday Party day here and we go to pick up the cake at Costco when it opens. We have a retreatant coming today for the weekend and we look forward to time with him. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   We are told many times in scripture to seek the Lord and to do it continually. Today I read the song that was sung before the ark found in I Chron. 16:11 (ESV), “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles and the judgments He uttered.” We are to search for the Lord daily and remember the amazing things He has done and is doing. He loves when we keep our spiritual eyes open for Him and our antennas up to be alert for signs of His presence.

   We can probably remember times when we are out and about and someone loudly calls our name and says, “Oh _____, so wonderful to see you!”  We are recognized and shown love and appreciation and it gives us joy. I suspect the Lord is pleased when we recognize Him in our day and see His hand at work in our life and circumstances. It must give Him joy also. But it could mean that we have to turn away from things that distract us from knowing Him more intimately. We can get too busy doing things that fill our time and occupy us but have no lasting value.

   During this Lenten season, it is especially good to set apart some time to be still and listen to Him. In solitude, we may hear Him speak to our hearts things that we are deaf to when we are overcome with busyness. He continues to speak to us but are we silent enough and eager to listen to Him. Our Spirit is strengthened in such times alone with the Lord.

   When we read scripture, it should be with the intention of drawing closer to the Lord and hearing Him speak, not just to accumulate knowledge. It is like a deep friendship rather than just a simple acquaintance with Him. I have saved all of Al’s love letters and I remember how I anticipated mail time when we were separated. May we have an open spirit and an anticipation for what the Lord has for us each day! He has so much to give us and as it says in I Peter 5:7b,” For He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”

  Challenge for today: Be awake to the presence of God in your life and take some time to quietly listen to His words of love.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  It’s one thing to know a lot of about the Lord and to quote scriptures off the top of our hat, but it’s quite another thing to know Him and to trust the Lord and to have faith in Him. We may go to many Bible studies and gain a lot of knowledge and agree that it is truth, but that isn’t the same as knowing the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

   The Pharisees knew the scriptures well and practiced all the finer points of the laws, but so many missed believing and having faith in Jesus. We can also say we believe and yet we don’t put our trust in the Lord in our daily lives: we live as if we were orphans on our own who have to fend for ourselves. 

  Sometimes we may need to remind ourselves that we are not in charge but our life is in God’s hands, who is worthy of our trust. The Lord is faithful, He is for us, and He is trustworthy! We can rest in Him and know that He loves us and will never ever fail us. 

    I find it helpful to have reminders of His presence so that I will focus on His faithfulness and strength and not my own. I wear a gold ring that was a gift to me, and has the image of Jesus with arms stretched out on the cross. I don’t take it off and it is a reminder to me that I can go to the Lord with everything for He paid the price for me. It is also good to have our homes reflect our faith as we can have pictures on our walls or sayings that cause us to pause and think of the Lord. We might ask ourselves if a stranger came to our home, would they have a clue that we are a Christian family and that Jesus is Lord over our home and family?

  There are so many things in our culture today that vie for our attention. Let us not forget the Lord for as He says in Isaiah 49:16, “I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” He does not forget us! Let us come to Him in faith and trust Him with all of our hearts.

Challenge for today: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of your life that you are not trusting the Lord and to give you faith to believe.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a wonderful day! We got more snow and our son Kurt from KS is on his way to the cabin and stopping in here this afternoon. He will have to dig his way down to the cabin!  This morning I am very busy in the kitchen making things for company coming. I am going to Aldi’s and Exercise class this morning and tonight  is soup supper and Al sharing at the Lenten service. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart

   God’s good gifts come to us in many kinds of wrappings. We never know just when He will surprise us but whenever His gifts reach us, we need to acknowledge that He is the generous giver and we are the grateful receiver. I like that He varies how He showers blessings as we don’t know when or how He will meet a specific need; but I’m quite sure He is hopeful we will recognize that it is from Him.

   Maybe we have all have shared with the Lord of a need we have and then He prompts someone to be the answer. They send us a gift that is the exact amount of what we needed to pay a bill or they volunteer to do something we are not able to do etc., and we absolutely know it is Him. Other times it is more hidden and we may not find out for some time that He orchestrated it.

  I had such an experience this week as I have looked for a white dresser for over 4 years to go in our bedroom. Some dressers I looked at were too wide or tall or too expensive but I have kept my eye out. We have Salvage Sisters store just inside the mini mall where I go exercise. It is the first store so I pass it twice a week. Unless an employee opens it a few minutes early, I rarely get to shop there as it isn’t open yet. But the times I have checked and a white dresser comes in, it is sold before I can get Al there to look at it with me. But this week the gal opened the door early just as I was buzzing to my class, and I asked her my usual question, “Do you have a white dresser yet?” She surprisingly said yes, they had one that had just came in; and this time it was the perfect size, fancier than I had anticipated and matches my white desk. I loved it! I hoped no one would buy it before Al came with me to look it over. We both knew, this is it! The one! We had it home in no time and our old one that is dark wood will go to our grandsons. I thanked the Lord for if the gal had not opened the store early and I had seen her at the time, I don’t think it would be in our bedroom now. This is just a small thing compared to life changing needs we may have, but big or small gifts are from Him and no matter how they are wrapped they deserve a big thank you to the Lord. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.”

Challenge for today: Give a need that you have to the Lord and watch and wait for His provision and give thanks.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake to a day of sunshine and peace. Today we are invited to friends for coffee and fellowship!  Your question this week is: What repeat lesson has the Lord taught you and did you learn from it? 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

    Sometimes the Lord just gives us a repeat lesson to be sure that we get what He is trying to teach us the first time; or perhaps it is to take us to a deeper level of understanding that He wants us to get. There may even be times He speaks a similar thing for the 3^rd time and we know, pay attention!

   Recently I read in my personal devotions about David and a battle with the Amalekites, next we discussed it at Bible Study and then I read on Crosswalk.com what Pastor Chris Reed had to say about David in moving from Tragedy to Triumph. David and his men had just spent 3 days of fighting an enemy and when they returned home to Ziklag, they found their city burned and their families and possessions gone. David and his army wept in their grief and his men were ready to stone David but it says in I Sam 30:6 “But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” It’s good to let out our emotions and not stuff them all inside. The men cried until they could cry no more. But then we need to go on and ask the Lord what is His plan and what are we to do. The Lord spoke to David and told him to pursue his enemy as he would be victorious. They did win big and came back with all their families and more.

   We can learn from David not to get bitter when tragedies happen to us but to forgive and to ask the Lord what His plan is for us. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, not us. I like what Pastor Reed had to say, ”Victory is a keynote of the Christian life. Victory and peace come not from the absence of trouble but from the ability to overcome difficulties. We cannot control how others respond, but we can control how we respond to tragedies. Our faith ‘is the victory that has overcome the world’ even on our worst day.”

   God will give us grace to overcome whatever we have to go through. But if we go in our own strength and ignore his instructions, we will not experience His peace and victory. Let us grow in faith and with the knowledge and assurance that God will carry us through.

Challenge for today: When you go through hard times, do as David and strengthen yourself in the Lord and ask for His plan.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a good weekend! The oven is going and I am busy making   food prep and soon going to Aldi’s and my exercise class. Yesterday was quite an emotional day but very blessed day. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

    One day there will be no more sickness or sadness or death and we will reign with the Lord forever. How I look forward to that day and was reminded of it yesterday afternoon when we went to the funeral of my cousin’s granddaughter, Jensyn, who was only 6 years old. There were hundreds and hundreds of people there and when I paused to think about it, I was amazed that one little girl who had never walked and never talked would be loved by so many and bring so many people together to praise the Lord. She made a difference or this huge number of friends and family would not have gathered to honor her memory.

   I woke up very early this morning with the hymn by Bishop Theodulf (in1851) singing in my mind, “All glory, laud, and honor to you, Redeemer King, to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring….The company of angels is praising you on high, and we with all creation in chorus make reply…” I could just picture little Jensyn singing with the angels as she is now with the Lord and able to dance and worship the Lord.

  The funeral was not like any I have been to, for as we came into the sanctuary the 7 siblings of Jensyn were up on the platform leading everyone in praise. They sang Goodness of God by Jenn Johnson which is all about loving the Lord and how He is faithful and good even going through the darkest night. We joined them also in singing I Will Rise by Chris Tomlin and the chorus really struck me, “And I will rise when He calls my name. No more sorrow, no more pain. I will rise on eagles’ wings before my God fall on my knees. And rise. I  will rise.”

   I doubt there was a dry eye when they shared about Jensyn’s last hours.  Along with the pastors, both parents and a sibling spoke and gave glory to the Lord. Her daddy said to the pastor while she was dying, that he knew how to care for his daughter but he didn’t know how to say good-bye to her and let her go. For all of us, it is hard to say our good-byes to our loved ones but like the words of the last verse of the last song we sung, Gratitude by Brandon Lake: “ I’ve got one response, I’ve got just one move. With my arm stretched wide I will worship You.” Let us worship Him all our days here on earth as we wait for the day to sing with the angels on high.

Challenge for today: Spend some time in worship no matter if you are going through the darkest night. 

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We celebrated last night with a party and dinner for about 25! Fun! I just cleaned the apartment and have S.F. Almond/Craisen bread in the oven. Al is happy!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   It is a good thing when reading scripture to sit with it a while and let it speak to us; in the Bible it is called meditating. When we rehearse scriptures over and over again in our minds, rather than quickly reading through a portion and forgetting what it says, we are meditating and absorbing the meaning. It is very much like eating and chewing our food slowly and then digesting it I am a fast eater and I must continually remind myself at meal times to slowly eat rather than rushing through it. Our bodies have a hard time to absorb all the nutrients when we eat fast and don’t chew our food well.

   We are encouraged to meditate on God’s word, to chew on it, to think about it even during the day and night, so we get the deeper meaning of what God is saying to us. I read from several Bibles each morning and often from different translations that help me digest what God is saying to me. When I am in a hurry, I miss some of the nuggets the Lord has for me; you might say I am settling for a egg McMuffin from McDonald’s rather than a delicious breakfast omelet with cinnamon toast and butter etc. I am the one that is getting short changed when I rush.

  Joshua was told by the Lord in Joshua 1:8 (ESV), “This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all tht is written it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success.” The message translation also says in Psalm 1:2 that we should chew on scripture day and night and thrill to God’s Word.

   Let us not just quickly rush through reading the Word but give it our full attention, sit with it, ponder it and let it speak to our hearts. But then we need to act on what we read and do what the Word says, for then we will be successful in God’s eyes.

  Challenge for today: Meditate on a small portion of scripture and let it speak to you throughout your day and act on it.

Blessings on  your weekend and prayers and love, Judy