Category: Sister Judy (Page 93 of 270)

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a wonderful day! This morning I am going to go to my exercise class and then out to lunch with friends whom we have been trying to get together with for almost 3 months. It will be extra sweet today. We plan to get in a brisk walk later, and then tonight is Bible Study. A rich day!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   A couple weeks ago, I woke up in the night with the word “Walls” going through my mind. I thought that was unusual but I wrote it down in the dark and when I woke in the morning, I proceeded to think over that. What came to mind was Isaiah 62:6-7 (God’s Word), “I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. They will never be silent day or night. Whoever calls on the Lord, do not give yourselves any rest, and do not give Him any rest until He establishes Jerusalem and make it an object of praise throughout the earth.” The Greek word for Watchman means to keep awake, to heed, to watch.

   Watchmen were placed on a city’s wall to watch for the safety of the city and give warning to the people if they saw the enemy coming. They monitored anyone approaching the town. They also had watchtowers that overlooked the fields to keep out thieves and critters.

   In our world today, God has his watchmen in place to give warnings to us and to show us where we are to change. He uses ordinary people and through them gives His message. I am still reading in the book of Jeremiah who was watchman for over 40 years to the nation of Judah; he warned the people to repent and to wake up and to be prepared for what is ahead. Sadly, the people didn’t pay attention to his message but he was not responsible for how they responded, only that he had to give it. Because the people didn’t heed the warnings Jeremiah gave, they suffered and many died.

   The watchmen today see the darkening of our culture, the immorality, the idols and speak out and give warnings. Many of the listeners think that life will just keep going on as it is, without consequences but one day we all will have to give account. In a sense, we all should be watchmen as we realize Jesus is coming again at a time none of us know. We are not to be lazy and make excuses for ourselves but rather to know the times and live close to the Lord. We need to sound the alarm and share whatever the Lord puts in our hearts to speak.

  Challenge for today: Be willing to be one of the Lord’s Watchmen on the wall and speak what He tells you to say to whoever He directs you.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

I am writing early today and may you wake up to a hope-filled day. The question this week is: when did the Lord change directions on where you were headed, and how did you respond? 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Today more than ever, we need hope, not hope based on obtaining the right circumstances but on the Lord. We are told over and over again in scripture to hope in the Lord. He is our safe place, our rock, our fortress, and we are secure in Him.

  Of course, we can’t control everything that happens in our lives and we all go through difficult times. When we complain and despair it doesn’t help the situation and it may even prolong it.

   Joyce Meyers said, “You cannot control the wind, but you can adjust the sails.” I like that! While at the lake last summer we watched from our deck, as a red and white sailboat swiftly glided over the water. It changed directions with the touch of the rudder as sails adjusted.

   In our lives it is often hard to change directions, even though we may know we are going wrong and aren’t going to end up at our intended destination. We might say that the Lord is like our rudder and when we entrust Him with our lives, He is the One that can change the direction of our lives and put us on course.

  Paul says in Romans 15:13 (God’s Word), “May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in Him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  We can brim over with hope when we allow God free reign in our lives, no matter what is happening outwardly. He can change the course any time He wants for He sees the desired destination and where He wants to take us. May we Hope in Him and then rest in peace and joy.

  Challenge for today: Commit everything to the Lord and face each day with Hope overflowing in your heart.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Devotions from Judy’s heart

 We have just entered the season of Advent and the Advent colors change from green to a deep blue or purple. It is a season of waiting and hoping, not just getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ first coming but waiting for His coming again. It is a time to quietly reflect and to listen to the Lord speak to our hearts in new ways. As King David said in Psalm 62:5 (ESV), “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.”

   While at our son, Kurt’s, I had a vivid dream and I awakened with a fresh resolve and desire  to discern what God is saying to me, and to follow in obedience. We are surrounded by a culture that leaves God out, but He is most important and when our lives revolve around Him, we are at peace. In my dream I was going about my life and there were new rules being made that didn’t seem right in my spirit. We were all suppose to comply and many did, but I went about my life without talking about it, but also not complying.  I asked the Lord for discernment and also noticed that someone was kind of following me and watching if I would do what was expected. I tried to have a low profile but didn’t want to comply on things that I knew weren’t right. Just before I woke the man was confronting me and I don’t what words I said, but I knew I had to give a defense for my lack of action. Within me was a strong resolve that I could only do what I heard the Lord saying, and not what man was demnding. I was filleed with the most wonderful feeling of deep joy and also a holy boldness to not go man’s way but to listen to the Lord and go His way.

   In the days ahead I pray we may have holy boldness when needed to go against our culture, and to go God’s way, no matter the cost. I believe it is going to cost all of us, and now is the time to prepare and to strengthen our resolve not to compromise. When we listen to the Holy Spirit, not the world, we find our hope is only in the Lord. He is coming again and now is a season of advent to prepare for that great day.

  Challenge for today: Take some time for quiet reflection and listen to what the Lord has to say to yo.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

   I asked my friend how she knew she loved God, as I saw her shortly after Al asked me the question. We were sharing together at a table in Barnes and Noble, and she responded by answering that we know we love Him if we are have a desire for Him and a heart longing. She expressed how she doesn’t just have devotions to check it off on her to-do list for the day, but because she truly wants to know the Lord better and hear what He has to say to her. She has a longing and a passion. The Lord uses her to counsel and pray for many others as she is so open to the Holy Spirit. She is often awakened at night to pray for specific ones and later given confirmation of their need of prayer for hard circumstances they were dealing with.

  I find warmth in my love for the Lord if I spend time in worship, most often in my private time with Him; not asking for things but rather thanking Him and giving Him praise. It’s good for each of us to have a private place to do that, away from the noise of the world. It can be the corner of a room or a closet, where we shut off other things and can be alone with Him.

  I am reading a book by John Michael Talbot, who shares stories about the desert fathers and mothers, and their lives of giving all to the Lord. We were at his hermitage years ago, a quiet contemplative place where prayer takes place and there are few outer distractions. As Talbot said, many words are not needed to pray but rather an open repentant heart.

  Let us all seek to grow in our love for the Lord and as St. Francis said, “I seek not so much to pray, as to become a prayer.”

Challenge for today: Do something today for God alone, out of love for him.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Happy Holiday weekend! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a great day with family, a big yummy feast, games, sharing, and the Viking win too. Tomorrow we will be going home again and appreciate prayers for safety. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart

  We have just celebrated Thanksgiving and sharing those blessings we are thankful for; but every day should be a day we can express thankfulness to the Lord. When we start our day with words of praise and thanks, it seems to color our whole day with a bright outlook on whatever happens during our day. I like to begin my day early and I can see dawn unfolding right out my window as I write. It is a good time to begin giving thanks to our Father who gave us a good night of rest, a warm home, food etc., but also thanks for His peace and joy, and comfort, and grace and on and on. Like the chorus goes, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” Some people choose to thank the Lord with a familiar hymn or sing a song with their own words of thanks and praise.

   I don’t know about you, but I like to give gifts but am also blessed when I know they have been received and valued. But when there is no response returned, it is hard to know if they appreciated what was given and if I should give more. I wonder often if the Lord feels that way about us when we take blessings for granted and don’t bother to express thanks.

    Besides the Lord, it is good to extend thanks to others and let them know they matter and are cared for. It can be something so simple as a card or a text, but it tells the other person, that we think about them and are glad they are in our life. It could also be a stranger that we are prompted to thank. Recently when we were at our hotel, I noticed a man cleaning up after the breakfast and was so diligent and thorough. When I went to get coffee, I thanked him for keeping the place so clean and he responded 2 or 3 times by thanking me for noticing.

   It is good to be intentional in practicing thankfulness so we don’t get distracted, especially by the worldly things that are one day going to fade away. Why not start a thankful journal and record the things you are noticing today. You might put the list on your phone or computer and just keep adding to it. The Apostle Paul says in Eph 5:18 (ESV), “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That covers it all!

 

Dear Ones,

I am sending tomorrow’s devotion out tonight as we are going to leave very early in the morning for Kansas, and my computer is getting packed now. We plan to stop in Des Moines where Al can browse at Barnes and Noble and I am going to meet with a dear friend. Then on to Kurt’s in Olathe where we will spend Thanksgiving. Appreciate prayers for our safety and health. May each of you have a grace-filled Thanksgiving! 

Devotions from Judy’s heart,

   God’s grace is something that just amazes me and I am especially cognizant of it when I am most in need of it… like when I blow it!  The truth is that we are always in great need of His grace, but sometimes we are not aware as we should be. It is a precious gift that is too often taken for granted.

  God seems to put people in our lives that exemplify His grace that is hard to miss. You can probably think of many examples of those around you. Just recently at the funeral of my aunt we had time with her grandson’s family. They have 8 children and the youngest one is 6 years old but has been sick all her life. She has Trysomy 5 a dilation of the 5^th chromosome which is rare, only 50 other known cases in the US.   Jencyn is in the hospital about as much time as she is at home. Since Chris is a youth director and has a big family, life is busy and full of challenges. But each time we see him and his wife, they don’t look stressed but calm and peaceful. The other children love Jencyn and the one who recently got married had her in the wedding, while in her stroller. There is so much love and grace evident in the whole family and it speaks to us all of God’s grace.

  Our strength is in the Lord and not in ourselves and we all need to remember our total dependency is on Him. God’s power shows up most in our weaknesses, when we truly know we can’t go in our own power. Like Paul said in II Cor. 12: 10 (Message), “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” He goes on to say that he quit focusing on his handicap and began appreciating the gift for he experienced Christ’s strength moving in on his weakness. The more we know we need Him the stronger we become and develop in His likeness. We are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves us!

   Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for His grace to you and praise Him even in your weaknesses.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a good weekend. This is being sent to you early today as we are leaving this morning for Battle Lake for the funeral of my aunt Rhoda. We were there not long ago for her grandson’s funeral; he was young and she was 97, but now they are in glory! 

We were blessed by the Thanksgiving service last night and testimonies shared by many…. also the variety of pies afterwards!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   How many of us can say we feel chosen and wanted and loved? I never asked my parents if I was planned but they already had a son three years old and another that was one and a half when I was born. I could have been a surprise!  And yet I arrived on God’s time table and I was told they were thrilled to have a daughter. But whether our parents planned for us or not, each of us were chosen by the Lord and valued. I love to think of the words of Zeph. 3:17b (ESV), “He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.”

  I am reading Ann Voskamp’s book,“Waymaker,” and she encourages us to let our hearts be joined to the Lord and to let Him love us. She also shares her story of her own marriage and making a commitment to love her husband for the rest of life, much like the Lord wanting our hearts to also be joined with him like in marital oneness. It is a safe and secure place for He won’t let go of us as he said in John 6:38 b(Message), “And once that person is with me, I will hold on and won’t let go.”

   We learn quickly to live in forgiveness, for we are imperfect beings who sin and fall. But hopefully we grow in being more self-less and discover that only the Lord can totally satisfy our heart’s longings, not any human. Ann shares that self-forgetfulness is the essence of happiness and we feel more connected to Him when we have a diminished sense of self. She charts the way to love which is to lay down our plans, agendas, and will and lift up the will of another.

   Just like in a dance, our part is to move with the Lord and follow His leading. We desire to know His heart even as He fully knows ours. This is not an intellectual knowing but a relational heart knowing. When we are fully known, no matter what happens in our lives, we feel secure in Him. Let us press on to know the Lord in deeper ways and let ourselves be known by Him.

Challenge for today: Spend some time expressing your love for the Lord, and if you are married also expressing your love for your mate.

May you have a blessed day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Many of you did not get my devotional yesterday and so I am resending. If it happens again go to canaansrest.org for it. Sorry as we are having some trouble with our web site. 

Hope you are having a good weekend. It is a cold day so may be walking in the underground as we did yesterday. This morning I cleaned our apartment and hope to shop this afternoon. We are having our Thanksgiving service tomorrow night and having lots of pies afterwards. Al can hardly wait!!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   Where are the people of integrity today? There is so much falsehood and twisting of the truth to fit agendas that we don’t know what to believe or who to believe. But that should not be so if we are a child of God, He calls us to be truthful, to be honorable, and to have a pure heart, not to be false.

   Purity is important to God for it is mentioned many times in the Bible. Of course, only the Lord is pure, faultless, and without any contamination. But God wants us to be like Him and reflect His image; He wants us to also have pure hearts that seek to know Him intimately. In His Sermon on the Mount, He told us that blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. (Matt. 5:8) God is so holy that we can only come before Him in Jesus’ righteousness. As it says in II Cor. 5:21 (ESV), “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

   The truth is we can’t live pure lives on our own but only come to Jesus in faith and ask forgiveness and cleansing. Then we are washed clean and the Lord looks at us as if we have never sinned…that means all of the sins we have ever committed and remembers them no more. Wow!

   When the word purity comes up, we often think first of chastity, refraining from premarital sex, even though the culture is saying anything goes. And if married, purity would mean not cheating but keeping ourselves only for our mate. It is God’s will that we honor Him with our bodies and that includes our thought life, our speech and our actions as well. In I Peter 1: 22 we are told to “Love one another earnestly from a pure heart.” It is helpful to spend time in the Word together and to pray together and to put the Lord first and others second and selves last. The world’s way of thinking of yourself first, doesn’t work as we see the mess our culture is in. Let us remember David’s words in Psalm 24:6-8, “Who shall ascent the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessings from the Lord and righteousness from the God of His salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.” Let us be people of integrity with hearts of purity that shine out in the darkness of our world.

Challenge for today: Put God first in your life and ask Him for a pure heart like His.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy