Category: Sister Judy (Page 99 of 270)

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake up to a day of thankfulness. This morning I am going downstairs for coffee and choc covered raspberries. This afternoon we are having a couple over for prayer and fellowship, which we look forward to. 

This week  your question is what have you gained through what you have suffered in your life?

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   How well do we suffer​? I guess I don’t know anyone that says they love to suffer but many share that good came from their suffering and left them more dependent on the Lord. We all will go through struggles in our lives and are told to give our suffering to the Lord; as it says in Rom.8:16-17 (ESV), “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.”

   We are not to run from God when going through those hard times, but to run to Him. We can pour out our hearts to Him for He fully understands. Psychology Professor Todd Hall writes about how we can grow through these experiences. Many come away with a deeper appreciation for life and no longer take things for granted. Some have a change in their priorities as they know in a new way how precious time and relationships are. Others find meaning in and through their suffering and are strengthened spiritually. Some even discover spiritual strength that they didn’t know they had and are amazed. Al and I have often been surprised as we have seen those in our congregations that seem to sail through tough times, and others that fall apart. Todd also brings out that some come through suffering with greater acceptance of their vulnerabilities and limitations. People see how helpless they are and depend more on the Lord.

   We may find that when going through suffering, it makes us more compassionate of others who are going through similar hard things and we can express our emotions more openly. I remember shedding tears with a friend who lost her baby and there were no words at the time, we just sat together and cried.

   It does help to have others who will walk beside us in our suffering and we feel the strength of their support and are able to tell them what we are experiencing. We don’t feel alone but rather joined together in a deeper way.

    Sometimes we change our priorities after going through a hard time. We see what is really important. What we learn through it all can also be passed on to others who go through similar situations..

Let us give our suffering to the Lord that we become more like Him.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to make you stronger as you go through suffering. 

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy  

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   Sometimes new Christians think that when they receive the Lord that all their problems are over; so, when they encounter difficulties, they get disillusioned and think something is very wrong and are tempted to abandon their new faith. But we were never promised a smooth road and a life without trials; in fact, we were told we would face sufferings of all kinds for His sake.

   In our Bible study here at Northern Lakes, we are in the book of I Peter, and he writes to the Christians that were exiled because of their faith. In fact, as Christ followers, we can expect persecutions and trials, and how we go through them is a testing of our faith. Peter tells the exiled Christians that they will have to suffer various trials for a while and he says in “The purpose of these troubles is to test your faith as fire tests how genuine gold is. Your faith is more precious than gold, and by passing the test, it gives praise glory, and honor to God.” ( I Peter 1:7) When miners find rocks with gold, they put them in the fire and impurities float to the top and can be skimmed off and the true gold comes forth. Our testing also proves if our faith is pure but we may discover that we have pride and selfishness and all sorts of impurities.  But if we let the Lord refine us our faith and hope will increase and we will rely more on Him. As the genuineness of our faith comes forth, it brings glory to God.

   Let us not be surprised when we go through suffering. We may all have hoped for an easier road and at times even compared our road to others but that is not wise. We must trust that the Lord who is in control of our lives, lays out the road before us, and promises to be with us on our journey all the way. Even when there seems to be no way He can reroute us!. As the hymn goes, “God will make a way/ where there seems to be no way/ He works in ways we cannot see/ He will make a way for me/ He will be my guide/ hold me closely to His side/ with love and strength for each new day/ He will make a way.”

 Instead of complaining of the hard road we travel, let us be thankful that He is in the process of refining us.

Challenge for today: Trust and thank the Lord for the road He has you on right now!

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Devotions from Judy’s heart   

Do we make room in our hearts each day for the Lord or is He pushed to the side by our prideful attitudes and sinful behavior?

   I woke up early this morning thinking of an old song that I haven’t heard sung for a long time by Billy Gaines, reminding me there is never a lack of room at the foot of the cross The song goes: “The cross on which Jesus died/ Is a shelter in which we can hide/ And its grace so free is sufficient for me/ And deep is its fountain as wide as the sea/ There’s room at the cross for you/ There’s room at the cross for you/ Though millions have come, there’s still room for one/ Yes there’s room at the cross for you.”

  A repentant heart is spacious and open and really a gift from God. It brings incredible peace; but a heart that is full of pride and denies sin, making excuses and blaming others, is a closed heart that keeps the Lord at a distance. It is not a peaceful way to live and will weigh us down.

   How do we keep an open heart? We must hate sin and be willing to humbly come to the cross and confess our sins and be willing to change. As it says in Romans 8:6-7 (Message), “Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God.”

   What a difference when we are willing to deal with our sin, for God’s grace is poured out on us and there is more room for Him. But if we hold on to our sinful ways, we won’t experience that spacious free life of peace in the Lord.

    It is because the Lord loves us so much that he shows us our sin so that we can repent and have room in our hearts for Him to fill.

   Challenge for today: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas in your life that need to come to the cross, and ask forgiveness with a willingness to change.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

  Hope you are enjoying this day. It started out with rain and thunder when Al was off to Men’s group! This morning I went downstairs fo donut day, and  made meat loaf and Preacher’s cake. When we were making Alzheimer’s quilts yesterday we were served a scrumptious cake so I am trying it today and I’m sure Al will sample it for me. This afternoon we have Bible Study here and last week we had a large group. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  When we lived on the lake, I loved the Saturdays that we had Wildmen Retreats. I never quite knew how many would show up but I usually made more food than I thought we’d need, because the men loved to eat!” Al led the discussions with the men, and it was based on scripture of how to be godly men. At the dinner table I got to ask them a question which they all took turns answering and I liked their honesty and ability to tell it like it is.

  It’s been a few years since Al’s retirement and I am sad as I see where many of the men’s movements have gone. Men are in crisis and dropping out; they no longer take pride in their work or even want to work, and many choose to not marry and become responsible for family. So many are depressed and lonely and attempting suicide.

    I read an article by Delano Squires, a black father, who wants to teach his sons what it means to be a man. He said that “The ultimate act of man is being willing to commit to one woman and the children you create for a lifetime… Healthy masculinity is found in men who exhibit self-control, wisdom, patience, courage, honesty, kindness, gentleness, grit, adventure, and love.” He wants to influence and model these traits for his two sons.

    He doesn’t want them or any man to feel ashamed of being a male, for that is how God created them and they are to be led by God’s Word. He goes on to say that women are also made in God’s image and equal in worth and meant to complement, not compete with one another. Men are to provide and protect and be responsible. Delano says that men need to be like leather—the perfect balance of tough and tender. His prayer is for his sons to know God, find work that is meaningful and marry a good woman and raise a family that is characterized by peace and productivity.

   Maybe this sounds old fashion to you as you read these words, but look where the culture that doesn’t not honor God has taken us today. Other ways that exclude God do not work! May men flourish and also women flourish for His glory!!

  Challenge for today: Encourage the men you know to be godly men who love God and family and are willing to do the hard work of hanging in there.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones.

Hope you awake to a day full of joy and anticipation. I plan to go downstairs this morning with Choc covered raspberries, and there are always people waiting for them with their coffee. Your question for this week is: Do you find it easy to show compassion or is it something you often have to pray about? 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   How many of us could say we are very compassionate people who love to serve and help others? Or are we more like those who confess to the Lord that we are not as kind and caring and self-giving as we would like to be? Most of us could probably use a big dose of compassion for we are surrounded by hurting people who so need God’s love.

   If we want to be a conduit of God’s grace and love, we must give up self-pity and get into self-giving! Jesus reached out to others even when He was grieving over the death of John the Baptist; and when he was tired and spent, he was concerned for the hunger of the crowd and served a meal to over 5,000. It isn’t always convenient to help others, especially when we have a heavy heart, but there is often healing of our own hearts when we give out to others. Jesus said in Luke 6:38 “Give and it shall be given to you .. for with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” As we reach out to others, our own lives are affected as well.

   Compassion doesn’t just come naturally for it will involve our time and energy and selflessness; but we can pray and ask God to fill us with His compassion. Elizabeth Peale-Allen writes, How to Have a Heart of Compassion, and suggests a few things.

   Spend a few minutes a day contemplating what it is like to be in someone else’s shoes. It could be someone in our family hurting or maybe a soldier in Ukraine but we put ourself in their place and sense what it is like to suffer as they are.

   Another way to build up empathy is to pause before we speak. We give the Holy Spirit time to open our eyes to why the person is behaving the way he is rather than immediately judging them and reacting.

   We can also pray that we recognize our own barriers to compassion as to why we get frustrated and irritated and angry or suspicious. We can follow by praying that the Lord would take that from us and help us be kind and tenderhearted and forgiving.

   Let us be compassionate people that are known by our love for the Lord and for others!

   Challenge for today: Spend 5 minutes putting yourself in the shoes of someone suffering and then pray for that person.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   We have all been hearing and reading about the death of Queen Elizabeth who died peacefully a couple days ago at 96 years of age. She was loved by so many throughout the world and was the longest serving monarch with many titles. My favorite title for her is Defender of the Faith. The editor of Christianity.Com, Molly Law, wrote about the queen and how she was well-known for her faith in God, not just by her words but by her actions.

   We see her faith shared especially in the messages she gave at Christmas. In 2011 she said, “Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves—from our recklessness or our greed. God sent into the world a unique person-neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Savior with the power to forgive..It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord.”

   The queen’s used the teaching of the parable of the Good Samaritan to share with others who is our neighbor. She said the victim who was robbed and beaten was not helped by a countrymen but by a foreigner who was despised. Her words, “The implication drawn by Jesus is clear. Everyone is our neighbour, no matter what race, creed or colour. The need to look after a fellow human being is far more important than any cultural or religious differences.”

   The queen revealed her faith, not only through her words but in her deeds She said, “I know the only way to live my life is to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings and to put my trust in God.” She spoke of Jesus teachings as a framework to try to live her life like Christ’s example.

  As we remember the queen, let us hold fast those truths she spoke about but also that she lived out in her life.

Challenge for today: Be bold in your witness and let your faith be known.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy