Category: Whispers (Page 108 of 171)

Dear Ones,

  Hope you wake to a day of blessings. Al is with the men of his Accountability group and I just finished making his favorite cookies. Soon I will go downstairs for donuts before going to Aldi’s and then off to Bible Study this afternoon. The Salmon supper at church last night was simply delicious  and the couple who processes it from the wild Alaskan salmon were also present with their family. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart
  How big is our world? If our focus is only on ourselves and our needs, our world is very small. When we know the Lord, our world should become very big as we are concerned for His kingdom. That means our families, our work and all that we do, serves a much bigger purpose for we want to extend His kingdom.

   Having said that, it may lead us to work with other Christians to accomplish things we can never do on our own. Recently, a young woman felt led to establish a Christian school in our town but that isn’t a job for just one person; other Christians are needed to do their part to help this dream from God to become a reality. We are to work together and not just concerned about our own agendas but the bigger picture.

   God calls us to be team players. There is no room for pride or selfish ambition for we are all needed in the big purpose God has before us. That takes humility and realizing that each person is important, whether the position seems small or large. Our goal is not to impress others with our self-importance but humbly recognize we are privileged to be part of the Body. Like the apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV), “I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another n love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Paul goes on to say we belong to one body, one Spirit, one faith, one hope, and we are all connected. Therefore, all of us are important in the big picture.

   Let us not be self-serving and focused on ourselves, but open ourselves up to work with others in carrying out the Great Commission to win the world for Jesus.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord how He can use you for His kingdom purposes and don’t worry if you will get recognition.

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! We enjoyed yesterday at our son-in-law’s church and celebration of his ordination, and later picnic, swimming, sauna and tubing with family. I made cookies this morning and went to my exercise class.

 I just got word that my friend from childhood, Helen, died early this morning. Please pray for her husband Jim,who is a pastor, and his family. She was loved by so many! 

Devotions from Judy’s  heart

“Whisper a prayer in the morning, whisper a prayer at noon, whisper a prayer in the evening, to keep your heart in tune.” That is a chorus I sang as a young girl and was encouraged to tell God my needs. The second verse goes, “God answers prayer in the morning, God answers prayer at noon, God answers prayer in the evening, to keep your heart in tune.” Prayer is so important in the life of Christians and we are reminded to pray without ceasing, Prayer is powerful as it says in James 5:16(NRSV), “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” We might ask then, why aren’t my prayers always answered?

  Jesus hears us when we pray but the answers come in many ways. Of course, we love when our prayers are answered immediately and we see God’s hand in it. On Saturday I had such an experience as I was concerned for my friend in Assisted Living. Each August she goes to the Art Fair that is outside and right next door to where she lives. Since she is legally blind and wheelchair bound, it is hard for her to shop. The past couple years Al and I just happened to be going through her town when the sale was on and I helped her shop for the many presents she desires to give to those working where she lives. Well, this year she just had gifts for her son’s family left to find but I couldn’t get there for the sale; I was concerned for her going up and down an incline to actually get to the sale and then trying to find gifts when she sees so little. So, I prayed and prayed that God would send help to her in some way, and when I went to see her yesterday, I was so astonished at how God answered. Just as she was about ready to go down the incline for the sale, one of the vendors asked if she needed help. He was a total stranger and had his own booth to watch but saw she was in need. He not only helped her down the slope but took her all over for the sale and found the perfect gift for her son’s family. Instead of individual gifts, the big gift that took all her money, was for the whole family. Afterwards the kind man helped her up the incline and took her all the way back to Assisted Living. I could hardly believe the specific answer to prayer and she and I spent time in prayer yesterday and thanked the Lord.

  As we know God doesn’t always answer yes for sometimes what we ask for would not be good for us. There are times we are to wait, and we need patience for the time is not right yet. But one thing we do know He hears our prayers and will answer according to His perfect will.

   Challenge for today: Give the Lord a need you have and thank Him that He hears and the answer is on its way.

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying the weekend! This morning I cleaned our apartment, met in the library with a friend, and did food prep for our picnic at the lake tomorrow after church. We look forward to having family time together.  

Devotions from Judy’s heart

The Lord wants to be an intricate part of our lives and not just on the periphery. When we belong to Him, He wants all of us and to walk in harmony with His will for us. The closer we walk with Him and obey, the more we will be attuned to His voice and have an expectancy for what we will encounter in our day.  Life becomes exciting and full and we will have moments when we just know it is the Lord and He uses whoever He chooses to meet needs in our lives and to bless us.

  Last Sunday on our way to church, I reminded Al that he needed to get someone to trade Sundays for serving donuts and coffee after our church service. He was assigned to serve this Sunday but we planned to go the church where our son-in-law is pastor; plus they would be celebrating the 25^th anniversary of Leif’s ordination and we didn’t want to miss. But just as we got in the door of our church, a member came towards Al and motioned for him to go aside as he had a favor he wanted to ask him. Of course, you know what it was! He wanted to trade Sundays with Al as he couldn’t fulfill his assignment either. So, they both went to the kitchen and fixed the calendar so each of them could do what they needed to do.

   The next day, I was talking with a friend in our apt complex and God chose her to meet a need I had for another friend who I often visit in Assisted living. My friend here no longer had any use of what she had ordered on Amazon and it was the answer to the need of my other friend. I’m sure as you go over your day, you might find several instances where you know the Lord’s hand was evident and realize He is concerned even about the smallest things in your life.

   Like professor James Smith said, “The Christian faith is not primarily about belief and practices; it is primarily about what kind of people Christians become.” Is it our desire to draw closer to the Lord that He increases in our lives and we decrease?  Smith goes on to say there is a deep longing in our souls to be wanted, loved, and connected to God for our true self is hidden in the Lord. As it says in Col. 3:3(God’s Word), “You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”  The Holy Spirit wants to make Jesus so real to us that we feel loved and see His hand throughout our day and hear even His whispers, letting us know how loved we are.

  Challenge for today: Ask the Holy Spirit to shape and form you more like Jesus and that He is most important in your life.  

Dear Ones,

   Happy Weekend to you! It rained all morning and everything looks so fresh. I’m sure those at the lake are disappointed and hoping it will clear up soon. This morning I did food prep and made stroganoff and egg dishes etc.  

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   Do we value the presence of the Lord above everything else? That was a question that Juliet Canha asked in her book and maybe we need to ask ourselves. Do we really practice the presence of the Lord throughout our day?

   I have always been impressed by the Brother Lawrence, a monk, who worked in the kitchen but talked to the Lord all through his day. He prayed short prayers and focused on the Lord even as he washed pots and pans etc. I want to live that way, more and more, and just share my day communing with the Lord. Too often I am thinking of what comes next and not being present in the moment to enjoy whatever He brings into my day.

   Recently our friend David, who we walk on the trail with each day, wrote a poem of how he has discovered peace of mind as he seeks to live in the present with the Lord. His wife has Alzheimer’s and he writes that he doesn’t want to be disturbed by his circumstances but to observe the unfolding of life as God intended. He goes on to say that we need to make space for peace to begin and silence to surface which requires us to be present at the moment.

   We can all have deep inner peace knowing the Lord is with us in everything that touches our lives. David said that the past couple years of his journey he has had to face significant headwinds but the Lord has held him closer and given him peace as He turns his headwinds into tailwinds! I love that picture of how those difficult things that we face, can become the very things that spur us on and make us stronger. Think of how many more miles our cars can go on a gallon of gas when we have a tailwind! 

    Like King David said in Psalm 16:11 that it is in His presence that we experience fullness of joy. Let us walk closely with the Lord daily and experience His peace as we become more aware of His presence.

Challenge for today: Talk to the Lord as you go through your day and thank Him that He is right there with you.  

Dear Ones,

Hope  you wake to a glorious day. You are getting this early today as we are going to Duluth to spend some time by the water front and I’m quite sure a trip to Barnes and Noble and other shopping. It is Al’s birthday tomorrow and we are celebrating today since he will be doing a service tomorrow at Assisted Living. We also did some celebrating with the couple we walk with yesterday!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Jesus is to be our first love and we are not to give priority to other things before Him. If that is the desire of our hearts, we will want to live in awareness of His presence each day, pray, read the Word, and seek to serve him and others. And when His love is our priority, it will help us when we face difficult situations and enable us to respond in love to others.

   Every day we get tested in our love for other people and especially those that differ from us and seem to irritate us. Anger may surge between us and it blocks His love from being expressed. But what do we do with our anger?

   I am reading Michael Casey’s take on that, and he warns us not to go all the way with anger. When someone does something hurtful to us, we may want to reciprocate and inflict pain on them but it is best to recognize the feeling, and build a wall around that impulse until we have calmed down. Then we can deal with it and determine if we have over reacted or if we feel like a victim as old memories are dredged up.

   But we are not to prolong our anger and store it up, or it becomes like cancer. It eats away at us and even surfaces when we are in our prayer times. If we choose to rehearse what they did to us over and over again, we become resentful and robbed of our peace. Some can remember even minor things done to them 30 years ago. We must make the choice to forgive and put the memory away. That begins in our will and is not always easy.  Sometimes we may also need to give them breathing room for a while.

  Casey says that whether we are the giver of the hurt or the receiver of someone else’s anger, we should resolve to do our best to restore the relationship. We need to be humble and accept our part and to ask forgiveness of the other, not give the silent treatment or a storm of our anger. It doesn’t matter who is mostly wrong but only that we own our part and ask forgiveness. Jesus gives us the command in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” That’s right, we actually pray for them and then leave it with the Lord as to how to settle things. If there is no love, then there is a blockage in us and we are failing to put the Lord first in our lives. He wants us to love all people for He is love.

  Challenge for today: Be aware when you become selective with His love and exclude others, and seek instead to love all.