Category: Whispers (Page 110 of 164)

Dear Ones,

We are at our son’s home in Olathe, Kansas and enjoying time with family and also nice warm temperatures. We arrived yesterday in time to go to Lily’s soccer game where they tied in double overtime. Very exciting and also cozy warm as the sun went down while we watched. This morning  we plan to go to a Christian bookstore and also see movie coverage of the sauna at the lake being moved down by the cabin.  

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  God shows compassion on the big things that concern us but also the smallest details of our lives. We can share everything with the Lord and leave it with Him to work out accoring to His plan.

  Recently, I was made aware of His capable hand that moved in my behalf. Our son texted me that flowers would be arriving for Mother’s Day but wouldn’t arrive in time, due to shortage of deliverery persons. Tuesday came and no flowers to be seen by the office, or mail room or by the entrance of our apartment  complex. I prayed that they would come and checked later in the day but nothing. Wednesday came and surly they would be there, but still no flowers. I mentioned it at Craft Time to friends and also told our son they were never delivered, even though he had paid for them and had a message they were delivered. But about supper time a friend knocked on our door and held in her arms a big box. She had found the flowers on a different floor at the end of the hall, near another apartment door. She investigated and discovered my name on the box and grabbed it.

   What a God’ instance that she would be prompted to walk the halls and find my lost flowers that had no reason to be where they were. I thanked her and the Lord, and she ended up caring for my flowers while we are here at our son’s home for the weekend.

   This is such a small circumstance but God’s thoughts and intentions are for our good and welfare in all the concerns of our lives. As it says in Jer. 39:11-12(NIV), “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me, and I will listen to you.”

   Our part is to call on the Lord for everything small or huge and His ear is open to hear and respond. Too often we get worried and stressed over what may be happening in our lives and we try to fix it; and when we are all out of options, we call on the Lord. He should be our first line of defense.  We are to seek Him and trust Him and watch for His work in our behalf. Maybe we can’t see His good purpose yet, but in the fulness of time we will.

  Challenge for today: Call on the Lord and wait in patience for him to act.   

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

  Hope you are having a good day and one of peace. I did some packing this morning and went to my exercise class. This afternoon we have someone coming to our craft class with ideas and all the makings for us to create several cards. We leave very early tomorrow morning for Kurt’s in Olathe, Kansas, where we will spend the weekend and see Lily play soccer. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Every morning I start my day by praying that the Lord would speak to me; that I would hear his voice and that He would give to me what He wants me to write. Yesterday I read from a devotional about worry, and I thought of how I have written on that subject before. But then I went to my computer and there was a second devotional on worry and then followed a third one. So, I guess worry is something that needs to be addressed as we all have to guard against it. 

   The Lord wants to free us of becoming anxious and worried, so we can experience His wonderful peace. He told his disciples in Luke 12:22-23 (ESV), “Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” Mark Robert from Fuller Seminary wrote that in Jesus’ day they probably had more to be concerned about than we do today. They were poor and lived under Roman rule and taxed heavily. They had no safety net to help them. Life expectancy was estimated to be 35 years old. But we can come up with our own list of things we might worry about, like our children, our world, illnesses, finances etc. Right now, we have concern for good friends who have covid, and so we pray and give them to the Lord and leave it in His capable hands.

   Worry happens when we leave the Lord out of the picture and think we are on our own. It also puts us in a future mode of concern over things that may never happen; and even if they did, we will be given grace at the time and not before it happens. When we worry, it doesn’t change the outcome and our anxiety sets our imagination into motion of all the terrible things that could result.

  We should pay attention to what things cause us anxiousness because it is like a red light that shows up on our dash board to let us know something is not right. It is a warning perhaps of something we have not given to the Lord and need to surrender to Him. When that alarm goes off, we need to go to prayer and turn our worries over to Him in trust.

    Challenge for today: The next time you become worried, stop and pray!

    Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake up to a day of peace and joy!
Devotions from Judy’s heart

  For Mother’s Day I got a card from my surrogate son whom I have known for many years. His parents are with the Lord, and I am blessed he has chosen me to be his surrogate mom. In his card were the words of Frederick Meyer that spoke to me: 

   “Joy is peace dancing. Peace is joy resting.”

  Can’t you just visualize freely dancing with a heart of peace or sitting restfully in quiet with the Lord as joy overflows in your heart? I love that picture and sometimes I feel like that as I sit by the lake with the sun shining down on me and no one else around except the Lord.

   We may wish every day was like that but we get bogged down with schedules and cares of life and our peace gets squeezed out by stress. However, our peace is not dependent on perfect circumstances but in the person of Jesus who is our peace. And because He is our peace, we have deep joy that does not fade when things are less than ideal

  Maybe we worry about what the uncertain future holds but instead we need to put our gaze on the One who holds the future Just as it says is Prov. 3:5 (AMP), “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.” We can live in peace and joy and not fear if we are trusting in the Lord. As a few lines of John Greenleaf Whittier’s song goes:

 

 May we experience the beauty of His peace and overflow with His joy a we lean into Him.

 Challenge for today:Trust and be confident in Him and let His peace and joy take over your day!

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

“The love of God is greater far than any tongue or pen can ever tell; it goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell…..Oh, love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forever more endure—the saints’ and angels’ song.”

  Let us receive deeply His love and also share it with others.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Happy Weekend to you! Looks to be a beautiiful day. I studied and did some food prep this morning and took a quick trip to Costco. This afternoon I am going to bake chix soup and maybe a tript to Kohl’s. Enjoyed the Gala last night so much and we had a table for couples all from Northern Living. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  How wonderful it is to behold a changed life and to know that it is a miracle that only God could do! You can think of your own scenario, of what would entail a miracle but what I saw last night was multiple miracles that all glory goes to the Lord.

  We went to a Gala for Teen Challenge last night and heard a wonderful program by the men who have been held captive to addictions of various drugs and many who have been in prison and served time, lost their families etc. Teen Challenge may have been their last resort, if the judge let them choose between life behind bars and rehab at Teen Challenge. We heard their stories and the horror of all they suffered as they went through detox etc; but then came the wonder of getting their lives straightened out as they committed themselves to the Lord. All of the men giving testimony gave the credit to the Lord, knowing they couldn’t do it on their own. Some men were blessed as they got their wives and children back again and some were able to work for Teen Challenge after they graduated for they understand the struggle to get free of addictions. As they sang in the choir and gave glory to God, we all rejoiced with them and felt like standing up and cheering.

  None of us should let the enemy hold us back from what the Lord has for our lives. The only way we can defeat the enemy is in the power of the Lord. If we are going through a battle, we must not give up. Or if our loved ones are caught in the web of the enemy, we must pray and use all our spiritual weapons to stand with them, and pray that they get set free. Some have to try it all on their own before they discover that they can’t do it themselves but must surrender to the Lord.

  As it says in II Chron. 20:15 and 17 (Message), ”Don’t be afraid; don’t pay any attention to this vandal horde. This is God’s war, not yours…..Just stand firm….and watch God’s saving work for you take shape, Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March out boldly tomorrow—God is with you.” Let us remember if we humbly ask for God’s help when we go through any kind of struggle, God will fight for us and He always wins!

  Challenge for today: When you feel the enemy bearing down on you, look to Jesus and His strength, recognizing the battle is His. He will change your life!

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying the day and especially the sunshine!  This morning I made cookies and bars and went downstairs for Donut day. This afternoon we have Bible Study and then tonight we have a gala for Teen Challenge. Several from our apt. complex are going. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   Our words that we speak are very revealing to show what is really in our hearts. Jesus said in Luke 6:24 (ESV), “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” 

   It is interesting that I should read a devotional upon rising  from Lynnette Kittle who shares about the importance of our words; for in the night, I awoke and was in remembrance of a time I hollered (screamed is more like it) at our son when he was about 5 years old and probably had teased his siblings. As I finished my tirade on him a neighbor from church showed up at our door. What could I say, for she heard the whole thing?  She saw first-hand what was in my heart. In the night, what also came to me was David’s words said in Psalm 51:4, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in your sight.” When we sin, we not only hurt others but we sin against God.                                                                                                                 Today, there is so much focus on food, with cooking shows and many movies with story lines revolving around chefs and food. Much attention is given to what we put in our mouths but hardly a word is said of what comes out of our mouths. But in our world today we hear so many hateful and hurtful words that are spoken to destroy others and their reputations, often using social media for all to see. Those harmful words that come out of our mouths cannot be taken back and it also reveals what is in our hearts. Jesus said in Mark 7:20, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.” Those hurtful words have power to not only destroy others but ourselves.                                                                                                                                                We need to think before we speak and ask the Lord to put a guard on our mouths. If we lash out with our words, we need to not only to ask forgiveness of the ones we have hurt but to repent before the Lord, for we have sinned against Him.                                                                                                                                                                    Challenge for today: Before you press the send button on your computer, pause and pray.

Blessings on  your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake to a joy filled day. The house is quiet and I am going to send this out before others get up. Al’s sister is here and we had such a fun day yesterday going to our daughter’s at the Lake, having Finnish Pasty and a hot Sauna, finding treasures at Share and Care, watching movies and having popcorn etc. Today we are going to do some shopping and maybe ice cream at Culvers. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Grow! Grow! Grow!  People are getting itchy to get out in their gardens and plant flowers and veggies and then have the joy of watching them grow. When we lived at the lake, I gardened with a man who was a former farmer and I loved watching everything grow from those small seeds. It seemed like such a miracle when we finally were able to eat the produce that started from something so minute.

  Wouldn’t it be sad if they stayed the same and didn’t grow and burst through the soil and become what was potentially in that seed?  But it is more dreadful in a spiritual sense when we come to know the Lord and don’t mature into what God has planned for us. Maybe we don’t take time to read His word and be open to the Holy Spirit or find fellowship with others. It’s like trying to grow without sunshine or the necessary rain and we tend to dry up, just like the seed that Jesus mentioned that fell on the hard path. Or maybe we grow for a little while and then get choked out by weeds or the desires of the world. As long as we live, we will have to face the challenge of the world trying to squeeze in and to rob us of our faith.  

  Sometimes we had trouble with animals who dug under the fencing of our garden and stole some of our good veggies after they were ripe. Even when we mature as Christians, we must be on guard against the enemy that would lead us away from the Lord. He wants to steal the fruit in our lives and destroy us. We must be vigilant!

  Peter says in II Peter 3:18 (NRSV), But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, we have more room to grow. Let us open ourselves to all the ways He wants to feed and nurture us and to grow, grow, grow!  

   Challenge for today: Take time today to nurture of the life of Jesus within you.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy