Canaan's Rest

Canaan’s Rest represents a quiet place “set apart” for the purpose of hearing God's voice, growing in intimacy with the Lord, and being renewed in soul and spirit.

Category: Whispers (Page 135 of 171)

October 9, 2021

October 9, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying some relaxing time this weekend. This morning I cleaned the apartment, wrote letters and did food prep.
Ann is coming by in a few minutes and later Al has a meeting at church. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
As God’s children we are to be people of hope, even though what is happening around us may seem fearful and dark. I read recently on Crosswalk what Ines Velasquez McBryde had to say about her grandmother. She grew up in Nicaragua in the midst of civil war, hurricanes, earthquakes and under communist regime etc. But what Ines remembers of her was her hopeful spirit in everything. She had her eyes on the TV news, but more so, her eyes were planted on the Good News of Jesus. She continually watered seeds of hope and knew that even at the darkest times the Lord was with her and would not abandon her. She helped and served so many others as well, and brought hope to those around her.
Maybe for us it seems like our worries grow worse at night in the darkness, and our fears get exaggerated. But in the light of morning our worries tend to seem less. Philip Gulley said that “fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow.” Because our lives are in God’s hands, we can lie down in faith and wake in hope for He holds our future.
In Romans 15:13(ESV) Paul writes, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” The Amplified version says hope is the joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. In the Greek the word for hope is Elpis which means a desire of some good with an expectation of obtaining it. We are to live in hope and with the expectation that something good will happen.
When we think of our future, it is very bright and something to anticipate. Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon telling them what God said. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans of welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Yes, we have a glorious future as God’s children for we have the promise of His second coming and the anticipation of new heavens and a new earth.
Let us water seeds of hope and remember God has things all in His hands.
Challenge for today; The next time you feel fearful, remember who holds the future and hang on in hopeful anticipation.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

 

October 8, 2021

October 8, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! Hope you have a chance to enjoy this mild beautiful weather. This morning  I made a pot of chicken soup that I shared, and Peach crisp which we are going to have with our friends from Church on the Paul Bunyan trail. We are going to find a picnic table and enjoy after “church” time fellowship. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How well do we grow older as God’s children? I pondered that today as I read from Psalm 92:12-14 (The Message), “Good people will prosper like palm trees, grow tall like Lebanon cedars; transplanted in God’s courtyard. They’ll grow tall in the presence of God, lithe and green, virile still in old age.” The ESV version says that the righteous will still bear fruit in old age and are full of sap and green. That sounds positive rather than those who say life is simply all downhill! Whether we are a child, young adult, middle-aged, elderly, or very aged, we are all getting older; but there are opportunities in each segment of our lives and we can be fruitful until our last breath.
We don’t need to bemoan the fact there are some exciting things we are not of age to do yet, or that we are too old to do those things that we could formerly do with ease. Maybe we can no longer jog or lift weights, or be CEO of a company, but we may be able to give of our means to help the poor, send encouraging cards to those struggling, watch spiritual podcasts, spend time in prayer and worship etc.
We only get to live life once and let us strive to live it well, without missing the opportunities God puts in front of us. The Bible says that our days are like grass and will soon pass away but God’s love is everlasting on those who fear Him.
I’m sure we can all think of things we wish we would have done in our yesterdays but we don’t need to dwell on that. We can ask forgiveness for the wrongs we have done and then focus on what is for today and for the future. Let us not be content to stay in our present stage of life but continue growing into the next stage, ever drawing closer to the Lord.
As Christians, this life is only the prelude and the best is yet to come. We have an eternity with the Lord where we will never wither but have the most glorious future.
Let us live each day well, and to be fruitful and spiritually virile.
Challenge for today: Seek out a person older than you and ask them to share an experience of growth in their life.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

October 7, 2021

October 7, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying a lovely fall day! It was our turn to get donuts today and I always reach for the maple ones! I was in the kitchen cooking most of morning and our apt is full of aromas. This afternoon we have Bible Study downstairs and we are blessed by the fellowship.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
It’s all about LOVE! Have you had the experience of God teaching you in an area and then coming back around to it at a later time, and going to a deeper level? I know I have written on God’s love in a variety of ways in the past, and yet I feel I am only scratching the surface…God has so much more to teach me about His love and I feel like I am a slow learner, and sadly, sometimes a reluctant leaner too. 
The other morning, I was reading some scriptures on God’s love and later when we went for our walk with friends, David shared how he is writing a poem about God’s love. Then at the close of the day, a friend who is recovering from surgery sent me a bunch of scriptures on God’s love. By then I told the Lord, I get it; I want to be more teachable…to know your love in deeper ways and express it in self-giving! Lately I have become more aware of my selfishness and self-centeredness, and it is in direct contrast to His patient, kind, long suffering, giving love. I like what our friend David wrote on love and will share just a portion of it:
 
 “In the end, it is all about loving Jesus as he loves me.
The love that He continuously demonstrates is the way to be free.
The darkest cloud when they begin to form.
God reaches deep inside me and touches my heart, recognizing that I have been reborn.
 
For some time, I have been thinking about God and his love and what is known.
The one who created the universe loves me individually as his very own.
When I read about His unconditional love, I was in total awe.
He touches my heart by telling me he accepts me just as I am with all my flaws
 
 God’s love is perfect, patient, kind, never jealous, loyal, and much more. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
He will abide in us, and his love is perfected deep to our very core. (1 John 4:7)
A drastic change in our life happens when his love enters.
We desire to give God’s love away and make him the center.”
 
 May each of us experience more of God’s deep love and let it flow through us to others.
Challenge for today: Slowly read I Cor.13 and let His love permeate your heart and also touch others.es
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

October 6, 2021

October 6, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a beautiful day and enjoying this lovely weather! This morning I made egg dishes and a veggie stir-fry and shopped at Aldi’s. Also, went to exercise class and soon there is crafts downstairs. Al had his men’s group this morning and tonight we have Bible Study so we are back into the swing of things.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Some years ago, Billy Graham was visiting an University, and he was looking out the window at all the hundreds of students scurrying to class. He asked the dean what the greatest problem was at this university? After a few moments to think about it, the dean answered, “Emptiness.” As I read this, I would also say it is the problem today as young people feel lonely and empty. It is evident in their countenances and behavior. It isn’t that they don’t have enough material things but rather they haven’t found what really matters in life. It is also true for anyone that has not received the Lord into their lives…life is lonely and without meaning. It is filled with things that don’t satisfy the deepest longing of the heart. Some really don’t know that the answer is Jesus and need to hear the Good News! We must be ready to share Him with others with every opportunity the Lord sends our way, always remembering what our life was like before we knew Jesus. 
David must have been alone much of his teen years for he tended sheep for his father. But he found the Lord was enough; God supplied all that he needed and he didn’t lack anything. The Good Shepherd fed, guided and shielded him and gave him rest. He didn’t have to fear for He experienced God with him and was restored and refreshed. Even when he was alone on the hillsides with his sheep, he experienced God’s presence and knew God was with him. He did not feel empty but said his cup brimmed full of blessings; he doesn’t need a thing.
We can experience fullness in life when Jesus is at the center, and the empty place is filled with Him. As David said in Psalm 16:11 (Amplified), “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”
Challenge for today: Spend some time with the One who satisfies your deepest longings and fills your cup to overflowing.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
 
 

October 5, 2021

October 5, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to anticipation of a beautiful day.  I hope to go down stairs this morning for coffee and choc covered raspberries and then we are invited to friends this afternoon. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Have you noticed how we often struggle with the same sins over and over again? We are sorry at the time but then do it again.  It’s important that we recognize our sins and name them, for then we can seek God’s help to change us and to become more like Him. Chara Donahue writes on Crossroads.com about habitual sins women may be struggling with but I suspect if you are a man and reading this, you might find it applies to you as well.
We all sin each time we think we know better than God and proceed to go our way instead of His. But the truth is that God’s ways are higher than our ways and we need to pay attention to how He directs us. It says in Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV), “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Maybe our sin is the struggle with delayed obedience and telling God we will do what He asks later, but not now. We hate to get interrupted and end up tabling what God says, telling Him we will do it another time; but He may have to use someone else to meet the need.
Perhaps we are also guilty of tolerating “smaller sins” and call them by other names like weaknesses and mistakes; but we need to hate all sin, even the things our society celebrates. We may struggle with fear of man and get into people pleasing, but we should seek first to please God and to reverence Him. Another sin Chara names is planning without consulting God. We need the Lord to guide us and slow us down to listen to His plan, rather than to depend on our own human wisdom. And there is the sin of gluttony but not just of food; it can be an excess of anything like shopping, watching T.V., exercising, or anything that is overdone and robs us of time with the Lord. There is also the sin of pride that trips us up. We want to get the glory for something we excel in and fail to acknowledge that our gift and power to succeed is from the Lord. Then there is the sin of grumbling and complaining. It isn’t always obvious, but maybe we ask for prayer and then go into long explanations of the situation and complain. Sometimes our sin may be envy when we realize we are lacking in something that someone else has. Or we can be discontented as we see that others seem to have more than we have and we want what they have. But like Paul, we can be content in whatever situation the Lord has us in. Let us not keep struggling with the same sins but let us ask the Lord to change our hearts.
Challenge for today: Confess your sins to God and to seek His higher ways.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

October 4, 2021

October 4, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Today is another beautiful fall day. We were so awed by the colors at the lake yesterday…gorgeous! This morning I made spaghetti pies and went to my exercise class. Grandson Joe got home yesterday from the Marines due to covid and will be going back in January. Thank you for prayers. 
 Devotions from Judy’s heart
It’s so important that we keep in step with the Lord and are on His time table. Sadly, we can jump ahead of Him, and it only makes for stress in our lives and things not working out well. We forget that when we give the Lord our situations He is at work in unseen ways, and we can just trust that in duetime things will work out according to His perfect plan.
I was restless Saturday night as I knew we were going to our former church yesterday since Al was preaching. I continue to pray for several friends in my former Bible Study group and wanted to have time to catch up on their prayer requests etc. I also wanted to see a friend in Assisted Living and another former neighbor and friend who would soon leaving for the winter; that was besides going to our daughter’s for dinner and wanting time with our grandson before he left for the cities. I didn’t sleep so well as I couldn’t figure out how I could fit that all in, but I just knelt by our bed and prayed.
Much to my surprise, we got to Hackensack early enough for me to see my friend in Assisted living and to pray for her. Then when we got to church, I was able to talk to several friends alone who shared some concerns and helped me to know better how to pray. One had even baked my favorite cake and put it in our car, with enough cake to share with our daughter’s family and my friend whose birthday is tomorrow. After we ate dinner, my grandson wanted to go for a walk and it was a time he could share what was happening in his life while walking to see my friend on the next lake. On the way there, we were surprised to see a good friend on the road; when it was time to leave there, my brother and nephew also just happened to see us on the road and stopped their car to visit. I had no idea they were at the lake. As Al and I journeyed home later, I shared with Al what a rich day it had been and God arranged it all. My heart was filled with gratitude and I knew He was working all the while in the unseen.
Today I read from Psalm 77:19 (ESV) when the Israelites were fleeing and trapped between the Egyptians and the Sea, but God provided for them. It says “Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; your footprints were not seen.” We may not know how God is going to work in answer our prayers, and we may not immediately see His footprints, but we can rest assured He is at work. We don’t have to jump ahead as He has got it!
Challenge for today: Commit each day to the Lord and wait for His leading in your life.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

October 2, 2021

October 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying the weekend. More rain today but keeps the grass keeps getting greener. This morning I cleaned the apt and wrote letters and studied. Tomorrow we will be going to church in Hackensack as Al is preaching there. We are going to Ann’s afterwards for dinner and I have a wild blueberry crisp made for us to sample. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Prayer is so important and when we neglect prayer, we can find ourselves lacking peace and feeling distant from God. Then when some difficult circumstance happens to get our attention, we quickly cry out to Him. But why not enjoy the love and peace of being joined with the Lord throughout our day and attentive to His voice of love?
While at our son’s house, I had time in the morning after the grandkids went to school, to just sit quietly looking out on the woods and being with the Lord. It was just good to be in His presence and words weren’t even necessary…just prayer without words.
Sometimes we may barge into the day on a dead run without thought for the Lord. It isn’t long before we are exhausted and feel sorry that we have caused others frustration and also ourselves. Maybe we have overslept and have children to get ready for school but we can still send dart prayers to ask for God’s help.
J.C Rift wrote a little book, A Call to Prayer and challenges all of us to form a habit of daily prayer.
He said that prayer is the mark of a true Christian. When you think of it, how can we call ourselves a follower of the Lord and just not spend time with Him? When we pray, we are in faith committing everything into His hands
The habit of prayer brings us encouragement as well, for we see God at work and in action all around us.
Prayer helps us align ourselves with what God desires for our lives. We seek His will and know that He is the One directing our life.
When we don’t pray, we may become stagnant and backslide and soon we feel distant from Him.
The habit of prayer brings peace, no matter what things are happening in our lives. We may have a big project at work and even though we may not know how we will get it done, committing it into God’s hands helps us quiet our fears and gives us a clearer mind.
I am reminded of what Paul said in Eph. 4:6-7 (ESV), “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Let us form the habit of prayer and live in His peace!
Challenge for today: Spend the first waking moments giving your day to the Lord and share with Him throughout your day.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

October 1, 2021

October 1, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! We started the day with rain and everything is so fresh again. This morning I did food prep and made choc covered raspberries, and blueberry crisp, and got out our Fall decorations. Al joined other men here at Northern Lakes in Fantasy Football and is no#1 right now!!Emoji Of course it may not last. Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Loneliness is on the rise in our culture and there are many that say they have no close friends. Zero! Without close ties with others, it has an effect on our physical and emotional health and leads to feelings of isolation and depression. We have need to be connected with others like family, those we work with, others in our community and church etc. Since many are working remotely now due to COVID 19, so many are left feeling even more lonely.
Some say they are connected because of social media and refer to others as close friends; and yet if you question them farther, you find out they have never met the so-called friends, or had a face-to-face conversation with them.  They may share same views, play games online, be of the same political party etc. but that is mostly just mental togetherness. Such relationships seem to exist only in the imagination rather than in reality.  There are others that are bound together by a common hatred of other groups or movements and they feel joined by things or people they detest. That is not friendship!
Friendship is when we can hug one another, share memories, play games and sports together, worship together and tell one another our stories. 
Jesus was God and He was also human like us and had friendships; he had 12 who he invested his life into and 3 who were his closest companions. One speaker said that if we had one hand full of good friends, five, we would be very rich. They are ones that are honest with us and love us for who we really are. They give more than they take and forgive us when we fail. They believe in us and take time for us and let us know we are important in their lives. Such friends are beautiful gifts from above.
Of course, friendship with God is the most important one of all. Such friendship is deep and dependent on our trust in Him. Do we believe in Him enough to confide in Him and follow His will for our lives? We have Jesus words in John 15:12-13, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus gave His all for us and what more could He give to let us know He loves us and wants to be the friend that sticks closer than a brother. We are never truly alone when we trust in Him.
Challenge for today: Spend time enjoying your friendship with the Lord and then do something special for a friend He has given you.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

September 30, 2021

September 30, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a good day. We are home now and so beautiful out my window with the colors. This morning I got downstairs for donuts and made stew and cookies and bars and blueberry bread and Ann came for an early lunch. Shortly we will be having Bible Study so we are back into our routines again. Thankful to be home again after all the miles on the road.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
What would happen in our world if we demonstrated God’s love and took seriously His command to love others as ourselves? Would the world be changed?
Recently I read an article by writer Melissa Nordell, founder of Strategic Prayer Command Ministries, who shared about the Jesus People Movement that began in Orange County in 1965. It was a dire time during the Vietnam war with riots, anti-war demonstrations and protests. But it was also a time when millions were saved all across America and the world, and huge changes came to churches as barriers were broken down. Hippies in their flowered shirts and bare feet sat next to those in suits and fine gold as they worshiped together. Music also changed, and instead of organs and hymns there was contemporary music with guitars, drums, and keyboards. It all began in CA when Kay Smith and Pastor Chuck Smith started demonstrating love for the hippies. They were welcomed into the life of their church and agape love was spread and lives changed.
We remember those days as Al had completed seminary and we went to our first church in Edina in 1970-1973. Al had no prior experience working with youth, but it began as we met with 3 of the teen girls in the basement and prayed that God would work in hearts.  Our parsonage walkout basement came to be known as Pitstop and we had gatherings each week for the Jr High, High School and college kids. What happened was only the work of the Holy Spirit as young people came to the Lord, got off drugs, and began witnessing to their friends. There were times we had 100 kids in our basement all singing worship songs, and wanting to know more about the Lord. It was truly a sovereign work of God.
But just think of how the Jesus Movement began with just two willing Christians who opened their church to welcome all people with God’s love. His love makes all the difference! The Apostle John wrote in I John 4:7-8 (God’s Word), “Dear friends, we must love each other because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. The person who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, because God is love.” We can’t know God if we don’t love!  God’s love is unconditional and the choice is ours to love and show it with our actions. Let us take God’s command to heart and then watch as His love changes everything.
Challenge for today: Ask God to show you, where selfishness gets in the way of sharing His love, and repent. 
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

September 29, 2021

September 29, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you face this day with anticipation. We spent the night in Albert Lea, and had a relaxing evening with a swim and walk and today we hope to get home….with a stop at Barnes and Noble on our way. Emoji We have enjoyed our time away and it’s always good to get home again too.
Good news Marlene had a false positive so does not have covid. Our grandson, Joe, has covid along with 1/3 of his class of  Marines. He is not real sick but feels like the flu. If he isn’t well in 10 days he will have to go home and start again in January. Please pray! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How well do we listen? The Lord is always speaking but are we listening? He doesn’t speak in a foreign language that we can’t understand but in a voice of grace and mercy. We need to stop and quietly listen, so our hearts can discern what He is saying to us. He told us that He is our Shepherd and that as His sheep we can hear His voice. In John 10:4 (Amplified) it says, “He walks on before them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice.” Sometimes His voice seems barely above a whisper so we have to really dial down and listen. 
I am reading a book by Richard Foster called Sanctuary of the Soul; he shares how we are a dwelling place for God as it says in Eph.2 22 (ESV), “In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” He shares about Teresa of Avila who prayed, “O my Lord, since it seems You have determined to save me…. Don’t you think it would be good …if the inn where you have to dwell continually would not get so dirty?” I identify with her and know my heart needs constant cleansing. It’s not unlike our homes that after we clean, we soon find that there is more dust and dirt to clean up.  
But even in our own transformation process we are totally dependent on the Lord as only He clean up our messes and change our heart. We cannot! When we seek to be quiet and really listen to what He has to say, we need to let go of distractions and release them and surrender to the Lord; that includes all of our worries and cares. What follows is usually a time of confession of all those things that come to light. We let go of our ways and accept whatever the Lord wants for us. Then as we read scripture it is to experience the Lord, not to learn facts but to be attentive to what He has so say. Our spirit is alert and listening and we seek to discern what He is saying to us, which will always be consistent with the Word. Do we always get it right? Probably not but may we have a teachable spirit so we get better at hearing and responding.
Challenge for today: Spend some quiet moments not talking but just listening to the Lord. 
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
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