Category: Whispers (Page 143 of 171)

Dear Ones,

Hope you are having a blessed day. Yesterday we  had a day of good rain  and it was so needed. This morning I made egg dishes and went to Aldi’s and my exercise class. This afternoon is crafts and tonight we have Bible Study at church.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Isn’t it nice to have good friends that we know us so well that we can just talk freely and not be concerned about weighing our words? They know our hearts and are reading them, more than the exact words we speak. I learned something new while reading Michael Casey’s take on Mark 11:23 that when it says, “Amen I say to you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and cast into the sea’ and does not judge in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, so it will be for him.” The meaning is for us not to spend too much time weighing up the possibilities before making the request. Just say it! We don’t have to filter our prayers but simply be real and speak to the Lord what is on our hearts. We are told to boldly come before His throne of grace and come just as we are. No sense in saying fake prayers that sound beautiful but are not spoken in truth but in pretense. We don’t have to think about how our prayers and petitions sound to others or if we follow some formula given, but just speak to the Lord from our hearts. When Al and I were at Bible School in California, there was a new student who had recently come to the Lord. The stories of the Bible we had heard since we were kids in Sunday school were new to her, and she prayed with her heart fully engaged. She was excited over the miracles, and talked to the Lord like she was sitting right next to Him and so personally. My own heart was convicted by listening to her prayers. We should never let our relationship with the Lord get trite and old hat, but new and real. We are invited to pray for the impossible, and to keep on praying and not lose heart.  We can let God know all our needs and leave the results up to Him. We are completely dependent on the One who can read our hearts, listens to us and answers, and loves us beyond measure.

Challenge for today: The next time you feel angry or out of sorts, be real and pray without filtering your words. knowing that God is reading your heart.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

In my younger years, I was very afraid of storms since we were often at the lake when they occurred and we had no safe place to go for cover. Our cabin was without a foundation and rested on pillars. We were in some bad storms and I wondered at times if the cabin would be blown away. But later in life the Lord healed me and one day I realized I didn’t get that awful feeling in the pit if my stomach anymore when the sky grew black. I felt peace. That could only be Him! 

Today there is a bigger storm on our horizon as the world around us is in chaos and people are shaken. With the pandemic, civil unrest, riots, wars, famines, earthquakes and floods, people are despairing and many even taking their own lives. So, what is the Lord saying to the church and how can we make a difference? I was reading an article by Lavinia Spirito who writes about the Signs of the Times. She said the church has become complacent and accommodating the world, and pastors are burning out and preaching what itching ears want to hear rather than the truth. Sin is no longer called sin and truth is becoming relative. Yes, the storm is coming and is maybe already here, and we need to be prepared, vigilant, and ready. As Paul said in I Thess. 5:6 (ESV), “So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” There will be coming persecution and purification and those who know the Lord will have to take a stand. We need to stay awake and have our lamp lit with extra oil (oil being a symbol of our relationship with Him), for the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, and judgment is coming. We are to shake off our slumber and complacency. We are also to seek out like minded believers and stand together. We are first of all children of God and joined by His love and not political parties. We were not meant to go alone but join others in the Body of Christ. Our mission to be like “agents behind enemy lines”, sharing the Lord and helping others. We are to ask the Lord what He is saying to us and to let go of those things that stand in our way of obedience to Him. It will be more important than ever to be reading the Word and eating spiritual food. Spirito warns us to watch our words, to put on the armor of God daily and pray much. The church will become smaller as we face hard times and go through the sifting process, but what will remain will be the Church of faith that can’t be shaken.

Challenge for today: Takes steps to prepare for the storm and strengthen your faith so you will be able to stand together with other in Christ. 

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying this holiday weekend and looks to be a nice sunny day today, but maybe not tomorrow. We are soon leaving for the cabin and stopping on the way to see a friend. My niece and her daughter are coming for coffee when we arrive and then brother and wife are coming for lunch. I am quite sure this afternoon will be swimming and then a picnic supper at the Point. We plan to stay overnight and go to The Lighthouse on Sunday. A full weekend! 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Let Freedom reign! As we approach Independence Day celebration, we are reminded of our freedom won, not just of our nation, but of the freedom we have in the Lord. Paul says in Gal. 5:1 (God’s Word), “Christ has freed us so that we may enjoy the benefits of freedom. Therefore, be firm in this freedom and don’t become slaves again.” There was a tremendous cost to Jesus for our freedom but it is not to be spent on ourselves to do whatever we feel like it, whatever makes us happy at the time, but as he goes on to say in verse 13, “You were indeed called to be free, brothers and sisters. Don’t turn this freedom into an excuse for your corrupt nature to express itself. Rather, serve each other through love.” We were meant to love others and to find ways to serve them and win them to the Lord. The Message translation says that is how freedom grows. Paul further goes on to explain that we need to live our lives freely and motivated by the Spirit. We are not meant to live for ourselves but as the Holy Spirit directs us. Then life becomes so liberating and exciting as we let go of self-interest and live for God and to serve others.

If you think about it, aren’t the happiest people you know unselfish and looking for ways to help others? One friend from a church where Al was interim for a while, e-mails me of her joy as she works with the youth. When we were at the church and she was asked to give the children’s sermons, she responded by saying how blessed she was that she had that privilege. (I must admit I was relieved that I would not have to do it!)  She was prepared each Sunday and since then she has become in charge of Sunday school, youth group, VBS etc. She doesn’t consider it a chore but a delight and she gives of herself tirelessly and enthusiastically. It is not “I have to” as I sometimes feel but it is “I get to do this!” What an example she is to me and I’m sure to others too. 

 When we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow with obedience, there is wonderful fruit that is produced in our lives like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. May we all experience the wonderful freedom of going God’s way.

Challenge for today: Set aside your will and ask the Lord to help you freely serve others in love.

Dear Ones,

Happy Holiday weekend! Hope you have a wonderful one. We will be going to the cabin tomorrow along with lots of relatives, some of whom are already up at the lake. Looking forward to that time together. This morning I made bars, wrote letters,  cleaned our apt. and did some packing.  

Devotions from Judy’s heart

As we read scripture we are often challenged to change, to strip off some old attitude and behavior, and to become more like Christ. Jesus had a way of calling our attention to honest faith in ordinary people and showing us the contrast of our own hypocrisy like that of the Pharisees. We remember the woman who touched the hem of his robe in faith that she would be healed. Or the “sinful woman” who poured perfume over Jesus’ feet in love etc. Jesus had just told his disciples about the dangers of the Pharisees whose faith focused on the rules and outward behavior. He and His disciples then sat by the temple treasure and observed as a poor woman put in her offering of the two smallest coins. (The treasury was the place where donations were made for the upkeep of the temple) I wonder if the disciples thought, why this woman even bothered with such a small amount. Pastor Kyle Norman writes how Jesus’ comment must have surprised his disciples when He said in Luke 21:3-4 (ESV), “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” The widow didn’t call attention to herself but silently put in her offering with a heart longing for God. The Pharisees on the other hand, wanted to put on a big display so others would think well of him. 

Kyle mentions how big displays, even in times of worship today can mask our self-righteousness. We want to pray a perfect prayer, or praise from others more than from the Lord. Jesus wasn’t saying we all need to give away everything we own but wants us to notice that the widow was in essence, casting herself on the grace of God. It was not the amount of the gift but her heart focus. We can give thousands of dollars to the Lord but if it is disconnected from our faith, it does little good. Whether we give our time, money or talents it should represent the giving of ourselves and is a personal investment. The Lord looks at our heart. After seeing her offering, the disciples remark about the magnificent stones of the temple. The widow’s offering would be used for its ongoing glory but Kyle cautions us about having grandiose worship sites when they come at the expense of helping the poor. It’s not about focusing on the beauty of the church but also on providing for those outside.

 Hopefully this portion of scripture will cause us some self-reflection as we ask ourselves if we are more concerned about our own glory than His. Or do we think we are blessed in proportion to our worldly greatness? May we become more aware of our spirit in giving than in the dollar amount!

Challenge for today: Give to the Lord from a humble heart of faith and love.

 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Life was meant to be lived fully with joy and grace. As children of God, we are people of hope and can enjoy each day as a gift from the Lord. That doesn’t mean everything in our lives is perfect but that our joy is found in  Him. Our culture is one of pleasure seeking but the results are not good if the pursuit of pleasure is separate from God. If it is sought in drugs, sex, and gluttony etc. we will come up empty. Trying to manufacture joy apart from Him leaves us bored and lacking in meaning. But, when we experience God, we can’t help but experience joy for He is the giver of joy. I have been in fellowship groups where we spent the whole evening laughing and went home refreshed and renewed. One time our church gave us a party on Bear Island and the whole evening was filled with so much joy and laughter that the party group in the next room thought we were all drunk. When they found out it was a Christian group, it must have changed their outlook on dull Christians! But even Christians sometimes have trouble enjoying the gifts that God gives us. I know there are times I remind myself to slow down and enjoy the moment, enjoy what is happening right now in the present. Eugene Peterson writes about pleasure and shares how King Solomon was a very wise king and had everything he could possibly imagine and indulge in. But he was also foolish and said in Eccl. 2:1(ESV) “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” He pursued pleasure and arranged the world around him and indulged in everything imaginable. Pleasure became an idol and it did not bring joy; instead, King Solomon ended up saying, in Eccl. 2:11, “I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” None of us can purchase pleasure but simply enjoy the gifts God gives us. Our desire must be for God and then we can enjoy the gifts of life that he gives us, as long as, we don’t make a god out of them. Peterson also says we can’t purchase pleasure for joys are given to us freely by God and our part is to receive them. We can’t earn them or hoard them or accumulate them but rather we can be generous with them. When we share them, our own soul is enlarged as we practice giving them away. If we want to live joyfully let us receive His gifts and give thanks.

Challenge for today: Spend some time thanking the Lord for the joy of the pleasures He has given you. 

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a great weekend and time to be refreshed. We got some much needed rain and now the sun is trying to peek out. This morning I made some egg dishes and went to my exercise class but had to postpone going to Aldi’s as it was storming then.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I hope we all have asked the question, “Who am I?”; not who I appear to others on the surface, not who others expect me to be, but the real me.  We live in a very superficial culture today, with so many living shallow lives, presenting only the best side of ourselves that we might put on Facebook. But do we know ourselves, not by looking in the mirror but by being transparent? That means discarding our fig leaves and expressing our authentic selves, rather than living by the expectations of others or how we want ourselves to appear. This self-acceptance also means that we will become aware of the shadows in our lives, the hidden dark things, without having to dress up to look better; that is very humbling.

As I have written in the past, I desire not to be self-conscious but my authentic self, who God made me to be. I like what Thomas Merton said, “Unless we discover this deep self, which is hidden with Christ in God, we will never know ourselves as persons, nor will we know God. For it is by the doors of this deep self that we enter into the spiritual knowledge of God.” It is tempting to just remain superficial but when we play roles like actors, it really is sin for we become alienated from God. How much better to simply be ourselves as we are in God’s sight and be like a window that His light can shine through.  That means that we need to continually die to our false self that wants to be in charge and maintain control without interference from others or even God. But as we get in touch with our true self and are willing to let false self go, we will see our own miserable condition and seek God’s grace and mercy.  God loves us even in our messes and none of it blocks His love from us. But He wants us to be honest, to let go of our superficial ego that wants to live for ourselves, and instead live in the freedom and love that He extends to us. Let our prayer be that of Michael Casey’s in his chapter on The Grace of Self-knowledge, “Loving Father, You have created us in your own image so that we might come to know you and love you. Help us to live in the truth of what you have designed us to be, casting away all falsehood and delusion and living in the freedom that belongs to your children. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen!”

Challenge for today: Ask for God’s grace to die to your own ego and let your true self emerge.

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying this weekend and getting refreshed. This  morning I cleaned the apartment, shopped, and wrote letters. This afternoon Al and I are going to Culver’s for flavor of the day! Every two weeks or so, Al takes me there for a treat  !

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We cannot live by our feelings and let our emotions rule but rather do what is right in God’s sight. It seems our culture today is running on feelings and doing whatever it takes to feel good…but look at the fall out! As Christians it is the Lord who has the final say and He won’t ask us to do anything that goes against His word, even if we think it will feel good at the time. Our granddaughter Lily just turned 17 and is passionate about soccer. She is on a traveling team plus varsity team and was named All-Midwest regional High School team and honorable mention All American team. Lily can’t live by her feelings as she has to play soccer in all kinds of weather and adverse conditions. Recently she has had to play in temperatures near 100 degrees and other times it could be in rain, wind and cold. The team doesn’t vote on if they want to go to St. Louis, Arizona, or Florida etc. on the weekend: they go to where ever the game is scheduled. Lily has to watch what she eats before a game and choose the right carbs; after the game her parents reward her with her favorite foods. Lily doesn’t hold back when she plays but has her eye fixed on the goal; that helps her not to get distracted and to do her best in practices and persevere at game time. Sometimes she might be playing with some pain but she doesn’t give in and plays to win. Of course, there are times her team loses, but they can’t let their feelings take over and think of themselves as losers; instead they seek ways they can improve and win next time.

Isn’t our Christian walk like that as we can’t go by our feelings but trust our Coach? He knows best and puts us in the best position for the gifts He has given us. All members on the team are important and need to do the job assigned to them. We are to watch what we consume and not to partake of things that are not healthy for our spiritual lives. We will experience difficult things but we are not to be quitters. We also shouldn’t get so busy doing things we aren’t called to do, or we will not be in the place of importance that God has given us. We are to keep our eyes on the goal and not get distracted. Like Paul said in I Cor. 9:26-27 (The Message), “I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.” May all of us listen to our Coach for one day we will spend eternity with Him and the whole team!

Challenge for the day: Ask the Lord to obey His promptings even when you may not feel like it.