Category: Whispers (Page 144 of 171)

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying another beautiful day!  This morning I baked cookies on a stick and went downstairs for donut time. We have Bible Study this afternoon and I love all the sharing as we come from different churches and backgrounds. Yesterday afternoon I was pleasantly surprised as a friend from our former church in Hackensack surprised us and came for coffee. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

God has a plan for each of our lives and it is a specific road that He made just for us to travel. We don’t have to compare it with others or confer with them, but stick to what He has prepared for us personally. I was reading from Paul’s letter to the Galatians this morning and says in Gal. 1:15-16 (God’s Word), “But God, who appointed me before I was born and who called me by His kindness, was pleased to show me His Son. He did this so I would tell people who are not Jewish that His Son is the Good News. When this happened, I didn’t talk it over with any other person.”  God’s plan for Paul was determined before he was born to be an apostle to the Gentiles. He didn’t have to see what Peter, James or John were doing but only to stick to what His calling was. In fact, Paul had to make a U turn in his life of persecuting Christians to one that became a believer and sought to win the Gentiles to the Lord. Quite a change for him. Sometimes we have our own plans for our lives and may even choose our life professions on a job that has prestige and praise of men. But if that isn’t what God has planned for our lives, we may have to make a U turn like Paul. If we choose to keep going, we will miss the deep peace of being in His will and may even make others around us miserable. Or maybe we are on the right road but come to a detour when the Lord calls us apart for a season to deposit within us something needful for our journey. Then before long we are soon back on the main road again. When we live to please the Lord, we will be watching for the sign posts and adjust our lives to His plan. When we align our life to God’s will, that’s when we can really relax, stop striving and really enjoy life to the fullest. We will notice the beauty around us, bask in our peaceful surroundings, and enjoy what the Lord has for us. Some Sundays at our church we have a video played of our missionary of the month. What I notice about their families is the joy they exude of being called to a certain country to share the gospel. It isn’t like “poor me and what a hard road we have to travel” but rather “look what we get to do!” Let us live freely and joyfully in the journey God has us on.

Challenge for today: Ask the Holy Spirit to make you sensitive to God’s will in your journey and to adjust when needed.

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a great weekend. The sun is brightly shining today but cooler weather after the rain. I got 2 Mexican pies made and a cherry cheese cake, and went to Aldi’s and my exercise class. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Let us not let anything hold us back from all that God has for our lives. There are times for all of us when we are asked to leave the old behind so we can embrace the new. Is that easy? Most of the time, probably not. Many of us like familiar routine that is comfortable and dislike when it gets disrupted. But often in scripture we see God’s interruptions when He has something new on the horizon for us…like when he came to Abraham and told him to pack up and go to a place where he would show him. Not much to go on but Abraham obeyed God and at age of 75 went as God directed. He left his home country and found a new nation in the land that later became Canaan.

 Sometimes what we have known has worked for a long time but is suddenly disrupted; the Lord is about to change things and we have to let go in order to step into the new that is waiting. I was reminded of that in church yesterday as we are getting blessed with lots of new people coming to check out our church and many of them joining. One couple had been in their former church actively serving for 22 years and now they are being led to leave as the Word of God is being compromised. Another couple moved to our area from a place they have lived for much of their married life and now are looking for a new church. A change is necessary or it would be a two- hour drive to go to their former church. Our son’s family is selling their house and moving in order to accommodate his in-law’s future needs. More changes!

We don’t have to fear change or become anxious when God brings an end to things but we need to trust Him and recognize His hand. It says in Isaiah 43:19 (NRSV), “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” We have to stop living in the past if we are to welcome into our present the good things the Lord is waiting to usher in. We can cooperate or we can complain.  The choice is ours but if we welcome in the new as a gift from the Lord, and don’t hold back, we will enter into a new place of rest.

 Challenge for today: When you sense God is bringing a change into your life, spend time in prayer and ask Him to release you from the old and free you for the new. 

Dear Ones,

Happy early Father’s Day! Hope all you dads reading this have a wonderful day and are honored. We are headed for the lake today and will be celebrating Father’s day early with Ann’s family. Maybe we will get swimming and boating too. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Soon Father’s Day is upon us and the stores are full of shoppers trying to find just the right gift for dad, or at least something he doesn’t have. We all had a father and our hearts remember him on this special day, even if he is no longer with us. We have memories of when we were young and if he was there for us, if he loved us, and if he believed in us. Today there is a crises of fatherhood in America as many fathers have opted out of their role and not been there for their children. It could be through divorce, or business pursuits, or occupational challenges, or irresponsibility etc. 

One of our friends has a 20 year old son who he has not seen since he was 2 as his ex-wife made sure he won’t find his son. Sadly, that son needs to know he has a dad who cares. We all need that assurance that our dad loves us- and it is especially important in middle school when bullying takes place and we are finding out how we fit in. But it matters at any age that our dad is proud of us, and for so many that is lacking. That doesn’t mean that dad’s shouldn’t  discipline us, for it is also important that dads set the boundaries and have consequences if we go beyond them; it is a way of loving and protecting. 

One man sadly told Al that he remembers the very day his dad gave up on him and no longer disciplined him; he felt lost and that his dad didn’t care. I was blessed to have a loving father who I never doubted his love for  me; his arms were always open wide to hugs and love. Al’s dad was absent emotionally and spiritually, although he provided for the physical needs of the family. 

None of us got to choose our dads but if you are a dad reading this, you can choose what kind of dad you want your children to remember. In Eph.6:4 (ESV), we read, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” More than ever today we need fathers who train their children according to God’s ways. But even when we have (or had)  an absent father, we all have a Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally, disciplines us when needed, and believes in us.

Challenge for today: Thank your loving Heavenly Father that He is always present, and  provides all that you need, even if it was lacking in your earthly father

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying the day! This morning I baked a zucchini cake and went downstairs for donut day. This afternoon we have Bible Study that Al leads and tonight I have another Bible Study at church for the women. A rich day! Thank you for prayers as Kurt is better; Brenda is not feeling good though and so continued prayers appreciated.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

The Lord wants our all...that means every part of our lives and not just bits and pieces. When I married Al 56 years ago, I gave him my heart’s affections and willed to be faithful to him as long as we both should live. I have not regretted that decision and it was the second best one I ever made; the first most important decision was to surrender my heart to the Lord. The song comes to mind, “All to Jesus, I surrender, all to Thee I freely give. I will ever love and trust you, in Your presence daily live. I surrender all, I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender. I surrender all.” When we give only pieces of ourselves to the Lord, we miss out on the best He has for us. Sometimes we are busy serving Him, but still not willing to give our all. I read today about the couple who came to Pastor Jamie and were broken and weeping. They felt like the Lord was telling them to give every penny of their money back to Him and so they handed the Pastor a check. It was all the money they had in the world and told the pastor, “We are suppose to give this to you. Do whatever you are suppose to do with it.” Immediately the Holy Spirit spoke to the pastor but he asked the couple if he could do whatever he wanted with it. They nodded and He told them, “I know exactly what the Lord would have me do with this check!” He proceeded to tear up the check in front of them without even looking at the amount. The couple fell to the floor weeping and their life was forever changed from that moment. They obeyed the Lord and gave Him everything; they passed the test and gave Him their all. God knows our hearts and what things we may hold back from Him, and He wants to loosen their hold on us so we can know the joy of loving Him with a surrendered heart. Jesus said in Matt. 16:25 (God’s Word), “Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will find them.” Let us not hold back anything from the Lord!

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to reveal any area you have been unwilling to surrender and give that over to Him.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

The Bible is the most important book ever written and it has power to change us and transform our lives. It is our daily nourishment and our guidebook to show us how to live.  If we embrace the Word and practice what we read, mountains would be moved.  We can’t even imagine the luscious spiritual fruit that would result! Our hearts are like the soil in a garden and when the seed of the Word falls on our soil, we’d like to say our soil is always good but I for one, cannot say that. Perhaps we can find ourselves in all 4 soils but at different times. Jesus told His disciples the meaning of the 4 soils in Luke 8:11-15. The seed that fell on the road are those that hear the Word but Satan snatches it away. Maybe we have sat through church but never really heard and took to heart the message because we were preoccupied. Or like the rocky gravel soil, we heard and got excited about what God was saying; but then things got hard, we lacked faith to continue to persevere and believe. Or like thorny weedy soil we remain immature because the cares and anxieties of the world crowd out the seed. Of course, the seed in the good soil is when we listen to the Word and hold on patiently no matter what the cost, until we see fruit. I loved living in Brunswick and from my study window of the parsonage, I looked out on a field and beautiful woods. The Senior group helped me plant a large garden and most every day I took some time to weed it. Sometimes the bunnies would be in and out of the rows as well. The farmers came often to inspect my garden and said I had the cleanest garden in the county but it was because I loved to be out there in the sunshine and surrounding beauty. If I neglected to weed, even for a short time, it would become obvious and the plants would fail to thrive. We need to take care of the weeds in our spiritual gardens and uproot whatever hinders our growth. To have good soil we need to internalize the Word, let it challenge us and instruct us, guide and encourage us, and convict and teach us. May we attentively take care of the soil of our hearts.

Challenge for today: Spend some time letting the Word sink deeply into the soil of your garden.

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a great weekend! You will hear more about ours in today’s devotion. This morning I made choc chip cookies and went to Aldi’s and my exercise class. Looks like  our walk on the trail won’t be as hot today!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

The Lord is our Source, our strength, and all that we will ever need. Other things fade into the background when He is the center of our life. I was reading from a devotional book by Billy Graham and He stresses how the Lord must be uppermost in our lives and how important it is for us to trust Him to lead us. He said, “You can be miserable with much, if you are out of His will; but you can have peace in your heart with a little, if you are in the will of God. You can be wretched with wealth and fame, out of His will; but you can have joy in obscurity, if you are in the will of God. You can have agony in good health, out of His will; but you can be happy in the midst of suffering if you are in God’s will. You can be miserable and defeated in the midst of acclaim, if you are out of His will; but you can be calm and at peace in the midst of persecution, as long as you are in the will of God.” Our joy, our peace is conditional on being in the center of His will.  Like the familiar song goes, “Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.” When we do our own will we are robbed of the joy that would be ours if we went God’s way. David prayed often that the Lord would teach him to do God’s will. He said in Psalm 25:4-5 (ESV), “Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” It’s wonderful to give the Lord our day when we wake up and willingly go in the way He directs into. When we have open hearts and minds and listen for the Holy Spirit to direct us, we have no idea what the day will hold. Early on Saturday I told the Lord a few things I would like to do, but asked Him to lead us as we were going to the lake. I surprised a friend in Assisted Living in Hackensack as she had not read my e-mail. We had time to catchup and pray together. Then on to Camp to see the family of Jodi, whose young hubby recently died. They were having a family reunion and we had time to hear the details of how God went with them through this hard experience. After that we got to see neighbors who we haven’t seen since last fall and then time with our own family down by the lake with a beautiful breeze. The day was a joy filled one and God arranged so we could see so many in one day. Let us not miss what He has for us by demanding our own way.

Challenge for today: Give the Lord your day and be open to all that He has for you, even if it isn’t what you had in mind