Category: Whispers (Page 159 of 171)

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. We had church virtually yesterday even though we all gathered together, our pastor’s son was sick so his family stayed home as a precaution. Today I made cookies and a big pot of chicken stew.  I had trouble with my computer again yesterday and they think it is in the hardware. I ordered a new computer and when it comes I will be without a computer for a few days while they transfer things over to my new one… so no devotions on those days.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We all like to think of ourselves as honest and truthful but are we that way with God? Do we pray and tell Him what we think He wants to hear or do we tell it like it is? Jesus was very open with His Father and expressed all kinds of emotions like grief, anguish, anger, compassion etc. Since He didn’t suppress what He was feeling inside, neither should we, for after all He knows even our thoughts. It is helpful to own our emotions, even negative ones, and welcome them as a guest for they tell us a lot about ourselves. They are like an alarm that goes off as the Lord is trying to tell us something. As we learn from them, we can then release them and say farewell, knowing the Lord is seeking to draw us closer to Him. Of course, we’d all love to live continually in deep connection with the Lord, experiencing joy and peace and sensing the warmth of His love.  But there may be times when we go through what is called desolation or a dark night when we feel isolated from God and others. Saint Teresa lived for 50 years in spiritual darkness, feeling cold and forgotten, but she walked by faith and didn’t let her feelings control. She let go her images of God and served Him with much love.  We may not go through a dark night but we sometimes go through times of confusion and wonder what is God up to. Certainly, Job must have wondered that when so many catastrophic things happened to him and his family…but He still trusted even though He didn’t understand at the time.  Or what if we were in Joseph’s place and trying to make sense of Mary’s pregnancy when he knew the child was not his; yet He obeyed the angel’s message and followed God’s leading. The more we grow in the Lord, the more we realize we don’t know. There is so much that remains a mystery and may not be explained to us, but one day we will know.  For now, our part is simply to keep moving forward with the Lord, even if it is baby steps, and all the while, trusting Him. May our prayer be as Paul’s in Eph. 1:17 (God’s Word), “I pray that the glorious Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Christ better. Then you will have deeper insight. You will know the confidence that He calls you to have and the glorious wealth that God’s people will inherit. “

Challenge for today: Be honest with the Lord and trust Him in things you don’t yet understand.

Dear Ones,

Hope you are having a good weekend. I went to our Women’s Bible study at church this morning and enjoyed the time of study and fellowship. Our son Kurt and Bo stopped by last night on their way to the Silver Chateau and so good to catch up with them. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We are all invited into a deeper relationship with the Lord as we respond to His grace. He loves when we notice His presence in the ordinary things of our day and respond like children who delight in the wonder of it all. It helps to be mindful and to live in the present moment and not let our past use up our day. Sometimes we go on autopilot and miss what the Lord is presently wanting us to see in the now. It is easy to slide into a comfortable mode where we sleepwalk through the present, but we blow our opportunity to experience the exciting things He has planned for us. Isn’t it our own egos that get in the way when we think we might miss out if we go God’s way, but that is a lie?  God’s agenda may be different than ours but it is a whole lot more exciting and satisfying. Our way is often to increase our self-image or self-gratification and if we trace its roots, it may go back to unmet needs in our childhood. We’ve all had positive and negative experiences and we need to need to invite the Lord into the broken places and let Him heal us. Otherwise we end up with ego obsessions and act impulsively and life becomes all about us. How much better to acknowledge those things and give them to the Lord and let Him transform us. Perhaps when we think of a deepening relationship with the Lord, we feel we have to memorize more scripture, pray more, go to church more; and although all of this is good, our spiritual lives are really about love. The Pharisees were good at keeping rules, tithing, and memorizing but they left out love. We also can do many things for the Lord but do it out of duty. The Lord wants us to do things from a heart of love which isn’t based on warm toasty feelings but a willingness to forgive and keep our hearts open. What follows affects how we live for we will respond to the needs of others around us with love. In I Cor. 16:14 (NRSV) it says “Let all that you do be done in love.” As I read today, our spiritual progress is measured by the size of our hearts. Let us live in the present moment with our hearts open wide to His love.

Challenge for today: Give your day to the Lord and accept His invitation in love.

Dear Ones,

Hope your day is full of peace. Another beautiful sunny day and I love to watch the sunrise from my study window, and by the time we finish our walk the sun is setting again. Today I did food prep and studied and this afternoon Al is having a friend from church over so I plan to go shopping. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

It seems like Christmas is near when we begin hearing the Christmas carols played or sing them in church. They tell the story of the nativity and some carols go back hundreds of years. But haven’t you wondered who wrote them and what the circumstances were behind them at that time they were written?  On Crosswalk.com I read how several of them came about. Take the carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” which was written by a young abolitionist preacher, Phillips Brooks, who was an Episcopal priest. He gave the funeral address for President Abraham Lincoln but he was more well known for writing this Christmas carol. Because he was very tired from the years of war and wanting to find some peace, he decided to take a sabbatical to visit the Holy Land. He was moved to write a few lines of the poem while looking out over Bethlehem at night. The town looked so insignificant and the words came to him, “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie. Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, a silent star goes by.” It wasn’t until years later that he continued to complete the poem and Lewis Redner, his organist, wrote the music. The Children’s choir in his church was the first to perform it and the verse was added to hymnals as one of their favorites at Christmas. Later salvation through the song was brought to Helen Keller, who at that time was not even born. Being blind and deaf she later met Pastor Brooks who explained the gospel to her for the first time through her teacher and translator. She responded saying, “I’ve always known there was a God, but until now I’ve never known His name.” I have not thought before of what the third verse would mean to a deaf and blind person but it seemed to perfectly fit such a one as Helen. “How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.” In a spiritual sense we are all blind and deaf until we receive the Christ Child. Let us open our hearts anew to Him at this Christmas time.

Challenge for today: Thank God for the gift of His Son and proclaim His birth to others.

Dear Ones,

The sun is shining and it is a gorgeous day for MN wintertime. We love our afternoon walk! This morning I did food prep, studied and began to work in my closet to pass on things I don’t wear. This afternoon we are going to Culvers for ice cream! 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Are we good receivers or is it easier to be givers? Some find it harder to receive and may feel beholding to someone who gives them something big. Others may receive an unexpected gift but feel unworthy and undeserving. Recently a friend stopped in with a gift of candy and a card for Al and me in appreciation for helping her when she was in need. When I opened the card, I didn’t realize until after she left that a $50 bill slipped out and fell to the floor. We were not expecting anything in return and she so wisely wrote that we could use it to pay ahead for someone else who may be in need. But with the Lord, He desires that we be good receivers of His love, regardless of how we feel. None of us are worthy or have performed so well that we are deserving, but the important thing is what He wants to do in us. We read in Rom.8:32 (ESV), ”He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” The Lord desires to give us Himself and fill us with His love. The most important thing is being there with Him to receive. There isn’t anything we can bring Him except ourselves, which reminds me of the words from the hymn, Rock of Age…”Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling. Naked come to Thee for dress. Helpless look to Thee for grace.” God loved us in our nakedness, our nothingness; He loved us into existence and He wants to share Himself with us. It’s good to realize we have to come as empty vessels, knowing we have nothing to offer Him, so that He can fill us. We have only to think of Mary at this Christmas time, who was just a young girl and had nothing to give…only she offered herself. She said yes and so willingly carried Jesus. We have to also come to Him empty of ourselves and freely receive what He has to give us and respond in love. Let us be good receivers!

Dear Ones,

Hope you are having a joy-filled day! Every day is a gift from the Lord. This morning I did food prep and went to Aldi’s and also watched a church service my brother gave on Sunday which was a blessing. Since Al preached most  Sundays I have rarely gotten to hear my older brother preach (YoutubeSalemChurchofDarmstadtEvansvilleIll).

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Isn’t it easy to see the faults in others but fail to see the faults in ourselves? Jesus had something to say about that when He spoke to the crowd in the Sermon on the Mount and warns us. He says in Luke 6:41-42 (ESV), “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck that is in your brother’s eye.” Mark Roberts has written about this passage on crosswalk.com and his words are helpful and challenging.  We first have to deal with our own negative stuff before we can see clearly to help another. He calls it splinter removal. If we don’t deal with our own logs, we can come across to another as prideful and self-righteous and full of envy. In fact, we have no right to deal with the splinters in others if we don’t take care of our own sins, bad habits, etc. Only after that can we see clearly to help others and do it with humility and kindness. When we have a deep loving relationship with them and share our own logs and how God has helped us, they may be more open to see the splinter in their own eyes. Roberts says to deal with one splinter at a time and not say, “Oh by the way, there are other things that you need to change!” Our motivation must be love and compassion and it is important to hang in there with them. Instead of disappearing after the splinter removal, encourage them and tell them we want the best for them and will be praying for them.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord for help to deal with the log in your own eye and then be open to help others.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Even though we are limited in so many ways because of COVID, I suspect we may still get stressed out over Christmas preparations. The Prince of Peace has come but how do we make room for Him and rest in His peace during this holy holiday time. I read an article in Just Between Us magazine by Tara Furman an Lisa Grimes and they gave some hints of how we can do that. Of course, there are hundreds of suggestions online of fun things to do and things to make, but why not make Christmas time special without wearing ourselves out. We can focus on what needs to be done and keep simple in our decorating and our meal preparations; even store-bought food served in a pretty dish can make it special, or we can choose recipes that have only five ingredients. We don’t have to be elaborate! Why not decorate early and put the manger scene in a prominent place to be reminded often of what Christmas is really about. All the planning ahead and doing things beforehand will save us stress. Shopping for our loved ones can be done throughout the year or online as we listen to what their wishes may be. It helps to have an appetizer or dessert in the freezer so friends can be invited in on the spur of the moment for coffee and fellowship. I like to do my Christmas cards early and it is a wonderful feeling when they are in the mail. But in all of our preparations, let us not short change our time with the Lord. We need time with Him each day and it affects our behavior and how we respond to others around us. We can miss the real meaning of Christmas when we buy into the world’s frantic way of celebrating and buying. Let us not get distracted and stressed but keep our focus on the Lord whose birth changed everything. As it says in II Cor. 4:18 (God’s Word), ” We don’t look for things that can be seen but for things that can’t be seen. Things that can’t be seen last forever.”

Challenge for today: Make a list of things that need to be done and another list of what might be fun, only if there is time.

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying the weekend. I cleaned the apartment and did some more wrapping of gifts this morning. It’s our son’s big 50th birthday today and we wish we could be in Kansas to celebrate with him. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Do our lives reflect the Lord and express God’s love to our family and those around us? Or do our children see a dichotomy in our life that gets so excited over a football game but views spiritual things as boring? What we store in our hearts comes out in our lives even though it may be unspoken. Growing up, my folks didn’t give us kids the impression that going to church was something they had to do but that they got to do….and it wasn’t just Sunday morning but Sunday evening and Wed. evening also. It was like the rhythm of their lives. I saw my mom often reading the Word and at times on her knees praying. For all of us our lives are like mini sermons that people observe and witness. What comes across to others is our attitude and the way we live. Jesus’ life reflected His Father in every way and He spent time alone with Him but then returned to the world. He often went away to pray and then went back to healing, preaching, and training His disciples. He was love and He lived love. In order for us to express His love and joy, we need to spend time with Him and surround ourselves with reminders of Him throughout our day. That will be different for each of us. When I took out our Christmas decorations, I found a cross-stitched Christmas sampler with the Hendrickson name on that a friend had made for us. Now when we are in our dining area and see that picture, I think of her. I also took out a beautiful Christmas medallion that a friend gave us last year and I think of her and pray for her ministry. Even more, we need various things around us that call us back to remember the Lord during our day. We have a cross in nearly every room that helps us focus on Him. We also have a large picture above our table of the Prodigal son that reminds us of our daily need of the Lord. Maybe for you it is a plaque with a scripture verse put in a prominent place; but whatever it is let it bring your attention back to the Lord in your busy day.  As David said in Psalm 62:5 (ESV), “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” May the outflow of our time alone with the Lord spill out with His love for others.

Challenge for today: Put reminders of the Lord around your house that will bring your focus back to Him.

Dear Ones,

Happy Weekend! Hope you can enjoy this mild weather and take walks in nature. The house is full of aroma as I have been baking cookies and doing food prep this morning. We plan to go get meat from a rancher this afternoon and get our walk in.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We really live in a post Christian time and that is getting more and more evident in our culture. Faith in God is being rejected by so many and truth is now being accepted as what those who rule decide and how they define reality. But isn’t freedom to live in God’s truth and accept the responsibility that comes with it? One person or group does not decide truth for us, or they would be like gods. Has faith in God been replaced with faith in man? Around us we see so much loneliness and social unrest and people less connected. There are many false narratives floating around and even Christians are falling prey to them. Just because we were born into a certain social order doesn’t make us oppressors as each one of us has dignity because we are God’s creation.  And each one of us is a sinner in need of grace.  We can’t change hearts to make people more giving and loving to others, but we can express God’s love and make a difference. Let us not endorse any justice program that denies Biblical truth. We can all practice social justice as it is the right thing to do and if it is line with the Bible. No government should legislate laws that are unjust and undermine God’s truth. There are those that believe that Christianity is an enemy of social justice; but Rod Dreher writes that the truth is that Christian social justice creates conditions of unity that enables all people (rich and poor) to live in solidarity and mutual charity. He says, “No social order that denies sin, erecting structures or approving practices that alienate man from his Creator, can ever be just.” All of us should work for social justice and show mercy and compassion, but let us practice it Biblically as Jesus would want us to. He says in Matt. 25:40(NIV), “The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Let us be His hands and feet and express His love to all.

Challenge for today: Do something kind for someone who would be unable to pay you in return.

Dear Ones,

Hope you are having a wonderful day. We can hardly believe another day without snow and so pleasant for walking. I spent the morning writing and studying and feel like a student again. So nice to have this time of quiet and not so many “have to” things. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

There is so much fear in our world today and fear keeps us from living the life the Lord has for us. Jesus said many times, “Fear not” and had to remind his disciples and also us today that He is present in the midst of whatever storms we are going through and will take care of us. My heart was saddened when we got a Christmas card from an elderly person who has not been to church since March and rarely goes out of her apt for fear of getting the virus. We are all into practice distancing and take precautions, but we can still live in peace as we trust in the Lord. Yesterday though, I reacted out of fear when I got an e-mail; it was from Yahoo telling me it was a final reminder to sign in to some prior agreement or I would not be able to receive my e-mails or send out. I was just getting ready to send out my devotion for the day and in haste I gave them my password. But something didn’t seem right to me in my spirit and I couldn’t shake it, so I forwarded the message on to our son. He quickly responded and said it was a scam and to get a new password immediately. So that is what I did and I was sorry I had reacted out of fear. In Isaiah 41:10 (AMPC) it says, “Fear not (there is nothing to fear), for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My (victorious) right hand of rightness and justice.” Even as the days get darker in our world the Lord has promised to support us and strengthen us for whatever we have to go through. He doesn’t want us to go around fearful and anxious but at peace in Him. Let us give Him any anxious thoughts that weigh on our hearts, any what ifs, and in faith trust Him. Then we can have “peace at all times and in all ways and under all circumstances and conditions, whatever comes. (II Thess. 3:16)

Challenge for today: When anxious thoughts come to mind, begin to praise the Lord and thank Him that He is in charge.