Category: Whispers (Page 31 of 164)

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake with peace-filled thoughts. I woke with a praise song going over and over again.  This morning, I plan to go to Women’s Bible Study and then this afternoon we are having friends over for coffee and fellowship.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Our thoughts are very important for it says in Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it.” We are to guard our hearts aggressively and to choose our thoughts, filling our minds with what is good and true. What we think about has a direct effect on our body, especially our heart, for it communicates with our brain and influences our emotions and body. Dr. Don Colbert wrote on Crosswalk.com about how our heart rate is influenced by our emotions and attitudes and when we are anxious or frustrated and fearful our heart rate becomes erratic and disordered. But when we have positive emotions like appreciation, joy and love our heart patters have highly ordered patterns and a reduction of stress. Dr. Colbert shares an illustration that impressed me of how important our thoughts are. I will share his words.

Challenge for today: Quickly catch yourself when you start thinking negative thoughts and ask the Lord to help you think His thoughts!

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

We may all need reminders to be in God’s rhythm for our lives and the season he has us in. When I was at a gathering one day, the talk was about how tired we get of the different seasons for they had been in a store all decorated for Christmas with Christmas music playing and it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet. By the time Christmas actually arrives, it’s like ho-hum when it should be joyful expectation. When I was a child, we had real Christmas trees and we certainly didn’t decorate before Thanksgiving. When Al and I went to Saint Scholastica I was impressed about their way of absorbing more fully the Christmas message. There was a Christmas tree just before the entrance into the chapel and below the tree, there were added gradually one more symbol of the Christmas story. It wasn’t until Christmas eve that they put baby Jesus in the manger and there were days of anticipation beforehand.

Let’s not rush through life for it is too precious. When we die, what do we want people to remember of us by. Certainly not that we kept a perfect house, or we were always on time because we rushed everywhere; or that we were so dedicated to our job that we were rarely home. Jesus didn’t rush and sometimes people were healed as he went to minister to someone else, because he paused on his way. We have time to do all that God calls us to do. As it says in I John 2:17, “And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.”

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

If we are serious about being transformed into the image of Christ, we will arrange our life around Him and learn a life of love. We release our thoughts to go to Him and let ourselves be loved by Him. Actually, we will find we become more loving and experience His love as we abide in Him, not by hearing another sermon or reading another book. The Greek word for abide means to make our home in Him, remain or stay. In other words, it is where our minds seem to go when we are awake and have free time, where our thoughts seem to be rooted. It doesn’t seem to happen naturally but rather takes practice to continually abide in the Lord and be present to Him. It takes some retraining of our minds and hearts so we can learn to rest in Him. We will have to slow down and take time to live more in rhythm with Him and relate in ways beyond words.

Becoming like Jesus is a slow process and it something more done to us than what we do. It is God’s work in us. We surrender and He forms us into being more like Him and it is all grace. Before Jesus death he prayed in John 17 that we would believe and be one with Him and He in us and brought into complete unity. In a nutshell Comer is saying that spiritual formation is “the process of being formed into a person of self-giving love through deepening surrender to and union with the Trinity.” Let us become a person who is pervaded by the love of Jesus!

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

I loved what I read today from Psalm 116 as the writer is expressing love for the Lord because He hears his voice and listens. Yes, the Lord really listens to us! In fact, He even bends his ear towards us and listens intently. The Psalmist was in a troubled spot and sounds desperate and didn’t know which way to turn as death stared him in the face. But he knew what to do for He called out to God for help to save his life. He remembers how gracious and compassionate the Lord is and would make things right. Therefore, he could relax and rest in His presence.

Haven’t we all had times when we have felt weak or panic-stricken and we call out to the Lord to help us.  As we express our thankfulness to Him, we can give him our burdensome load and experience His wonderful peace. We might say, Lord, I feel so much lighter, now that you are carrying my load and I am set free to do your will.

Today I also read Psalm 57 when David is hiding from King Saul in a cave and felt like he was surrounded by fierce lions; but he is confident the Lord has heard him, and he desires to sing and give thanks and praise to the Lord.  Can we do that when we are in a tight place, be so sure the Lord has heard that we praise and worship Him, before we know the outcome. Let us place our full trust in Him.

 

How about our life, does it reflect the One we serve, and do we make a difference where the Lord has planted us? Have we a sense of purpose and want to bless others or do we seek whatever we think will make us happy? The truth is that when we only think of ourselves our world becomes very small, confining and disappointing. But, on the other hand, we experience deep joy when our focus shifts off ourselves and onto the Lord and others; it’s like our world enlarges, becoming very big as we empty ourselves to benefit others. We may feel a lightness and an openness that draws us closer to the Lord and others. Peter says in I Peter 4 that we should use our gifts to serve others and “whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies —in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”

Dare we ask ourselves today if we are in the place the Lord would have for us right now? DePaul said, “A Christian without a sense of mission is a stunted Christian.” Living at Northern Lakes is home to us and with 60 apartments in our complex, there is no limit to what things the Lord may call each one of us to do. We’ve all experienced what it is like to be the new person and so we try to be welcoming and help others find their way to fit in. When someone loses their mate, there are many others who have lost theirs and can relate and pray etc. Maybe you work next to someone who seems discouraged, and the Lord impresses you to do acts of kindness and speak words that uplift. Life becomes full when we are continually asking the Lord what He would want us to do in each situation. Sometimes it is just to lift up a prayer.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake to a day of sunshine! Today I plan to do some food prep and go to my exercise class and a craft class and later Bible study.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We have probably all seen strong willed children throwing temper tantrums to get their way and it tries the patience of not only the parents but all those within hearing distance. But I wonder how many of us are like them, only not so obvious, but yet determined to get our way. I was reading a devotion from Joyce Meyers, and she asks the question, “What is the first thing you turn to when you need to overcome a problem?” She goes on to say that whatever “that” is, that is where we are placing our trust.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a wonderful day with some time for friendships. I want to get busy in the kitchen today and put away some things in the freezer for upcoming company. Al will love that I plan to make Finnish Pasty! 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Since Al writes blogs for men, my eye often catches articles written for men. Recently I read one by Rhonda Stoppe who is a Pastor’s wife, author, and speaker and she wrote, 5 Reasons Men Need Strong Support Systems. Men today are thought to be self-reliant, independent and able to handle things, but both men and women need supportive friends and at needed times may go   see a counselor. So what are men’s needs in a nutshell?

Rhonda names 1. Emotional Resilience. Men need good solid relationships and a network of men who will be supportive and give them validation which could be family members, friends and mentors. Supportive Christian friends can help them by giving advice that will be inline with scripture and help them grow in faith and trust and to gain wisdom.

   2. Men need Relationship Building for they are strengthened and grow when they are with a network of godly friends. Many men struggle with feeling inadequate and lonely and when they engage with others they are connected and experience a bond where “iron sharpens iron”, (Prov 27:17} Al meets with about a dozen men every other Thursday and then with two male friends on the other Thursday mornings.

   3. Men also tend to have better Physical Health when they connect physically and emotionally as they engage in activities like basketball, golfing, fishing, hunting etc. They develop a support system and are also left with a sense of belonging that encourages well-being.

 4.  Another need for men is important is Mental Well-Being and men are not as likely as women to get help to deal with depression and go for counseling or join a support group. But they need others to listen and to get help with their bottled-up feelings and give support.

   5.  The last need for men mentioned is Spiritual Growth.  It is God’s plan that that spiritual growth takes place in community where there is support and building of relationships. The disciples grew spiritually while Jesus was training them for 3 years. They started out as fishing partners and later were changed into fishers of men and turned the world upside down. The disciples grew in love for Jesus and for one another…

   All men need a strong support system, and genuine relationships with other men if you want to be faithful men of God that are resilient, engaging, healthy, supported and spiritually growing.

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a great weekend! Vikings had another great win! Seems like the weeks go so quickly. Today I plan to go to Aldi’s and my exercise class and do some baking.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

A wonderful gift from the Lord when we moved from the lake to our apartment was the close proximately to the Paul Bunyan Trail. For 6 years we have walked it most days and enjoyed the beauty of the trail through the forest, people we meet, the exercise, and lessons we are learning. Al and I most often walk together and share our hearts, talk over challenges and learn lessons.

Dear Ones,

Happy weekend to you! What gorgeous weather we have been having and still colorful on the trail. Today I plan to make cookies on a stick and pork chops with Spanish rice and clean the apartment. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

There is a big difference between knowing about God and knowing God. The Lord wants to actually dwell in us, that we may know Him in a very personal way. We can only really love others when we love God first and then the outflow of His love in us will touch them. In ourselves we have nothing to give, but it is the Lord within us that loves and accepts others into our hearts. It brings to mind a simple song that Charles Conway wrote: “Lord Crucified, Give me a heart like Thine! Teach me to love the souls of dying men. And keep my heart in closest touch with Thee, and give me love, pure calvary love, to bring the lost to Thee!”

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to open your eyes to who you can bless, and then watch how He works and blesses you as well.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Eugene Haas writes about what it means to be selfless, and he describes such a person as being open to God and doesn’t have an obsession with self-concern, self-image, and self-gratification but each moment is celebrated as God invites them to empty themselves so others can be enriched.  A beautiful example is Mary who didn’t count the cost, for after the angel told her she would bear the Son of God, she said, “Behold I am a servant of the Lord; let it be according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

God wants all of us to grow in selflessness and move beyond ourselves to show His unconditional love to others. Freedom in the Lord is not simply to do what we want without restraints but to be free from our egos and consider others. The apostle Paul was so focused on the law and all the rules and when he was set free in Christ, he ends up saying he has made himself a slave to all, so he might win them to Christ. Let us all desire to be set free from our ego to live a self-emptying life for Christ and for others.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy