Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a beautiful day! Al will be meeting with some men early this morning while I plan to bake, and we have Bible study here this afternoon. We had a rich evening last night at the book signing and a good teaching on the Holy Spirit given by the author.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Maybe we have come from a worship service with guitars and drums and smoke and strobe lights and think that this is really it! I feel pumped up and excited. But what about later? Did it draw us closer in our relationship to the Lord and were we prompted to go out and serve Him or was it just an emotional high that lasted a short time?

Eugene Peterson writes about the difference between religion and spirituality, and he gives the distinction. Religion is mostly what we do, our efforts to maintain some sense of responsibility before God. We can do some things for God that actually separate us from Him if we are doing it in our own power. But Peterson says Spirituality is mostly what God does and is a work of the Holy Spirt in making Jesus alive in us. It may result in acts of love and compassion and bring us to repentance. We don’t need the latest technology or any gimmicks to draw people to our churches but rather God’s Word preached with conviction, prayer offered, and time to listen.

David prayed in Psalm 86:11-13, “Teach me your way, O Lord, so that I may live in your truth. Focus my heart on fearing you. I will give thanks to you with all my heart, O Lord my God. I will honor you forever because your mercy toward me is great. You have rescued me from the pit of hell.” The Message translation asks God to work in us, “Train me, God, to walk straight; then I’ll follow your true path. Put me together, one heart and mind; then, undivided, I’ll worship in joyful fear. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, dear Lord.”

When we honor and reverence God with our whole heart, He is free to work in our lives and in our relationships and our serving etc.

Challenge for today: Ask the Holy Spirit to do a deep work in your and get yourself out of the way and let Him direct.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy