Dear Ones,
Hope you have a life-giving day! We had a good Lenten service last evening after the soup supper. Al will soon be off to Men’s group and I going to make slow cooker pepper steak recipe. We have Bible Study later today.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Balance is important as followers of Christ, and it is not wise to carry things to the extreme. I was reading how we must die to self and live for the Lord, as in Mark 8:34 Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Those words are true and we are to die to our selfishness, but not to the extent of neglecting healthy self-care. After all, our bodies are the temple of God and we are to care for them well.

How do we care for ourselves, yet serve the Lord and have Him first in our lives? It is not by burning a candle at both ends by serving everyone around us, never saying no to requests, not getting enough sleep, or cutting out everything that brings life to us. Rather, we are to die for those sinful parts of us like being judgmental, prideful, stubborn, untruthful, unforgiving, etc. But at the same time, let us not ignore self and go to extremes so that we neglect our self-care. We don’t need to feel guilty for not attending another evening meeting at church after being gone from our family several nights already. We don’t need to always say yes to every request, or volunteer for multiple organizations, even though they are good. So how do we die to self in a way that promotes care for our temple?

Maybe we need to reflect on what things give us life, helping us get through the busy and hard times in our lives. What things do we enjoy and may only take a few moments of our day, like looking at the sunset over the lake, going for a walk, taking a nap, gardening, walking the dog, or just few moments alone with the Lord in a quiet place? Let us put Jesus first and die to sinful things, but take time to know our hearts and become our true selves in Him.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to show you the things you need to die to, but also those things that give life to you in your busy day.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy