Dear Ones,
Happy Weekend. It seems our lovely weather is going to be changing tonight to rain, sleet and snow.Emoji Yesterday we had a new couple join our Bible study class. Also, Ann and Leif stopped by. Today I plan to do food prep and make egg dishes and Al’s cookies.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
When we first come to know the Lord, life seems so exciting and filled with incredible joy. We feel like a newborn baby who is happy and satisfied to be always fed, nurtured by loving parents, and held closely. It is great to sense we are loved and life feels secure. But what happens after a period of growth, when it is time to be weaned and milk is taken away? Life doesn’t feel so comfortable, we are stunned and maybe even angry, and we wonder why this is happening to us.

If we compare it to our spiritual lives, we felt the same tenderness of love when first receiving the Lord, for we overflowed with joy and it was a time of consolation. But then we entered a time of dryness and desolation when we didn’t have warm feelings and wondered, “What is happening? Did I do something wrong?” No, we are not mature yet, and the Lord has many things to show us to help us grow, mature and go deeper with Him. (And when you think of it, how would it look if we were 15 and still on a bottle?) The Lord wants us to mature and to feed us solid food, so things change.

Going through the weaning process takes lots of grace, for we have lived before in the pleasure of soaking in God’s love. We can’t stay immature, but must go on to deal with parts of our lives that have not grown up and matured. It says in Matt. 16:25 that if we lose our life for His sake, we will find it. So we have to lay aside our comfy blankets, walk with Him and learn to depend on Him, even when things are not going as we would like. We will get in touch with our weaknesses, pain and the parts of ourselves that are broken, discovering how much we truly need Him and His forgiveness and grace. We are not in control, and now we come to know that Jesus is our truly our righteousness. Let us open our hearts, trust His work in our lives, and let Him guide us into maturity.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you be open to not avoid His weaning process in your life, but to keep moving you on to maturity.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy