Dear Ones,
Hope you had a good weekend. Thank you for prayers as we had a good trip home after going to Redeemer in D.M. for church yesterday. It was great to see friends and have communion together at the altar. We had lunch with a former elder and his 2 sons and then the long but safe trip home.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Have you ever felt a little awkward talking about your faith? I think most of us have at times. We may worry that we will say the wrong thing, be rejected or perhaps sound too “churchy.” But what if sharing our faith isn’t about perfect words—but about showing up honestly and lovingly, right where we are?

Often sharing the Good News is more about listening well than a lot of words. Sometimes it’s an invitation to be included in a family’s outing. It may be in sharing of our own messy lives that helps others to know that forgiveness is available to all. Sometimes it is like our maintenance man who is so dependable. He comes early in the morning, quickly reads all the work requests for our building and gets right to work. He is dependable, he is quick, he is very gifted to know how to fix just about anything and can judge when replacement is wiser than fixing…like in the case of our apartment when it needed a new furnace. He knows the Lord, and because he is prompt, thorough and knowledgeable his voice is easily heard. It didn’t take long for us to know he is a fellow believer. He doesn’t need a degree or a pulpit, just a willingness to let Jesus shine through him and do the job well.

All of us have the opportunity to live out our faith, not to just be seen by others as being good and doing good, but out of concern for others to know Him. Peter tells us how in I Peter 3:15-16, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” We can trust that the Holy Spirit will give us the power and the words to share at the time needed. The greatest way to show love to another is to share Jesus with him. You will also find your own faith will grow stronger!

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord for courage to share Jesus today when prompted by the Holy Spirit.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy