Dear Ones,
We have snow and since it is now dark as I send this out each day, I didn’t realize when I wrote yesterday that the ground was white. Something special about the first snow. EmojiToday is Donut Day, Al goes to Men’s group, I am going to clean, and this afternoon we have Bible Study here.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Don’t we all wish that once we accepted the Lord, that we would become instantly mature in our faith? In today’s culture we expect our lives to be fast and easy and controllable, but it is anything but. Unplanned things happen to us and being transformed into His image is a slow process and we come to know we are not in control, He is! Jesus heals our souls and bodies, but our character and sinful traits don’t get just zapped away and most often takes time. We are His sheep, and He is our shepherd, and we grow as we follow Him and open ourselves to His grace, not by trying harder in our own strength.

Growth takes place as we deal with the sin that we commit but also that which is done to us. We can experience healing as we confess our sin and open our wounds to God. When we set everything before the Lord, we will begin the transformational process that lasts a lifetime. To be more like Jesus we may have to give up some daily practices and habits that keep us at a distance from the Lord; but then we also take on new practices like meditating on the Word, time in quiet listening, memorizing scripture, worshipping throughout our day etc. Those things will help us renew our minds as we trust the Holy Spirit to do His work in us which is a gift of grace.

As you can see it takes a lifetime to become who the Lord made us to be. To be like Him is to experience His love, joy and peace as we walk in obedience to the Spirit’s promptings. We all go through times of suffering that also help us develop perseverance and character and hope. Let us be intentional to become more like Jesus and mature in our faith as we are open to let Him transform us through whatever means He chooses. (II Cor. 3:17-18)

Challenge for today: Give up the control, even of your growth in transformation and receive His grace.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy