Canaan's Rest

Canaan’s Rest represents a quiet place “set apart” for the purpose of hearing God's voice, growing in intimacy with the Lord, and being renewed in soul and spirit.

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November 27, 2021

November 27, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying the weekend and recovering from lots of feasting at Thanksgiving! We are packing up and will be going to Mora today as Al will be preaching there tomorrow morning. We look forward to seeing old friends too. This morning I have been working more on Christmas cards and only have the ones for friends at church left to do. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
God is good. He is good all the time, even when we may misjudge Him and wonder why certain things are happening. We are familiar with Romans 8:28 (NASB) and may quote it to others, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love, God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” But in the midst of trials, we may have to repeat the words often, “God you are good!” I don’t understand why you are allowing this to happen to me, but I still know you are good.” Some things in our lives are very hard, but never more than we can bear when we know the One who loves us and walks with us through those difficult times.
When we were little children, we didn’t always understand why our parents didn’t allow us to do certain things that we had our heart set on. We may have begged and begged but the answer still was no. At the time we might have felt they were the meanest parents in the neighborhood, but later in years we realized how they were protecting us from doing what we were not ready for. What was once viewed as withholding, is now viewed as loving. We won’t always comprehend God’s motives or make sense of what is going on, but we can remember that God is good and He wants His ultimate best for us. The Message translation says God knows us far better than we know ourselves and puts it this way, “That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean what is happening right now is good, but that God will weave it into something good in the future; and this is a promise for those who know Him.
When we went through a hard time in one of our churches, I wondered what good could become of it; yet it wasn’t long until I realized how needed it was for us to experience if we were to open a retreat house for wounded pastors and wives. I don’t think I could have identified with their woundedness if we had not gone through it ourselves.
But for all of us who believe, no matter what we go through in this life, it is not worth comparing to what awaits us some day. Yes, like the song goes, “God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He’s so good to me.”
Challenge for today: The next time you are experiencing a difficult circumstance, thank the Lord for the good He is working out of it!
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

November 26, 2021

November 26, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, overflowing with gratitude! We had a delicious feast with  Ann’s family and time to catch up, play scrabble,  and enjoy the beauty of the lake and warmth of the fire. Today I cleaned and made Al’s favorite cookies and my favorite bars and then did more Christmas cards.  
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I suspect the lights have gone on very early in many households today for it is Black Friday. So many ads announcing fantastic buys for early-bird shoppers, and one can only imagine the mobs of people that will be encountered. I wonder if the person in the guestroom above our bedroom is one such person, as noises started after midnight! 
It is almost hard to comprehend the change that comes from spending Thanksgiving Day remembering to be grateful for our many blessings to transitioning to Black Friday, which seems more like a day of greed! I read today the story of a man who got up at 3 A.M. to avoid the holiday rush on Black Friday. As he drove along on the freeway, he was making good time but suddenly noticed a long line of traffic ahead. He thought there must be an accident but as he got closer, he discovered something hard for his eyes to believe. Cars were literally stopping on the freeway to let passengers out that would jump the guardrail and climb a small hill to get to a nearby outlet mall! We can only imagine the pushing and shoving to get to those super sales first.
I thought of how different it is when celebrating the first Sunday of Advent in the church year. It is all about quietly waiting and what a contrast!  Instead of rushing and getting to be first, we slow down and quiet ourselves to wait and contemplate the coming of Jesus. Advent is a time of preparation and helps our hearts get ready for Christmas. We take time for reflection and focus on what Jesus has done. As it says in Psalm 62:5 (NRSV), “For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from Him.”
The church displays the color purple or dark blue, not only colors of royalty but of colors to signify repentance. It is good to let God search our hearts and remove all those things that separate us from Him. We wait quietly to not only contemplate His first coming but also of His coming again. Advent is a time to draw closer to the One whose birth we celebrate and to share His love with others. 
Let us not focus on being the first one in line, the first one to get a discounted item, but the first to humble ourselves and prepare our hearts for His coming.
Challenge for today: Spend some time in quiet reflection and ask the Lord to prepare your heart for Christmas.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

November 25, 2021

November 25, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
A blessed Thanksgiving Day to you all! We have so much to be grateful for and last night at church we were asked to share many of those things publicly. Two men also shared their stories of how they came to personally know the Lord and it was very moving. 
Today we are going to Ann’s at the lake and looking forward to time with them and enjoying a feast together. Mark and Kurt’s families have a house full of relatives from the other side as well. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Thanksgiving Day is here and perhaps many feel it is a struggle to be thankful and give praise since circumstances are less than ideal. Some have lost jobs, others are sick, some are just plain weary with all the demands on their lives. But like Debbie McDaniel writes we have a choice to be thankful and it is a powerful way to live. Even when our circumstances may not change, our hearts will be changed. I want to give you her words today on the blessings of being thankful.
.    “It gets our eyes off ourselves, and helps us to focus back on God.
•         It reminds us we’re not in control, but that we serve a Mighty God who is. It keeps us in a place of humility and dependency on Him, as we recognize how much we need Him.
•         It helps us to recognize we have so much to be thankful for, even all the little things, which often we may forget to thank Him for. It takes our attention off our problems and helps us instead to reflect on the goodness of His many blessings.
•         It reminds us that God is the Giver of all good gifts. We were never intended to be fully self-sufficient in this life. A grateful heart reminds us that ultimately God is our Provider, that all blessings and gifts are graciously given to us by His hand.
•         A heart of gratitude leaves no room for complaining. For it is impossible to be truly thankful and filled with negativity and ungratefulness at the same time.
•         It makes the enemy flee. The forces of darkness can’t stand to be around hearts that give thanks and honor to God. Our praise and thanksgiving will make them flee.
•         It opens the door for continued blessings. It invites His presence. God loves to give good gifts to His children. He delights in our thankfulness and pours out His Spirit and favor over those who give honor and gratitude to Him.”
May we choose to focus on the Lord and let our hearts overflow with thankfulness and praise!
Challenge for today: Try on this day not to give words of complaint but only praise and gratitude.
Blessings to you on this Thanksgiving Day. Love, Judy

 

November 24, 2021

November 24, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a grateful day! So many kitchens busy as we prepare for Thanksgiving. I have made most of the dishes I am bringing and just have the salad left to put together tomorrow. We are looking forward to a scrumptious feast at Ann’s. This morning I went to exercise class and this afternoon is crafts and tonight is Thanksgiving service and then pie following! Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We were made for God and when we choose to follow His plan for our lives, we experience great joy and a deep-down peace. But when we choose to ignore Him and go our own way, we feel unfulfilled and things do not go well; in fact, we can sure make a mess of things.
I was reading a devotional by Billy Graham and he gives the example of a man driving along the road in his Ford when something goes wrong. He gets out of his car and looks under the hood to see if he can figure out what happened but he is left mystified. Soon he sees another car coming down the road and waves it down, asking for help. A friendly man steps out of his new Lincoln and asks him what the trouble is. He shares how he cannot get his Ford to move. This kind tall stranger looks under the hood and makes a few adjustments and tells him to try to start his car now. Lo and behold it starts right up and the owner is so grateful. He tells him who he is and asks the stranger’s name. He said, “My name is Henry Ford.” He was the very one who made the Ford and of course knew exactly how to make it run.
Billy Graham goes on to say how God made us and only He knows how to run our life. When we give Him the control, life goes well and is exciting. We sometimes think we know where He is taking us but other times, we can be very surprised.
Perhaps we feel like we are in a winding mountainous road right now and we wonder when we are going to get on a smooth highway again. He knows! Or maybe it seems like we are on a dark road at night and we ask when the morning light will come. He knows!
Our part is to trust Him and let Him lead us for after all He made us. It says in Psalm 100:3a(God’s Word), “Realize that the Lord alone is God. He made us, and we are His.” If He knows us, He also knows what is best for us. David says in Psalm 139 that the Lord knows him and “You alone know when I sit down and when I get up. You read my thoughts from far away. You watch me when I travel and when I rest. You are familiar with all my ways.” Yes, God knows everything!  David closes the Psalm with asking the Lord to lead him on the everlasting path. Let us also ask the Lord to lead us but then to follow, knowing He knows best.
Challenge for today: Choose to follow where the Lord would take you today.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

November 23, 2021

November 23, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a day full of promise and peace. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How grateful are we as God’s children? Are we content and thankful or do we complain that we lack something or that someone has more than we do? Perhaps we all need a reality check each day to help us see if we have attitudes of ingratitude or envy in our hearts.
I sit at my desk in a warm apartment as I write, with a healthy body, a loving husband, plenty of food, and in a cozy robe. Quite different from the early pilgrims who suffered so much loss, hunger, cold, and sickness, and yet they paused to give thanks under less-than-ideal conditions; but were they perhaps filled with more gratitude than many of us? We must remember that we are not entitled but rather to receive what comes to us as a gift from the Lord.
The Lord loves to bless us but He also wants to know that we receive it from a grateful heart, just as we desire that from our own children. I hear so many grandparents say that they rarely get a thankyou from their grandkids, and one even gave their grandchild a nice van!
We can show our gratitude in many ways as described in Psalm 105 (Message), “Thank God! Pray to Him by name! Tell everyone you meet what He has done! Sing Him songs, belt out hymns, translate His wonders into music!..Keep your eyes open for God, watch for His works; be alert for signs of His presence.”
I read what Jim Robison wrote of what theologian Tadeusz Dajczer said, “A gift should be accepted with such detachment that at any given moment you could return it.”  This is a paradox and telling us that each time we receive a gift from God we are to be ready to return it. We are to hold it loosely and be willing to give it back to God at a moment’s notice. When we think of it, everything belongs to Him anyway.
I am reminded of a song, “Give thanks with a grateful heart/ Give thanks to the Holy One/ Give thanks because He has given Jesus Christ, His Son/ And now let the weak say, ‘I am strong’/ Let the poor say, ‘I am rich/ Because of what the Lord has done for us.’”
No matter what our present circumstances are and how much or how little we have, let us give thanks, especially for our spiritual blessings.
Challenge for today: Spend time throughout your day, lifting up prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

November 22, 2021

November 22, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend. We enjoyed going to our son-in-law’s installation as the Pastor of St. Paul’s church in Hackensack. The bishop came and there was a yummy brunch afterwards and good to see old friends. 
Today I have been busy busy in the kitchen and also got to my exercise class. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
As Thanksgiving approaches, we might try something new this year and not only thank the Lord for our many blessings but to thank and pray for those who we are not grateful for….you know, the difficult people, the selfish ones, the users, complainers, and those that have hurt us. I was reading an article by Pastor Brad Russell who challenges us to be grateful for those we would not naturally want to invite to our Thanksgiving dinners. God loves them and sees their deepest needs and tells us how to treat them in Luke 6:27-28(ESV), “But I say to you who hear, ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” That seems like a tall order but we have a loving Heavenly Father who loves us when we are sinful and ungrateful and undeserving of His love and mercy. I will share some of Pastor Russell’s words:
“Thank God that these people are being used to make you more and more like Jesus. Difficult people are used by God to produce patience. Difficult people are used by God to take you to the end of your own strength; to take you to your need for supernatural love, patience, and forbearance. And, according to Colossians 3, the supernatural patience, love, and forbearance that comes from the Holy Spirit can and will produce peace, joy, and thankfulness. The more God uses people to produce patience, love, joy, and peace in you, the more grace you will experience as He makes you more and more like Jesus. Praise God that these difficult people are part of God’s plan to bring you peace and joy.
This Thanksgiving consider starting a new tradition. Bring the most difficult people in your life before the Father. You and your family will always have to deal with difficult people. Embrace the work of God being done in your own hearts through them. And then, by God’s love, mercy, and grace produced in you, find ways to embrace them in prayer and service. Those difficult people may just be the greatest hidden blessings of God in your life.”
Challenge for today: At this Thanksgiving time, thank the Lord for a person who God is using to make you more like Him.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy
 

Old School

November 22, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Are you old school?  I ask that question as I watch pro football games. Commentators use the term as they discuss a player’s talent, attitude, and contribution to his team. When you tune into sports talk radio, you will hear intense dialogue, men sharing passionately about the play of their favorite players and teams. They often refer to players as old school. Could it be evoking memories of players of old, stirring a longing for the past, especially their youth?

As an NFL sports fan, I know enough to keep informed and to converse with others. I’m even in a fantasy football league with some of the guys in our building. For some it borders on idolatry. But I try to keep it in perspective; it is simply a pastime for me. Even so, I wonder why these die-hard fans use the term old school so often. Do certain players model character that is missing in our day?

Gary Sheffield wrote that Green Packers wide receiver Davante Adams is old school for this comment: “I hate everyone that I play against.” “Although it’s overblown how buddy-buddy athletics are today, “notes Sheffield, “[Adams] is having none of that culture. He spoke this morning about how much he hates everyone he plays against…We’d like to see more quotes like these from everyone so we can get back to believing players take losing as personal as we do.”

If I’m understanding this correctly, Sheffield would like to see more passion in football players that verges on hatred of the opponent, rather than the “buddy-buddy” mentality he encounters on his sports beat. For him, though, old school carries more of a negative connotation.

I identify somehow with old school, but primarily as a positive longing in the hearts of men admiring the exceptional performance in a man competing with other men. Pro scouts talk about a prospect as “a character person.” This is more the exception then the rule. To get a positive grade for “character” is seen as an achievement. 

So, what exactly is old school? It certainly points to a player being exceptional and even unique. I would like to be considered old school when it comes to my walk with Jesus. I know that I am “surrounded by…a great cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1) who are definitely old school.  They all followed Jesus, who is “the same yesterday and today and forever.”  So as followers of Jesus, we might want to be called old school.

First, if hating your enemy is old school, as Sheffield seems to believe, I don’t want to be identified with that attitude. The old can become the new. The old has died, and I am a new man in Christ. He gives me grace to compete but also care.

Second, old school refers to the exceptional character of a person. It seems to highlight the attitude of one who “marches to the beat of a different drummer.”  I want to be that way. “Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34).

Third, old school can refer to the admired performance of a player. He might not be the most talented, but he works hard at his game – like a “blue collar guy.”  I want to be “all in” for Jesus, not necessarily polished, but sincere.

Fourth, while being old school, I sincerely pray that God will give me the discernment and wisdom to be relevant in sharing the good news of Jesus.

If that’s what old school means, I’m in. How about you?

 

November 20, 2021

November 20, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying the weekend. So nice to have a sunny day and less wind for our walk. This morning I took out our Christmas decorations and cleaned, which takes much less time when you live in an apartment! Emoji  Tomorrow we go to Hackensack for Leif’s installation at St. Paul’s church. They are having  a brunch afterwards and we are looking forward to seeing old friends there as well. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Today, more than ever, we need a discerning spirit to know what is truth from what is false and misleading. The enemy is very much at work trying to deceive, especially Christians. He makes things sound good but has a twist in it so it is no longer truth. We desperately need the Holy Spirit to help us discern truth from error. He is our helper and it says in John 16:13 (God’s Word), “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into the full truth, He won’t speak on his own. He will speak what He hears and will tell you about things to come.”
It is important that we read scripture so that the Holy Spirit can bring to our remembrance a word when we are in need. Sometimes it is a particular verse that stands out to us and gives us guidance for the way we need to go. It could be a hymn or praise song that all of a sudden comes to mind. Or at times it can be like a specific word and we recognize that He is giving us instructions. Maybe we have experienced a time when we felt we were not to do something that we had planned, and then later found that the Lord saved us from a terrible situation.
One such missionary had a tough learning experience. He and his wife were overseas and it was the last night before flying home. He had a strong sense that he should not go to the service that night, even though he really wanted to go. He told his wife that he felt God was saying to stay back, but at the last minute decided to go with her. When he got there, he still had a very unsettled feeling and after visiting with friends, he went back to the hotel. On arrival he knew why he was told not to go. Their room had been ransacked and suitcases dumped out, their passports and visas taken, jewelry gone, and computer tampered with. He was heartbroken for he knew the Holy Spirit had tried to tell him and he didn’t obey. It was a lesson he will not forget and is now more careful to listen and obey, even when he doesn’t understand the why. It made me think of the words of a song.
“Holy Spirit come/ Make my eyes to see/ Make my ears to hear/ Make my mouth to speak/ Make my heart to seek and my hands to reach out and touch the world with your love.”
Let us all invite the Holy Spirt to help us to see and hear and then to obey.
Challenge for today: Pray the words of the song and ask for strength to follow in obedience even when you may not be able to connect the dots.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

November 19, 2021

November 19, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend and hope it is a relaxing one too. Today is our monthly Birthday party here at Northern Lakes so we will be going to pick up the cake in a few minutes. I’m also working on Christmas cards and want to get the overseas cards in the mail soon.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I think we have all heard the phrase, “It is what it is!” I woke up this morning with those words going through my mind but then wondered what does that really mean? When I googled it, I found that it is an expression to characterize a frustrating or challenging situation that the person believes cannot be changed. In other words, it is something we have to deal with and accept, and is much like saying, “Whatever will be will always be.” Yes, it is good to not get frustrated by what we are going through and accept that it is the way that it is right now, but not necessarily how it will be in the future. Otherwise, we leave the Lord out of the equation. But the truth of the matter is that He can change our circumstances in the blink of an eye if He so chooses.
Maybe saying, “it is what it is”, helps us refrain from complaining but as Christians we can put a much more positive spin on it. Just now as I write, the moon is shining in my window and the stars are filling the sky and I think of our mighty God who made all of this. As David said in Psalm 8:3-4 (God’s Word), “When I look at your heavens, the creation of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have set in place—what is a mortal that you remember him or the Son of Man that you take care of Him?” The creator of the universe made us and cares for us, and will always make a way for us for He is full of mercy and compassion. Our situations can change suddenly for we are His and can rest our full trust in Him. Maybe we feel like a door has been slammed in our face, but we can be assured He will open another door for us in His perfect timing. The first time I heard, “It is what it is”, was by an elderly woman who was in a situation she felt was out of her control and was reconciled to the fact that it would stay the same. But today God has changed her circumstances and it is no longer an issue at all.
Let us be people of faith in our mighty loving God who can do all things, and we can say, “It is not what it was in the past for behold all things are new!”
Challenge for today: Be at peace in the present but live with faith for whatever the Lord may do in the future.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

November 18, 2021

November 18, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones, 
Hope you are having a good day. It is very windy and cold out and it  almost blew my cart  away when I went to Aldi’s this morning. I also got downstairs for Donut Day. This afternoon we have our Bible study and the attendance and sharing has been so good. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
One of my heart’s desires is that I would live and walk in truth. David prays in Psalm 86:10-12 (God’s Word), “Indeed, you are great, a worker of miracles. You alone are God. 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.”
Every day we have a choice of choosing between God’s truth and the opposing perspective of the world, our flesh and the devil. In our Bible Study at church, we are studying “The Truth Project”. Truth is what is real as perceived by God. We hear such things today as “my truth” or “your truth”, which often is in direct opposition to the Bible. But Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and there is no other way. When Jesus stood before Pilate and was asked about His kingship, Jesus answered, “For this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37-38)
It doesn’t matter what our opinion is or what we think is truth, if it doesn’t line up with the Word and what Jesus said, it is a lie. There is a huge battle today between God’s truth and the lies of the world. Our actions will display what we believe to be truth. When we sin, we are believing the lie and we live in illusion. 
Maybe we don’t think we lie, but how about the lies we tell ourselves. We might say to ourself that we are worthless and no one likes us or we can’t do anything right. Maybe we don’t believe God will forgive us for something we have done. The enemy will capitalize on those false thoughts and soon we are believing the lies and living in despair. But as it says in Romans 12:2, instead of copying the behavior of this world, we are to let God transform us into a new person by changing the way we think.
Let us be done with soaking up the lies that the enemy wants us to believe, and instead believe the truth of what Jesus says. The truth will set us free!
Challenge for today: When negative thoughts come to mind, dispel the lie and seek truth.  
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

 

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