Dear Ones, Hope you are having a good weekend and staying well. This morning I made zucchini fries and did lots of other food prep and cleaned the apt. I am staying home tomorrow and going to go to church online since my nose is so big and my hair not washed for 5 days with 3 more days to go. I might scare people!! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart Are there times we wonder if God has heard our prayers and question why He hasn’t answered yet? Even Habakkuk said in Hab.1:2, “How long, Lord, must I cry for help and you do not answer?” He felt like God wasn’t stepping in and doing something about the sinfulness going on in Judah. The truth is that God answers every believing prayer, but not necessarily the way we would always desire. Sometimes He says yes, but other times He says no or wait. When we studied prayer in our Bible study group we saw a yes answer when King Hezekiah was dying and cried bitterly, asking God for a longer life. God answered with a yes and gave him 15 more years. But Jesus Himself prayed to the Father with loud cries and tears that the cup of suffering would pass from Him but he also said not as He willed but only the Father’s will. His answer was a no for it was part of the Father’s plan that Jesus suffer and die for us that we might have salvation. Sometimes God’s answer is a wait answer. I have always loved the story of David when he was fighting against the Philistines. The first time God told him to attack right away but the next time the enemy came against him he was told to wait. He was to circle around and then wait for the sound of marching in the mulberry trees. (I Chron.14:15) David was obedient and waited until he heard the sound in the trees; he then struck down the enemy and victory was his. It’s rather like that for us. With each request we have we need to ask for His will and listen for his answer. It may come in many different ways, but He always answers. We need to accept whatever that is and know that His answer is the best and always on time. Challenge for today: Pray in faith and trusting and as you wait patiently for His answer. Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
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Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a wonderful day! Another day of sunshine but not warm enough to melt the snow. This morning I made individual egg dishes and then did more Christmas cards. I am reminded of so many people who have enriched our lives through the years as I am writing cards.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
There is so much evil and chaos in our world today and seems like things are keep getting worse. Some time ago I remember pastors saying this would happen as the darkness would get darker and the light would get brighter….and that Christians would stand out as lights against the darkness of the world. It is happening now and Paul said to the Christians in Ephesians 5:8-10 (NRSV), “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light—for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” He goes on to say that we must be careful how we live and make the most of the time for the days are evil. When Al and I pray together every morning we often pray that we can be lights right where the Lord has put us; our desire is to make a difference and that our actions would reflect that we belong to the Lord. All around each of us are opportunities to let our lights shine and we must guard against hiding our lights under a bushel and becoming just like the world. Paul writes to tell us we are to be different for we don’t have to go to great lengths to find pleasure since we have found the One who gives full life that satisfies our deepest hunger. We have found the pearl of great price and don’t have to go searching in all the wrong places. Sadly, our lives don’t always express that, and at times our lights may seem to dim. But we were never meant to blend in to the world but rather to stand out as His lights in a dark world that needs the Lord. It is usually dark when I begin my devotions each morning; but I still open the blinds so I can see the sun rise gradually and splash its light on the trees outside my window. Let us have our blinds open to His light and then go out into the dark world and shine brightly for Him.
Challenge for today: Put aside those things that dim your light, and then go forth and shine, shine, shine!
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying the day. It is so beautiful out my window with all the fresh snow. This morning I did food prep and then don’t groan, but I started my Christmas cards and like to have them done by Thanksgiving.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Some little things can become big things! We must be careful and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit when He gives us warnings and heed them. I was made more aware of this just recently with my nose job! Not long ago I had my annual appointment with my dermatologist. She zapped me in quite a few places and then I mentioned that occasionally I had what looked like a very tiny zit on my nose and would bleed. When she took a closer look, she decided to biopsy it and later I was told it was cancer. Really? That little tiny thing? Still when I went to Bemidji to have the Moh’s surgery done, I told the nurse I felt kind of foolish to come with such a little thing on my nose as I don’t like to go to the Doctor unless I am really sick and have tried everything else first. She proceeded to tell me about how I would need stitches and even a flap taken from elsewhere on my nose to fill in the gap. Along the way she showed me in the mirror what had now become a long incision after the cancer was removed and the stitches in place. And to top it off there was the huge bandage of protection to be kept on for a week, with care not to get wet. To me it was like a living parable of what happens when those little temptations come and we yield to them. The enemy wants us to think something is harmless and won’t make any difference but if we persist, it can turn into something big with and costly to our spiritual lives. If left without God’s intervention, we can experience dire consequences that is costly to our relationship with Him. How much better to call out in repentance to the Great Physician who will then do the needed work to remove what is harmful from our lives. Then after a time of removal and clean up comes healing as God insulates us in His love to protect us from such wounds again. May we come to Him, and receive His forgiveness and grace; as it says in Psalm 97:10 (ESV), “O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of His saints and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” Let us not yield even in small ways to temptation for it can cause on avalanche of trouble!
Challenge for today: When you are tempted, quickly call out to the Lord for His help to resist.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Devotions from Judy’s heart
There is no limit to God’s forgiveness! Isn’t that the most wonderful news? No matter what we have done, if we are truly repentant, He will not only forgive us but also forget that we ever did it. There are times as I am busy working and thoughts of regrets come to my mind. Why did I say something insensitive or do something thoughtless, or was disobedient to how God was directing me? Even though I have asked God for forgiveness and the persons concerned, those negative thoughts come again. Yes, the Lord has already forgiven me but the enemy loves to bring up things of the past and tries to accuse me again. Maybe we all have that problem at times, for Satan uses accusations to rob us of our peace. We need to reject his lies and instead do what David did in Psalm 51; he first confessed it was really God he had sinned against and asked for His mercy and forgiveness. He then asks for a fresh start and begins to praise the Lord. In verse 15-16 (The Message) he says, “Unbutton my lips, dear God: I’ll let loose with your praise. Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.” Praise is the perfect response to receiving forgiveness. The more we learn to do that, the more we seem to get our joy back. Just as David wanted to be close to God again, let us also deal with our sin that puts a wedge between us and Him. After we humbly confess our shortcomings, we can unleash praise to Him and watch what happens… we feel restored again, cleansed, close to the Lord, and open and reaching out to others with forgiveness. May we not hide our sin but be open before the Lord, confess when we do wrong, and seek forgiveness.
Challenge for today: Spend some time asking the Holy Spirit to search your heart and confess all sin that He reveals to you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
We just got home after being gone since 6 a.m. this morning to Bemidji. It’s good to have my nose surgery behind me now and it was more complex than I had anticipated. I had a great Dr. and nurse and I had quite a few stitches and now a big bozo bandage on that has to stay there for a week.
Can’t even wash my hair! I think I better hole up in our apt!!! Thank you for prayers as I was lifted by them and felt His peace. Hope your day is going well!
We just got home after being gone since 6 a.m. this morning to Bemidji. It’s good to have my nose surgery behind me now and it was more complex than I had anticipated. I had a great Dr. and nurse and I had quite a few stitches and now a big bozo bandage on that has to stay there for a week.
Can’t even wash my hair! I think I better hole up in our apt!!! Thank you for prayers as I was lifted by them and felt His peace. Hope your day is going well!Devotions from Judy’s heart
The Bible is inspired and powerful and also full of wondrous surprises. The words are alive and come from God through the Holy Spirit. The Word can change and transform us if we are open to what is written in it; and even though we may have heard certain portions of it many times, it is always new and can speak to us. Yesterday I changed the sheets on our bed and when I went to put the clean ones on, out popped a sock. Where did it come from? I missed it when I pulled the fitted sheet from the dryer and it got tucked away in the fold of the contour. I never saw it and now it suddenly appeared and I had a matching sock to the one I thought was lost. How many times do we read scripture and it is an aha moment when all of a sudden, a verse seems to pop out of the pages and speaks to what we are going through at that time? It can bring comfort, or praise, or a sense of conviction; other times a verse may describe exactly what is going on in our hearts and holds a promise we can cling to. When I was pregnant and soon to deliver, my mom gave me a scripture that I hung onto when I was in labor. Many who go through surgery have a verse that they carry with them to give them peace. Others have said a verse pierced them like a sword and they saw how they were going the wrong direction and it brought conviction and a desire to change. Heb. 4:12-13 (The Message) says, “God means what He says. What He says goes. His powerful Word is as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.” God’s Word is so powerful and we are encouraged to meditate on it day and night. May we let the Word speak to us, surprise us and change us by the power of the Holy Spirit!
Challenge for today: Spend some time alone reading the Word with an open heart and let God surprise you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed the warm weather as it is rainy and cool now. This morning I did food prep and shopped at Aldi’s and went to my exercise class. Early tomorrow morning we are going to Bemidji as I am having Mohs surgery on my nose for skin cancer. I know I will look like Bozo for a while!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Oh, how easy it is to judge others! Sometimes the Lord just lets us see how wrong we are in our judgmental conclusions when we should be extending His grace and love. Yesterday afternoon when Al and I were going for our walk on the Paul Bunyan trail, we came upon a couple that we have seen several times and often exchange conversation together. He is very talkative and we noticed she hardly ever said a word as it would be hard to break in on her hubby. We thought maybe she was just painfully shy, although she was a Doctor and would have to deal with patients. He walked somewhat ahead of her and Al and I were thinking that this man needs to be more caring for his wife and well you can guess the train of our thoughts. But then on this Sunday, he had some Finnish words for Al and a Finnish joke so I asked his wife what nationality she was and she made some motions but couldn’t answer me. That’s when her hubby said she had memory problems and we suddenly knew we had judged this man, without having any idea what he was going through caring for his wife. He drove 6 miles most days to take her for a walk and he was probably hungry for conversation with others. We had been so wrong and needed forgiveness. Jesus was very clear when He spoke that we are not to judge others for good reason; none of us know the whole picture of someone else’s life and who are we that don’t have as many faults ourselves. He said in Luke 6:36-37 (God’s Word), “Be merciful, just as our Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” The Message translation says we shouldn’t jump on people’s failures or criticize their faults unless we want the same treatment. We are all saved only by his grace and receive what we don’t deserve. We are to be channels of grace to others and show compassion not criticism.
Challenge for today: Be an exemplar of God’s grace and reach out in love to others without judging.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy
Findings of the biennial State of Theology survey from Ligonier Ministers conducted with Lifeway found more than half of American adults, including 30% of evangelicals, I believe that Jesus isn’t God but rather a great teacher. 52% of American adults believe that Jesus was a great teacher and nothing more, while 65% of evangelicals agreed with the statement, “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God,” not both God and man. An earlier Barna study showed that only 51% of Americans believed God to be “all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect and just creator of the universe who still rules the world today.” In 1991, 73% of Americans believed that to be true.
Stephen Nichols of Ligonier Ministers noted, “As the culture around us increasingly abandons it moral compass, professing evangelicals are sadly drifting away from God’s absolute standard in Scripture.” “The spiritual noise in our culture over the last few decades has confused and misled hundreds of millions of people,” according to Barna.” [We] can no longer assume that people have a solid grasp of even the most basic biblical principles.”
These findings come with a “trumpet alert” to men reading this blog. Our culture will descend into chaos without a moral compass. “I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!'” (Jeremiah 6:17). This blog from time to time will sound the trumpet, warning of danger ahead. Pay attention. “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet” (Is. 58:1). I raise my voice as a warning to all men who read this blog. Men, the enemy wants to take you out, intending to have you drift without direction in the coming chaos.
Joel was told to blow the trumpet because the day of the Lord is coming. “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming” ( Joel 2:1). God is warning his people. A flood is coming. But like Noah’s day, “people didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away.” The enemy would like for you to be spiritual asleep and completely unaware of the coming flood, allowing you to be swept along by the coming confusion.
Men, don’t let yourself be caught napping in the coming tide. You may be in danger of being swept away without a moral compass. Remembering these anchor points will help. First, Scripture is your sure moral compass. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away away” (Luke 21:33). The Psalmist declared, “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heaven” (Ps 119:89).
This second suggestion may surprise you. I encourage you to have a passionate, loving relationship with Jesus. The Psalmists panted after God. Let your deepest passions be for God. Allow yourself to be a lover of God.
Thirdly, in your daily affairs, know that you are part of the kingdom of God. It is now, not by and by. Jesus’ resurrection power and life are available to you. “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).
Fourth, I plead with you to find a group of men who are building an ark. That is, they know what is coming and they are preparing to weather the storm, not just for their sake, but their families. “By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved” (Heb. 11:7 Message).
Dear Ones,
Another lovely day and hope you are enjoying it. Yesterday our grandson came and then surprise company from Starbuck. Fun time! This morning I made bars, wrote letters, and studied, and now I am going shopping. Enjoy your weekend!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Enjoy your weekend!Devotions from Judy’s heart
How does faith and politics relate today? Do we express our faith in love for others and in service to them? Of course, to love and help others must begin with our own experience of God’s overflowing love for us and for the world. It does not begin with politics (left or right) but with us. Faith should be our starting point and loving others with Christ’s love instead of beginning with politics and then using religion to try to figure out how our faith fits in. I read an article by Rev Wes Granberg-Michaelson who was formerly head of the Reformed Church and he writes about how Jesus embodied what God’s love intends for the world. He didn’t just show the way, He lived the way of love by the power of God. He loved His enemies, He embraced the marginalized, He disregarded social exclusion and helped the oppressed. He lived in the presence and power of love and is our example to follow. What if all Christians lived the same way and showed compassion for the poor, loved our enemies, included others that are on the fringes etc. Our world would be vastly different today. In fact, isn’t it hard to find positive examples of people of integrity today for the young people to look up to and follow? Jesus wants to show us the way and tells us how to live His way that can change the world. In Luke 6 (NRSV) He says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you…Do to others as you would have them do to you.” God wants our hearts changed so that we love others as He does. In Micah 6:8 (NRSV) He also says, “And what does God require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” It’s pretty clear He wants us to live our faith out by being fair, just, merciful and humble. Let us not put our trust in politics to change the world we live in, but to begin by letting the Lord change our own hearts to love.
Challenge to love: Express God’s love to someone who is in need.
Blessings on your weekend and prayer and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a great weekend and enjoying warm temperatures before it turns cold. This morning I did food prep, cleaned the apartment and made a big stew in the crockpot. Our oldest grandson, Joe, is coming by today on his way to the cities and we haven’t seen him for a while.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Persevere! Persevere! We are not to give up but to hang on and persevere even when things may seem impossible. We have a God who can do anything, and when He tells us to persevere, that’s what we need to do even if we have no idea how He will work things out. The other day I was packing Christmas shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse. I had them nearly full when I found in my prize box, two lovely necklaces with turquoise beads strung on very fine leather-looking strands at three levels. The problem was the two necklaces were all emmeshed together and I could not get them untangled. I tried and tried for some time and was about to give up and just cut one off to save the other. But as I worked, I felt like the Lord was trying to teach me and this was like an object lesson that even in the most difficult circumstances of life, we need to persist and persevere and not give up. We have many examples in scripture of those who could have given up but like Job remained steadfast even when his life came crashing down on him; he lost everything and yet we read how he was rewarded greatly. I think of Joshua and Caleb who were the only ones of those who spied out the land of Canaan that believed God could help them conquer their enemies; they persisted and got to go into the Promised land. Or so many examples of the Apostle Paul who didn’t threw in the towel when he was imprisoned, beaten and even left for dead; no, he just got up again and continued his work. He tells us in I Cor. 15:59 (The Message), Stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort.” We are to persevere, stand our ground and not throw away our confidence in Him. If we do not get fatigued and lose heart, we are promised we will reap a harvest of blessings.
Challenge for today: The next time you are tempted to give up, persevere and seek God’s strength go keep on keeping on!
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones, Hope you are enjoying lovely weather before more snow comes. Today I made bars and did some cleaning of cupboards that seem to get dirty and cluttered so quickly. I picked up my neighbor and we went downstairs for coffee this morning as she is quite new here. Let us all continue to pray for our nation during this time of uncertainty.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
No situation is hopeless when we have the Lord; even though it may seem utterly impossible in our own eyes, God has the power. When we see His workings, it helps us realize that it doesn’t depend on us but it is all Him. Over and over again as I read in the Old Testament battles were won in the most extraordinary ways, if people followed God’s instructions to them. Have you ever seen a commander that had his soldiers march around a city with thick walls, putting trumpeters in the front line, and wins the battle with shouts and trumpet blasts? Or have you heard of a teenager come up against a giant, and with a single stone, triumphs over him? Or have a food shortage and have God multiply your food supply? Actually, I think I may have told you how that happened to us. We got unexpected company, friends of my folks, who stopped in on their way south. We were already having left overs for supper but I felt the Lord wanted me to invite them. I told our kids to not eat too much the first time around but we all had seconds and there was still a little left over. I couldn’t explain it because it should have hardly fed our family and we were all left full. I knew it was the Lord and a very short time later the man died and I thanked the Lord for the time we had with him. It seems like the Lord does things in many different ways so we have to listen carefully for each situation to know what our part is. Sometimes He may tell us to remain silent and just pray. Other times He may give us instructions that may seem a little strange and yet we see the results when we carry it out. Our hope is in the Lord and not in our ability to solve problems on our own. The enemy may throw negative words at us, to cause us to doubt and to lose hope, but we need to hang on to what the Lord may give us. Romans 15:13 (The Message) says, “Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!” Let us believe God’s promises and find our hope in Him.
Challenge for today: When things seem hopeless, go to the Lord and claim His promises in the Word.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
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