Devotions from Judy’s heart

Yesterday we drove to my brother’s home in Indiana and when we arrived no one was home. We knocked and noticed there were no signs of life so we went to get gas, before coming back. Now we could have thought they were not very eager to see us, or so busy they didn’t have time for us, but that would have been the wrong conclusion. When we drove from Kentucky in the morning to Indiana we crossed a time zone which made it now an hour earlier. So it was we who arrived too early and they were not too busy but rather showed us wonderful warm hospitality when they got home!  Isn’t it easy to jump to the wrong conclusions with the limited info we may have?   So many times in the Body of Christ there are misunderstandings and they can cause disruption in the peace and unity. No matter what someone does to us though, forgiveness is a choice and an action of our wills.  Shana Schutte writes how important it is to let the person off the hook who wrongs us. It is not worth hanging on to.  “There is a God who is greater than the wrong that has been done to me and in this, I recognize that no one can do anything that will ultimately destroy me or God’s plan for my life…Someone may stop loving me, insult me, steal from me or abuse me, but they will never be able to destroy the love that God has for me or His sovereign rule over all that concerns me.”  God is so much bigger and can work even the hurtful things for the good in our lives ( Rom. 8:28) and bring us peace and growth.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

When Lily came home from school yesterday she was pleasantly surprised by what Brenda and I had made for her room –  a beautiful big fringed pillow with a floral design in the middle, a Roman shade, and a smaller matching corded pillow. She was so happy and Paige was happy for her. But as I tucked Paige in bed, I asked her if she would like pillows for her room too. She hugged me tightly and said, “Yes, grandma!” I thought of how our Heavenly Father’s heart is to give to us His children and it is His delight to do so. We read in scripture that He wants to give us many gifts like the gift of wisdom, the gift of faith, gift of hope, gifts of the Spirit etc. But we are especially to earnestly desire the greater gift of love. (I Cor. 12:31)  Often we may see gifts manifested in the lives of others and it puts a desire in our hearts too.  He is so ready to freely give to us, even as I am happy to do so for Paige. In Ps. 84:11 it says that “ No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  What a giving and loving Father we have!

 Devotions from Judy’s  heart

Last night Lily was at her soccer practice and her really good friend fell down as she was tripped. She landed on her wrist and broke her arm. It was fortunate that we were babysitting Paige and Grant so Brenda could go to the practice and was available to accompany Maddie to the hospital, since her mommy wasn’t there. On the way to the hospital Maddie said to Brenda, “I wonder who accidentally tripped me and I feel so badly for her.”   Later asked her daddy to pray for her. What a response!  She could have been angry at the one who tripped her and tried to get even etc but instead she showed what was in her heart.

( “By their fruits you will recognize them.” Matt: 7:16). Things happen to us and we don’t need to look at whom to blame but call on the Lord for His help in each situation.  May we rest in Him, knowing that He is ALWAYS there for us.  Let us follow David’s example in such times as he calls out to the Lord in Ps. 141 “O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. …My eyes are fixed on you…in you I take refuge.”

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Al and I got up today at 2:30 am. to begin our trip south. As usual we spent the first two or three hours talking and sharing our thoughts on many issues and seeking discernment on decisions we will be making.. It is important to me to know what he is thinking and I come away knowing more of his heart. Even more so, I desire to know God’s heart and thoughts.  As we were traveling, I meditated on Ps. 139 and verse 17  & 18 stood out to me. “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.”  God’s thoughts are precious and are unlimited like the sand of the seashore.  He wants to share them with us so that His thoughts become ours.  He knows us so well, and may we seek to know Him in more and more intimacy.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Last night Al and I watched part of the life story of a Carmelite nun and I was so touched by her devotion to the Lord. She suffered so much physically and yet she spent so much of her day in prayer and encouraging others. In many ways I felt like she was experiencing heaven, even before she died. Today I read in Sarah Young’s book, “ I created you with the capacity to experience foretastes of heaven. When you shut out the world and focus on My Presence, you can enjoy sitting with Me in heavenly realms”.  I think it is so easy to let the world influence us and pull us down. As we give in to worries and stresses, we miss the awareness of His presence and that He is in control.  I agree with Sarah as she said, “Your greatest strength is your desire to spend time communing with Me.”  Let us not get so caught up with worldly pursuits that we miss the most important. In I John 2 it says that when we love the world’s ways or goods, it squeezes out love for the Father. “ The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out-but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity. “ ( Message translation)

Devotions from Judy’s heart

God has given us a beautiful blueprint in His word for living our lives. As we follow His way we can walk in freedom and hope. But in our world today, God’s word is not only neglected but disputed that God actually means what He says.  Lately I have meditated on Ps. 119 and was reminded (verse 89), “Your Word, O Lord is eternal:  it stands firm in the heavens.” The unfolding of His Word gives, light ( verse 130).  When the Word gets into us it releases God’s power to change us.  Over and over again the Psalmist says he loves the word and that it shapes his life and directs his steps. ( Verse 133). It is to be our nourishment and strength and from it we receive knowledge and good judgment. But we are also warned not to add or take away from it and to hate every wrong path.  Do we neglect the Word or become so busy serving Him that we don’t take time for it.  May we open ourselves to receive the wonderful things He has waiting for us to discover in His Word.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Our posture as Christians should be as humble and dependant children of a loving, yet powerful, Father.  Why do we lose our peace by thinking we have to be in control and figure out the future?  Planning is good to a point, but we can make excessive plans to attempt to be in control of what will happen. Right now we are packing and making plans for our trip south that we will begin on Monday. But we can only plan so much as we can’t predict the weather or what will happen along the way. Last year when we went to South Carolina, I got pneumonia as we started our trip home, and we had to skip seeing friends along the way. That wasn’t in our plans at all! I read from Sarah Young’s book today, “I did not design the human mind to figure out the future. That is beyond your capability. I crafted your mind for continual communication with Me.  Bring Me all your needs, your hopes and fears. Commit everything into My care. Turn from the path of planning to the path of Peace.”  As the Message translation says in I Peter 5:7, “Live carefree before God, He is most careful with you.”

Devotions from Judy’s heart

One day when Al and I were going to church we drove through a blind zone where the speed limit is only about 35 mph.  Al was going just a tad above that but there was a car behind that wanted us to go faster and was right on our tail. Al didn’t speed up as he respects the people that live on that curvy section of road but it was irritating to have someone right on our bumper. He didn’t give in to the pressure though and maintained  his lower speed.  Sometimes people in our lives want to push their agendas on us ( especially in this political time) and it doesn’t really change us but almost makes us firmer in what we believe. We must be careful in dealing with others also, that we don’t push our views on them but give them space to wrestle out the issues.  We won’t all agree on things but we need to respect others and be open and willing to change if we feel led after giving it time and space. Let us not pressure but remember when we differ on things that each one of us is responsible for ourselves before God.