Hope you wake to a beautiful day! We are having friends over this afternoon, and I have a 5- layer dessert made for us, which Al and I both sampled already! 

I was reading this morning of what the prophet Hosea says as he comes to a close in Hosea 14:9, “Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them.” Wouldn’t we all have to say we need to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is saying, rather than what our eyes see that may glimmer and look good. Before making big decisions, we must pray and carefully listen for how God is leading. There may be times others ask to do something that seems harmless but there is a caution in our spirit, and we need to listen to that. Something doesn’t feel right. The Lord sees the whole picture and gives us a warning, even though we may not have a good reason to give. I remember what one of our kids said when not getting something desired, “I get tired of you listening to the Spirit!”  Sometimes we may later find out the reason the Lord says no, but even when we don’t, we need to listen.

How do we become more discerning? It is something we should desire for otherwise we can get “hood winked” and manipulated by others and go down wrong paths. We can ask for discernment to perceive what God is saying and not the enemy.  I think He loves to grant that request. We need to be in the Word, so we know what is spelled out already as wrong, but also so our heart is open to hear. Of course, we need to also be quiet and listen or we won’t be able to discern what the Spirit is trying to show us, and instead get influenced by the world. More than ever before we need discernment as there is so much going on that may glitter in our culture but leads to death.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord for discernment and be open to how the Spirit will direct you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Happy weekend to you! Lots going on here as yesterday we made preparations for a huge rummage sale today and tomorrow at Northern Lakes. Kurt and Brenda and another couple plan to stop by on their way to the lake this morning but the weather prediction is not the best.

Forgiving isn’t easy when we have been hurt and suffered wrong and treated badly. If we choose not to forgive our own heart door starts to close and we become cold and end up hurt and carry around our wounds.

But Rolheiser writes that the deep secret of joy is forgiveness, and it is imperative. Jesus taught us in the Lord’s prayer, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” I almost shutter when I hear persons say, “I will never forgive so and so!” Can’t you almost predict that they will lose their joy and become bitter and hardened? It is like having a closed fist and as they take a protective stance, they are unable to become vulnerable. But when we go through life with open trusting hands and embrace others our heart becomes warm and bigger.

Let us not respond in kind to others who mistreat us but respond with forgiveness and love.  May we stay connected to the One who has forgiven us everything we have ever done and let Him transform us into His grateful children who overflow with joy because we have been forgiven much.

One friend responded to my devotions by giving a testimony of forgiveness in her own life and I will share with her permission.                                                                                                                                                        “When I was a student at UW-Superior in the 1970s, I regularly attended a daily noon prayer meeting.  I lived in an apartment and had to park my car on the street.  One day my car would not start.  A friend looked under the hood and discovered that the alternator had been stolen!  At the prayer meeting I asked for prayer for the thief.  I likely said a prayer of forgiveness at that time. (I know my heart was forgiving him.) After the meeting a gentleman (older student like myself) asked me what kind of car I had.  He then proceeded to tell me he had an alternator he would give me!  My friend installed it, and I was on the road again.  (An interesting sidelight is that the man who gave me the alternator is the father of my chiropractor.  Of course, I told him the story.)                                                                                                                                          I know we don’t forgive to get something.  However, this was a graphic picture to me of God’s favor for my having an attitude of forgiveness, and praying for the thief. God’s ways are higher than our ways!”

Forgiveness is a gift we extend to others for we ourselves have been forgiven much.

 But even though newlyweds have many lovely dreams, there is pain as Catherine Doherty explains in her book. Maybe the wife gets pregnant soon after and has morning sickness; followed by the incredible pain of childbirth. Finally, when the baby is born and crying much of the night, there is the pain of loss of sleep and even having any kind time for self. But as the child grows there is also pain of worry about what could happen when he is a teenager etc. It never seems to quit. But that is how love is for with it is pain and God’s way of teaching us to depend on Him. We grow as we learn firsthand what it means to put others before ourselves, and He uses all that happens to us to draw us closer to Himself.

The secret is the cross…am I willing to daily die to myself and put the Lord first and others second before myself. At times that is not pleasant, for we don’t know if the Lord is going to answer our prayers the way we strongly desire, or does He have a completely different plan. But the beauty of it all is that He sees the panoramic picture of our life and He knows what things are good for us now and what things we need to die to so He can bring us to new places. Let us love much and let us willingly go through pain to enter into God’s best for us. Even though we may hurt for a little while let us remember I Peter 5:10-11, “So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans of us in Christ-eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on our feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, He does.”

Challenge for today:  Thank the Lord He gives you grace to go through the painful times to bring you out into the splendor and glory of His presence and will.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

I read an article by Rick Renner who described himself as very hyper-critical, that is …until one day he heard the Holy Spirit speak to him and said, ‘How dare you continually talk so badly about yourself after the good work I’ve done inside you. Don’t you know how marvelously I created you to be in Jesus Christ? Quit speaking so negatively of yourself and start acknowledging every good thing that is in you.”

Isn’t that a word for all of us? Do we realize that every time we put ourselves down, we are bound by those negative words and fail to experience the blessings the Lord has for us. It took quite a while in my life to be able to thank the Lord for how He made me. After receiving teaching from the Word on accepting how God made me, I could finally one day thank Him that He made me just as I am. And now it is up to me to not to defame His handiwork but to give thanks. That doesn’t mean we don’t need to change some things in our lives, but as we see negative things, we ask the Lord for Him to work His change in us. Yes, He loves us in our stink, as Al often says, just as we are, but instead of negative complaining we can pray.
The prayer that Renner prayed, and we may need to pray it too:
“Lord, I know I have been speaking badly about myself. When I hear my own words, even I can tell it’s wrong for me to speak so lowly about myself. You have done a great work in me, and I have kept myself bound by the words of my mouth. Forgive me for speaking so wrongly and for allowing myself to remain imprisoned in self-defeat. I am truly repentant for these actions, and I ask You to forgive me and to give me that power to change my behavior. Holy Spirit, I can only do this by your power, so I am asking and expecting You to empower me to make these changes in my life and in my mouth! I pray this in Jesus’ name!”

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to reveal any negative talk you tell yourself and speak His truth to your heart.                                                                                                                                                              Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

I am reminded of a song, we sang with our kids when they were little and a few of the repetitive lines are: “The Lord is mine and I am His, His banner over me is love…..He brought me to the banqueting table and His banner over me is love,….He is the vine and we are the branches, His banner over me is love….He is the rock of my salvation His banner over me is love.”  It would be sung with actions and our hands crossed over our hearts. When young, it is perhaps easier to believe that we are His beloved and we belong to Him. Children are trusting and have faith to believe what they are told.

  If we have received the Lord but still have a difficult time believing we are chosen and His beloved child, let us open our hearts and immerse ourselves in the Word, and pray for the Holy Spirit to confirm our place as His child. Faith is a choice we make to trust God, just as that little child. Like Paul said in Eph. 2: 8-9 that it is by grace we are saved through faith, and not what we do, for it is a gift from God. We can’t earn our place but accept it as a gift, and then live in thankfulness and bring others into the family of God. One day we will join with all those who are part of God’s family and spend an eternity with Him. Let us not try to earn what is already a gift, but simply receive and give thanks.