Happy Independence Day

[Judy Harder]

October 10, 2011  Daily New Life
     
Look Up and Move On
All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be
removed from you, along with all wickedness.
And be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
Ephesians 4:31-32 HCSB

The world holds few if any rewards for those who remain angrily focused upon the past. Still, the act of forgiveness is difficult for all but the most saintly men and women. Are you mired in the quicksand of bitterness or regret? If so, you are not only disobeying God's Word, you are also wasting your time.

Being frail, fallible, imperfect human beings, most of us are quick to anger, quick to blame, slow to forgive, and even slower to forget. Yet as Christians, we are commanded to forgive others, just as we, too, have been forgiven.

If there exists even one person—alive or dead—against whom you hold bitter feelings, it's time to forgive. Or, if you are embittered against yourself for some past mistake or shortcoming, it's finally time to forgive yourself and move on. Hatred, bitterness, and regret are not part of God's plan for your life. Forgiveness is. - 100 Days of Prayer

Be so preoccupied with good will that you haven't room for ill will. - E. Stanley Jones

Acrid bitterness inevitably seeps into the lives of people who harbor grudges and suppress anger, and bitterness is always a poison. - Lee Strobel

Anger breeds remorse in the heart, discord in the home, bitterness in the community, and confusion in the state. - Billy Graham

Grudges are like hand grenades; It is wise to release them before they destroy you. - Barbara Johnson

Today's Prayer
Heavenly Father, free me from anger and bitterness. When I am angry, I cannot feel the peace that You intend for my life. When I am bitter, I cannot sense Your presence. Keep me mindful that forgiveness is Your commandment. Let me turn away from bitterness and instead claim the spiritual abundance that You offer through the gift of Your Son. Amen

[Judy Harder]

 Daily New Life
     
The Voice Inside Your Head
So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
Acts 24:16 NIV

Your conscience is an early-warning system designed to keep you out of trouble. When you're about to do something that you know is wrong, a little voice inside your head has a way of speaking up. If you listen to that voice, you'll be okay; if you ignore it, you're asking for headaches or heartbreaks, or both.

Whenever you're about to make an important decision, you should listen carefully to the quiet voice inside. Sometimes, of course, it's tempting to do otherwise. From time to time you'll be tempted to abandon your better judgement by ignoring your conscience. But remember: a conscience is a terrible thing to waste. So instead of ignoring that quiet little voice, pay careful attention to it. If you do, your conscience will lead you in the right direction—in fact, it's trying to lead you right now. So listen . . . and learn.

Your conscience is your alarm system. It's your protection. - Charles Stanley, 100 Days of Prayer

God desires that we become spiritually healthy enough through faith to have a conscience that rightly interprets the work of the Holy Spirit. - Beth Moore

You should not believe your conscience and your feelings more than the word which the Lord who receives sinners preaches to you. - Martin Luther

The beginning of backsliding means your conscience does not answer to the truth. - Oswald Sanders

Today's Prayer
Dear God, You've given me a conscience that tells me right from wrong. Let me trust my conscience, and let me live according to Your teachings, not just for today, but forever. Amen

[Judy Harder]

Daily New Life
     
Encouraging Words for Family and Friends
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful for building others up according to their
needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29 NIV

Life is a team sport, and all of us need occasional pats on the back from our teammates. As Christians, we are called upon to spread the Good News of Christ, and we are also called to spread a message of encouragement and hope to the world.

Whether you realize it or not, many people with whom you come in contact every day are in desperate need of a smile or an encouraging word. The world can be a difficult place, and countless friends and family members may be troubled by the challenges of everyday life. Since you don't always know who needs our help, the best strategy is to try to encourage all the people who cross your path. So today, be a world-class source of encouragement to everyone you meet. Never has the need been greater. - 100 Days of Prayer

We do have the ability to encourage or discourage each other with the words we say. In order to maintain a positive mood, our hearts must be in good condition. - Annie Chapman

To the loved, a word of affection is a morsel, but to the lovestarved, a word of affection can be a feast. - Max Lucado

So often we think that to be encouragers we have to produce great words of wisdom when, in fact, a few simple syllables of sympathy and an arm around the shoulder can often provide much needed comfort. - Florence Littauer

Today's Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, because I am Your child, I am blessed. You have loved me eternally, cared for me faithfully, and saved me through the gift of Your Son Jesus. Just as You have lifted me up, Lord, let me lift up others in a spirit of encouragement and optimism and hope. And, if I can help a fellow traveler, even in a small way, Dear Lord, may the glory be Yours. Amen

[Judy Harder]

 

Your Traveling Companion
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord, knowing that your labor
is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:57-58 NKJV

As you continue to seek God's purpose for your life, you will undoubtedly experience your fair share of disappointments, detours, false starts, and failures. When you do, don't become discouraged: God's not finished with you yet.

The old saying is as true today as it was when it was first spoken: "Life is a marathon, not a sprint." That's why wise travelers select a traveling companion who never tires and never falters. That partner, of course, is your Heavenly Father. So pray as if everything depended upon God, and work as if everything depended upon you. And trust God to do the rest.

By perseverance the snail reached the ark. - C. H. Spurgeon, 100 Days of Prayer

As we find that it is not easy to persevere in this being "alone with God," we begin to realize that it is because we are not "wholly for God." God has a right to demand that He should have us completely for Himself. - Andrew Murray

Failure is one of life's most powerful teachers. How we handle our failures determines whether we're going to simply "get by" in life or "press on." - Beth Moore

If things are tough, remember that every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there. - Barbara Johnson

Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, when I want to give up, help me remember how important it is to keep trying. And when I'm worried or upset, help me remember to talk my family and to You. Amen

[Judy Harder]

Daily New Life
     
Life Eternal
Because I live, you will live also.
John 14:19 NASB

Ours is not a distant God. Ours is a God who understands—far better than we ever could—the essence of what it means to be human. How marvelous it is that God became a man and walked among us. Had He not chosen to do so, we might feel removed from a distant Creator. God understands our hopes, our fears, and our temptations. He understands what it means to be angry and what it costs to forgive. He knows the heart, the conscience, and the soul of every person who has ever lived, including you. And God has a plan of salvation that is intended for you. Accept it. Accept God's gift through the person of His Son Christ Jesus, and then rest assured: God walked among us so that you might have eternal life; amazing though it may seem, He did it for you.

The gift of God is eternal life, spiritual life, abundant life through faith in Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God. - Anne Graham Lotz, 100 Days of Prayer

God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life—abundant and eternal. - Billy Graham

Teach us to set our hopes on heaven, to hold firmly to the promise of eternal life, so that we can withstand the struggles and storms of this world. - Max Lucado

How completely satisfying to turn from our limitations to a God who has none. Eternal years lie in his heart. For him time does not pass, it remains; and those who are in Christ share with him all the riches of limitless time and endless years. - A. W. Tozer

Today's Prayer
I know, Lord, that this world is not my home; I am only here for a brief while. And, You have given me the priceless gift of eternal life through Your Son Jesus. Keep the hope of heaven fresh in my heart, and, while I am in this world, help me to pass through it with faith in my heart and praise on my lips . . . for You. Amen

[Judy Harder]

Daily New Life
     
Forgive: It's God's Way
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other,
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32 NASB

Forgiveness, no matter how difficult, is God's way, and it must be our way, too. To forgive others is difficult. Being frail, fallible, imperfect human beings, we are quick to anger, quick to blame, slow to forgive, and even slower to forget. No matter.

God's commandments are not intended to be customized for the particular whims of particular believers. God's Word is not a menu from which each of us may select items à la carte, according to our own desires. Far from it. God's Holy Word is a book that must be taken in its entirety; all of God's commandments are to be taken seriously. And, so it is with forgiveness. So, if you hold bitterness against even a single person, forgive. Then, to the best of your abilities, forget. It's God's way for you to live.

God expects us to forgive others as He has forgiven us; we are to follow His example by having a forgiving heart. - Vonette Bright, 100 Days of Prayer

Learning how to forgive and forget is one of the secrets of a happy Christian life. - Warren Wiersbe

What makes a Christian a Christian is not perfection but forgiveness. - Max Lucado

I believe that forgiveness can become a continuing cycle: because God forgives us, we're to forgive others; because we forgive others, God forgives us. Scripture presents both parts of the cycle. - Shirley Dobson

Today's Prayer
Heavenly Father, genuine forgiveness is difficult. Help me to forgive those who have injured me, and deliver me from the traps of anger and bitterness. Forgiveness is Your way, Lord; let it be mine. Amen

[Judy Harder]

Daily New Life
     
Neighbors in Need
Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people
around us, asking ourselves, "How can I help?"
That's exactly what Jesus did. —
Romans 15:2-3 MSG

Neighbors. We know that we are instructed to love them, and yet there's so little time . . .and we're so busy. No matter. As Christians, we are commanded by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to love our neighbors just as we love ourselves. Period.

This very day, you will encounter someone who needs a word of encouragement or a pat on the back or a helping hand or a heartfelt prayer. And, if you don't reach out to your friend, who will? If you don't take the time to understand the needs of your neighbors, who will? If you don't love your brothers and sisters, who will? So, today, look for a neighbor in need . . . and then do something to help. Father's orders.

Encouraging others means helping people, looking for the best in them, and trying to bring out their positive qualities. - John Maxwell, 100 Days of Prayer

The truest help we can render an afflicted man is not to take his burden from him, but to call out his best energy, that he may be able to bear the burden himself. - Phillips Brooks

Make it a rule, and pray to God to help you to keep it, never, if possible, to lie down at night without being able to say: "I have made one human being at least a little wiser, or a little happier, or at least a little better this day." - Charles Kingsley

Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can. - John Wesley

Today's Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me be a Good Samaritan to the people You place along my path, today and every day. Amen

[Judy Harder]

October 17, 2011  Daily New Life
     
Your Real Riches
He said, "I came naked from my mother's womb,
and I will be stripped of everything when I die.
The LORD gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken
it away. Praise the name of the LORD!"
Job 1:21 NLT

Earthly riches are transitory; spiritual riches are not. Martin Luther observed, "Many things I have tried to grasp and have lost. That which I have placed in God's hands I still have." How true.

In our demanding world, financial security can be a good thing, but spiritual prosperity is profoundly more important. Certainly we all need the basic necessities of life, but once we've acquired those necessities, enough is enough. Why? Because our real riches are not of this world. We are never really rich until we are rich in spirit.

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot, 100 Days of Prayer

Wealth is something entrusted to us by God, something God doesn't want us to trust. He wants us to trust Him. - Warren Wiersbe

When possessions become our god, we become materialistic and greedy . . . and we forfeit our contentment and our joy. - Charles Swindoll

What we possess often possesses us—we are possessed by possessions. - Oswald Chambers

Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, all I have belongs to You. When I leave this world I take nothing with me. Help me to value my relationship with You—and my relationships with others— more than I value my material possessions. Amen

[Judy Harder]

Daily New Life
     
Real Repentance
I preached that they should repent and turn to God
and prove their repentance by their deeds.
Acts 26:20 NIV

Who among us has sinned? All of us. But the good news is this: When we do ask God's forgiveness and turn our hearts to Him, He forgives us absolutely and completely.

Genuine repentance requires more than simply offering God apologies for our misdeeds. Real repentance may start with feelings of sorrow and remorse, but it ends only when we turn away from the sin that has heretofore distanced us from our Creator. In truth, we offer our most meaningful apologies to God, not with our words, but with our actions. As long as we are still engaged in sin, we may be "repenting," but we have not fully "repented." So, if there is an aspect of your life that is distancing you from your God, ask for His forgiveness, and— just as importantly—stop sinning. Now.

Repentance is the first conscious movement of the soul away from sin and toward God. - Sam Jones, 100 Days of Prayer

Repentance involves a radical change of heart and mind in which we agree with God's evaluation of our sin and then take specific action to align ourselves with His will. - Henry Blackaby

True repentance is admitting that what God says is true, and that because it is true, we change our minds about our sins and about the Savior. - Warren Wiersbe

Repentance becomes a way of life, a lifelong process of turning towards the Holy One, that happens one day at a time. - Trevor Hudson

Today's Prayer
When I stray from Your commandments, Lord, I must not only confess my sins, I must also turn from them. When I fall short, help me to change. Forgive my sins, Dear Lord, and help me live according to Your plan for my life. Your plan is perfect, Father; I am not. Let me trust in You. Amen

[Judy Harder]

Daily New Life
     
Conquering Everyday Frustrations
A hot-tempered man stirs up dissention,
but a patient man calms a quarrel.
Proverbs 15:18 NIV

Life is full of frustrations: some great and some small. On occasion, you, like Jesus, will confront evil, and when you do, you may respond as He did: vigorously and without reservation. But, more often your frustrations will be of the more mundane variety. As long as you live here on earth, you will face countless opportunities to lose your temper over small, relatively insignificant events: a traffic jam, a spilled cup of coffee, an inconsiderate comment, a broken promise. When you are tempted to lose your temper over the minor inconveniences of life, don't. Turn away from anger, hatred, bitterness, and regret. Turn instead to God. When you do, you'll be following His commandments and giving yourself a priceless gift . . . the gift of peace.

Frustration is not the will of God. There is time to do anything and everything that God wants us to do. - Elisabeth Elliot, 100 Days of Prayer

Anger is the noise of the soul; the unseen irritant of the heart; the relentless invader of silence. - Max Lucado

We must lay our questions, frustrations, anxieties, and impotence at the feet of God and wait for His answer. And then receiving it, we must live by faith. - Kay Arthur

Take no action in a furious passion. It's putting to sea in a storm. - Thomas Fuller

Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, when I am angry, I cannot feel the peace that You intend for my life. When I am bitter, I cannot sense Your love. Heavenly Father, keep me mindful that forgiveness is Your commandment and Your will for my life. Let me turn away from anger and instead claim the spiritual abundance that You offer through the priceless gift of Your Son Jesus. Amen