Happy Independence Day

[Judy Harder]

Daily New Life
     
When People Behave Badly
Bad temper is contagious—don't get infected.
Proverbs 22:25 MSG

Face it: sometimes people can be rude . . . very rude. When other people are unkind to you, you may be tempted to strike back, either verbally or in some other way. Don't do it! Instead, remember that God corrects other people's behaviors in His own way, and He doesn't need your help (even if you're totally convinced that He does).

So, when other people behave cruelly, foolishly, or impulsively— as they will from time to time—don't be hotheaded. Instead, speak up for yourself as politely as you can, and walk away. Then, forgive everybody as quickly as you can, and leave the rest up to God.

Bear with the faults of others as you would have them bear with yours. - Phillips Brooks, 100 Days of Prayer

We are all fallen creatures and all very hard to live with. - C. S. Lewis

A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable. - Billy Graham

From what does such contrariness arise in habitually angry people, but from a secret cause of too high an opinion of themselves so that it pierces their hearts when they see any man esteem them less than they esteem themselves? An inflated estimation of ourselves is more than half the weight of our wrath. - St. Thomas More

Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, sometimes people behave badly. When other people upset me, help me to calm myself down, and help me forgive them as quickly as I can. Amen

[Judy Harder]

Acceptance Today
I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
Philippians 4:11 NIV

Are you embittered by a personal tragedy that you did not deserve and cannot understand? If so, it's time to accept the unchangeable past and to have faith in the promise of tomorrow. It's time to trust God completely—and it's time to reclaim the peace—His peace—that can and should be yours.

On occasion, you will be confronted with situations that you simply don't understand. But God does. And He has a reason for everything that He does.

God doesn't explain Himself in ways that we, as mortals with limited insight and clouded vision, can comprehend. So, instead of understanding every aspect of God's unfolding plan for our lives and our universe, we must be satisfied to trust Him completely. We cannot know God's motivations, nor can we understand His actions. We can, however, trust Him, and we must.

Faith is the willingness to receive whatever he wants to give, or the willingness not to have what he does not want to give. - Elisabeth Elliot, 100 Days of Prayer

The key to contentment is to consider. Consider who you are and be satisfied with that. Consider what you have and be satisfied with that. Consider what God's doing and be satisfied with that. - Luci Swindoll

We need to be at peace with our past, content with our present, and sure about our future, knowing they are all in God's hands. - Joyce Meyer

I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess. - Corrie ten Boom

Today's Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the abundant life that is mine through Christ. Give me courage, Lord, to claim the spiritual riches that You have promised, and lead me according to Your plan for my life, today and always. Amen

[Judy Harder]

Choosing Wisely
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits,
without partiality and without hypocrisy.
James 3:17 NKJV

Because we are creatures of free will, we make choices—lots of them. When we make choices that are pleasing to our Heavenly Father, we are blessed. When we make choices that cause us to walk in the footsteps of God's Son, we enjoy the abundance that Christ has promised to those who follow Him. But when we make choices that are displeasing to God, we sow seeds that have the potential to bring forth a bitter harvest.

Today, as you encounter the challenges of everyday living, you will make hundreds of choices. Choose wisely. Make your thoughts and your actions pleasing to God. And remember: every choice that is displeasing to Him is the wrong choice—no exceptions.

Life is a series of choices between the bad, the good, and the best. Everything depends on how we choose. - Vance Havner, 100 Days of Prayer

We are either the masters or the victims of our attitudes. It is a matter of personal choice. Who we are today is the result of choices we made yesterday. Tomorrow, we will become what we choose today. To change means to choose to change. - John Maxwell

Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. - C. S. Lewis

God expresses His love in giving us the freedom to choose. - Charles Stanley

Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, today I will focus my thoughts on Your will for my life. I will strive to make decisions that are pleasing to You, and I will strive to follow in the footsteps of Your Son. Amen

[Judy Harder]

Daily New Life
     
Confident Christianity
You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence.
Psalm 71:5 NASB

Sometimes, even the most devout Christians can become discouraged. Discouragement, however, is not God's way; He is a God of possibility not negativity. We Christians have many reasons to be confident. God is in His heaven; Christ has risen, and we are the sheep of His flock.

Are you a confident Christian? You should be. God's grace is eternal and His promises are unambiguous. So count your blessings, not your hardships. And live courageously. God is the Giver of all things good, and He watches over you today and forever.

God's omniscience can instill you with a supernatural confidence that can transform your life. - Bill Hybels, 100 Days of Prayer

If we indulge in any confidence that is not grounded on the Rock of Ages, our confidence is worse than a dream; it will fall on us and cover us with its ruins, causing sorrow and confusion. - C. H. Spurgeon

Jesus gives us the ultimate rest, the confidence we need, to escape the frustration and chaos of the world around us. - Billy Graham

Bible hope is confidence in the future. - Warren Wiersbe

Today's Prayer
Lord, when I place my confidence in the things of this earth, I will be disappointed. But, when I put my confidence in You, I am secure. In every aspect of my life, Father, let me place my hope and my trust in Your infinite wisdom and Your boundless grace. Amen

[Judy Harder]

 Daily New Life
     
Genuine Contentment
The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.
Psalm 29:11 NIV

Everywhere we turn, or so it seems, the world promises us contentment and happiness. But the contentment that the world offers is fleeting and incomplete. Thankfully, the contentment that God offers is all encompassing and everlasting.

Happiness depends less upon our circumstances than upon our thoughts. When we turn our thoughts to God, to His gifts, and to His glorious creation, we experience the joy that God intends for His children. But, when we focus on the negative aspects of life—or when we disobey God's commandments—we cause ourselves needless suffering.

Do you sincerely want to be a contented Christian? Then set your mind and your heart upon God's love and His grace . . . and let Him take care of the rest.

Contentment is not escape from battle, but rather an abiding peace and confidence in the midst of battle. - Warren Wiersbe, 100 Days of Prayer

The secret of contentment in the midst of change is found in having roots in the changeless Christ—the same yesterday, today and forever. - Ed Young

Contentment is something we learn by adhering to the basics— cultivating a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, living daily, and knowing that Christ strengthens us for every challenge. - Charles Stanley

I believe that in every time and place it is within our power to acquiesce in the will of God—and what peace it brings to do so! - Elisabeth Elliot

Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, You offer me contentment and peace; let me accept Your peace. Help me to trust Your Word, to follow Your commandments, and to welcome the peace of Jesus into my heart, today and forever. Amen

[Judy Harder]

Daily New Life
     
A Book Unlike Any Other
For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes.
Romans 1:16 HCSB

God's Word is unlike any other book. A. W. Tozer wrote,

"The purpose of the Bible is to bring men to Christ, to make them holy and prepare them for heaven. In this it is unique among books, and it always fulfills its purpose."

George Mueller observed, "The vigor of our spiritual lives will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our lives and in our thoughts." As Christians, we are called upon to study God's Holy Word and then to share it with the world. The Bible is a priceless gift, a tool for Christians to use as they share the Good News of their Savior, Christ Jesus. Too many Christians, however, keep their spiritual tool kits tightly closed and out of sight. Jonathan Edwards advised, "Be assiduous in reading the Holy Scriptures. This is the fountain whence all knowledge in divinity must be derived. Therefore let not this treasure lie by you neglected." God's Holy Word is, indeed, a priceless, one-of-a-kind treasure. Handle it with care, but, more importantly, handle it every day. (100 Days of Prayer)

The instrument of our sanctification is the Word of God. The Spirit of God brings to our minds the precepts and doctrines of truth, and applies them with power. The truth is our sanctifier. If we do not hear or read it, we will not grow in sanctification. - C. H. Spurgeon

I am certain that the Bible is the Word of God. Either it is or it isn't, and either all of it is the Word of God, or we never can be sure of any of it. It is either absolute or obsolete. If we have to start changing this verse, toning down that, apologizing for this and making allowances for that, we might as well give up, so we must take it as it is or leave it alone. - Vance Havner

The Bible is a remarkable commentary on perspective. Through its divine message, we are brought face to face with issues and tests in daily living and how, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to respond positively to them. - Luci Swindoll

Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, the Bible is Your gift to me. Let me use it, let me trust it, and let me obey it, today and every day that I live. Amen


Shouting the Good News
As you go, preach this message: "The kingdom of heaven is near."
Matthew 10:7 NIV

The Good News of Jesus Christ should be shouted from the rooftops by believers the world over. But all too often, it is not. For a variety of reasons, many Christians keep their beliefs to themselves, and when they do, the world suffers because of their failure to speak up.

As believers, we are called to share the transforming message of Jesus with our families, with our neighbors, and with the world. Jesus commands us to become fishers of men. And, the time to go fishing is now. We must share the Good News of Jesus Christ today—tomorrow may indeed be too late.

God is not saving the world; it is done. Our business is to get men and women to realize it. - Oswald Chambers, 100 Days of Prayer

For every believer, the task, or mission, is to lead people to the truth of Jesus Christ. - Charles Stanley

Taking the gospel to people wherever they are—death row, the ghetto, or next door—is frontline evangelism, frontline love. It is our one hope for breaking down barriers and for restoring the sense of community, of caring for one another, that our decadent, impersonalized culture has sucked out of us. - Chuck Colson

Christianity spread rapidly during the first century because all Christians saw themselves as responsible for disseminating the gospel. - Erwin Lutzer

Today's Prayer
Lord, even if I never leave home, make me a missionary for You. Let me share the Good News of Your Son, and let me tell of Your love and of Your grace. Make me a faithful servant for You, Father, now and forever. Amen


A Life of Fulfillment
For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us
as silver is refined . . . we went through fire and through water;
but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.
Psalm 66:10–12 NKJV

Everywhere we turn, or so it seems, the world promises fulfillment, contentment, and happiness. But the contentment that the world offers is fleeting and incomplete. Thankfully, the fulfillment that God offers is all encompassing and everlasting.

Sometimes, amid the inevitable hustle and bustle of life here- on-earth, we can forfeit—albeit temporarily—the joy of Christ as we wrestle with the challenges of daily living. Yet God's Word is clear: fulfillment through Christ is available to all who seek it and claim it. Count yourself among that number. Seek first a personal, transforming relationship with Jesus, and then claim the joy, the fulfillment, and the spiritual abundance that the Shepherd offers His sheep.

Find satisfaction in him who made you, and only then find satisfaction in yourself as part of his creation. - St. Augustine, 100 Days of Prayer

We are never more fulfilled than when our longing for God is met by His presence in our lives. - Billy Graham

We are made for God, and nothing less will really satisfy us. - Brennan Manning

Our sense of joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment in life increases, no matter what the circumstances, if we are in the center of God's will. - Billy Graham

Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, when I turn my thoughts and prayers to You, I feel peace and fulfillment. But sometimes, when I am distracted by the busyness of the day, fulfillment seems far away. Today, let me trust Your will, let me follow Your commands, and let me accept Your peace. Amen

[Judy Harder]

God Is Love
God is love; and he that dwelleth in love
dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:16 KJV

The Bible makes this promise: God is love. It's a sweeping statement, a profoundly important description of what God is and how God works. God's love is perfect.

When we open our hearts to His perfect love, we are touched by the Creator's hand, and we are transformed.

Today, even if you can only carve out a few quiet moments, offer sincere prayers of thanksgiving to your Creator. He loves you now and throughout all eternity. Open your heart to His presence and His love.

If it is maintained that anything so small as the Earth must, in any event, be too unimportant to merit the love of the Creator, we reply that no Christian ever supposed we did merit it. Christ did not die for men because they were intrinsically worth dying for, but because He is intrinsically love, and therefore loves infinitely. - C. S. Lewis, 100 Days of Prayer

The life of faith is a daily exploration of the constant and countless ways in which God's grace and love are experienced. - Eugene Peterson

Love, for instance, is not something God has which may grow or diminish or cease to be. His love is the way God is, and when He loves He is simply being Himself. - A. W. Tozer

The greatest love of all is God's love for us, a love that showed itself in action. - Billy Graham

Today's Prayer
Dear God, You are love. You love me, Father, and I love You. As I love You more, Lord, I am also able to love my family and friends more. I will be Your loving servant, Lord, today and throughout eternity. Amen

 

[Judy Harder]

We Are All Role Models
You are the light that gives light to the world. In the same way,
you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see
the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14, 16 NCV

Whether we like it or not, we are role models. Hopefully, the lives we lead and the choices we make will serve as enduring examples of the spiritual abundance that is available to all who worship God and obey His commandments.

Ask yourself this question: Are you the kind of role model that you would want to emulate? If so, congratulations. But if certain aspects of your behavior could stand improvement, the best day to begin your self-improvement regimen is this one. Because whether you realize it or not, people you love are watching your behavior, and they're learning how to live. You owe it to them—and to yourself—to live righteously and well.

A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a Christian, and most of all, his family ought to know. - D. L. Moody, 100 Days of Prayer

Let us preach you, Dear Jesus, without preaching, not by words but by our example, by the casting force, the sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to You. Amen. - Mother Teresa

Our walk counts far more than our talk, always! - George Mueller

We are to leave an impression on all those we meet that communicates whose we are and what kingdom we represent. - Lisa Bevere

Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, help me be a honorable role model to others. Let the things that I say and the things that I do show everyone what it means to be a follower of Your Son. Amen

 

[Judy Harder]

Heeding God's Call
One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind
and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
I press toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV

It is vitally important that you heed God's call. In John 15:16, Jesus says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last" (NIV). In other words, you have been called by Christ, and now, it is up to you to decide precisely how you will answer. Have you already found your special calling? If so, you're a very lucky man. If not, keep searching and keep praying until you discover it. And remember this: God has important work for you to do—work that no one else on earth can accomplish but you.

The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet. - Frederick Buechner, 100 Days of Prayer

Faith does not concern itself with the entire journey. One step is enough. - Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

When you become consumed by God's call on your life, everything will take on new meaning and significance. You will begin to see every facet of your life, including your pain, as a means through which God can work to bring others to Himself. - Charles Stanley

The Bible teaches that God has considered man a working partner. - Billy Graham

Today's Prayer
Heavenly Father, You have called me to Your kingdom work, and I acknowledge that calling. In these quiet moments before this busy day unfolds, I come to You. I will study Your Word and seek Your guidance. Give me the wisdom to know Your will for my life and the courage to follow wherever You may lead me, today and forever. Amen

[Judy Harder]

Becoming Wise
He who walks with the wise grows wise . . . .
Proverbs 13:20 NIV

Wisdom does not spring up overnight—it takes time. To become wise, we must seek God's wisdom and live according to His Word. And, we must not only learn the lessons of the Christian life, we must also live by them.

Do you seek to live a life of righteousness and wisdom? If so, you must study the ultimate source of wisdom: the Word of God. You must seek out worthy mentors and listen carefully to their advice. You must associate, day in and day out, with godly men and women. And, you must act in accordance with your beliefs. When you do these things, you will become wise . . . and you will be a blessing to your friends, to your family, and to the world.

When you and I are related to Jesus Christ, our strength and wisdom and peace and joy and love and hope may run out, but His life rushes in to keep us filled to the brim. We are showered with blessings, not because of anything we have or have not done, but simply because of Him. - Anne Graham Lotz, 100 Days of Prayer

The theme of Proverbs is wisdom, the right use of knowledge. It enables you to evaluate circumstances and people and make the right decisions in life. - Warren Wiersbe

Indeed, wisdom and discernment are among the natural results of a prayer-filled life. - Richard Foster

The more wisdom enters our hearts, the more we will be able to trust our hearts in difficult situations. - John Eldredge

Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, when I depend upon the world's wisdom, I make many mistakes. But when I trust in Your wisdom, I build my life on a firm foundation. Today and every day I will trust Your Word and follow it, knowing that the ultimate wisdom is Your wisdom and the ultimate truth is Your truth. Amen