Happy Independence Day

[Judy Harder]

Escaping Self-Deception

Galatians 6:7-10

We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

We may fool ourselves into believing that we can simply bury our wrongs and go on, without ever having to admit them. In time, we all discover that those deeds we thought were buried once and for all were actually seeds. They grow and bear fruit. Eventually we have to deal with a crop of consequences and face the fact that self-deception doesn't work to our advantage.

"You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit" (Galatians 6:7-8). "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him [God], he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness" (1 John 1:8-9).

STEP Five says good-bye to self-deception and hello to forgiveness and cleansing. We should note that there is cleansing from every wrong, not from "wrongdoing" in a general sense. Admitting the exact nature of our wrongs includes giving an account in exact and specific terms. It is only when we get specific that we will no longer be able to fool ourselves about the nature of our wrongs. Since we can't ignore God and get away with it anyway, we might as well come clean and be forgiven.

In recovery, planting our confessions will yield a harvest of forgiveness.

[Judy Harder]

Cultivating a Thankful Heart

Be joyful always. Pray continually; give thanks in all
circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
                1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The great English writer G. K. Chesterton once wrote, "You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swim¬ming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing, and grace before I dip the pen in the ink." 

Wow! What a reminder! There's no doubt in my mind that I could give thanks more often. We set aside meal time, Sunday mornings, and my favorite holiday; Thanksgiving. But, don't let an hour go by without giving thanks . . . for your work, school, kids, health, your spouse, your blessings and your challenges. 

When you have a God-awareness about life and when you see and sense Him in your day (in the big things and the little things), it's hard not to be thankful.

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."  -William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)

[Judy Harder]

Humility at Its Best

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. - James 3:13

Though often overlooked, the Old Testament character Jonathan is one of the most remarkable men in the Bible. Being the oldest son of King Saul, he was the heir to the throne of Israel. He was an experienced soldier, distinguished for his courage in battle. 

The Old Testament character, David, was a shepherd boy . . . probably 15 years younger than Jonathan. Despite their differences, however, Jonathan and David formed a remarkable friendship, in part due to Jonathan's humility. 

When David was anointed to succeed King Saul, Jonathan didn't claim his right to the throne.  David wasn't in line for this honor. He wasn't the king's son. Jonathan was. But Jonathan defended and protected David, the one taking his place. He even defended him against his own father. Saul repeatedly tried to kill David, but Jona¬than risked his life to protect and encourage his friend. 

Are you willing to give up your rights or position? Or do you dig in your heels and arrogantly proclaim your entitlement? Surrender what's due you and see God's grace unfold in ways you couldn't imagine. 

"To be humble to superiors is duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness." -Ben Franklin (1706-1790)

[Judy Harder]

Smart Holiday Eating

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. - Hebrews 4:13

Did you know that everything you have is a gift from God? Your money, kids, home . . . even your body. I used to weigh sixty pounds more than I do today. I know the heartache of losing weight, feeling better, and then losing control and gaining it all back. For years I felt like a second-class citizen because I was fatter than any of my friends. But I was more than that. I was unhealthy. I wasn't taking care of God's gift of life. I was out of breath and out of energy most of the time. I was facing an early death. 

It's hard sometimes, because we center so much of life around food. We meet friends for Bible study at the coffee shop for breakfast. We catch up with friends over lunch. We celebrate holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and such with dinners or feasts at home.

Being a follower of Christ, means rearranging things in your life. Your priorities will change; and while it's not easy, that will include taking care of your body which includes the emphasis you put on eating.

"Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning." -General George S. Patton (1885-1945)

[Judy Harder]

Thankfulness In Spite Of . . .

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. - Psalm 42:11

Consider this short summary of the life of one man who knew the importance of a thankful heart: 

When he was nine, his mother died. Though he loved books, he received little formal education. His sister died in childbirth. At age twenty-four he found himself deep in debt when a store he invested in failed. When he was twenty-five the woman he loved caught fever and died causing him to sink into deep depression. 

Three years later he proposed to another woman and she turned him down. At thirty-four he lost the nomination for U.S. Congress. Only one of his four sons lived to adulthood: one died just short of age 4, one at age 11, one at 18. Who was this man? Abraham Lincoln. And in 1863 he asked Congress to establish the annual celebration of Thanksgiving.

In spite of his failings, his sorrow, his depression, his disappointments, he chose to express gratitude to God and lead a nation to do the same.

What's your "In spite of . . .?" It doesn't matter what it is: hurt, pain, sorrow, depression, loss, disappointments, or anything else.You can choose to have a thankful spirit.

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." -Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

[Judy Harder]

A Glimpse of Glory

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. - Colossians 3:1

Praise is the outward expression of your deep joy! We praise God in worship on Sunday morning. We praise our team when they do well at sporting events. We praise our kids when they achieve a goal or do something special.

Isn't cheering someone's success and accomplishments an invigorating experience? You'll find the same energy within  your spiritual life when you consider the mighty acts of God in history, as well as His acts in your own life.  It will allow you to celebrate the joy and wonder of your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Praise not only is an expression of your joy in the Lord, but it also gives you a taste of what heaven will be like. If you read the last book of the Bible, Revelation, you'll see what I mean. There's a lot of praise and worship going on. I think God wants us to learn that praiseful attitude in this life, in preparation for the next.

Few things will strengthen your faith more than when you cultivate a rich understanding of God through worship.  Praise him by remembering his faithfulness to you throughout your years and by looking forward to his promises.  When you worship him, your faith will be strengthened, your heart encouraged, and your vision of who God is and how he works will grow.

"Praise now is one of the great duties of the redeemed. It will be their employment forever." -Albert Barnes (1798-1870)

[Judy Harder]

Confronting Wrong

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. - Galatians 6:1

God has given us the responsibility to honestly confront those who do wrong. For most of us, confrontation is a difficult task. For a few, it's much too easy. I hope you don't delight in finding fault in others. If you do, stop and consider if you do this as a way of over¬looking your own faults. 

God does call you, however, to help others see the truth. In es¬sence, you can hold up a mirror to your good friends, and they hopefully will do the same for you.

Jude, the brother of Jesus, reminds us that we are to deal honestly and directly with those who do wrong, while showing them mercy (Jude 22-23). Help others see their faults but with great humility. You're not responsible for the behavior of others, but you are re¬sponsible to gently and tactfully point out areas of misbehavior that may cause them to stumble, fall, or lose their way.

Are you avoiding some tough conversations? If you have kids, are you confronting them? And when you do are you doing it with gentleness and humility? Check yourself. Is your tone respectful? Is your word choice uplifting or condescending? God calls you to show courage by addressing wrong. But remember the goal is al¬ways to see the other person restored, not belittled. Help that per¬son turn back to God.   

"I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better." - Plutarch (46-120)

[Judy Harder]

Restoring Broken Relationships

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. - Matthew 6:14

We all suffer from broken relationships, with God and with others. This brokenness will weigh you down spiritually and slow your progress in growing in Christ unless you take steps to mend it. And God wants to heal the brokenness and he wants you to participate by forgiving and seeking forgiveness for yourself.

God's ultimate plan for you and our world involves healing. In Revelation, the apostle John saw a vision of a new heaven and a new earth, in which this healing would be complete. He wrote: "And the angel showed me a pure river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb . . . On each side of the river grew a tree of life . . . The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations." (Revelation 22:1-2)

Although we know that God will heal all things when he returns to rule, until then we need to take steps toward mending the broken¬ness. Giving and receiving forgiveness is a must when it comes to spiritual healing. In doing so you will make peace with God, with yourself, and with those you've alienated.

Who do you owe an apology to? Who do you need to forgive? Just remember, God has placed one condition on our receiving His forgiveness . . . that we forgive others. It's a serious thing. Just remember, we don't earn forgiveness, and we shouldn't expect others to earn ours.

"When you forgive, you in no way change the past- but you sure do change the future." - Bernard Meltzer (1914-    )

[Judy Harder]

Relinquishing Debts Owed Us

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. - Luke 6:37

Do you tend to keep a mental list of the wrongs that have been done against you . . . an accounting of what you think others owe you? You may feel they owe you an apology, a favor, a sum of money, or something else. If every time you're hurt, you're mentally adding to the ledger of debt that others owe you, I want to help you see how and why to let go and erase that ledger of debt. 

Jesus told this story to address what I'm talking about:  "A king decided to bring his accounts up to date . . . In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars." The man begged for forgiveness. "Then the king was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thou¬sand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment." This was reported to the king. "Then the king called in the man he'd forgiven and said, 'You evil servant. I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?'" (Matthew 18:23-35)

When you look at the enormous moral debt God has forgiven you and the price Jesus paid for us to be forgiven, you should be com¬pelled to forgive others. Forgiveness will free you from the torture of festering resentment. You can't change what others have done to you, but you can write off their debts by handing the accounting process over to God. 

"Forgiveness is the economy of the heart . . . forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits." -Hannah More (1745-1833)

[Judy Harder]

Two Changed Men

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. -  1 Peter 1:22

What words would your friends or family use to describe you? Jesus referred to two brothers, James and John, as Sons of Thunder. Why? We're given a glimpse of their fiery personalities in the book of Luke. After the Samaritan people rejected them, James and John asked Jesus if they should call down fire from heaven to consume the village. Jesus rebuked them for their impulse to retaliate.

Yet that's not the end of their story. Jesus worked in these brothers' lives so that they became known not for anger and revenge, but for love and forgiveness. James was the first of the twelve disciples to give his life for his faith. He was killed in Jerusalem by the order of Herod Agrippa. John is referred to as the "disciple Jesus loved." He went on to write powerful words on the importance of love and became an important leader of the church.

Though the two brothers had once been ambitious for their own personal gain, they ended up ambitiously sharing God's love with others for their spiritual gain. The brothers discovered that when you understand and experience God's love, you are free to live and grow. And as you grow and share with others, you will be used by God to touch the lives of many in need of God's healing help. 

Can you relate to the anger and selfish ambition of these men? If so, be encouraged by God's work in their lives. He wants to do the same in you!

"For every minute you are angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind." -Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)