Happy Independence Day

[Judy Harder]

Peace or Worry?

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. - Colossians 3:15

Doesn't the world look pretty safe sometimes?

Peace accords are signed. Cold wars end. The wall comes down. Just when my fears began to calm, I ran across an article about nuclear weapons in Russia. Organized crime is trying to steal nuclear material in Russia and sell it on the black market. And while the FBI can't confirm that material has been stolen, Interpol reported that highly enriched uranium disappeared near St. Petersburg.   

When I learn about the threat of nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands, it's easy for me to feel anxious. But this is when I can turn to the truth from the Bible and learn from the words of Jesus.

In the Bible, the disciples of Jesus were anxious about their future. Jesus was telling them that he would soon die on a cross and be raised from the dead on the third day. They began to worry about their future. Then Jesus told them, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:26).

It's easy to worry about the future but it's not what God wants for us. I challenge you today to rest in God's peace.

"Peace is more the product of our day-to-day living than of a spectacular program, intermittently executed."
-Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)

[Judy Harder]

Gadgets, Necessary or Evil?

Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 5:20

Do you sometimes wonder how you ever got along without some new invention or service that comes along?

Until recently, Floraine Alba, a grandmother in New Jersey, used to write 50 checks a month to pay her household bills. It would take hours. Now she has cut three or four hours off that time by paying her bills on-line, electronically. "Spending all day writing checks and stuffing envelopes was bad enough," Alba said, "then I had to go stand in line at the post office."

Each day more devices fill our lives . . . cellular phones, fax ma¬chines, personal computers, lap tops, PDA's, Ipods, and answering machines. Sometimes, we wonder how we ever got along without a particular thing or item. Then it breaks, and we remember what it was like to lift our garage door each day or to wait until we found a phone booth to make a call.

The subtle danger of a new device is it can make us desire things over our relationships with people. Don't get caught up in wanting the next device or service but think about what these desires are doing to us and our relationships with others.

I challenge you today, to pause for a moment before buying that next contraption. Think about why you need it and if you've wan¬dered from the love of others into the love of things.

"Television is like the invention of indoor plumbing. It didn't change people's habits. It just kept them inside the house." - Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980)

[Judy Harder]

Will You Have a Ride?

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
Mark 8:36

Have you ever desired something so much that you didn't real­ize what you would be giving up in order to gain this prize?

In Des Moines, Iowa, a group of young men were arrested for trespassing and attempted burglary. The foursome had driven to a car lot late at night and removed a set of tires from a vehi­cle there. Unbeknownst to them, the owner of the lot had seen them on a closed circuit camera. So, while they were busy try­ing to steal his tires . . . he picked up their vehicle with his fork­lift and hid it inside a building. When they had finished their dirty work and were ready to leave; they had no transportation.

In much the same way, many people spend their lives striving to get all of the things that should make them happy, but they never devel­op a personal relationship with God. And it's that relationship which will provide the transportation when the time comes to leave this life.

I challenge you to evaluate your personal relationship with God. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior? Someday, you will have to leave this earth. When that day comes, will you have a ride?

"I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive."
- Joseph Campbell (1904-1987)

[Judy Harder]

Corruptible Pride

His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
2 Chronicles 26:15b-16

Have you personally witnessed the destruction that pride can cause?

The Nagasaki, Japan Police Department launched an investigation to get to the bottom of how one of their prisoners got a gun while in police custody. What the investigators found was a group of of­ficers, who in the hopes of obtaining a coveted "Weapons Charge" commendation on their employment record, arranged the whole thing.

The corruption caused by pride is nothing new. In the Old Testa­ment book of 2 Chronicles, the Bible tells us of 16-year-old Uzziah, King of Judah, who had every blessing from God; and his pride led to losing his reign to his son, Jotham.

We must always be on guard to keep pride from creeping into our lives.

I challenge you today, to take an honest look at yourself. Have you become proud or haughty? If so, ask the Lord's forgiveness and His help in keeping pride out of your life.

"A proud man is always looking down on things and people;
and, of course, as long as you're looking down, you can't see something that's above you."
-C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

[Judy Harder]

Do Your Homework

Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.
Proverbs 20:11

When is the last time you made a bad decision because you didn't do your homework?

Over a three year period, thousands of criminals escaped from a Los Angeles County Sheriffs Work-Release program. A large num­ber of these men were hardened criminals, incarcerated for violent crimes. It was reported that most of the men in the program had been asked if they would prefer work-release to doing prison time, and that their criminal record had no bearing on the offer.

God expects us to be wise in our association with others. He doesn't want us to fall prey to smooth talkers. If a person says one thing but his life speaks differently, beware! You can be sure that what you see is what you will get.

I challenge you today to seek wisdom from God in all that you do. Before putting your trust in another, look at his actions. Ask the Lord to give you the discernment necessary to avoid making the wrong decisions when it comes to relationships with others, both in your business life and your personal life.

"Trust the past to God's mercy, the present to God's love, and the future to God's providence."
- St. Augustine ( 354-430)

[Judy Harder]

Will You Have a Ride?

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? - Mark 8:36

Have you ever desired something so much that you didn't realize what you would be giving up in order to gain this prize?

In Des Moines, Iowa, a group of young men were arrested for trespassing and attempted burglary. The foursome had driven to a car lot late at night and removed a set of tires from a vehicle there. Unbeknownst to them, the owner of the lot had seen them on a closed circuit camera. So, while they were busy trying to steal his tires . . . he picked up their vehicle with his forklift and hid it inside a building. When they had finished their dirty work and were ready to leave; they had no transportation.

In much the same way, many people spend their lives striving to get all of the things that should make them happy, but they never develop a personal relationship with God. And it's that relationship which will provide the transportation when the time comes to leave this life.

I challenge you to evaluate your personal relationship with God. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior? Someday, you will have to leave this earth. When that day comes, will you have a ride?

"I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive." - Joseph Campbell (1904-1987)

[Judy Harder]

Corruptible Pride

His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. - 2 Chronicles 26:15-16

Have you personally witnessed the destruction that pride can cause?

The Nagasaki, Japan Police Department launched an investigation to get to the bottom of how one of their prisoners got a gun while in police custody. What the investigators found was a group of of¬ficers, who in the hopes of obtaining a coveted "Weapons Charge" commendation on their employment record, arranged the whole thing.

The corruption caused by pride is nothing new. In the Old Testa¬ment book of 2 Chronicles, the Bible tells us of 16-year-old Uzziah, King of Judah, who had every blessing from God; and his pride led to losing his reign to his son, Jotham.

We must always be on guard to keep pride from creeping into our lives.

I challenge you today, to take an honest look at yourself. Have you become proud or haughty? If so, ask the Lord's forgiveness and His help in keeping pride out of your life. 

"A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you're looking down, you can't see something that's above you." -C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

[Judy Harder]

Don't Get Stuck

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. - Psalm 25:8-9

Have you ever strayed from the Lord and wandered down the wrong path? John O'Neil of Huntington, New York has.

The 73 year-old man left a bar late one night in February and walked down a very narrow opening between two buildings. Un¬fortunately for Mr. O'Neil, there wasn't enough space to accom¬modate him and he got stuck. He was wedged so tightly between the buildings that he could not move and spent the night waiting for help. In the morning, the Fire Department was summoned and had to pluck Mr. O'Neil from above.

When we take our eyes off the Lord, we can very easily get our¬selves stuck in a place where we don't want to be. That is why it is so important that God is the focus of all we do.

I challenge you today to assess your direction. Is God at the center of your life and are you allowing Him to direct your path? If you are not, I urge you to do so before you get yourself stuck in a very undesirable place. 

"Every day, I find countless opportunities to decide whether I will obey God and demonstrate my love for Him or try to please myself or the world system. God is waiting for my choices." -Bill Bright (1921-2003)

[Judy Harder]

Expect the Unexpected

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. - Proverbs 16:9

Have you ever calculated and carefully planned something . . . only to find that the results were not what you expected?

In January of 1996, a Los Angeles based radio station awarded a pair of Superbowl tickets to the winner of their "Crazy Stunt" contest. For his stunt, finalist Mike Garcia intended to remove his glass eye, swallow it, bring it back up, and replace it in the socket . . . all before a live audience. In preparation, Garcia consumed a massive quantity of food, followed by a 6-pack of beer. Once onstage, the first half of his stunt went according to plan; Garcia effortlessly removed his glass eye and swallowed it. The second half, however, took an unexpected turn.

The gluttonous portions of food and ale had their anticipated effect. But despite his best efforts, Garcia could not retrieve the eye that he had swallowed. He heaved upon stage for more than fif-teen minutes and then left the stage tired, disappointed, and missing one eye. Had he known the outcome in advance, he probably would have opted to buy tickets, which probably would have been cheaper than what he spent to replace his prosthesis.

Be careful when you find yourself thinking that you have it all figured out. You could be headed for trouble. We need God's input and direction every moment of the day. Remember that even though we are reading the map, He is at the wheel. Look to the Lord when making the smallest, and seemingly most insignificant decisions.

"Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash." -George S. Patton (1885-1945)

[Judy Harder]

It's Nice to be Anywhere

No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death. - Ecclesiastes 8:8

When it comes to the length of your life, what do you consider long enough?

On March 9, 1996 comedian and actor George Burns passed away at the age of 100. He was still performing live comedy, until just a few years before his death. At his 98th birthday celebration, he addressed his guest in true "George Burns style", saying "It's nice to be here . . . at 98, it's nice to be anywhere."

At 98 years-old, George Burns considered every day a gift and he was right! Whether you're twenty-two years old or ninety-two, life is precious and should never be taken for granted. None of us are born with a guaranteed number of days on this earth. We have no promise that we will be here tomorrow and should realize that each moment is priceless. In acknowledging each day as an irreplaceable gift, we will be more likely to make the most of the time that we are given.

Start each morning by thanking the Lord for the day He has given you. Then spend that day, as if you meant what you said.

"When I was a boy the Dead Sea was only sick." - George Burns (1896-1996)