Happy Independence Day

[Judy Harder]

Studying God's Word

Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord. - Isaiah 2:5

When I receive a letter from a close friend I usually find myself doing two things: first, I read the letter with interest—hanging on every word; and second, I read the letter a second and in some cases a third time—hoping each time to gain insight or catch something I might have missed previously.

Who wants to be closer to us than God? The same should be true with regard to God's Word, and by reading that message intently and repeatedly, we can get to know Him truly and more accurately.

In Psalm 119, David likens Scripture to a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. You need to keep God's Word close by and read it often. Otherwise, you'll find yourself walking in darkness. And if that happens, you're sure to stumble and fall.

Remember, God's Word, the Bible, is a series of letters from your closest friend.  Read them closely.  Read them often.  And after you read it once, read it again!

"You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in." - Arlo Guthrie (1947-    )

[Judy Harder]

A Better Way

I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. - Malachi 3:6

Let me be honest.  Too many of you travel through life basing every decision you make upon how you feel and what you experience.  You don't study God's Word, and you spend very little time talking and listening to the Lord.  Consequently, you don't know much about the Good Shepherd who is expecting you to follow Him, no matter how you feel and regardless of your circumstances.

Now let me give you some encouragement.  If you place your focus squarely upon Christ and you try to see things around you as He would, it will become second nature to look to Him and depend upon Him rather than yourself.  And you won't get lost when you walk through dark seasons of life.  Jesus will be your unshakable strength.  And your focused gaze upon Him will keep you from altering your direction due to momentary discomfort–and from drifting off into spiritual shipwreck!

In a world that is endlessly fickle and fleeting, God is an immovable Rock.

Our faith, when focused on the true God, will not be shaken by adversity or unexpected turbulence.  As long as we hold tightly to Him by faith—trusting in His goodness and love—we can come through pain and struggle with a deeper and richer relationship with Jesus, rather than a strained faith resulting from a prolonged failure to seek the one true God.

"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens." -J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)

[Judy Harder]

Maintaining Focus

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. - Hebrews 3:1

Has it ever been easier than now for a believer to become distracted and lose focus on God?  If the apostle Paul found himself "greatly distressed" that Athens was "full of idols" (Acts 17:16), what would he think after checking out today's culture–the internet, TV, movies, DVD's, video games, radio, faxes, email, cell phones, etc.?

A recent Wall Street Journal article quotes an Internet guru who plugged the word "God" into a popular search engine.  He received 600,000 responses—remarkably close to the 775,000 sites listed for "sex."  Yahoo lists 17,000 sites devoted to religion and spirituality, compared with 12,000 about movies.

And these figures are expanding exponentially.  We're only a mouse click away from countless links, Web pages, and chat rooms, that attempt to define God, recast Him into our own image, or explain Him away altogether.

With all this at your fingertips, it's more important than ever to stay connected to and focused on the true God and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Don't allow yourself to be sidetracked by things that aren't true.  In other words, hold onto God's Son for dear life!  Even when the distractions of the world are tugging at your sleeve to let go.

"We can tell from our experience that His light is more powerful than the deepest darkness. . . How wonderful that the reality of His presence is greater than the reality of the hell about us. - Betsie ten Boom, to her sister, Corrie (1930-1944)

[Judy Harder]

Narrow and Healthy

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -  John 14:6

A friend of mine once wrote a children's book about heaven.  When checking out the reviews of his book, he came across a reviewer who said she was attracted by the book's title and artwork.  Then she noted how her excitement was replaced by dismay when the author claimed the only way to heaven was through Jesus Christ. The reviewer was deeply offended by what she called the book's "obvious bias against non-Christians."

We live in times where tolerance and diversity are the buzz words—particularly in the world of religion.  How could any faith be called "healthy" that claimed only one way to God?

But have you listened to the advocates of this thought?  Their message is that the way to salvation is through our moral virtue.  "Be good, do good, and it'll all work out."

My problem with that is this:  I'm not that good a person—certainly not good enough to stand before God on the basis of my own feeble virtue.  What about you?

As unpopular as it might be, the truth is, we are all sinners.  But thankfully God made a way for us to come to Him and not be seen as such—through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus. Maybe it's narrow—but it's true!

"Jesus came to raise the dead.  He did not come to teach the teachable.  He did not come to improve the improvable; He did not come to reform the reformable. None of those things works." - Robert Farrerr Capon (1925-    )

[Judy Harder]

The "Nubbies"

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.                                                                    Romans 5:1

A psychologist friend recently told me about Cliff—a client he described as "a believer after God's own heart."

After years of service to The Lord, Cliff's wife developed aggressive cancer.  Many people joined Cliff in prayer for his wife, but she declined rapidly and died.  Through it all, Cliff didn't break his determined gaze upon Christ.  Instead of allowing the tragedy to shake his faith, he allowed his experience of pain, suffering, confusion, and grief to push him deeper into the arms of the living God.

Cliff knew two things, and held to them tenaciously.  The first was that God was good.  He didn't understand the circumstances surrounding his wife's sickness, or why she had to suffer and die.  But he knew a reason resided with God, and that he would come to understand in the light of eternity.  The second thing Cliff held to was his certainty that God loved him—in spite of everything, no matter what, and through it all.

When you're in severe pain or distress, life becomes pretty simple. You're in survival mode, and you have neither the heart nor the strength to spread your emotional energy around.  As Chuck Swindoll might say, "Life gets boiled down to the nubbies."

When pain or distress boils your life down to the "nubbies," do what Cliff did.  Keep it simple.  Grab hold of what you know is true about the living God, and hold on like a pit bull.

"The nearer the dawn the darker the night." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882

[Judy Harder]

Winning Prisoners

Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me. - Psalm 142:7

Four inmates at the Greenville, Mississippi city jail were caught breaking back into their cells!  And according to the district attorney, "It is entirely possible this wasn't the first time they've done this."  The four apparently found a way for repeated access to the outside world.  Yet according to the police chief, "They didn't seem interested in escaping, they just missed their amenities of life and went back to get them."  This particular time, they returned to jail carrying a load of gin and marijuana.  Ironically, these willing prisoners now face felony escape charges.

Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction.  How many of us have resolved to spend our days in prisons of our own making—prisons we're able to escape through personal change, but won't because the prison provides us a semblance of security?

You can be freed from whatever your prison is.  Look for help—first to God, but then to those God has put in your path–a trusted friend, pastor or counselor.  And remember God is a God of second chances.

"I'm not crazy about reality, but it's still the only place to get a decent meal." -Groucho Marx (1890-1977)

[Judy Harder]

Trust and Obey

If you love me, you will obey what I command. - John 14:15

"Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey."  Simple words from a simple hymn.  Yet these simple words contain incredible insight into the essential elements of the Christian life.

Trust and obedience are your allies when you surrender your life to God.  "For it's God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose."  That's what the apostle Paul teaches in the book of Philippians.  But if we don't trust that God loves us, that He is all-wise and all-powerful, and that He cares for us; we won't be very likely to obey Him, will we?

When it comes to our formal theology, we confess a belief which says that obedience is born out of trust.  Yet in our day-to-day life, we're too often disobedient in spite of giving lip-service to trust.

So the question remains: can you truly trust your Lord without obeying Him?

In Luke 11:28 Jesus calls those who hear the word of God and obey it "blessed."  In other words: "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey."

"Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. " - Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

[Judy Harder]

Atheist No More

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:2

One night a man became suicidal and desperately began calling psychiatrists. It's tough to get help at 3:00 A.M., but he found us at New Life. He entered a Christian treatment center that same night. Ironically, he called himself a confirmed atheist.  When he woke the next morning, he lamented that, if there was a God, He'd played a dirty trick by landing him in a Christian treatment center. It strained him to stay, but he managed to make it to the fourth day.

Then something amazing happened. While sitting in a meeting, a man wearing what looked like a turban entered the room. His wife and kids were waiting in the car, but he felt compelled to come in and say something.

"If anyone here's thinking of killing yourself," said the visitor, "I want to encourage you to reconsider. God loves you and wants you to live. This turban on my head is a bandage from where I put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger. Fortunately, I survived so I could come here and tell you not to do it. God loves you."

That day our atheist lost his atheism. He'd thought the idea of a personal God was ridiculous. But in his heart, he knew God sent that message directly to him. For the first time, he understood God was personal, loving, and interested in him. Never take this truth for granted. God loves you!

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.." - William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925)

[Judy Harder]

Called by Name

The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. - John 10:3-4

There's no group discount for the kingdom. Instead, God tugs at your heart as an individual, calling you one by one.  When God calls someone, He calls him or her personally. It's a biblical pattern repeated time and again.

The Lord called young Samuel by name until he responded. - (1 Samuel 3)

Jesus stopped at the fishing boat of Peter and Andrew and said, "Come, follow me...and I will make you fishers of men." - (Matthew 4:19)

Jesus halted Saul of Tarsus in his tracks in the middle of the highway, again calling him by name. (Acts 9:1-9)

And so it's been through all of time. The manner and circumstances of the call are radically diverse, but its personal nature is the same. The Bible compares such a relationship to a shepherd's intimate knowledge of his flock. The shepherd knows the peculiarities and habits of every one of his lambs.

Jesus Christ knows you intimately. He calls you by name. Listen for Him today! When you hear Him—respond to Him!

"A leader takes people where they want to go.  A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go but ought to be." - Rosalynn Carter (1927-     )

[Judy Harder]

Family Influence

All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children's peace. - Isaiah 54:13

Our ideas about God are first shaped—and very powerfully so—by our families. So it's little wonder that as relationships within the family have declined, so has the understanding of what it means to have and maintain a relationship with God.

As divorced and overworked parents spend less time with their kids, the concept of a personal God and Savior becomes less clear and less meaningful. An absent father sets the framework for a child who views God as absent too. And a passive father leaves his children wondering if God can or will become involved in their problems and day-to-day struggles.

I'm pointing to the men for two reasons. The first reason is so you men can begin to identify how your family environment growing up has subtly shaped your thoughts and beliefs about God. If your experience has been positive, great! If it hasn't, please let the present, active, loving Father correct your thinking and heal your heart. Turn to Him and see that He is good.

The second reason is that many of you are fathers yourselves or will be. Your children are watching and listening to you more than you think. And you influence them—and their thinking about God—more than you know. I want to encourage you, men, to walk with Jesus Christ! For those of you who've had the blessing of good parenting: pass it on. For those of you who haven't: let the wreckage stop with you!

"Our children give us the opportunity to become the parents we always wished we'd had." - Louise Hart (1881-1950)