Heartlight/Leaves of Light

[Judy Harder]

July 15

James 1:21
Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Thoughts on today's verse

Isn't it true! When we find ourselves caught in the clutches of the moral filth of our culture, we find the word of God boring and irrelevant. Yet even in those moments when Satan uses sin to harden our hearts, God's Spirit calls us to change at a level deeper than just the mere understanding of the words of Scripture. Thank God for his Spirit, which can use his word like a surgeons scalpel on our hearts.

Prayer:

Holy God, I pledge to you today to willingly and decisively give up the immoral habits in my life. I recognize that these not only offend your holiness and grace, but also harden me to your will, pull me away from your character, and blunt my witness to others. Please forgive me and then sustain me as I seek to live a life wholly pleasing to you. In Jesus I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

July 16

Colossians 2:9-10
In Christ, all the fullness of the Deity lives bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

Thoughts on today's verse

If you had known Jesus' address in Nazareth along about A.D. 20, you could have gone to that house and said, "God lives here!" The doctrine of Jesus as fully God and fully man, fully God and yet having emptied himself of all of his divine privilege, is nearly impossible to fully understand, but is the awesome reality of Grace. God chose to be like us because we could not be like him. So in Jesus, God came to us so we could be given his fullness.

Prayer:

Almighty God, I confess that you are too great for me to comprehend. Yet as marvelous and mighty and majestic as you are, your grace is greater still. Thank you for sending Jesus so I could know you. Thank you for sending Jesus so I could be forgiven. Thank you for sending Jesus so I can go home to you and live forever. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to redeem me and then returning to the Father so I can speak to him through you. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

July 17

Romans 1:16
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

Thoughts on today's verse

For the rich and poor, young and old, weak or strong, skinny or fat, there is still just one message and one name and one story that makes the eternal difference -- it is the Gospel, the story of Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Great Redeemer, make me more bold to proclaim the Gospel today. Give me eyes to see those who are waiting to be told. Fill me up with your Spirit so that I will not be ashamed, and help me gladly proclaim the story of Jesus so others may know your grace. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

July 18

Psalm 119:7
I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

Thoughts on today's verse

Praise is integrally connected with our character. So for us to worship God, the intent of our heart and the effort of our life must show forth a determined desire to know and live his will. While we will never do this perfectly, grace covers us. But grace must never be used as a pretense to excuse spiritual laziness or intentional weakness.

Prayer:

Holy God, I want to be more like you in character even though I will never be like you in might or majesty. Open my eyes and through the Spirit illumine me as I seek your will in your Scriptures and as I seek to be obedient in my daily life. Forgive me of my sin and create a clean, holy, determined heart. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

July 19

Isaiah 41:10
[The Lord says,] "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Thoughts on today's verse

Fear saps our will power and leaves us feeling depleted and hopeless. Yet very few of us have ever experienced a defeat so complete and bitter as the one God's people faced when Isaiah shared this message of hope. The preservation of Israel to the time of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the triumph of the Church through centuries of persecution and opposition are powerful reminders that underneath us are the everlasting arms of a mighty and loving God.

Prayer:

Almighty and Eternal Father, it is such sweet comfort to know that you are always there. Thank you! In Jesus name. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

July 20

1 John 1:7
If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Thoughts on today's verse

As we seek to please God and trust his grace, more grace is supplied. While Jesus' death was "once for all," its cleansing power goes on and on as long as our hearts are tuned to his grace.

Prayer:

Loving Father, thank you for the gift of Jesus and the cleansing his death brings me. Help me today to live a more dedicated that life. Thank you for the assurance that as I seek your will and live your life you are also forgiving me of my sins and cleansing me and making me new. Through Jesus I offer this thanks. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

July 21

Psalm 119:30
I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.

Thoughts on today's verse

Jesus reminded us to "pick up your cross daily and follow" him. The way of truth is a daily choice. To not choose God's way, to not intentionally seek to put him at the center of our life and as the top priority in all of our decisions, is to slip a little bit further away from the life he calls us to lead. Lack of a decision is a decision to not follow.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I choose to follow you and your truth today. Open my eyes so I may see your truth and open my heart that I may live it. I decide today, again, to follow, you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

July 22

Matthew 16:15-16
"What about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Thoughts on today's verse

There is no other name under heaven that can save us (Acts 4:12). We are to confess Jesus before others, and when we do we are assured that he confesses us before the Father in heaven. We may not know all the theological import behind those words -- after all, Peter didn't at the time -- but we can make a commitment to know him and follow him until we do.

Prayer:

Living God and Holy Father, I believe you sent Jesus as your Son to save me. I confess to you that I want Jesus to be Lord of my life because I believe him to be your Son and my Savior. It is through your Son, the Christ promised in Scripture, that I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

July 23

Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Thoughts on today's verse

Jesus' love for children in an age when they weren't those whom highly regarded is a powerful reminder of God's love for the world often abuses or abandons. We are called to love the unloved, the forgotten, the abused and neglected. Why? Because that is what Israel was in Egypt and that is what Jesus was at Calvary and that is what we were without grace (Romans 5:6-11). How can we claim to know salvation and not share it with others who need that grace!?

Prayer:

Father, I want to be more of a Father like you -- a holy and loving father to my children and a tender father to the forgotten children of today. Help me be aroused by the neglect and abuse children suffer in my world, and to be moved to act in ways that bless them. Through Jesus, the great lover of all children, I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

July 24

Psalm 112:5
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

Thoughts on today's verse

Generosity is love expressed in practical ways with joy. Generosity and justice needed in our selfish world. They come from a heart touched by grace.

Prayer:

Loving Father, I know I will meet people today who need me to be generous with my love, time, forgiveness and money. Please help me to treat them fairly and with love, just as you have treated me. May my life reflect your grace to others who need your love. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.