Heartlight/Leaves of Light

[Judy Harder]

September 30

Philippians 1:9-10
This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.

Thoughts on today's verse

I don't know about you, but my most difficult decisions are not about choosing between good and bad. I usually know what is good and what is bad, especially when bad involves evil. My toughest choices are when I have to choose between good, better, and best. My love for God usually overcomes my weakness and I choose good over bad. But unless I've placed myself before God's word and surrendered my heart to him in prayer, I have a very tough time choosing between good and best. Yet I'm convinced that much of what God would love to do through us today does not happen because we've settled for good when he longs to lead us to best!

Prayer:

Gracious and Almighty God, teach me your ways and give me your heart as I strive to love you, know your will, and have insight into your ways. Help me to know the best things to do today and to use my time in the best way in my work, my family, among my friends, and especially before those who do not know Christ as their Savior. Through him I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 1

Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Thoughts on today's verse

For most who can read this Internet message, the sentiments of this verse seem foreign. But among those who closely study persecution, believers in Christ are enduring perhaps the greatest amount of persecution in the history of Christianity. For those of us who live in cozy places where belief is tolerated and Christians are just considered "unhip" or a bit out of touch, we need to be thankful that our lives make enough of a distinction from our culture to be noticed, even if it's a bit unfavorably. But at the same time, we need to pray for other believers throughout the world who are undergoing the wrath of hell for the faith.

Prayer:

Great Deliverer, we have many who call on your name with faith in Jesus who face persecution and hardship every day. I pray that they will not lose heart and give up their confidence. I pray that you will bring deliverance from this time of persecution. I pray that their sufferings will be the source of powerful witness so others will come to see the great value of Jesus and our allegiance to him. This I pray in his precious and holy name. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 2

Proverbs 29:25 
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

Thoughts on today's verse

Fear is such a paralyzing emotion. It robs us vitality, decision-making ability, and strength. Courage helps us step out of fear's paralysis and turn its nervous edge into power. But this kind of courage comes to us fully only when we know that all that Satan and his allies can really have of us is our bodies. He cannot take our mind, our attitude, our faith, and most of all, he cannot take our relationship with God, given to us through Jesus.

Prayer:

O Savior, my Great Redeemer, thank you for triumphing over all that I fear through Jesus. You have not only given me a hero I trust, but a hope by which I can live victoriously. Through my Conquering King I thank you. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 3

1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Thoughts on today's verse

The great truth about Jesus' empty tomb is not that he is risen, but that he is living! His victory over death wasn't short-lived, it was ultimate. He now lives to make intercession for us until he can return and bring us to his home. Our life is hidden with him so that no one and nothing can take it from us. When he appears, we will get to share in his never-ending glory. How can we not praise God for such grace?

Prayer:

Almighty God, I praise you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible and glorious grace that has brought eternal victory out of mortal anguish. Thank you for paying the price to make it so. You are marvelous beyond my words and worthy of more praise than all your children's voices together can tell. My Hope will live forever because he is risen and reigning as Lord. To you be all honor, glory, and majesty forever, and ever, Amen!

[Judy Harder]

October 4

Proverbs 27:1
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Thoughts on today's verse

Don't you have your hands full with today? Don't you find yourself distracted from the urgent and important things of today by worrying about the problems of tomorrow and fantasizing about all the possibilities down the road? Isn't it a waste of time to be anxious about those things you have no influence over? So why...?

Prayer:

God, give me the strength to seize the moment and live the life today that will please you and bless others. Help my heart feel the urgency of today and act with boldness, kindness, and salvation instead of worrying so much about what may happen. Give me the immediacy of the moment I see in your son's ministry. Through whom I pray. Amen.'

[Judy Harder]

October 5

Isaiah 55:6
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Thoughts on today's verse

In truth, God is always close to those who genuinely seek after him. The real problem is that we drift away from him, lose interest, and leave his presence. So let's seek him and receive his grace and his help while we recognize that he alone is the one who truly saves.

Prayer:

Father, I seek you with all my heart. While I seek to know about you through your Word, I long to know you and be known by you as a tender father knows his child and as a child feels complete trust toward his tender father. Be not only my God, but be real to me in ways that transcend explanation. Help me sense your nearness and to know your presence. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.'

[Judy Harder]

October 6

Isaiah 26:4
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock Eternal.

Thoughts on today's verse

When we see mountains we feel small, knowing not only how much larger they are than we are, but also how much longer they have been here than we have been. But the Lord existed long before any mountain and will exist long after it has melted into nothing. The only rock of security, and all the forevers we have, are found in him.

Prayer:

Eternal I Am, who is and was and will be forever, I trust that you are and will always be my God, my Redeemer, my Savior, my Shepherd, and my Father. I commit all my tomorrows to you. Through Jesus my Lord. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 7

Psalms 63:1
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Thoughts on today's verse

Addiction has been defined as "God-hunger directed to the wrong source of soul satisfaction." Psalm 63 reminds us this is true. Deep in us is a desire to seek after God because he is not far from us and longs to be known by us (see Acts 17). But often when our soul-craving need for God is greatest, he is the last place we turn for satisfaction.

Prayer:

Holy Father, fill my heart with longing for you and my head with understanding that it is your presence I crave. I confess that I have often sought relief for my hunger in things that do not satisfy. I pledge today to recognize all other sources of satisfaction to be temporary and false. I promise to pursue you and your will through your word and your Spirit until I rest in your presence and grace. In the power of Jesus my Lord, Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 8

Isaiah 43:11-12
"I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed -- I, and not some foreign God among you. You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "that I am God."

Thoughts on today's verse

1 Peter 2 reminds us that we are here as witnesses to "declare the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light." We have seen and experienced God's saving work. We are recipients of his blessing. We are the people who anticipate his mighty deliverance yet to come. How can we remain silent? How can we remain bitter, pessimistic, or discouraged? The God who made the tomb empty and made the corpse our living Lord is our God and he is mighty to save. He is our Savior!

Prayer:

O Mighty God, I confess that I slip so easily into my day-to-day rut that I grow immune to the joy and excitement of your salvation. Give me eyes to see and a voice to tell of your glorious deeds, your mighty works, and your answered promises. I believe you are leading me to glory, so help me show and share that glory with those who do not know you as God, Savior, and King. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 9

Deuteronomy 13:4

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

Thoughts on today's verse

So many people want us to follow their lead and obey their voice. But God has proved himself faithful and loving through the ages. In his might he is to be revered. But rather than seeing reverence as a "church thing," we are reminded by Moses it is a "life thing." We are to obey and keep his commandments, and we are to serve him and depend upon him in our daily lives. Rather than silence in the assembly, reverence is action to his glory!

Prayer:

Holy and Righteous Father, help me take my worship outside the church building into my day to day life as I try to live what I sing, practice what I say, and pursue what I pray. In Jesus name. Amen.