Heartlight/Leaves of Light

[Judy Harder]

March 21

Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought.

Thoughts on today's verse

Trust. Can we trust in God? Is the Lord faithful? While we may wish to have been alive when Jesus walked the earth or Jeremiah spoke fearlessly God's hard truth, we are especially blessed to be alive today. We stand at the end of an incredible stream of God work and know him to be profoundly faithful to his people. We can launch out into the future with boldness because we know, as Psalm 139 says, God is there!

Prayer:

Holy God, I know you are there! In the morning, in the evening, in the long nights, I know I am not alone. Thank you for knowing me and going with me through all my days. Please make your presence known to me this day as I seek to honor you in what I do and say. Through Jesus my Lord I ask this. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

March 24

Romans 6:23
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thoughts on today's verse

When we get death for sin, we're only being paid what we're owed -- sin is rebellion against the God who loves us and gave us his most precious gift to redeem us from sin! But God's gift is free -- eternal life in Jesus Christ. He gave it without our assurance of following.

Prayer:

Thank you, God, for loving me when no one else could or would. Thank you for sacrificing the most precious gift of heaven so I could join you there. Of all the gifts I've ever received, yours is the best. This thanksgiving I offer through the gift that set me free! Amen.

[Judy Harder]

March 25

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Thoughts on today's verse

We can be forgiven of our sins! That's great. We can be purified of any stain from sin!! That's incredible. But only because of God's grace and his willingness to give us the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Prayer:

Forgiving Father, please forgive me today for my lack of passion to love and forgive others in the way you have forgiven me. Create in me a heart like your own. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

March 26

Philippians 1:29
It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.

Thoughts on today's verse

When we read the book of Acts, we find the disciples overjoyed at suffering "for the sake of the name." Jesus' followers consider it a privilege and not just a hardship. The truth of our commitment is often best shown to the skeptical when we are "under fire."

Prayer:

What a precious name you have given to your son, O Lord. May it be exalted in all the earth and through out all the heavens, until all existence knows that he is truly Lord. Through him I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

March 27

Psalms 62:7
My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Thoughts on today's verse

Who we are, what becomes of us in life, is in God's hands. We cannot purchase or achieve lasting honor for ourselves without his blessing. We cannot secure the future or our safety without his protection and blessing. The basis of all achievement and glory is dependent upon us placing our lives in his care.

Prayer:

O Rock, Fortress of my life, I place myself in your care. Take charge of my future and use me for your glory. In you I take refuge, and on your strength I rely to make my days worthwhile. In the precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

March 28

1 Timothy 2:5-6
There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.

Thoughts on today's verse

We do not need another person, no matter how mighty, pious, or special, to intercede for us before God. As his children, we can go freely, knowing that God himself has provided the perfect mediator between us and himself. That mediator alone is head of the church and chief priest before God for us. His name is Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Prayer:

O God, you are my God, and I praise you for making yourself so available. I know that in my power, I have no right to approach you. Yet in your grace you not only provided a ransom for my sin but a mediator for my approach to you. Jesus, I thank you as well, for paying the price and staying at the Father's side to intercede and speak for me! Thank you for making this prayer known to the Father. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

March 29

2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Thoughts on today's verse

Righteousness! That's what we are. God's righteousness. We are the testimony of how holy, just, and gracious he truly is, because in Jesus, we are his righteousness!

Prayer:

Thank you, O Almighty God, for making me righteous in the blood of your son's death. May people see in me a reflection of your holiness, justice, and mercy. Through Jesus, who sacrificed for my sins, I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

March 31

Isaiah 53:5-6
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Thoughts on today's verse

I don't know how Jesus could stand up under its weight. He had my sin, your sin, our sin, placed upon him so we would not have to bear the consequences of it. But in that sacrifice, as horrible as it was, we find ourselves healed, cured of the most awful disease a sin-sick soul. In its place, he has left us a transforming peace.

Prayer:

God of peace, fill my soul with the wonder of your grace. Let me not forget the cost of your love. Stir in me the constant and abiding memory of your redemptive grace. Thank you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

April 1

Psalms 14:1
The fool says in his heart there is no God.

Thoughts on today's verse

We have raised an angry fist to fate, cursed the darkness, and denied there is a God. Each of these is equally ineffective. To rob heaven of God is only to rob ourselves of grace, hope, and a future. How foolish indeed to forget that behind a creation of wonder, order, variety, beauty, ferocity, and pattern is the Creator who is far greater than his handiwork.

Prayer:

O Lord God Almighty, Creator and Sustainer, thank you for being there, but for being with me today. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

April 2

Matthew 20:17-19
Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"

Thoughts on today's verse

One thing the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) make clear is that Jesus' death on the cross was no accident. Jesus knew the challenge that awaited him in Jerusalem, and he walked into it to deliver us from the same fate.

Prayer:

Holy God and Loving Father, thank you for your plan to cover my sin with your grace by the death of your Son. May I live today aware of his sacrifice and confident of his victory over sin and death so my life may reflect your victory. Through Jesus, my precious Savior, I pray. Amen.