Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

April 27

Saving the Worst for Last?

"But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way." 1 Corinthians 12:31

Satan always gives the best first and the worst last. For example, Proverbs 20:17 says, "The bread of deceit is sweet, but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel."  With Satan, it always starts sweet, but it does not end that way.

Satan is a counterfeiter and a deceiver, and he is guilty of false advertising.


He doesn't show the drunkard in the gutter covered with flies. 
He doesn't show the addict shaking uncontrollably from another night of detox. 
He doesn't show the ruined lives from sexually transmitted diseases. 

He always gives the best first and the worst last. Jesus gives the best last.

Do you have a teenager in your home? Then, call a homeless shelter or prison and see if you can bring in your teen for a tour.

[Judy Harder]

April 28

Heaven, a Place on God's Map

"I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2

Do you believe that there is a home in heaven waiting for you?

There is, because Jesus cannot lie. He is Truth incarnate. He always told the truth. He said, "if it were not so, I would have told you."

Jesus would not let the hope of heaven go on beating in your heart if it were simply a lie, a superstition, or a fond delusion.

Heaven is not merely a state of mind. It is not a condition. It is a place so real that Jesus is there in a literal, resurrected body. There is a body in this place called heaven. It is His resurrected body.

Heaven is a place on God's map.

Do you have a dream home? If you've never thought about what would be your perfect home, think about your heavenly home. Nothing could be more perfect!

[Judy Harder]

April 29

Keeping the Law

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

Suppose you are driving down the road and a police officer stops you for running a red light.

You say to the officer, "I ran a red light, but you have no right to give me a ticket because I have stopped at all the other streets, and I have obeyed the speed limit."

He responds, "Don't tell me about all the things that you've done good. You've broken the law."

If you think that you're going to be saved by keeping the law, then you must keep all of it, because God demands perfection. No amount of obedience can make up for one act of disobedience.

If you keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, you are guilty of it all.

Read Romans 7:1 - 8:4. Can you relate to Paul's quandary about keeping the law and the war within his members concerning its requirement of absolute obedience?

[Judy Harder]

Love Worth Finding

Friday, April 30, 2010 

April 30

Starting Your Day Out Right

"My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up." Psalm 5:3

Christianity is a love relationship. You cannot love someone that you do not know, and you cannot know someone that you don't spend quality time with.

To know Jesus is to love Him.
To love Him is to trust Him.
To trust Him is to obey Him.
To obey Him is to be blessed.
It begins with a quality, daily communication with the Lord.

Why is it best to spend time with the Lord in the morning? Because you are getting ready to go on a road trip through life. You don't take the trip and then read the map, do you?

How are you starting your mornings? With a cup of coffee and the paper? Or with the pure milk of the Word and the light of His Presence?

[Judy Harder]

May 1

Praying in Secret

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Matthew 6:6

What did our Lord mean when He said, "Enter into your closet to pray"? The word "closet" simply means a place where you can shut the door on the world and open the windows to heaven.

As you study the life of Jesus, you'll discover that Jesus sought times to be alone. Sometimes He would go to a mountain top, sometimes into the wilderness, and sometimes into a garden. It is the secret place that is the sacred place.

The mark of your prayer life is not really how well you pray in public but in private.

When you enter your closet to pray,

spend some time in silence 
clear your mind 
listen for His Words of edification, encouragement, and exhortation.

[Judy Harder]

May 2

Making Your Bible Come Alive

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

Why is it that sometimes when we read the Bible we leave our common sense at the door? You don't just pick up a book, open it at random, and start reading in the middle of a paragraph. The book wouldn't make any sense.

In order to understand and get the full appreciation for the book, we read it sequentially and in paragraphs or units.

When you read the Bible, read for quality not quantity. Don't see how much of the Bible you can read. See how much of the Bible you can assimilate and apply! Maybe what you need to do is spend a week studying one verse.

In your Bible reading today, stop and ask yourself:

      "What is God telling ME?"

Not "what does this say?"

But "what is God saying to me?"

Then seek to put that into practice today.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 3

The Reason We Are Stressed

"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" Matthew 6:30

Do you know the reason we're stressed? Because we think our needs are not going to be met. We say, "Oh my goodness, I'm not going to have what I need!"

Jesus tells us not to worry about what you are going to eat. And don't worry about what you are going to wear. He's saying only one thing is important - His righteousness. These things don't even take significance until your deepest needs are met. You are to find your satisfaction in Him. If you don't find your satisfaction in Him, you're going to be stressed.

Are you stressed out about something today? Turn it over to Jesus and turn your focus to Him. Let Jesus meet your needs and transform your heart today.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 4

God's Omnipotence in Creation

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 1:1

An eloquent preacher said, "God stepped from behind the curtain of nowhere and stood upon the platform of nothing and spoke a world into existence." God is the creator of all that your hand can touch, your eye can see, your ears can hear, and your nose can smell. If you see a watch, I hope you assume there's a watchmaker. And if you see the precise atomic flux of the universe, I hope you don't believe that happened by chance. The evolutionists believe that if you take billions of years and add time plus chance, that you can turn frogs into princes. In school they call that fairy tales. In the laboratory they call it science.

God spoke your life into existence. His Word sustains your breath. His Word can silence your breath. Thank Him for your life today!

[Judy Harder]

MAY 5

It's All about Jesus

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

The thing I love about the Old Testament is the thing I love about the New Testament. The Old Testament and the New Testament both are the inspired Word of God. Don't get the idea that the Old Testament has a message different from the New Testament. All of the Bible is about Jesus. If you read the Bible and you don't find Jesus, you better go reread it.

Somebody may ask if you have read the four gospels, and you can answer them, "I've read all sixty-six!"

From Genesis to Revelation,

It has the same villain - Satan. 
It has the same hero - Jesus. 
It has the same purpose - to present salvation in no other name but Jesus.
Read Isaiah 53. What are the prophecies that were fulfilled in the life of Christ?

[Judy Harder]

MAY 6

Biblical Hope, a Firm Certainty

"For Thou art my hope, O Lord God: Thou art my trust from my youth." Psalm 71:5

What does the word "hope" mean in the Bible?  It doesn't mean "maybe." We may use it that way in Modern English, but that's not what the word "hope" means in the Bible.

"Hope" means certainty, but not just any certainty. It is rock-ribbed assurance with anticipation based on the Word of God.

When I was a little boy, my dad would take us out for a ride on Sunday afternoon. The kids would be in the back seat getting into squabbles. If things got too heated, my dad would turn around and say, "When you boys get home, I'm going to whip you." With my dad, I knew this was a rock-ribbed truth!

Our hope, however, is glad anticipation!

Share the hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ with someone today. Maybe there's someone at the hospital who needs a word of hope. Maybe it's a member of your family!