Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

FEBRUARY 28

God's Providence

"Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land." - Psalm 37:34

We talk about providence, but what is providence?

Providencemeans to see ahead of time and to make provision. This is what God does. He sees events before they ever get here and moves everything toward the goal that He has in mind.

Now there is a lot of evil in the world, so don't get the idea that everything that happens is God's will. Rape is not God's will. Murder is not God's will. Racial hatred is not God's will. Adultery is not God's will. Sodomy is not God's will.

Man has a will and man has an evil heart. And in God's grand design, He gave man a free will. Even when man does evil, where God does not rule, God overrules.

Read Psalm 37. Find a brother or sister in the Lord and discuss the presence of evil in this world and the providence of God in the lives of His children.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 1

When We Don't Understand

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28

I read about a farmer who had a big brush pile of debris that he was going to burn. He noticed a little bird had built a nest in that brush pile, so he destroyed the nest. When he came back days later, he found the bird rebuilding the nest. The farmer destroyed the nest again. But the bird built again, and again the farmer destroyed it. Finally, the little bird gave up. I can just imagine that little bird going home and saying to his family, "I just don't know why all our good plans of building a home are not working." Well, there was an unseen hand doing something the bird may have thought was bad, but was really good.

Read Romans 8:28. Notice the verse is not saying that all things are good. All things are not good. There are some terrible things in this world. The point is that God is good!

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 2

What Cancer Cannot Do

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39

What if you had an appointment with the doctor and found out that you had cancer? Maybe you have heard this news or heard it on behalf of a loved one. I want to tell you some things cancer cannot do. Cancer cannot shatter hope. Cancer cannot corrode faith. Cancer cannot eat away peace. Cancer cannot place a limit on eternal life. Cancer cannot quench the spirit of God and cancer cannot lessen the power of the resurrection. That's how limited cancer is!

Is there someone in your life that is suffering from cancer? Give them the Good News that you've read today. And pray that they will know the Savior.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 3

The True Way to Happiness

"Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart." - Psalm 119:2

Have you ever thought that if you lived according to God's laws, you were going to miss out? Truth is, if you don't live according to God's laws you're going to miss out! God's laws are for your welfare.

God is not a tyrant in heaven making a bunch of laws to make you squirm like a worm in hot ashes as you try to keep those laws. God loves you. Every time God says "Thou shalt not," God is simply saying, "Don't hurt yourself." And every time God says, "Thou shalt," God is saying, "Help yourself to happiness." God has something so wonderful for you.

Write the following down on some sticky notes and post them everywhere ... "God loves me."

"God knows better than I do."
"God is in control."
"God is good."

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 4

Secrets Only the Holy Spirit Can Give

"And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on Me." - John 16:8-9

What would you think of someone who gave you the secret of life? Do you think you might instantly call him your best friend? You bet!

That's what the Holy Spirit did for you. The Holy Spirit gave you the secret not only to life, but to eternal life! He convicted you of your sin. He drew you to Christ (John 6:44).

Don't get the idea that anybody can simply come of his own will and his own volition to Jesus Christ. No one could come. No one would come, except by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has given you the secret of life. And He has drawn you there Himself! That's some best friend, wouldn't you say?

Don't keep quiet about your Best Friend today. He wants to be known and He's given you the privilege to be His messenger. Share Him with those you care about today.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 5

You Are Born to Win!

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." - 1 Peter 5:8

When you were born again you were born to win! Your new birth in Jesus Christ has fitted you for victory. You can detect Satan's schemes and overcome his world system. You can "march to the beat of a different drummer." You can live with victory over the desires of your flesh. Habits, attitudes, unclean desires, worries, and dissipation must yield as you exercise authority over your mind, emotions, and will. You can actually put Satan and his demons to flight.  You don't have to be afraid of him—he will be afraid of you!

Are you feeling defeated about something? Say this out loud, "I was born to win!" Doesn't that feel good? Now, look in the mirror and say it again! "I was born to win!"

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 6

God Is in the Restoration Business

"And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten." - Joel 2:25

Hosea had a wife whose name was Gomer. She not only committed immorality, but she finally ended up as a prostitute on the street.

In the strength of the Lord, Hosea went to her, reclaimed her, forgave her, remarried her and restored her as his bride. What a picture of the restoration of our Lord with us!

God has promised to restore all the pains of our past, the heartaches from broken relationships, the struggles from defeat, and the frustrations of our lives. All the times we felt broken beyond repair, God has promised to restore.

God is in the business of restoring His children into beautiful works of His holiness.

Is there someone in your life who has wandered from the faith and felt the abandonment of friends and family? If so, go to that person today and encourage them in the love of Jesus.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 7

Yes—He knows Your Name

"I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." - Psalm 139:14

Ever feel like the little girl who was endeavoring to pray what we call The Lord's Prayer when she said, "Our Father which art in Heaven, how does He know my name?" I have.

But friend, He does know our names. He knows me. He knows you.

You say, "But how could God be interested in me? The great God who made the galaxies—how could He be interested in me? I'm like a fleck of spray in an ocean of existence." Well, He is interested in you. You are not an accident. You are intimately known by God.

Read Matthew 10:30. What does this tell you about God? What does this tell you about yourself?

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 8

Signed, SEALED, Delivered!

"...ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise." - Ephesians 1:13

The moment you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit of God seals you into Himself.

What does it mean to be "sealed"? It means the King's seal has been placed on you. The King's seal can be broken by no man. That means you are His for all time and eternity.

Second Timothy 2:19 says, "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His." You are sealed into a relationship with God by the Holy Spirit.

Read Daniel 6 and Matthew 27. Note the similarities in the accounts of Daniel and Jesus being sealed away for death—and how the Almighty God delivered them unto life!

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 9

The Book That Reads You

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" - Romans 11:33

We must guard ourselves against lowering the standard of God's Word to our level of understanding or political correctness. And we must guard ourselves against raising the standards of our traditions above the standard of His Word. The Bible is not meant to be paraded past the judgment bar of your mind. You can argue with it, but why?

You can pick up any other book and read it, but this is the book that reads you. It pulsates with life and power. It cuts, burns, crushes, and wields mountain-moving power. His Word has a life of its own. It is the voice of God to you. You cannot refuse it, deny it, distort it, or dilute it. You can only bow before it.

When was the last time you studied the history behind the Word of God? Go to a bookstore or your church's library and study how the translations were discovered and passed on.