Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 10

"Headship" and Equality Between Men and Women

"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." - Ephesians 5:21

First Corinthians 11:3 says, "The head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." Sometimes we get confused about what it means to be the "head" of the family. Anything with no head is dead and anything with two heads is abnormal. Just because the man is the head doesn't mean that the wife is inferior. Both men and women bear the image of God. Both are heirs of the grace of life. Both are equal before God. But while male and female are equal, God has given them different roles. In the family, men have been given the role of leader.

How would our world function if no one was in charge? How would your body function without your head? Pray for leaders in your home, community, church, state, and nation.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 11

Two Funerals, One Wedding

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it." - Ephesians 5:25

Do you know what most marriages need? Two funerals and one wedding where both the husband and the wife die to themselves and come alive to Jesus Christ.

You see, when a man loves his wife passionately, there's nothing too precious for that man to give up for his wife, except his relationship to Almighty God.

When there's that kind of love shown to a woman, I dare say the topic of submission would not be an issue.

Most women don't mind submitting to a man who loves her enough to die for her and shows it by the way he lives for her.

Are you married? Then go on a date this week with your spouse.  Are you single? Pray that God would prepare you to be the spouse your mate will need.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 12

86,000 Seconds Each Day

"My times are in Thy hand." - Psalm 31:15

God's great gift to you is Jesus. His second greatest gift is time. Every second we have life is a gift from God.

Has it ever occurred to you that for you to cease living, God would not have to take your life? All God would have to do is stop giving you life.

Your time is in His hands. You are a steward of the time He has given you. We have 86,000 seconds in the day no more, no less. The difference is stewardship.

Today is check-up day. How are you redeeming your 86,000 seconds each day to the glory of God? Are you lagging behind God or running ahead of Him?

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 13

Don't Forget to Wear It!

"A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance." - Proverbs 15:13

What is a smile? Someone once wrote:

"A smile costs nothing, but creates much good. It enriches those who receive it without impoverishing those who give it away. It happens in a flash, but the memory of it can last forever. No one is so rich that he can get along without it. No one is too poor to feel rich when receiving it. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad and nature's best anecdote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen."

When you get dressed this morning, don't forget to put on a smile. Wear a smile all day from the inner joy that only Jesus can bring to your heart. Don't feel an inner joy? Then ask for one!

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 14

Pass Along the Gift of Laughter

"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." - Psalm 32:11

A merry heart is the ability to capture and enjoy those wonderful times of life and let it turn to laughter.

Your sense of humor is a gift from God. Research studies have shown that laughter, along with a well-rounded sense of humor, is one of the sure signs of intelligence. It is also known to produce endorphins in your body that generate feelings of well-being.

Good, wholesome laughter is a gift from God. Abraham Lincoln said, "God must have meant for us to laugh, or else he would not have made so many mules, parrots, monkeys and human beings. God wants us to laugh."

Pass along the gift of laughter today to someone. Tell a good, wholesome joke. Send an email of a funny story to a friend you haven't talked to in awhile.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 15

Free from the Ghost of Guilt!

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." - Psalm 103:12

There are two days that can steal the joy from today. One is yesterday and the other is tomorrow.

Paul exhorts in Philippians 3:13-14, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

We are to forget the past—the guilt, the glory, the grief, and the grudges. Paul was one who was guilty, along with others, for the stoning of Stephen. He said he was the chiefest of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). But Paul buried that guilt in the grave of God's forgetfulness.

Maybe you've done something so horrible that you're gripped with fear to think someone would find out what you've done. Have you repented? Then don't be haunted by the ghost of guilt.

Have you done something worse than being an accessory to the murder of one of the leaders of the New Testament Church?If Paul can be forgiven, my friend, youcan be forgiven!

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 16

Equal Parts of Difficulty and Grace

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." - Matthew 6:34

In the crucible of His wisdom and the ecology of His grace, God has ordered some trouble for you today. And every day of your life.

We've been blessed with difficulties. Yes, you read right—blessed! The worst thing that could happen to us would be not to have any difficulties. If that were the case, we'd never know our need of the Lord. So God in essence says, "I'm going to give you sufficient difficulty for the day."

God gives you enough difficulty to draw you close to Him, but then God gives you enough grace to meet those difficulties every day.

Is there a difficult circumstance in your life? If so, thank God for sending it your way to make you more like Jesus. Now ask for His grace to be victorious through it!

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 17

What Happens When You Worry

"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." - 1 Peter 5:7

What happens when you worry? You bring tomorrow's difficulty into today.

God didn't give you grace for tomorrow's difficulties. He only gives you grace for today.

When you reach into tomorrow's troubles, you overload today's circuit. Worry doesn't take the sorrow out of tomorrow, it takes the strength out of today. When you meet tomorrow, you're out of breath because you're already overloaded from today. Worry, therefore, does not make you ready for the future, it really makes you unready.

Yesterday is just a canceled check. Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today has all the cash you can handle. Spend it wisely.

Worry will eat your lunch! It'll eat your breakfast and dinner, too! Confess your worries as sin (because they are). Put your concerns at the throne of Almighty God, trusting Him to provide.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 18

Wait...and Listen for God to Speak to You

"The voice of the Lord isupon the waters: the God of glory thundereth." - Psalm 29:3

Some people think it's a waste of time to simply sit at God's feet and listen. It is not a waste of time to wait on God any more than a woodsman is wasting time when he sharpens his axe.

In his booklet "Tyranny of the Urgent," Charles Hummel wrote, "When we fail to wait prayerfully for God's guidance and strength, we are saying, with our actions if not our lips, that we do not need Him....Prayerful waiting on God is indispensable to effective service. Like the time-out in a football game, it enables us to catch our breath and fix new strategy...The need is not the call. The call must come from the Lord who knows our limitations."

Read Psalm 29. Count how many times the phrase "voice of the Lord" is repeated. Spend at least that many minutes listening for His voice and trusting He will speak His will to you.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 19

You Supply the Will, God Supplies the Power

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." - James 4:17

Are you one of those people who believes "Put off until tomorrow what you could be doing today"? This is one of those times when the fingers pointing back at me outnumber the one that's pointing to you! What am I talking about? Procrastination.

Did you know that procrastination is a sin? I say that because sin is not merely doing wrong, it is failing to do what you ought to do. Procrastination and disobedience are just different shades of the same sin. I heard a quote once that said it well:  "When you have a job to do, begin this very hour. You supply the will, God supplies the power." That is the will power we need to instantly obey!

Has a certain task been hounding you? Confess your procrastination as sin. And act now. don't hesitate. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow may never come. Today is the day!