Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 12

What a Change!

"And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image..." - Genesis 5:3

Did you know you've never really seen a man? Well, in a way you have. Suppose you'd never seen a railroad train, and I showed you a train that's been wrecked with all the twisted metal on the tracks. Have you seen a train? Not really! You've seen a train wreck.

That's no man you've seen; that's a wreck. Everybody talks about being made in the image of God, but we're not. After the fall, we find that we are made in the image of Adam. Adam was in the image of God, but that image was wrecked and spoiled. Adam brought forth a son in his image. But, oh, what a change there's going to be someday when we become what our Lord made us to be.

One of the sweetest verses in the Bible says, "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly (1 Corinthians 15:49). Take heart, friend. We're going to be like Him, the second Adam, the last Adam, Jesus Christ from above. We've borne the image of the earthly long enough. We're going to bear the image of the heavenly. We're going to be like the Lord Himself.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 13

God Looks at the Heart

"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." - 1 Samuel 16:7

David's older brother Eliab was a big, broad-shouldered, winsome man. If you had gone to look for a king, you would have said, "Surely there's a kingly man if I ever saw one." But God didn't have His eyes upon Eliab; He had his eyes on David.

Sometimes we see people and say, "Oh, they have it all. I wish I could be like that person, look like that person, sing like that person, serve like that person. I wish I had their ability. I wish I were this or that." It's so great to know that God doesn't see as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.

At the judgment seat of Christ, there will be a day of revelation and the things that are highly esteemed among men may look much different then. Jesus spoke to those who were self-righteous in His day, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God." (Luke 16:15)

Aren't you glad, dear friend, for that day of revelation that's going to come? When it does, the emphasis is not going to be upon size but upon quality. God is not primarily interested in quantity. God is interested in quality.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 14

In the Beginning—God!

"In the beginning God...." - Genesis 1:1

The Bible begins with this statement. The fact of God is not argued here. Neither is the nature and being of God explained. He is just presented. "In the beginning God...." No philosophy presented, no argument made, no apology offered, and no explanation given; just, "In the beginning God...."

The Bible writers never tried to prove God. They presented God. They never tried to explain the existence of God. Nor should you. Don't let this shock you, but there are no proofs for God. The finite can never prove the infinite. To try to prove God by looking through physical or material things would be like tearing a piano apart trying to find "The Hallelujah Chorus." The first four words of the written Word of God say all we need to know: In the beginning—God!

You will never really comprehend anything else in the Bible unless you understand Genesis 1:1.  This is foundational truth. It is functional truth. You must believe it. You see, the key to the rest of the Bible is hung right here by the front door. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 15

Believe in God

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God..." - Psalm 14:1

Can a person find God by reasoning? No. We are incapable of proving God. Sometimes an atheist will say to a believer, "Prove there is a God." That never threatens me. I just smile and say, "Prove there is no God." Sometimes it's leveled against Christians as though it's an accusation: "You just accept by faith there's a God." That's right. And let me tell you what the unbeliever does. He accepts by faith there is no God. He does not know there is no God. He has never proven there is no God. He accepts by faith there is no God.

Some of the finest minds this world has ever known have been given to the gospel of Christ. It's not a matter of intellect. It's not a matter of reason. It's beyond reason and above reason.

All men are believers. I choose to believe in God. The atheist chooses not to believe in God. If a man doesn't believe in God, it's because he doesn't want to believe in God. He has chosen not to believe in God. But make no mistake, we're all believers.

You don't prove God, and you don't disprove God. You believe in God. He is the God who is presented, not proven.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 17

The Beginning and the End

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." - Revelation 20:10

Did you know there's no devil in the first two chapters or the last two chapters of the Bible? But Genesis and Revelation have plenty to say about him elsewhere.

And the devil hates Genesis and Revelation! He has waged war against them. He would tell us that Genesis is myth and Revelation is mystery. In the book of Genesis, you see sin as it begins and brings death and a curse. In the book of the Revelation, sin is gone. There is no more death and no more curse.

In the book of Genesis, Satan appears for the first time. In the book of the Revelation, he appears for the last time. There is a special blessing in Genesis because it is the seedbed of all theology, and in Revelation, for it is the culmination of all theology. In the book of Genesis, the devil's doom is pronounced; in the book of Revelation, it is carried out. What we see in embryo in the book of Genesis, we see in completion and fulfillment in the book of the Revelation.

How important it is that we see these books as they are, in comparison and in contrast. For what God began years ago at the first creation, He ultimately completes in His new creation.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 18

I Ask for Mercy

Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." - Luke 23: 42-43

The Polish astronomer Copernicus, through his writings and education, changed the concepts of what men think about the universe and how the universe runs. He was a brilliant man. But when Copernicus came to die, he did not see himself as an astronomer but as a sinner in need of forgiveness. He asked that this epitaph be inscribed on his gravestone: "Lord, I do not ask the kindness Thou didst show to Peter. I do not dare ask the grace Thou didst grant to Paul; but, Lord, the mercy Thou didst show to the dying robber, that mercy show to me. That earnestly I pray."

Do you want that today? Do you want the mercy that God showed to the dying thief? He will show it to you and save you today.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 19

Most Things I Worry About Never Happen

"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" - Matthew 6:27

The best thing you can say about worry is that it does no good. The worst thing is that it does much harm.

I'm reminded of the little lady who said, "Don't tell me worry doesn't do any good. Most of the things I worry about never happen."

Worry is absolutely useless. It doesn't cure any problems. It doesn't lift any burdens. It doesn't wipe away any tears. It never has; it never can; it never will! Worry can't make you any taller, shorter, fatter, or thinner. It is so senseless, and it is therefore useless. But even worse, it is faithless. Worry is just the opposite of faith.

When we worry, we make God out to be a liar when God has said He will take care of us.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 20

Whatever He Says, Do It!

"His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." - John 2:5

We must obey whether we can understand or not. When Jesus was at the wedding in Cana, the servants had no way of knowing what Jesus was going to do. It might have seemed silly to them to fill pots with water. But Jesus' mother gave them some very wise advice that we would do well to heed: "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it."

It wasn't a matter of whether they understood it or not, just that He told them to do it. The same Jesus who turned water into wine can transform your home, can transform your life, can transform your family, can transform your future. That same Jesus is still in the miracle working business. His business is the business of transformation.

Someone has well said that nature forms us, sin deforms us, the penitentiary reforms us, education informs us, the world conforms us, but only Jesus transforms us.

A lot of times your mind is going to say, "Well, that's old fashioned," or "That doesn't make sense." Never come to the Bible that way. Never parade the Bible across the judgment bar of your reason. Whatever He says to you, do it.

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 21

Wilt Thou Be Made Whole?

"When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, He saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?" - John 5:6

"Wilt thou be made whole?" That sounds like a silly question. It really does sound inane to ask a man who is sick if he wants to be made whole. But Jesus respected this man's will just as He respects your will and every human will.

If God were to transgress your will, if He were to force you to do something you did not want to do, you would no longer be a human being. You would become a machine. So God gave you a will; and because you have a will, you must decide if you want to be made whole by accepting Him as your Savior. The offer made available to you today is whosoever will may come (Revelation 22:17). "Wilt thou be made whole?"

What kind of faith does it take to have our lives transformed? Faith that can see the invisible, that can believe the incredible, that can receive the impossible.

        Doubt dreads to take a step, faith soars on high.
        Doubt questions "Who believes?" Faith answers, "I!"

[Judy Harder]

MARCH 24

Changed by the Bible

"Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me Thy statutes." - Psalm 119:12

Did you know you could read and even memorize the Bible, but if that's all that happens, it won't change your life? You are not changed by the words of the Bible but by the Holy Spirit of God, who takes the words and applies them to your heart.

You see, you'll never learn this book unless God teaches it to you. And it is not enough just simply to read it. You must come to God saying, "Lord, I want to have a controlled, disciplined mind. I want You to teach me."

David goes on to say in verse 2 of this Psalm, "Open Thou my eyes that I may behold wondrous things from Thy law."

You cannot separate the God of love from the God of the Word.  Many read the Bible like a math book rather than a love story. They get the words, but they don't get the music. But you'll never learn the Bible unless God teaches it to you. Not only must the Word of God get into you, but the Spirit of God must come into you.

Make this your prayer today: "Open Thou my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. Teach me Your statutes. God, control my life. And Lord, as I get my heart cleansed, committed and conditioned, let my heart be controlled. Come, Holy Spirit, control my thoughts and guide me into Your truth."