Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

APRIL 17

The Just for the Unjust

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the Just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God ..." - 1 Peter 3:18

A Roman soldier walked down a narrow corridor in a Roman prison. He held the torch up, and back in the shadows was a man. The guard with his key opened the door and said, "Barabbas, get up and come with me." Barabbas began to plead, "No, wait, don't take me! Have mercy!" The Roman soldier said, "You're not going to die; there's somebody else who's going to die in your place. Come here. Look over on that hill. That's the cross we made for you. But there's someone else on it. He has taken your place."

In what happened to Barabbas, God arranged a perfect picture of substitution — the just dying for the unjust that He might bring us to Himself.

Take time today to tell the Lord Jesus Christ how much you love Him and how grateful you are that He stepped out of glory and became obedient unto death—even the death of the Cross—for your sake and mine.

[Judy Harder]

APRIL 19

The Perfect Sacrifice

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" - Hebrews 9:14

The Lord Jesus lived an amazing life. Do you realize that Jesus never corrected, withdrew, or amended any statement He ever made? I wish I could say that! Jesus Christ never apologized for anything He ever did or said. He never sought advice from anyone, nor ever needed to ask for forgiveness.

Jesus Christ doesn't have any strong points. For Him to have strong points, He would have to have weak points. Robert Clark has rightly given this assessment of the character of Jesus: "There was meekness without weakness, tenderness without feebleness, firmness without coarseness, love without sentimentality, holiness without sanctimoniousness, lowliness without lowness, truth without error, enthusiasm without fanaticism, passion without prejudice, heavenly‑mindedness without forgetfulness, carefreeness without carelessness, service without servility, self‑exaltation without egotism, judgment without harshness, seriousness without somberness, mercy without softness."

What a person was the Lord Jesus Christ! Today, embrace the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior with this renewed sense of Who He was—His matchless character. This is the One Who laid down His life for you.

[Judy Harder]

APRIL 21

Were the Disciples Liars?

"...we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not." - 1 Corinthians 15:15

It's one thing to be mistaken; it's another thing to be a false witness. Were the disciples liars when they said Christ was risen? Were they deceivers? If so, why would they lie? People usually lie in order to gain something. But what gain did they have if Jesus Christ was still in the grave?

They died as martyrs. They were tortured, persecuted, and burned at the stake. They reddened the mouths of lions, were stoned, crushed, and humiliated. Hypocrites and martyrs are not made of the same stuff. People tell lies to get out of trouble, not to get into trouble. A man may live for a lie, but few, if any will willingly die for a lie. No, they did not lie. Jesus Christ has indeed risen as they said!

If someone were to ask you, "What proof do you have that Jesus Christ really rose from the dead?"—what would you answer them? Are you prepared with a well-thought-out, logical answer?

[Judy Harder]

APRIL 23

The Eye of a Needle

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." - Mark 10:25

Around the walls of Jerusalem and other Bible-era cities, they had little low gates to keep people from riding through the streets of the city at night. A man could get through, but the animals couldn't. These little gates were called "The Eye of a Needle."

Now, a camel could possibly have gotten through one of these gates, but it would have been next to impossible. He would have had to get down on his knees and have his entire load taken off his back.

The reason it's so difficult for a rich man to get to heaven is that he, along with us all, has to get down low (humble himself) like that camel and get that burden off his back. Trusting in Christ alone is the only way.

[Judy Harder]

APRIL 24

The Simple-Minded

"How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?" - Proverbs 1:22

A Greek named Demosthenes was once addressing a bored and listless audience, so he told them a story.

"Once there was a man struggling with a great load. Along came another man with a donkey and said, 'Rent my donkey, and he'll carry your load.' He did. Later, as they tried to find relief from the hot sun, they began to argue over who owned the donkey's shade."

At this point, Demosthenes walked off the stage. The audience became agitated, wanting to know how the argument was resolved. Demosthenes returned and said, "Earlier, I was talking about issues of life and death, and you were bored. But now you're all worked up about who owns the shade of a donkey!"

Demosthenes' audience was a simple-minded bunch. They tuned out issues of serious truth but were entranced with the trivial. How about you?

[Judy Harder]

APRIL 26

The Value of Wisdom

"How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!" - Proverbs 16:16

I was interested to note in the newspaper that several billion dollars was moved from one bank to another—7.5 billion dollars to be exact. And there to watch and protect was an army of one hundred policeman and guards—all with their machine guns, tear gas, and all forms of electronic communications—because, of course, everybody wants money, don't they? People would do anything to get their hands on that money.

I wonder, if they had had a truckload of wisdom going down the street, how many policemen do you think they would have needed to guard it?

It will be a great day in your life when you begin to seek after wisdom with the same intensity and commitment as you seek after gold.

[Judy Harder]

APRIL 27

The Answer to All Our Problems

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:18

I once met a lawyer on an airplane.  We began to talk about what we liked to read.  I said, "I read newspapers, books, journals, devotional studies, but primarily the Bible."

He said, "If you don't read any further than that, how do you know what to talk about when you speak to people?"

I said, "Sir, man only has three problems: sin, sorrow, and death."

He answered, "There are more than that."

I replied, "No, only three."

"Oh," he said, "there are other problems."

I said, "All right, tell me another."

He went off for a while, came back, and said, "Man only has three problems."

That's true. And the cross of Jesus Christ is the only answer to those three problems. You give me all of the wisdom of this world....but there is no other answer apart from the cross.

The Jews want a sign; it is the Cross. The Greeks want wisdom; it is the Cross. To this world it is foolishness, but to God it is not foolishness. Now, thank God for the message of the Cross.

[Judy Harder]

APRIL 28

The King's Table

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." - Revelation 3:20

A man once told me, "Back in the depression, we had three meals a day. We had oatmeal for breakfast, cornmeal for lunch, and no meal for dinner."

You may feel like that. You may not feel as if you have much now. But I don't care what is set on your table today.Friend, listen, when you become a Christian, whether or not you have a freezer full of filet mignon, it makes no difference. There's Someone else Who prepares a table before you in the presence of your enemies, and He is the Lord Jesus Christ. As a Christian, you eat at the King's table.

If you have opened the door to Him, you feast in Him. You are in the Lord's fellowship! You sit at His table! And no matter how poor you are, you eat with the King! Open your heart's door to the Lord Jesus Christ.

[Judy Harder]

APRIL 29

Revive Us Again!

"Wilt thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?" - Psalm 85:6

What we need in America is a sweeping revival. They tell us that a nation's decay occurs in nine cycles.

People go from bondage to spiritual faith.
From spiritual faith to courage.
From courage to liberty.
From liberty to abundance.
From abundance to selfishness.
From selfishness to complacency.
From complacency to apathy.
From apathy to dependence.
From dependence back again to bondage.
This cycle is being revealed today in our nation's current status. But I'm telling you, it is time some of us took our place and prayed for God to send a mighty revival and for our nation to return to Him. It's not too late with God!

[Judy Harder]

APRIL 30

Bitterness

"And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice." - Ephesians 4:30-31

Bitterness creates a climate for the devil. Did you know the devil is bitter? In Revelation 12:17, you find the devil pursuing the nation Israel—the dragon pursuing after the woman. The devil has bitterness, a vendetta against God's holy people, and he is pursuing. He's trying somehow, someway, to hurt them.

I've seen some Christians with bitterness in their hearts. I don't know where they got it. Evidently someone hurt them. But the real problem is, there's a root of bitterness down there in their heart, and they're like the devil.

Are you bitter? If so, in that regard, you are like the devil. If you're not careful, before long you're going to be full of the devil. Don't let another day go by without bringing that bitterness to God and asking Him to help you release it.