Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

August 5

Trusting God with Your Reputation

"But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Thy works." - Psalm 73:28

We can be so protective of our reputations, can't we? I know of preachers who have lost their children because they were more concerned about what people thought than what God taught.

Maybe some of you are raising teenagers, and they dress in a way that isn't your style. Maybe your church friends are saying some unpleasant things. Let them criticize! God knows your heart. Those children are yours, not theirs. You need to love them with everything that God gives you. Stand by their side.

Never sacrifice your son or daughter on the altar of your reputation. Trust your children to the Lord. Ask God to give you His wisdom so you can see how He is fulfilling His promise of Romans 8:28 in every situation.

[Judy Harder]

August 6

Do You Need Help Finding Your Seat?

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 2:6

Why is the empty tomb so glorious? Because it signifies more than just the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead. He raised you, too, to walk "in newness of life" (see Romans 6:4). I have come out of that grave. I have ascended. You have, too, if you are saved.

Where is Christ today? Seated in the heavenlies. Where are you seated? In the same place. You don't have to die to go to heaven. In Christ, you are seated in the heavenlies right now.

We encourage our brothers and sisters by telling them to keep looking up when we should be saying, "Keep looking down!" You're already seated in the heavenlies, so you can look down on your problems. You, dear friend, have a brand new life!

Take a moment and ask God to give you a brand new life or thank Him for the one He has already given you.

[Judy Harder]

August 7

Learning to Find Real Contentment

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." - Philippians 4:11

Paul came to a place in his life—not a physical place, but a spiritual place—where he felt divine contentment. Most people think they know what this word "contentment" means, but let me tell you what it means in God's Word—"self contained."

In the context of this passage, we learn that Paul was thanking people for their love gifts to him, but he wanted them also to know that he was not dependent upon them because God had brought him to a place of sufficiency in Himself alone.

That is, Paul was able to say, "I have learned that I don't need anything or anybody else, but the Lord. I have Him, and therefore, I am self-contained, not self-sufficient. I can do all things through Christ."

Do you have a contentment today in Christ alone?

[Judy Harder]

August 8

Seeking Things or Seeking Him?

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." - Matthew 6:33

Have you ever noticed that along with the command in Matthew 6:34 not to worry, correspondingly there comes a promise from God to take care of us? One of the most frequent promises is that we will be fed—God will take care of our needs.

Then why does God promise that "all these things will be added unto you."? So we will not starve? No. Friend, a lot of people who don't trust God have a pantry full of food. The average unsaved person is thinking about money, homes, cars, clothes, jewelry, etc. Jesus knows we have a one-track mind and cannot serve two masters. If these are the things you are seeking, then you are not seeking the Lord. He is telling us, "You trust Me. Bring all of your attention into trusting Me and doing good, and I'll take care of you."

Today each time you're tempted to worry, bring your concerns to your Heavenly Father and ask Him to help you trust Him.

[Judy Harder]

August 9

Trade In: Your Weakness for His Strength

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31

What does it mean to "renew" your strength? It literally means "changed," as if you changed clothes. You remove your rags of weakness and put on God's royal robes of strength. God promises to exchange our strength with His strength.

You see, the Christian life is not just simply a changed life, it is an exchanged life. God doesn't just change us from what we were to something better. He exchanges His life with us. He takes our sin. We take His holiness. He takes our weakness. We take His strength. He takes our anxiety. We take His peace.

Sounds great. But, what's the problem? We get tired of waiting for the change.

Friend, don't give up. The wait is never too long when God is in charge.

[Judy Harder]

August 11

An Inheritance that Will Never Fade

"To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." - 1 Peter 1:4

A man was sitting on a street corner, weeping. A friend saw him and asked, "Why are you crying?"

"Haven't you read the papers? Rockefeller died."

The friend responded, "Why are you crying? You were no kin of his!"

"That's why I'm crying!"

You have an inheritance right now as a child of God. It is incorruptible. The foul breath of decay and gnawing tooth of time cannot take it away. It is undefiled. No high-powered lawyer can find a loophole. It will never fade away.

If you understood what you have in Jesus, you would never be jealous of anybody. Ezekiel 44:28 says that God is your inheritance. You have an inheritance that is faultless, flawless, fadeless, and reserved in heaven for you!

[Judy Harder]

August 12

Which Grace Do You Need Most Today?

"As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." - 1 Peter 4:10

The Bible speaks of the "manifold" grace of God. What does that mean? It means we can experience God's grace in many ways. For instance, there is singing grace. When Paul and Silas were in prison, God gave them grace to sing (see Acts 16:25).

There is speaking grace. Colossians 4:6 says, "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." God will give you the ability to talk about your troubles with His grace.

God also gives us strengthening grace. Timothy was often sick with many infirmities. Paul told him to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:1).

Which do you need today? Singing grace? Speaking grace? Strengthening grace? All three? Spend time in the Word of God today and draw from the manifold grace of God.

[Judy Harder]

August 13

We're Only on the Threshold of Knowing Him!

"Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Thy hands." - Psalm 102:25

I have been preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ for more than fifty years, but I feel I'm just on the threshold of discovering Him. I want to move closer and closer to Him and learn more and more about Him.

Do you know what Paul said at the end of his ministry? That he may know God (see Philippians 3:10). Did he know God? Yes, but he knew so little about Him.

Let me ask you a question. Did Christopher Columbus discover America? Well, he touched on the shores of America. But even today there are thousands of unnamed lakes, forests, and more where no one has yet completely explored.

There is so much in Christ.

You may have "touched on" Christ, but God's plan is that you know Him more and more each day.

[Judy Harder]

August 14

Faith: Your Link to Promise and Victory

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

The life of Joshua in the Old Testament is an illustration of Jesus. As a matter of fact, Joshua is the Hebrew name of Jesus. The Lord Jesus is our heavenly Joshua who leads us into the land of promise and victory. And what is this victory? It is a victory of faith.

There is nothing more, nothing less that will achieve the victory in our lives but faith. Victory is not achieved by fighting. Victory is received by faith.

You see, when God has a gigantic task He wants us to perform, He gives the contract to faith. Your faith links your nothingness to God's almightiness and victory is yours for the taking!

[Judy Harder]

August 15

Saved, Sealed and Secure!

"In Whom ye also trusted,after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." - Ephesians 1:13

What does it mean that you are sealed with the Holy Spirit?

First, it is a mark of authenticity. If the Holy Spirit is not in you, then you are a fake. First John 3:24 says, "And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us."

Second, the seal is a mark of ownership, like the branding of a cow. You are His. Romans 8:9 says, "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."

Third, the seal is a mark of security. Esther 8:8 tells about this type of seal, which "no man can reverse."

The way I am kept saved is because God sealed me. The way you are kept saved, is because God has sealed you.