Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

September 26

Handling the Sting of Criticism

"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

God loves you so much that Jesus Christ hung in agony and blood for you.

You are precious to God.
You are the object of God's love.
The blood of Jesus Christ was poured out on Calvary for you.
Friend, if you know all that, then you can stand up against any criticism. It won't bother you what others say about you. The cross sets you free.

He who died for you now lives in you. He gave Himself for you that He might give Himself to you.

When Jesus Christ died for you, He didn't just take away your sins, He took away yourself. You are crucified. So who can harm a dead man?

Have you felt the sting of criticism this week? Remove the stinger and bathe the wound with the balm of Jesus' love. Give your critic to the Lord. Then, ask God to teach you from what happened.

[Judy Harder]

September 27

Saving the Worst for Last?

"But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way." 1 Corinthians 12:31

Satan always gives the best first and the worst last. For example, Proverbs 20:17 says, "The bread of deceit is sweet, but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel."  With Satan, it always starts sweet, but it does not end that way.

Satan is a counterfeiter and a deceiver, and he is guilty of false advertising. 


He doesn't show the drunkard in the gutter covered with flies. 
He doesn't show the addict shaking uncontrollably from another night of detox. 
He doesn't show the ruined lives from sexually transmitted diseases.

He always gives the best first and the worst last. Jesus gives the best last.

Do you have a teenager in your home? Then, call a homeless shelter or prison and see if you can bring in your teen for a tour.

[Judy Harder]

September 28

Heaven, a Place on God's Map

"I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2

Do you believe that there is a home in heaven waiting for you?

There is, because Jesus cannot lie. He is Truth incarnate. He always told the truth. He said, "if it were not so, I would have told you."

Jesus would not let the hope of heaven go on beating in your heart if it were simply a lie, a superstition, or a fond delusion.

Heaven is not merely a state of mind. It is not a condition. It is a place so real that Jesus is there in a literal, resurrected body. There is a body in this place called heaven. It is His resurrected body.

Heaven is a place on God's map.

Do you have a dream home? If you've never thought about what would be your perfect home, think about your heavenly home. Nothing could be more perfect!

[Judy Harder]

September 29

Keeping the Law

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

Suppose you are driving down the road and a police officer stops you for running a red light.

You say to the officer, "I ran a red light, but you have no right to give me a ticket because I have stopped at all the other streets, and I have obeyed the speed limit."

He responds, "Don't tell me about all the things that you've done good. You've broken the law."

If you think that you're going to be saved by keeping the law, then you must keep all of it because God demands perfection. No amount of obedience can make up for one act of disobedience.

If you keep the whole law and yet offend in one point you are guilty of it all.

Read Romans 7:1 - 8:4. Can you relate to Paul's quandary about keeping the law and the war within his members concerning its requirement of absolute obedience?

[Judy Harder]

September 30

Starting Your Day Out Right

"My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up." Psalm 5:3

Christianity is a love relationship. You cannot love someone that you do not know, and you cannot know someone that you don't spend quality time with. 

To know Jesus is to love Him. 
To love Him is to trust Him. 
To trust Him is to obey Him.
To obey Him is to be blessed.

It begins with a quality, daily communication with the Lord.

Why is it best to spend time with the Lord in the morning? Because you are getting ready to go on a road trip through life. You don't take the trip and then read the map, do you?

How are you starting your mornings? With a cup of coffee and the paper? Or with the pure milk of the Word and the light of His presence?

[Judy Harder]

OCTOBER 1

Praying in Secret

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Matthew 6:6

What did our Lord mean when He said, "Enter into your closet to pray"? The word "closet" simply means somewhere you can shut the door on the world and open the windows to heaven.

As you study the life of Jesus, you'll discover that Jesus sought times to be alone. Sometimes He would go on a mountain, sometimes into the wilderness, and sometimes into a garden. It is the secret place that is the sacred place.

The mark of your prayer life is not really how well you pray in public, but in private. When you enter your closet to pray, spend some time in silence. Clear your mind. Then listen for His Words of edification, encouragement, and exhortation.

[Judy Harder]

OCTOBER 2

Making Your Bible Come Alive

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

Why is it that sometimes when we read the Bible, we leave our common sense at the door? You don't just pick up a book, open it at random, and start reading in the middle of a paragraph. The book wouldn't make any sense! In order to understand and get the full appreciation for the book, we read it sequentially and in paragraphs or units.

When you read the Bible, read for quality not quantity. Don't see how much of the Bible you can read. See how much of the Bible you can assimilate and apply! Maybe what you need to do is spend a week studying one verse.

In your Bible reading today, stop and ask yourself, "What is God telling ME?" Not "What does this say?" But "What is God saying to me?" Then seek to put that into practice today.

[Judy Harder]

OCTOBER 3

The Wake-Up Call

"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Romans 13:11

Do you know what Napoleon said about China? "There lies a sleeping giant, and let him sleep, because if he awakens, he will shake the world."

I believe the devil says that about the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I believe the church is just that: a sleeping giant. We're asleep because we have been chloroformed by the spirit of this age. 

We're bombarded on every side by all kinds of amusement. Do you know what amuse means? It's a combination of two words. Muse means to think, and the alpha prefix in front of it means "not to." We are a generation that is amusing ourselves into oblivion. And it's time to wake up!

Are you taking the Christian life seriously? If this were your last day on earth, how would you spend it? In amusement? Or in evangelism?

[Judy Harder]

OCTOBER 4

Peace with God—Because of the Cross

"... having made peace through the blood of His cross." Colossians 1:20

How can a cross bring peace if Jesus is the One hanging there?

At the cross, wickedness was not appeased. Wickedness was confronted.

At the cross, sin was not overlooked. Sin was atoned and paid for.

God's greatest righteousness confronted man's greatest wickedness, and righteousness won! Peace was attained through the blood of the cross.

Thank God for the cross! Thank God for Jesus!

Take a few moments to praise Jesus for the power and hope you have because of His resurrection.

[Judy Harder]

OCTOBER 5

The Only One Who Conquered Death

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Corinthians 15:55

Harry Houdini was an escape artist. They tried all kinds of ways to keep Harry Houdini locked up. They would bury him in a coffin, but he would get out. They would sew him up in canvas bags and throw him in the river, but he would come out. His biographer said he could escape from anything, except your memory.

Yet there came a day when Harry Houdini died and he did not escape. No trickery there. Harry Houdini did not escape the iron-clad clutches of death. But I want to tell you there was another who died. His name was Jesus, and He made the great escape. Jesus came out of the grave and He arose. Praise God, Jesus is alive!

Who in your circle of friends doesn't know Jesus? Pray for them right now, that they would hear the Good News, repent and believe upon Jesus as Lord and Savior.