Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

January 19

Flourishing in Body, Soul and Spirit

"...dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves...." 2 Corinthians 7:1

You were created to know three worlds - the spiritual, psychological, and material worlds. These can be considered the world above us, the world within us, and the world around us.

These worlds are related to the three parts of our human nature - spirit, soul, and body. When you are rightly related to the material world with your body, you are healthy. When you are rightly related to the psychological world with your soul, you are happy. And when you are rightly related to the spiritual world in your

spirit, you are holy. God's aim is that ultimately you are to experience all three realities: health, happiness, and holiness.

Take a snapshot inventory of your life. Where do you need to start making changes to live a healthier lifestyle? What is your emotional barometer telling you about how you see others and yourself? Do you know of any area in your life where you are not living in obedience to the call of holy living? 

[Judy Harder]

January 20

Truly Living the Christian Life 

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." Colossians 3:17

The sign over the church door where I attended as a boy read,

"The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silent."

I mistakenly took that to mean that I had just entered the holy temple and had better start acting religious.

We are the temple of God, not a building made of brick and mortar. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are to be doing all in the name of Jesus. The secular is to be sanctified so that Jesus will be glorified in everything. Because He lives in you, every day is a holy day, not just Sundays. The spiritual life is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all eternity.

Have you ever had a home appraised? Get a trusted friend or loved one to give you an appraisal of the home where the Holy Spirit dwells - you! Are there areas that need repair, restoration, or removal?

[Judy Harder]

January 21

Staying Focused on God's Plan for Your Life 

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14

The devil would love to get you distracted and get you off the course on which God has placed you. God has something He wants you to do and you had better not substitute the good for the best. Find out what God wants you to do and refuse to be distracted by the devil. You need to say as the apostle Paul said, "This one thing I do!" Know what it is that God wants you to do and do it with all your strength for His glory!

Take a few minutes to write out a mission statement about your life focusing on "that one thing" (TOT) that you think God has called you to do. Then, post the letters TOT everywhere to remind yourself to stay focused on the calling of God in your life

[Judy Harder]

January 22

Yielding Yourself to Christ

"...yield yourselves unto God..." Romans 6:13

I heard about a man who entered an interstate out of a side road and did not even slow down. A big eighteen-wheeler pulled over, almost wrecking him. The truck driver leaned out of the window and yelled, "Hey, didn't you see that sign?" The man said, "What sign?" The trucker said, "That sign that said, Y-I-E-L-D." "Oh," he said, "I opened the window and yield as loud as I could."

In the matter of victory, it's not your ability or your responsibility that counts. It is not even your response to His ability. You must choose to yield to Christ. You are to yield with all of your heart to the power, the presence, and the provision of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Look up the definition of "yield". What does it say about the right of way? Who has the "right of way" in your life? Bow before the Lord and surrender all of you to all of Him today.

[Judy Harder]

January 23

True Hope for a World in Turmoil


"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." John 12:32

For the first time in history man is afraid of what he knows. His head and his hands have outrun his heart and we are being faced with things for which we have no answers - the plague of AIDS, the tinderbox in the Middle East, the outbreaks of famine, the irregular weather disturbances, and much more.

But we don't have to wring our hands and say, "What is the world coming to?" We can look up and say, "Who is the world coming to? It's coming to Jesus! Praise God!"

Call your church today and ask if there is a place where you can volunteer in the area of community outreach. Perhaps there is a soup kitchen, a nursing home, a homeless shelter, or a children's center where you can serve. 

[Judy Harder]

January 24

Hunger for the Word of God

"I rejoice at Thy Word." Psalm 119:162

Job said, "I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12). When God's Word is as important to you as your physical food, then you're going to start to grow in your Christian life. I wonder if one day the dust on our Bibles is not going to testify against us.

The following verse sobers my heart, "These hath God married and no man shall part, dust on the bible and drought on the heart." Oh, that we would hunger for the Word of God!

Fast one meal today. Sense just a touch of the hunger our hearts are to have for the Word of God. And remember to pray for those who need the pure milk of His Word!   

[Judy Harder]

January 25

Expressing Our Praise to the Lord 

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands." Psalm 100:1

There's nothing wrong with getting excited in church. I heard about a man who came to a cold church. The preacher said something he agreed with and he said, "Amen." Everybody turned around and looked at him. After awhile he said, "Praise the Lord." Then people arched their eyebrows. Next time he said "Amen," an usher tapped him on the shoulder to quiet him down. The usher said, "What is wrong with you?" He said, "Well, nothing. I've just got religion." To which the usher curtly replied, "Well, mister, you didn't get it here."     

It's easier to cool down a zealot than it is to warm up a corpse.

What does it mean to make a joyful noise unto the Lord? How do you make a joyful noise to Him . . . not just on Sundays in church, but all week long? Sing one of your favorite hymns throughout the day today.

[Judy Harder]

January 26

Controlling Your thought Life 

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7

There was a sign in a business that said, "We are not what we think we are; what we think - we are."

What are you allowing into your mind and thereby controlling your heart, your actions, and your words?

God made you where you can't think two thoughts at one time. If you're thinking what's right, you can't be thinking what's wrong. And as you think, you will become.

Guard your mind. Center your mind upon the Lord Jesus. Don't let the devil take away your pure-hearted devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Stay in love with Jesus, and there won't be any room for those filthy, dirty, wicked, lascivious, lustful, and prideful thoughts that bombard us all.

Start today to become more active in marshalling your thoughts and bringing them into obedience to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Use Phil. 4:8 as a sieve through which you pass each thought.   

[Judy Harder]

January 27

Your Adversary, the Devil 

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against . . . the rulers of the darkness of this world." Ephesians 6:12

There is a ruthless, cruel underworld system that wars against you. The crime bosses are but amateurs compared to this syndicate, ruled by the Master of Deception. He's called the "destroyer," "liar," "accuser," "tempter," and "prince."

Satan is indescribably wicked, brilliantly stupid, and hideously beautiful. If he can't convince you that he does not exist, then he tries to spread the lie that he is only in hell. He is not in hell. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, but he is not there yet!

Be warned . . . Satan comes against you to obsess, depress, and possess. But, be encouraged . . . Jesus has purchased your victory by His blood!

Satan is portrayed as a roaring lion in 1 Peter 5:8. Put on the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) and claim the victory that only faith in King Jesus can achieve.   

[Judy Harder]

January 28

The True Gospel

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8

How can you tell whether or not you have the true gospel? Paul gives you three tests.

First, the source of the gospel. Where did it come from? God gave it. It is direct and divine revelation. The gospel is authenticated by its source.

Secondly, by its salvation. Any gospel that is not the gospel of grace is not the true gospel. You can't beg it. You can't buy it. You can't borrow it. You can't steal it. You can't earn it. It was bought by Christ on the cross. It is the supernatural work of God.

The third test is its subject. It is the grace of Christ. Jesus is the subject. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is all about Jesus.

Take an hour or two this week and find the prophecies of Jesus in the book of Isaiah. Take comfort in knowing that Jesus is the One Who was, Who is, and Who is to come!