Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

February 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 a while he said, "Praise the Lord." Then people arched their eyebrows. The 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 dead man.

·        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?

·        Why not start by singing one of your favorite hymns throughout the day today?

[Judy Harder]

February 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 that is thereby controlling your heart, your actions, and your words? God made you so that 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, so 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 Philippians 4:8 as a sieve through which you pass each thought:

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

[Judy Harder]

February 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

Did you know 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 and claim the victory that only faith in King Jesus can achieve.  In Ephesians 6:10-18, look at the armor God has provided you. Suit up and be prepared for the battle.

[Judy Harder]

March 1

The Initiating Grace of God

"We love Him, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

When I was in the sixth grade, I wrote a love note to Joyce Louise Gentry. Then she became my bride and my beloved. Do you know she still has that note? From that time on she began to take an interest in me. Do you know why? Because I first loved her.

Do you know what the Bible is? It is God's love letter to you. It is God saying to you, "I have set my eye upon you. I love you!"

You're not saved by doing good works. You're not saved by joining a church. You are saved by the grace of God that said, "I love you" first.

When was the last time you wrote a love letter? 
When was the last time you received one? 
Spend some time today and write a love letter to the Lord.

[Judy Harder]

March 2

Justice, Mercy and Grace

"...the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11

There are three words that came together at Calvary:

justice 
mercy 
grace

Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don't deserve.

But wait a minute; grace is more than that! It is grace that gives at great cost to the giver. It is not cheap. Grace cost the life of God's Son. Jesus gave freely of Himself in agony and blood.

Did you know that grace has to chase us down? If God didn't run faster than us, we would never be saved! Grace seeks to give to vile and wicked people that which they don't deserve and can never deserve.

Are you a grace-giver? Find someone today and do a favor for them - something for which they couldn't possibly repay you. Perhaps it will even be for a stranger you will never see again.

[Judy Harder]

Love Worth Finding

March 3

Perfectionism Is a Thief

"For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

Did you know that your performance doesn't make you any more or less acceptable in God's eyes?

If you think that God is going to accept you on the basis of your quiet time, your Bible study, or your service, you will fall into a trap of never knowing if you've done enough. You'll never truly feel accepted.

Perfectionism is a thief. It promises rewards, but it steals both joy and satisfaction. Why? Because perfection is an unattainable goal! If you are a perfectionist, you've set an impossible goal for yourself, and therefore you will constantly be faced with frustration and failure.

Two things about you are true, without your "performance"—

You are forgiven in Christ.
You are righteous in Christ.
Are you a perfectionist? Ask the Holy Spirit to free you from the fear of failure. Now make a conscious decision that you can be less than perfect and still be loved by God

[Judy Harder]

March 4

Perfection Found in Jesus Alone

"Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:39

A perfectionist in the church is a miserable person. And not only that, but he makes everybody else miserable, too. The fellowship is never sweet enough. The teacher is never prepared enough. The music is never spiritual enough, and on and on it goes.

Jesus supplies the only perfection that we will ever attain until we get to heaven.

It is not perfection that God is looking for in His children; it is excellence.

God is working in you to achieve His purpose for His glory.

Memorize this statement, "I am worthy apart from my performance because Christ died for me and gave His life to me. My life is hidden in Him. Jesus loves me."



For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org. You can also listen to Adrian Rogers at OnePlace.com by clicking here.

[Judy Harder]

March 5

Defining Your Personal Value

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Romans 12:3

Do you try to be the best or do you simply try to do your best? The perfectionist has to be the best. He has to be #1. He can't accept himself.

The grace of God exalts a man without inflating him, and it humbles a man without debasing him. The person who strives for excellence says, "I am what I am by the grace of God."

Do you value yourself by what you do or by what you are? You have a choice. You can either choose to see yourself as God sees you, or you can choose to see yourself as the world sees you. Whose opinion will you listen to today?

Is there someone in your life whose opinion matters deeply to you? Instead of defining who you are by their opinions, measure yourself by God's standard in His Word.

[Judy Harder]

March 6

Just As I Am

"To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved." Ephesians1:6

Do you have a "know-so" salvation? What I mean is, do you know that you are saved and have the assurance that if you died tonight, you'd spend eternity with the Lord in heaven?

Many folks don't have that assurance, and in some cases it is not a spiritual problem. It is a psychological problem. They cannot accept the fact that God has accepted them.

Charlotte Elliott penned these words to a timeless hymn of assurance:

"Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou biddest me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!"

You are accepted just as you are. It is all grace.

Find the hymn "Just As I Am" and sing it to the Lord. Make it your song throughout the day when Satan tries to make you doubt God's love and eternal gift of salvation. 

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For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org. You can also listen to Adrian Rogers at OnePlace.com by clicking here.

Watch Adrian Rogers and Love Worth Finding Video Online

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[Judy Harder]

March 7

The Misunderstood Principle of Submission

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:3

Submission is a term that has been grievously distorted because there are men who have used the word as a weapon to club their wives rather than as a hammer to build their homes.

When God tells a wife to submit to her husband, He also tells the husband to love his wife "even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Ephesians 5:22-25).

When God tells children to obey their parents, He also instructs the fathers to "provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).

When God tells you to submit to Him, it is for your good (James 4:7). Jesus is the head of the church, and He leads by love. The same should be true in the home.

Discuss the principle of submission with your family and friends this week. Contrast what the world would say it means to submit with what God desires for us.