Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

DECEMBER 31

Moving Forward Into the New Year

"Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Hosea 6:3

On this New Year's Eve, you may be wondering what is going to happen. Years ago, some men were on a leaky old ship in the middle of a rough and stormy sea. One of them asked the captain, "Are we safe?"  He said, "Well, the boilers are weak and may explode at any moment. The ship is taking on water. To be very honest with you, we may go up, or we may go down, but at any rate, we are going on."

And that's the way we are as we face this new year. Jesus may come; we may go up. We may die, and go down and then up, but at any rate, we are going on.

Reflecting on this past year, allow the Holy Spirit to invade your heart, convicting and drawing you to Himself. Ask for wisdom, courage, and faith to continue on, whatever happens this next year!
 

[Judy Harder]

January 1

Pressing Toward the Prize in This New Year

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

Do you want to win the prize that Paul talks about? He didn't want to fail. He strained with every inch, every ounce, every nerve, and every part of his body to win the prize. He had ambition. But it was more than just ambition, it was a holy ambition.

He said, "I want that prize and I'm going to have it. I'm going to be like an athlete who denies his own body worldly pleasures. I'm going to train like an athlete. I'm going to stay in shape for the Lord Jesus. I'm going to do all that is necessary that I may win."

Friend, the Bible clearly teaches that we ought to be ambitious, but for the right reason. And that reason is for Jesus. In this new year, may God deliver us from pint-sized ambitions and small-time aspirations.

[Judy Harder]

January 2

Giving the Devil His Due

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." - Matthew 6:13

Mike Kolen, who played linebacker for the Miami Dolphins, told this story once. "When I graduated from Auburn University, Coach Shug Jordan asked me to do some scouting for him. I said, 'Sure coach, what kind of man do you need?'"

"Coach said, 'You know the guy you can knock down and he stays there?' I said, 'Sure!' Coach said, 'We don't need him. You know the guy you can knock down, he gets up, you knock him down again, and he gets up?' I said, 'Yes! You want him?' 'No,' said Coach, 'I want the guy that's knocking everybody down. That's the guy I want.' "

I am grateful that Jesus picks us up when we are knocked down. But wouldn't you like to do a little knocking down of the devil for a change? You can if you will learn to pray, "Lord, lead me not into temptation, but keep me from evil."

[Judy Harder]

January 3

Getting the Upper Hand Over Sin

"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." -  Romans 6:13

Did you know that if you let the devil be uppermost in your life today, it is because you are doing the letting? Before you were saved, you had no choice. You were a slave to sin. Now, you don't have to let sin have the upper hand in your life.

There is absolutely no power that says you must sin. When you entered into union with Christ, you no longer have to let sin reign in your mortal body. You have dethroned sin and enthroned Jesus Christ as Lord of your life.

We need to be like the man who prayed, "Lord, help me cooperate with You, so You won't have to operate on me."

[Judy Harder]

January 4

What is the Source of Your Joy?

"I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify Thy name for evermore." Psalm 86:12

What is bringing you joy today? You say, "The Lord is making me happy." How do you know it's not that nice automobile? Or that "special someone"? Or your good looks? Or your bank account? Or your popularity? Here's how you can know. By the process of elimination. Let God take away your health, your home, your job, and if you still have joy, then you know it is Jesus.

If you lose your joy when you lose any of these things, you are an idolater because that is where you are getting your joy. I don't mean that you cannot be temporarily upset over the loss, but if the joy goes out of your life, you weren't getting your joy from the Lord.

You'll never know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.

[Judy Harder]

January 5

Surrendering Every Burden

"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:5

Many say they have committed their lives to the Lord, but have they really? The psalmist challenges us to commit our way to the Lord. The word "commit" in this passage has the idea of rolling a burden over to the Lord.

In 1908 Minnie A. Steele wrote a hymn that I have often sung: "I Remember When My Burdens Rolled Away." The first verse says, "I remember when my burdens rolled away; I had carried them for years, night and day. When I sought the blessed Lord, And I took Him at His word, Then at once all my burdens rolled away." Well, she knew what she was talking about!

Read Psalm 55:22 and once again, roll over to the Lord your burdens. Surrender everything to Him.

[Judy Harder]

January 6

Handling Untrue Criticism

"Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ." 1 Peter 3:16

Have you ever been criticized? Maybe blamed for something you didn't do? Or been unjustly slandered? You are not alone. Jesus was the whipping boy of much criticism and slander in His day. Was He worried? No.

You too must not worry when others speak falsely. Just give that to the Lord. Author/Pastor Peter Lord told me one day, "When anybody says anything bad about me, I just say, 'Thank God they don't know any more.' "

Jesus tells us, "When they criticize you, just roll that over onto Me. I understand and I am in charge. You just trust in Me."

[Judy Harder]

January 7

Waiting is Hard, But We Must Learn to Do It

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." Psalm 37:7

We don't like the word "rest" do we? We're always running around pulling up our radishes by the roots to see how they're growing, and then cramming them back into the ground.

And yet Isaiah tells us, "And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him" (Isaiah 30:18).

You're not going to hurry God because He is not interested in time. He's interested in timing. Lean back, watch, wait, and trust. He knows what He is doing.

[Judy Harder]

January 8

Not by Your Works—Only by Grace!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3

There are some people who think that you can lose your salvation once you have it. I have one truth that will dispel that idea. Whether or not you can lose your salvation depends upon how you got it.

If you were saved by your good works, then you can lose your salvation by your bad works. But God's Word is very clear on this point. Titus 3:5 says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."

How is someone saved? By grace. And if it is by grace, then you're kept by grace. Salvation is not rooted in the merit of man, but in the mercy of God.

[Judy Harder]

January 9

Held Safe in His Hand

"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Peter 1:5

Believers are "kept" by the power of God. This word "kept" in 1 Peter 1:5 is a military term. It literally means to be garrisoned about as soldiers around a fort.

Think of the power of God as a fortress and you are on the inside. Now how do you feel? Pretty secure, right? So many people get the idea that we keep ourselves safe. Friend, He keeps us.

A father was crossing a street with his son. The son had hold of his daddy's hand, then the light changed and the cars surged forward.  The father grabbed his son's chubby little hand and almost lifted his son across the street to escape the oncoming traffic. That is the way God holds us. Psalm 37:24 promises, "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand."