Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

MAY 3

What Happens When You're Backed into a Corner?

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58

Where are the courageous children of God who will speak on their Father's behalf—speak of His Truth, His mercy, His love? Psalm 119:46 says, "I will speak of Thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed."

They have a saying in the country: "What's down in the well comes up in the bucket." What happens when you are up against a wall? Do you back down and deny your faith? Or do you stand firm despite the verbal assault on your beliefs?

1 Peter 3:14-17 has the prescription for a fearful heart:

"But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you areblessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always beready to givea defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it isbetter, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 4

Yes, We Need Each Other

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25

To exhort is to comfort and encourage. We need each other. We ought to be exhorting one another by saying, "Isn't God wonderful? Isn't Jesus great? Don't you love Him? Let's be true to Christ!"

Among fellow believers, we live in a climate that keeps our hearts tender. If we stray away from that climate and get away from the people of God by skipping worship services and fellowship opportunities, our hearts will grow hard.

When we exhort one another, we are sharing Christ. There's something that happens in our hearts when we tell others about Jesus. It keeps our heart tender.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 5

Not "Faith in Faith," But All by Grace

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

The devil is very clever when it comes to our faith. Here is a tactic he may use on you: he will start agreeing with you so he can trip you.

He'll say, "Sure, you're saved by faith in Christ. But how do you know that your faith is good enough or strong enough to save you? What if your faith is too weak? What if you don't make it?" He will try to cause you to put your faith in your faith, rather than your faith in Christ.

Have you ever heard someone mention the phrase "saving faith"? There's no such thing. You are saved by grace through faith. You're not saved by faith. Only Jesus saves.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 6

There Are No Degrees of "Deadness"

"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven."- Luke 6:37

Sometimes Christians look at people who have committed adultery or murder and compare themselves to them. They may even say, "They're dead in their trespasses and sin." I want to tell you something.

They are no more dead in trespasses and sin than your sweet daughter or precious parent who has not received Jesus Christ's gift of salvation. There may be some degree of corruption, but there are no degrees of deadness. All lost people need Jesus Christ.

You may think you don't have a testimony to share because you didn't get a Ph.D. in sin before you were saved. Perhaps you were saved as a little child. Well, it took as much of the grace of God to save you, as it did to save a murderer on death row. Never forget that, precious friend.

Dead people need to stop comparing themselves with other dead people. The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 7

There Is No "Free Love"

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

Real love costs. That's right—there is no "free love," like you may have thought if you were raised in the '60s. Love is a great and grand commitment. Sometimes a young man who seeks his own gratification will say to a young lady, "I love you" as a means of getting something from her. Oh, he loves her all right. He loves her like a man who loves oranges. He takes an orange, cuts a plug out of it, squeezes the sweet juice from it, throws it on the ground like a piece of garbage, wipes his mouth and says, "Man, I love oranges!"

Let me tell you, real love is not that way. Lust lives to get. Real love lives to give.

One of the ways you show the Lord you truly love Him is by keeping His commandments.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 8

Insight Comes Through Obedience

"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you." - John 15:15

What is the blessing of obedience? Intimacy with God. You will come to know things that you could never know any other way when you become intimate with God. And yet people are still asking, "How do I understand the Bible?" Friend, you will have a knowledge that surpasses anything you could gain from a school of learning when you serve the Lord in obedience.

Jesus said that we become His friends when we become His servants. And a friend knows all things. Amos 3:7 says, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets."

Have you stopped growing? Perhaps it is because you have stopped obeying. The way to have insight into the heart of God is through obedience.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 9

It's An Inside Job

"Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." - Matthew 23:26

What happens when we try to help others? We start on the outside, thinking if we can change the environment of a man (his home, clothes, food, education), then we can create a new man. It cannot be done. It was in the Garden of Eden that man got into trouble in the first place.

Cleaning up the outside is just reformation. When you clean up the inside, you are regenerated. Jesus is telling the Pharisees that they don't need another bath, they need a new birth.

It's not that we ought not to help others. We should do these things. But men need more than soap and soup; they need salvation. They need a birth from above, not merely a boost from below.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 10

Consulting First With God

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

If Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, you are going to give Him the first consideration in every decision you make. You will ask, "What is the will of God? What is the purpose of Jesus? What will glorify my Father?"

Have you ever worked for a company and they decided to transfer you? So many people, because of their financial obligations, discuss it a little with family and friends, then make plans for the move. Sometimes the transfer happens so quickly, prayer has sometimes been forgotten.

Friend, if God wants you to go, then go. If God doesn't want you to go, then you need to stay. But you'll never know until you get alone with God and let Him tell you what He wants.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 11

Out of the Boat and Onto the Water

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." - Psalm 55:22

It was terrible at Simon Peter's funeral. Jesus was there and He said, "It's a shame that Peter had to die so young. He was just getting the hang of walking on the water. I shouldn't have told him to get out of the boat." It was one of the saddest funerals.

Let's hope you're saying "Wait a minute!" right now, because we know that Peter didn't drown when Jesus called him out of the boat (see Matthew 14:22-33). And you will not drown, either, when Jesus calls you to do something humanly impossible.

Peter may not have walked very far on water, but we could venture to say that he walked farther than anyone else has ever walked on water! Don't worry about getting out of the boat if that is what God calls you to do. It is safer on the waves with Jesus than in the boat without Him.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 12

When the Light Begins to Dim

"The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness." - Luke 11:34

Are there times in your life when you have sensed yourself growing cold spiritually? Felt the power seeping out of your life and felt that Jesus Christ wasn't as real as He used to be? In times like this, get alone in a quiet place and begin to give things back to God that you have subtly taken off the altar.

Give Him your physical body and your right to life. Give Him your health, your strength, and your abilities to work and make a living. Give Him your reputation and your children. Give Him your cars, your clothes, your house.

And when you have honestly, earnestly, and sincerely given all to Him, the joy will return to your heart and you will sense your relationship with God restored.