Happy Independence Day

[Judy Harder]

The Fall

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. - Psalm 73:26

Adam and Eve's fall – when they took the bite of that apple—wasn't  like falling off a stepladder; it was like falling off Mount Everest. It was mankind's fall, and we weren't just dented; we were demolished.

Once we realize that all of our thoughts and desires are twisted, and all of our strength is diverted away from God; then we'll begin realizing how dangerous it is to rely solely on our own strength, desire, and wisdom.

Human strength fails when you don't see any results. Human motivation ends when applause and affirmation fade. And human wisdom tells us to get ahead and then quit.

But God's strength becomes perfect when we're weak. His approval comes when we stop trying to please the crowd. And His wisdom tells us to stop trying to lead the way and to follow Him instead.

Remember, God's grace is greater than our ability to mess up.

"Above all, believe confidently that Jesus delights in maintaining that new nature within you, and imparting to it His strength and wisdom for its work."- Andrew Murray (1828-1917)

[Judy Harder]

Thin Ice

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:7-8

When I was a boy, I fell into freezing water while trying to cross some thin ice. A while later, my brothers took me to a frozen pond—where I wasn't in jeopardy of falling through. It was frozen thick and solid.

Yet even when my brothers ran out onto the ice to demonstrate its sturdiness, they had a difficult time convincing me it would support my weight. I'd been fooled by solid-looking ice before. Finally, they dragged me onto the ice. At first, I tested it nervously. Then slowly and hesitantly I began to trust the ice.

My experiences with ice remind me of the philosophies and teachings in which we put our faith. We have to test them to make sure they're trustworthy.

Are you trusting in thin ice? Or in something thick and solid? Put your faith in Christ!

"Trust the past to God's mercy, the present to God's love, and the future to God's providence." - St. Augustine (354-430)

[Judy Harder]

What's Wrong With Grownups

Fathers, do not embitter your children or they will become discouraged. - Colossians 3:21

"What's wrong with grownups?" This was a question posed by a Sunday school teacher to a class of ten-year-olds. See if you recognize yourself in any of these complaints.

1. Grownups make promises, then forget them, or say it wasn't a promise, just a "maybe."
2. Grownups don't do the things they tell their children to do—like pick up their things or always tell the truth.
3. Grownups don't listen. They decide ahead of time what they're going to answer.
4. Grownups make mistakes, but won't admit them. They pretend they weren't mistakes at all—or that somebody else made them.
5. Grownups always talk about what they did and what they knew when they were ten-years-old, but they don't try to think what it's like to be ten-years-old right now.

If you're like me, right now you're thinking, "Ouch!" Children are perceptive, and they are much more pure in heart than we give them credit for. Take time for them, be honest with them, don't be afraid to say, "I'm sorry".

"Nothing you ever do for a child is wasted." - Garrison Keillor (1942-    )

[Judy Harder]

Bad Coffee

Bear with each other and forgive grievances. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. - Colossians 3:13-14

Karin ruled her family with her explosive, irrational anger. Her children and grandchildren never knew what would set her off. Being around her was like being in a minefield. You knew you had to get out, but you were too afraid to take a step.

Yet every time Karin had one of these outbursts, she'd blame it on bad coffee. "I just got a hold of some bad coffee and just wasn't myself," she'd say.

Do you have some "bad coffee?"—some excuse you're using for out-of-line behaviors? Are you rationalizing behaviors because you say you're "tired," "under stress," or some other unique yet unacceptable excuse?

The best thing to do is confess. Confess to God, and confess to others.

"It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution." - Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

[Judy Harder]

Growing in Christ

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. - Isaiah 55:8

People today are striving for personal improvement, self-empowerment, and inner strength. Yet, Christianity has a completely opposite way of thinking; it's full of paradoxes. We die to live; we lose to find; and we surrender to gain strength.

When Jesus overcame death, he defeated the worst enemy of all. Today we're left to battle with far lesser foes, knowing that He's already won the war.

When we stop trying to control the outcome of every situation and stop demanding that God resolve our problems according to our dictates, we unlock the door for God to show us his redemptive purpose.

Praying, "Your will be done" gets us out of God's way and removes our ideas as to how things are supposed to work out in our lives, and allows God's ideas to take control 

Are you struggling to be a better follower of Jesus? Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus. A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly without knowing what's around the corner.

"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith." - Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)

[Judy Harder]

Perfect-Mate Myth

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrong. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Do you believe the Perfect-Mate Myth? It goes something like this: "If I just had the right mate, then my life would be all right." This belief is profoundly off base. First, it assumes that we are good and our spouse is the real problem. Second, it implies that there is such a thing as a "perfect" spouse, one who is beyond the reach of sin.

This delusion keeps couples from growing the way God wants them to grow. If you're in a difficult marriage, believing this myth will prevent you from the hard work and commitment necessary to repair the relationship. To keep your relationship stable and growing you must concentrate on building your relationship with God—as a couple and as individuals. If you do that, your marriage will be strengthened and your soul will be fed.

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." - Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

[Judy Harder]

False gods

O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good. - Jeremiah 16:19

We like to call ourselves sophisticated. We trust in scientific theory and read the Wall Street Journal. We subscribe to the theory, secretly or not, that mankind has evolved intellectually and that we are far superior to our simple-minded, superstitious ancestors. We smirk when we read how they worshipped man-made gods—those deaf, dumb, and blind pieces of wood and gold.

Yet at the same time, we're on our knees worshipping more subtle, but just as tangible, false gods—the "isms" of our day: workaholism, as if the fruit of endless labors will finally bring satisfaction; legalism, as if being good and performing flawlessly will secure peace; intellectualism, as if we could get so smart that we would finally feel fulfilled; and materialism, as if some possession could bring us joy.

The first step in the worship of false gods is exchanging truth for lies. "You will not surely die," was the serpent's lie to Eve in the garden. Cling to the truth. Once it's discarded, you'll believe anything.

The truth of the Bible doesn't change with our circumstances of life; rather, it defines and weeds out all falsehood. Remember Jesus' words, "...the truth will set you free."

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

[Judy Harder]

Guilty or Not Guilty

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." - Hebrews 10:22

When I was twenty years old I fell into a deep depression. I began taking antidepressants and felt as old as a grandfather. My doctor diagnosed me with eighty-three ulcers and said I would have to make some serious life-style changes or have part of my intestines or colon removed. At the time I had no idea what was causing me such misery. Then I learned that guilt was literally eating away at me.

My guilt was a merciful wake-up call from God, showing me that I'd strayed into dangerous territory—my decisions we're not only hurting me but they were hurting others.

Guilt can be a merciless taskmaster, that drives us far from God, or it can gently lead us back to a right relationship with Him.

Do you struggle with guilt? Don't ignore it, but respond to the inner witness of the Holy Spirit.

"Guilt is the source of sorrow, 'tis the fiend, Th' avenging fiend, that follows us behind, with whips and stings" - Nicholas Rowe (1966 -      )

[Judy Harder]

Humor



He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. - Job 8:21

I'm always looking for humor in every situation. No matter where I'm ministering, I like to find something funny in a given set of circumstances and talk about that.

When I first came to faith in Christ, however, I was under the impression that I had to give up humor and become very solemn and serious. Soon the part of me that loved to smile and laugh began to wither.

But I didn't want that aspect of my personality to die. It was a unique part of me that God had created. In reality, it was one of my best strengths. So, over time, I began to let my humor come out again, and I discovered its strength in communicating truth and grace to others.

"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." - Voltaire (1694-1778)
 

[Judy Harder]

Service

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. - 1 Peter 4:10

Finding a way to help others is an expression of faith. It shows that we believe in the sovereignty of God. We don't' have to wait until the pain in our life is gone, because we know God can use it for good.

Finding a way to help others requires that you ask two questions: What is God doing? and How can I get into the flow of his activity? When we ask these questions, ideas will come. And once we begin doing this, the 'why is this happening' question, which once seemed so important, becomes irrelevant.

The best answer to why is always what. When we stop asking, "Why has God allowed this?" And begin asking, "What does he want me to do with it?", we're ready for God to start his work in us, and that prepares us for service, and that prepares us for service.

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." - Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)