Heartlight/Leaves of Light

[Judy Harder]

September 19


Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Thoughts on today's verse

The goal in Christian communication is not merely clarity, but encouragment based on what the needs of the other person are.
Prayer:

Tender Shepherd, give me a heart that is pure so that my words may be pure. Give me a heart that is kind so that my words may be kind. Give me a heart that is full of joy and encouragement so that I may share these with those you bring to my path and with whom I share conversation. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

September 20


Joel 2:23
Rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains.

Thoughts on today's verse

"The prayers go up and the blessings come down..." The words to this children's song are only half right, because God sends his blessings many times even when we don't pray. But with the special smell that comes with a drought-breaking rain, God loves the aroma of his children's joy, especially when he is the source of its delight!

Prayer:

Holy God and Tender Father, you are my great delight. When all others fail, you are still God. You are a rock and fortress, you are a tender shepherd, and you are a solid mountain that cannot be shaken. Your blessings and grace shower upon me and fill me with joy. I can't wait for the day I get to see you face to face and delight in your presence. Until then, I will see you faith to face and rejoice in anticipation. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

September 21


2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Thoughts on today's verse

I have a friend in Jesus who has taught me the power of blessings. I can't think of a better one! Grace, love and fellowship rooted in the eternal, sacrificial, and gracious nature of our God, and we share it with God's children all around the world.
Prayer:

Father, I am thinking of several precious friends who need the richness of this blessing to fall upon them. Please bless them. In Jesus name. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

September 22


Romans 15:7
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Thoughts on today's verse

I hate racism and exclusivity. But my loathing does not even approach God's revulsion at these things. On the other hand, we can anticipate the choir of heaven if we will accept one another in Jesus and not let race, language, culture, or suspicion keep us from loving each other as we have already been loved by the Savior.

Prayer:

Holy and Righteous Father, I pray that we will let your Spirit and your grace help us tear down any wall that divides your people based on race, culture, or privilege. Teach us, teach me, to love all people the way you do. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

September 23


Romans 5:3-4
We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Thoughts on today's verse

I remember the old Corrie ten Boom line, "Thank God for the fleas." The fleas kept the German soldiers out of the barracks in the concentration camp where she was imprisoned. This allowed her to minister and visit with those who were being persecuted. There she could show and share Jesus.
Prayer:

Mighty God, I confess that I get impatient and frustrated with difficulty, pain, and suffering. Please give me more compassion and a better listening ear, so that I may bless those who need love and grace. Through Jesus I ask it. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

September 24


Hebrews 10:35-36
Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Thoughts on today's verse

Boy there are some tough times in life! They're inescapable. That's when our confidence in the Lord's salvation and our relationship with him get tested! It is one thing to sing "it is well with my soul" at the end of a peel-the-paint worship service, but it is quite another to be able to sing it when they auction your house off at the courthouse steps or you've lost a child to death. That's when the commitment to be who we want to be overrides the weakness of what we feel. Faith can't take a holiday when we travel through the suburbs of hell or we'll never find our way out. So don't throw it away. Be like Job or Jeremiah who both argued and complained to God. Just don't quit.

Prayer:

Holy and Almighty God, today is a good day. But I am profoundly aware that some of those I love are wrestling with throwing away their confidence in your love, mercy, grace, peace, and deliverance. Please use me, but even more I pray that you use your Holy Spirit to renew their hearts. I pray that you intervene directly to change the course of events and give them relief. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
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[Judy Harder]

September 25


1 John 2:1
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ the Righteous One.

Thoughts on today's verse

God hates sin. Don't you? I know I do. But isn't it amazing how we'll fall back into the same old traps again and again. This is where John, the tender Shepherd that he was, hits the nail on the head. The goal is to not commit even one sin. But, knowing our struggle against the flesh, John also gives assurance to those of us trying to live faithful and pure lives that when we do sin, the sacrifice for our sins, God's Son, is also our defense attorney.
Prayer:

God, no one and nothing is like you. I did not have to provide a sacrifice for my sins, which broke your heart. You provided that sacrifice. Please use me today as I try to give myself, my life, and my future back to you as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to you. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.
`

[Judy Harder]

September 26


Hebrews 10:30-31
We know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Thoughts on today's verse

God hates injustice, unfairness, brutality and abuse. In a world where the greedy, the murderous, the thieves, the rapists, the muggers... get away with their shameless and despicable behavior, God is the ultimate assurance that justice will be done and the wicked will not triumph. While those who love and expect Jesus' return do so with anticipation and joy, those who are evil and vile will find out what a dreadful thing it is to fall into God's hands.
Prayer:

Holy and Righteous God, my Heavenly Father, I am both uncomfortable and comforted to know that you will bring justice on those who have violently abused the innocent, weak, helpless, underprivileged, and infirm. Give me the courage to stand between the evil of my world and those on whom it preys. By the grace and victory of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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[Judy Harder]

September 27


Matthew 6:33
Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Thoughts on today's verse

Seek -- pursue relentlessly -- God's Lordship over your life and the righteousness it demands in your daily life. What you pursue is all temporary; only God and his Kingdom remain. In the process, you will find that the God who gives you his Kingdom and righteousness also will bless you with the things that you need in this life

Prayer:

Holy Lord, only in you do I find what satisfies my soul's desires. The things that have captured my eye are boring after only a short while. The artificial things I have pursued, all of my addictive pursuits, have left me empty and enslaved. I find hope and help only in you. Please be near to love, correct, discipline, lead, and mold me to your glory. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

September 28


1 Corinthians 2:14
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Thoughts on today's verse

The Holy Spirit is God's abiding gift, God's seal and promise. The Spirit is our assurance that what he began with Jesus' sacrificial death and our participation in it through faith and baptism, he will bring to completion. But the world cannot understand this great promise, just like it cannot understand much of Scripture, because without the Spirit, their eyes see only what they can touch with their fingers and not what is true in God's heart.
Prayer:

Father, I thank you for sending Jesus. Jesus, I thank you for sending the Spirit. Spirit, I thank you for never leaving me alone. As I am filled with the Spirit, O Lord, so fill me more until my will and my life more nearly reflect your desires. Use me to bless others just as your presence now blesses me. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.