Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

JULY 12

The Forgiveness of the King

"Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." - Romans 4:7

There was a king who asked slaves on a ship, "Why are you in chains?" One replied, "I don't know. I was in a crowd when a crime was committed. I am innocent." He asked another who said, "I am not guilty, but am a victim of false witnesses." The king proceeded to ask each man the same question and each had a reason why he was innocent. That is, until one man responded, "I am here because I deserve to be here. I have sinned against my God and against my king. And now I am paying the penalty."

The king stepped back and said, "What are you doing here among so many honest men? Guards, release him!"

Not until we admit our sin are we going to know the mercy and the forgiveness of the King. Bow before Him today and admit you are lost without Him.

[Judy Harder]

JULY 13

Restore Such a One

"If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." - Galatians 6:1

As a young boy in Florida, I loved to collect coconuts and sell them. One day while up a tree, I was using my right hand to disconnect a coconut when the palm frond let go. I fell on the grass, but my left arm fell on the sidewalk. It was a bad situation. My brother was there, and he saw what happened to me.

As I was lying there, having fallen, what did I need? Well, I didn't need a lecture. I didn't need my brother to go around to the community and say, "Did you hear about Adrian?" I didn't need for him to come along and shoot me to put me out of my misery. What I needed was restoration.

Do you have a brother or a sister in Christ who is overtaken with a fault? If so, go and restore him; restore her.

[Judy Harder]

July 14

You Are Valuable—Because You Are Loved!

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

Grace is the most beautiful word in the Bible other than Jesus. Grace is why God loves us when there is nothing lovely about us. We are not loved because we are valuable. We are valuable because we are loved. 1 John 4:10 says, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." That, friend, is God's amazing grace. We are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. I love Him for His grace. It is all Jesus. It's not the church. It's not good deeds. Amazing grace is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He loves you. He died for you.

Thank God for the justification you have through Jesus Christ. Thank God for the grace He has abundantly given you.

[Judy Harder]

JULY 15

Freedom from the Bondage of Sin

"Therefore, as by the offense of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." - Romans 5:18

One day Abraham Lincoln was in a slave market and saw a beautiful young slave girl being auctioned. Lecherous men were bidding on her, so Lincoln began to bid. Finally, she was sold to Lincoln. He took the certificate of sale and handed it to her saying, "You're free."

She asked, "What do you mean, free?" He said, "You are free." She said, "Free to do what I want to do?" He said, "Yes." "Free to say what I want to say?" He said, "Yes." "Free to go where I want to go?" He said, "Yes." She said, "Then I am going with you."

Friend, Jesus made you free. You have been redeemed by His precious blood. And in gratitude, your life is to be devoted to Him.

Do you know someone who is in bondage to sin today? Share with them the free, redeeming love of Jesus Christ.

[Judy Harder]

JULY 16

In Collusion or Collision?

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." - Romans 8:16

A farmer and his farmhand went duck hunting. The farmer said to his friend, "You're always talking about fighting with the devil. I'm not a Christian, and I never have to fight with the devil."

The farmhand answered, "Boss, if you and I shot two ducks, one was wounded and one was dead, which one would you go after first?"

The farmer said, "Well, I guess the wounded duck."

"That's right. The devil knows you're a dead duck."

If the devil doesn't bother you, it's because he doesn't have to bother you since you and he are traveling in the same direction. If you turned around, you'd have a collision with him. Right now, you are in collusion with him.

Are you a child of God? Then praise Him that He has given you the power over Satan and placed you on the pathway to see Him face to face

[Judy Harder]

JULY 17

The Fire of Affliction

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." - Romans 8:18

God wants to build spiritual steel and rock-solid faith into you. And the way He will do this is through the fire of affliction. Why? To test you. The faith that can't be tested, can't be trusted.

The times I have grown the most were not when everything was going fine. The times when we go through sorrow, pressure, and trouble are the growing pains of our lives with Christ. Isn't that true?  Someone wrote these lines,

"I walked a mile with pleasure, she chatted all the way.
But left me none the wiser, for all she had to say.
I walked a mile with sorrow and not a word said she.
But oh the things I learned from her, when sorrow walked with me."

Are you in the fire of affliction? Trust that He will see you through and make you stronger when the test is over

[Judy Harder]

JULY 18

Doubting Our Salvation

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life." - 1 John 5:13

A woman told the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody, "I've been saved twenty-five years, and I've never had one single doubt."

He responded, "Madam, I doubt you've been saved."

That would be like a couple saying they've been married 50 years and never had an argument. I'd say, "I doubt you've been married."

We all have doubts. You see, doubt is to your spirit what pain is to your body. It is a signal that something is wrong. And just as you seek to find a remedy for your pain, you should seek to find a remedy for your doubts. Jesus is your remedy. Get into His Word and know the assurance of your salvation. It's not you, it's Jesus that makes it possible.

Are you doubting your salvation? Then run to Jesus. Soak yourself in these truths from God's Word:

·         Romans 10:13,
·         Ephesians 2:1-10
·         Titus 3:5.

We also invite you to read "You Can Be Sure" at lwf.org.

[Judy Harder]

July 19

Grumbling or Grateful?

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." - Psalm 100:4

One day a preacher was riding on a train. He saw a well-dressed man and magnificently dressed woman with expensive jewelry. The woman was complaining about everything – the train ride, the weather, the news, the food, the service.

The preacher decided to engage this couple in a conversation. He asked the man what kind of business he was in and the man told him. Then he asked, "And what does your wife do?"

The man replied, "Oh, she's in the manufacturing business. She manufactures her own unhappiness."

You know, there are a lot of people like that today. They manufacture their own misery because they fail to be grateful. Only Christ can turn our lives around and stir up a grateful heart within us.

Go through the alphabet and thank the Lord for something beginning with each letter and choose to be grateful.

[Judy Harder]

JULY 20

A Chain of Ten Links

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." - James 2:10

So many people have the idea that God is going to grade on the curve. We say to ourselves, "We're bad, but we're not as bad as so-and-so."

But God doesn't grade on a curve. He grades on an absolute standard of holiness. Can anybody say that they've kept all of God's Ten Commandments? Of course not. But let's suppose you had only broken one. What would happen? Well, let me illustrate. If a man was dangling over a fire by a chain of ten links and nine of those links were made of forged steel and one was made of crepe paper, what would happen?

Use this illustration with someone today as a testimony of God's mercy in sending His Son for the salvation of all mankind.

[Judy Harder]

JULY 21

Strong Faith Glorifies God

"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust." - Psalm 18:2

Do you know the greatest thing you could do to give God glory? It's not to give a million dollars. It's not to give your body to be burned. It's not to go overseas as a missionary.

The greatest thing you could do to glorify God is to believe God. Faith says, "God, You are trustworthy." Don't just sing about your belief in a great God or pray about your belief in a great God or even read about your belief in a great God. You must believe Him. A strong faith glorifies God!

Meditate on the names of God today: Prince of Peace, Lamb of God, Bright and Morning Star, Dayspring, The Good Shepherd, Messiah, Alpha and Omega. We also invite you to read more about the Names of God.