Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

October 20

Clean Before the Lord

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." - Psalm 51:7

I heard of a missionary whose wife was very fastidious. They moved into a small hut, and soon she noticed that the floor was filthy. The first thing the wife wanted to do was to scrub that floor, so she scrubbed and scrubbed but to no avail. She began to wonder if she would ever get the floor clean. Finally, somebody told her the problem. It was a dirt floor! The more she scrubbed the more dirt she scrubbed up.

In the same way, we can never scrub off our sinful nature. All we do is reveal more of what is there.

I hate to tell you this, but we're rotten to the core.

Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

How dirty are you this morning? How clean must you be before you can talk with your heavenly Father? Claim the blood of Jesus and commune freely with your Father who loves you.

[Judy Harder]

October 21

Faith in Our Great God

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:2

How do you have faith? You look to Jesus, and faith is produced in your heart.

You don't have to work up faith.

Suppose I needed to cross the Mississippi River and I wasn't sure whether the bridge could hold me up or not. I could do one of two things. I could stand on the banks of the Mississippi and try to work up enough courage to make myself believe in that bridge, then timorously walk over that bridge. Or I could look at the semi-trucks traveling across the mighty steel and concrete of that bridge, believe, and boldly walk across in faith! In this case, faith is the by-product of seeing the strength of the bridge itself. In the same way, it's not great faith in God that you need; it is faith in a great God!

Attempt something so great in your life today that is doomed to failure unless God be in it.

[Judy Harder]

October 22

Born Again, Saved for All Time

"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." - John 3:7

Have you ever known anyone who was physically born twice?
Have you ever known someone who was spiritually born twice?
Nowhere in the Bible will you find a passage that describes anyone being saved twice. Once you come into the family, you're in the family.

Now there were times when I disappointed my parents. There were times when my father had to chastise me, but I am a Rogers. I will be a Rogers for all eternity. It's the same way with your spiritual life. When you are born into the family of God, your name is written in the Lamb's book of life. It is fixed. It is done.

Do you know a brother or sister in Christ who is doubting his/her salvation? Encourage him/her with this Good News today.

[Judy Harder]

October 23

The Just Shall Live by Faith

"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." - Romans 1:17

Is God righteous? Yes.  And how is the righteousness of God revealed? It is revealed from faith to faith. God gives you truth. You believe that truth; God gives you more truth.

The more you obey the light, the more light you get.

The reason some of us don't understand the Bible any more than we do is that we haven't been living up to the light God has already given us. It's time we began taking God at His Word and obeying it. If we begin obeying the small things we understand, God will enlighten our path to help us understand the things we don't understand.

Ask God today to give you understanding into the depths of His Word so that you can begin to share His truth in greater ways with the lost around you.

[Judy Harder]

October 28

Looking Unto Jesus

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:2

What does it mean to "look to Jesus" to have all of our needs met? Well, let's say I borrow ten thousand dollars from Dan, a friend of mine, but then I discover that I can't pay it back. Dan is on to me and says, "If you don't pay it back, I'm going to foreclose on you."

So I go over to another friend, Tom, and tell him about my dire situation and ask for his help. Tom says, "That's alright, Adrian, look to me."

Notice that he didn't say, "Look at me." He said, "Look to me." In other words, "I'll handle it." That's what the Bible means when it says "look unto Jesus." It means look to Him for whatever you need.

Who is looking to you to have their needs met today? Are you, then, looking to God or are you trying to do it on your own?

[Judy Harder]

29

Where is Your Focus Today?

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

When a runner is in a race, he puts his eyes on the goal. He doesn't look at the grandstand or the other runners. Neither does he examine himself. He has his eyes on the goal. He looks away from everything else. The finish line is all he sees.

That's exactly what we're to do. The reason many Christians fail in the race is that they have not learned to look away from other things. They're trying to look in both directions at the same time, and James 1:8 says, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." And Matthew 6:22 says, "If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."

Where is your focus today? Has the world drawn you back into itself, luring you away from the command of our Lord? Read Matthew 28:19-20. That's your goal.

[Judy Harder]

October 30

Remembering What We've Learned

"But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them." - 2 Timothy 3:14

In the last days Satan is going to come, and there are going to be more miracles than you have ever seen. Most of them will not be done by God but will be done by the power of darkness—the power of Satan. The Bible says that you can look for an explosion of the occult.

Thank God we don't have to face these days without hope. God tells us what we must do in His Word. We are to remember what we've learned and to take His promises to heart. This will not be a time to doubt Him but to trust Him with all that we are.

How is your personal study time in God's Word going? Start this week to incorporate at least one hour of personal time in God's Word to study its promises, prophecies, and applications.

[Judy Harder]

October 31

Surely Goodness and Mercy Shall Follow Me

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." - Psalm 23:6

Goodness and mercy will pursue you all the days of your life. That's what the word "follow" literally means in Psalm 23:6—to pursue.

Jesus pursued you with His call of salvation, and He will continue to pursue you. His goodness and mercy are like two sheep dogs that follow the flock to assure there is safe journey to the Shepherd's final destination.

How many times have you questioned God's provision in your life and wondered if He really cared for you? Well, there's no question here. It says surely, not hopefully. Yes, you and I will stumble, but He will pick us up.

How would you live differently today if you knew that grace and mercy were going to follow your every step? How would you treat others?

[Judy Harder]

November 1

"...to Live is Christ...to Die is Gain"

"And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise." - Luke 23:43

I read about a man who was on an airplane in a bad storm. Even the flight attendant was nervous. But there was a little lady humming "Blessed Assurance." She seemed to be at ease. This man said to her, "Lady, aren't you afraid?" She replied, "Not at all. I've given my heart to Jesus Christ. Not so long ago, I had a daughter who died. She was a radiantly beautiful Christian and is now in heaven. I have another daughter who's in Denver, where this airplane is going. But, I tell you the truth. It really doesn't make much difference to me which daughter I visit."

Jesus told a man on a bloody cross, "Today you'll be with Me in paradise."

If you were to die today, where would you spend eternity? And what about your family?

[Judy Harder]

November 2

Purchased at a Precious Price

"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." - 1 Corinthians 6:20

Matthew 26:28 says, "For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." The word "testament" is from the Greek word diatheke, which means "covenant." Christ has purchased us with His blood. We have entered into a covenant with Him. The church is the bride, He is the bridegroom. We are betrothed to Him in a covenant bought with His blood.

Samuel J. Stone wrote these powerful words in a hymn we sing in our church,
"The Church's One Foundation."— "From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died."

Let this powerful truth sink deep into your heart today. Meditate on what it meant that Jesus came and sought you, then bought you with His blood.