Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

September 16

Blessed with Difficulties?

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." Matthew 6:34

In the crucible of His wisdom and in the ecology of His grace, God has ordered some trouble for you today and everyday of your life.

We've been blessed with difficulties. Yes, you read that right—blessed!

The worst thing that could happen to us would be not to have any difficulties. If that were the case, we'd never know our need of the Lord.

So God, in essence, says, "I'm going to give you sufficient difficulty for the day." God gives you enough difficulty to draw you close to Him, but then God gives you enough grace to meet those difficulties every day.

Is there a difficult circumstance in your life? If so, thank God that He's sending it your way to make you more like Jesus. Now ask for His grace to be victorious through it!

[Judy Harder]

September 17

What Happens When You Worry?

"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7

What happens when you worry?

You bring tomorrow's difficulty into today. God didn't give you grace for tomorrow's difficulties. He only gives you grace for today.

When you reach into tomorrow's troubles, you overload today's circuit. Worry doesn't take the sorrow out of tomorrow—it takes the strength out of today. When you meet tomorrow, you're out of breath because you're already overloaded from today. Worry, therefore, does not make you ready for the future, it really makes you unready.


Yesterday is just a canceled check. 
Tomorrow is a promissory note. 
Today has all the cash you can handle. 
Spend it wisely.

Worry will eat your lunch! It'll eat your breakfast and dinner, too! Confess your worries as sin because they are. Put your concerns at the throne of Almighty God, trusting Him to provide.

[Judy Harder]

September 18

The Voice of the Lord

"The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth." Psalm 29:3

Some people think it's a waste of time to simply sit at God's feet and listen. It is not a waste of time to wait on God any more than a woodchopper is wasting time when he sharpens his axe.

Charles Hummel wrote a booklet titled "Tyranny of the Urgent." In it he said: 


When we fail to wait prayerfully for God's guidance and strength, we are saying, with our actions if not our lips, that we do not need Him.... 
Prayerful waiting on God is indispensable to effective service. Like the time-out in a football game, it enables us to catch our breath and fix new strategy... 
The need is not the call. The call must come from the Lord who knows our limitations.

Read Psalm 29. Count how many times the phrase, the "voice of the Lord" is repeated. Spend at least that many minutes listening for His voice and trusting He will speak His will to you. 

[Judy Harder]

September 19

Procrastination Is a Sin

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17

Are you one of those people who believes, "Put off until tomorrow what you could be doing today"? This is one of those times when the fingers pointing back at me outnumber the one that's pointing to you!  What am I talking about? Procrastination.

Did you know that procrastination is a sin?

I say that because sin is not merely doing wrong, it is failing to do what you ought to do. Procrastination and disobedience are just different shades of the same sin.

I heard a quote once that said it well: 


When you have a job to do, begin this very hour. 

You supply the will, God supplies the power.

That is the will power we need to instantly obey!

Has a certain task been hounding you? Confess your procrastination as sin. And act now; don't hesitate. 


Yesterday is gone. 
Tomorrow may never come. 
Today is the day!

[Judy Harder]

September 20

Determining Your Course of Action

"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." Psalm 57:7

When I was in college, I kept a motto on my desk that said,

"He who would not fall down ought not to walk in slippery places." 


Keep yourself clean. 
Keep yourself pure. 
Watch what you set before your eyes. 

There needs to be discipline. Job said, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look upon a maid" (Job 31:1). If we are to have a walk of purity in obedience to God, we must determine ahead of time what our course of action will be.

One big decision will take care of a lot of little ones.

Are you going on a trip alone any time soon? If so, make the decision right now to keep your walk pure and holy for God's glory.

[Judy Harder]

September 21

The Sweetheart of Your Life

"For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh." Matthew 19:5

Today's message is for the men...If you don't love your wife now more than you loved her when you got married, you probably love her a lot less. Sir, I want you to learn to flirt — but not with any other woman — just with the girl you married!

Keep that flirtation going all throughout your life.

Never call the waitress "sweetheart."  She's not your sweetheart. You have only one sweetheart. Never call someone else "dear." She's not your dear.

There is one who needs to know beyond a shadow of any doubt that she is your sweetheart, she is your darling, and she is number one.

Develop that love and keep it growing.

Are you a husband or dating someone? Let me ask you a question, then. When was the last time you bought your wife or girlfriend flowers or her favorite perfume or wrote her a love note? Stop right now and think of how you're going to show her that she's the only sweetheart in your life!

[Judy Harder]

September 22

More Blessed to Give than to Receive

"...remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

Unhappiness comes from mirrors. Happiness comes from windows.

If you want to be miserable, then think about yourself first... 


what you want, 
what people are saying about you, 
what you ought to have done for you, 
how down you feel, 
how good you feel.

Just focus on yourself. Feeling good yet? If you are, then something is wrong. Selfishness and happiness just don't go hand in hand.

If you're thinking it is better to receive than to give, then you'll never be happy. You'll never experience the blessing of giving that Jesus taught.

Hold out your hand and make a fist for at least one minute. Now, relax. Which feels better — the clinched fist or the relaxed and flexible hand?

Imagine that your spirit is tight like that fist and think of how severely that can quench His work in your life. Now relax and submit your spirit to the One who truly blesses.

[Judy Harder]

September 23

Experience the Abundant Life

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10

Do you know what is wrong with many of us? We are trying to get out of trouble rather than get into righteousness.

We are so focused on the defensive side of Christianity that we forget about offensive, positive approach. 


Wouldn't you like to get up and stay up? 
Wouldn't you like to experience the abundant life our Lord talks about?

Jesus came to give us eternal life. He came to give us the abundant life. We need to do like the old song says, and "Accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative."

Why don't you determine today that you are going to get right with God and stay right with God? Determine that you're going to take steps that lead to a life of obedience.

[Judy Harder]

September 24

The Enduring Beauty of the Word of God

"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  But the Word of the Lord endureth for ever." 1 Peter 1:24-25

The Bible is the incontestable, incorruptible, indestructible, and indispensable Word of God. 

No one can argue with it. 
Nothing can corrupt it. 
Nothing can destroy it. 
Nothing can replace it as the source and wellspring of life.

The late Dr. Robert G. Lee, a great preacher of the last generation, had this to say about the Bible:

All of its enemies have not torn one hole in its holy vesture, or stolen one flower from its wonderful garden, nor diluted one drop of honey from its abundant hive, nor broken one string of its thousand-stringed harp, nor drowned one sweet word in infidel ink.

Today, tell God how much your life has changed because of His Word. Meet together with a group of friends or your family and discuss the ways God has ministered to you through His Word.

[Judy Harder]

September 25

The Only One Who Ever Chose to Die

"I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep." John 10:11

Did you know that there has only been one person who ever chose to die? Only one.

"Oh," you say, "Suicide pilots choose to die. Other people choose to die. People who die by their own hand choose to die. People who give themselves for others choose to die."

But really no one has ever chosen to die except Jesus. Why? Because He was the only One who didn't have to die. Some people may choose to die a little sooner, but nobody has ever truly chosen to die except for One — Jesus.

It wasn't nails that held Him to the tree. It was the silver cords of love and the golden bonds of redemption that held Jesus Christ to that cross.

The fact that no one has ever chosen to die but Jesus, may be a new concept to you. If so, it's probably new to someone else as well. Share it with someone today!