Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

August 6

The Trying of Faith Works Patience

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:2-4

What does God want out of you? He wants you to experience the fullness of Christ. And the way to this is through trials and tribulations. Can you be patient during this process? If you're like most people, probably not. We become like children who don't know the difference between "No" and "Not yet." If you say, "Wait a while," to them that is, "No." They want it now. But God is interested in maturing you. A Danish proverb says, "Give to a pig when it grunts and give to a child when it cries, and you will have a fine pig and a bad child." Tribulation brings patience, and patience makes us mature.

What are you waiting for? What are you struggling with? Give it to Jesus. Trust in His timing and His provision.

[Judy Harder]

August 7

Abiding in the Vine

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing." John 15:4-5

You'll never see a fruit factory. Now, you'll see factories for making clothing, cars, and computers, but not a fruit factory. Instead fruit is grown in an orchard. It is dependent upon life.

There is no fruit without life. The only way that fruit is going to ripen and grow is in the right climate and with the right nutrients. Just like we can't grow bananas in Alaska, we can't grow and produce the fruit of the Spirit unless we're in the place where the Spirit can produce His fruit in us. And that place is walking and abiding in the Spirit.

Read Galatians 5:22-25 today and ask God to help you abide in the Spirit to produce the fruit He desires in your life.

[Judy Harder]

August 8

God Keeps the Score

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32

I read something that deeply touched my heart about a PGA golfer named DiVensenzo. As he was leaving a golf course with his winnings, a woman approached him and said, "I have a baby who is dying." Moved with compassion, he endorsed the check and gave it to her saying, "Take this, and try to buy some happiness for yourself and your child."

A week later he was in the clubhouse having lunch, and one of the PGA officials came up to him and said, "Did you know that the woman who approached you last week didn't have a baby dying of an incurable disease!" And DiVensenzo said, "There's no baby dying? That's the best news I've heard all week!" What an attitude!

Do you ever feel like people are going to take advantage of you? Be thankful today that God keeps the score.

[Judy Harder]

August 9

Evaluating True Riches

"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." 1 John 2:17

Do you want to know how rich you are? Add up everything you own that money cannot buy, that death nor disaster cannot take away, and then you'll know just how rich you are. What did you discover? Hopefully, you discovered that it's time you started laying up true riches. Because all the rest will burn away. If you are putting all of your labor in this world, it's like rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship.

Read Matthew 6:19-21. Where is your heart? Where is your treasure?

[Judy Harder]

    Love Worth Finding
     
August 10

The Voice of Conscience from Within

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

After David had sinned and done the terrible thing that he had done by committing adultery, he said in Psalm 51:3, "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me." Can you imagine what it would be like for your sin to "ever" be before you? The deed would reverberate through your consciousness unendingly. You see, the conscience is an inner judge that God puts in you that accuses or excuses you. It cannot make you do right, but it shows you what is right or what is wrong. And when your conscience is right, you have tremendous freedom. A good conscience will do something for you that a sleeping pill could never do.

What is your conscience "telling" you this morning? Are you right with God?

 

[Judy Harder]

August 11

Making Sense of What We Don't Understand

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts." Psalm 139:23

A little boy had a jigsaw puzzle that on one side had a map of the world and on the other side had a picture of a man. His mother asked him to try and work it and before long the little fellow had put the puzzle together. The mother was surprised to find that the little fellow knew so much about geography. She asked him, "How on earth did you do that?"

"Oh," he said, "I worked the other side first. When I got the man right, the world was right."

How true that is! We will never fix this world until we get the man right – the man Jesus Christ, that is.

Are things in your world confusing you these days? Turn to Jesus and trust Him to make sense of what you don't understand.

[Judy Harder]

August 12

Jesus as Lord and Savior

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9

Have you ever thought that salvation was like a cafeteria where you can pick and choose the aspects of Jesus you want? "I'll have a little Saviorhood, but please, no Lordship today." If Jesus is not your Lord, Jesus is not your Savior. What's the difference?

Well, suppose I perform a wedding ceremony and say to the young man, "Would you take Susan to be your lawfully wedded wife?" And he responds, "Well, I'll take Susan as housekeeper." And then I say to her, "Would you take John to be your lawfully wedded husband?" And she says, "Well, I'll take him as provider." We can't pick and choose what we want from Jesus. We take Jesus as Lord over all!

Is Jesus Christ Lord of every area of your life? Take time to today to examine your life – your finances, your relationships, your hopes and dreams.

[Judy Harder]

August 13

Knowing Jesus

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9

Years ago my wife gave me a little card to carry in my billfold. On it she had written her dress size, shoe size, glove size and more. That was nice to have so I could know all about her when I went to do some shopping. But it didn't provide much companionship or encouragement when I was away from her.

It's one thing to have the facts about Jesus, it's another thing to have a relationship with Jesus.

Do you know Jesus...really know Him? Or are you just gathering facts about Him?

[Judy Harder]

August 14

The Law of Life in Christ

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2

I've always found airplane flight amazing. They are so heavy, yet they fly! The pilot gets behind the controls, moves the throttle, and those great engines begin to roar. And the first thing you know, you're flying.

Has the law of gravity been canceled? No, but there's another law that comes into effect called the law of aerodynamics, which is a greater law than the law of gravity. When you get right with God, the law of sin and death is still there. But there's a new law. It's the law of life in Christ Jesus that sets you free from the law of sin and death. As long as you abide in Jesus Christ, then you are free from the law of sin and death.

Have you been set free? Then, it's your turn to set another captive free with the Good News. Go out and share this free gift with someone today.

[Judy Harder]

August 15

Faithful in Little and Much

"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much." Luke 16:10

What would you do if you had a million dollars? Well, let me tell you a good test of what you would do—it's what you're doing with that hundred dollars you have right now. Are you saving it? Spending it? Sharing it?

The test of what you would do in the spiritual realm is seen by what you do in the physical realm. Many of us do not have spiritual blessings because we simply haven't been faithful with the small things in our lives.

Are you hoping for something in your life? How could you be faithful in something little so that you'll be faithful when the other comes along?