Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

MAY 13

Give Your Mother the Best Gift

"The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.  Thy father and thy mother shall be glad that she bear thee and she that bear thee shall rejoice." Proverbs 23:24-25.

Children are an extension of their parents.  When children do something good and godly and worthy, that gives a parent such great joy. Third John 1:4 says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."

Before my parents went to heaven, one of the greatest joys of my life was to do something that would cause them to rejoice and say, "Adrian, we're proud of you."  I'm so grateful for that.

Reflect upon how you are living today.  Does your life honor God and give your parents joy? Does it gladden the heart of God? Live in such a way as to cause your parents to stick out their chest a little bit—not in a prideful way, but in saying, "Thank God for my children."  Your mother will have no greater joy than to know that you are walking in the truth.
 

[Judy Harder]

May 14

High on Sentiment, Low on Sacrifice

"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." 2 Timothy 2:3

Many of us talk a good religion. We're like the young man who called his girlfriend and said, "Sweetheart, you are so precious to me. I love you so much I'd fight wild beasts to be by your side. I'd tread on broken glass to hold your hand....And if it doesn't rain, I'm going to come over and see you tomorrow night."

Many believers are high on sentiment and low on sacrifice. We don't know what it is to fight for the Lord Jesus Christ. If you're looking for an easy way to serve the Lord, you can forget it.

We're called upon to endure hardness as a good soldier of the cross. How much hardness would you endure?

[Judy Harder]

MAY 15

Your "Mission Possible"

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." - Luke 10:19

Have you ever thought about the Great Commission as being a "mission impossible"?  But it isn't, because of what comes with the mission.

You see, Jesus said that all power, authority, and dominion is given unto Him in heaven and earth (see Matthew 28:18-20). Dominion was first given to man, but man gave it over to the devil in the Garden of Eden. Jesus received it back from the Father and gave that authority to each of us.

Does Jesus have authority over the devil? Yes! Then so do you. Does Jesus have the victory? Yes! Then you have the victory. Is Jesus Christ enthroned? Yes! (See Ephesians 1:20) Then you are enthroned. "We are seated with Him in heavenly places" (Ephesians 2:6) The victory is yours through Jesus Christ.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 16

A Prescription for Loneliness

"O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in Thee." - Psalm 25:20

You may be saved today and yet feel incredibly lonely. Here is a practical pointer for overcoming your loneliness: Quit dwelling on it. Reach out and try to help someone who is lonely.

Luke 6:38 promises that when we give, it shall be given to us. There is a locked-in likeness to what we give. It is the law of the harvest. If you want friendship, you must show yourself friendly (see Proverbs 18:24).

Why don't you keep a stack of cards and a pen handy to write a little note of encouragement to a shut-in? Get a prayer list and intercede for others. Travel around the world by means of prayer. Jack Hyles, a great preacher, said, "There is no life so empty as a self-centered life, and there is no life so centered as a self-emptied life." As you pour out yourself to others, the Holy Spirit will continually pour Himself into you.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 17

In a Nook with the Book

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." - Psalm 19:7

Speaking about the Bible a saint once said, "I have no greater pleasure than to be in a nook with the Book." Do you think that way?

The Bible is the book that the martyrs held to their bosoms as the flames crept closer and closer. This is the book that the saints put their head upon as they went from this world into the next. This is the book that gives bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, life to the wayfarer, strength to the weak, and a weapon to the warrior.

God's book rejoices the heart. It is completely trustworthy. There are over 6,000 promises in the Bible and not one has ever been broken.

What would happen in the life of the church—and in your life—if you spent as many minutes in your Bible as in the newspaper? The television? Your cell phone?

[Judy Harder]

MAY 18

Serve Him and Let Him Take Care of It

"Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." - Romans 12:17-18

A certain minister served a church for many years, then one day the church asked him to leave. He was talking to another preacher friend and said, "What they did to me was dirty. After all I did for them, and they treat me this way." The preacher friend listening to him thought to himself, "It's a shame he didn't do it for God."

If you're serving God in any way, don't do it for people; do it for the Lord. Serve Him. If you're doing right, people may mistreat you, but what difference does it make if you are serving the Lord? God will prove Himself faithful and will reward you for your obedience.

Don't bow to bitterness. Tell God what has happened. Let Him deal with it in His time. He'll take care of it.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 19

The God of the Second Chance

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Hebrews 8:12

Have you ever felt like you have used up God's reservoir of forgiveness? Perhaps you've thought, "I don't have a right to come and ask Him to forgive me again." Friend, it doesn't matter how many times we have sinned.

Suppose you came back to God the 5,000th time with the same sin. Will He forgive you? Yes indeed, He will. As far as He is concerned, it is the first time you have come to Him. Why? Because He has forgotten all the other times.

Our God doesn't hold grudges. He does punish sin, but He doesn't hold grudges. The God of Jonah, David, Mark, Peter, and Jacob is your God and my God. I have come to Him so many times and asked Him for a second chance. And guess what? He has given it.

If He can give Jonah, David, Jacob, etc., a second chance, He will certainly give you another chance. Failure is not final.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 20

The LORD of the Angel Armies

"Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways." - Haggai 1:5

What does "the Lord of hosts" mean? It literally means the Lord Almighty, and it speaks of the greatness of God. One translation puts it, "the Lord of the angel armies."

In his hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," Martin Luther uses the Greek word for "the Lord of hosts" when he writes, "Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same, And He must win the battle."

When David faced Goliath, he used the same name for God. "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts" (1 Samuel 17:45). Though Goliath was a huge man, David said he wasn't too big to hit if God was on his side.

What does it do for your spirit today to know that you have with you the Lord of hosts? This same Lord, the Lord Almighty, says, "And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me" (Psalm 50:15).

[Judy Harder]

MAY 21

What is Outside His Control?

"And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:11

The fourth and fifth chapters of Mark give us marvelous illustrations of all the things God has placed under the authority of our Lord Jesus. You'll find Jesus stilling the storm (vv. 4:35-41); He is the Master over disaster. You'll find Him healing a demon-possessed man (vv. 5:1-20); He has authority over demons. Next, Jesus heals a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years; even disease is under His domain (vv. 5:24-34). Finally in these chapters He raised Jairus' daughter from the dead; Jesus has authority over death (vv. 5:38-43).

Whatever befall—disaster, demons, disease, or even death, —Jesus Christ is Lord!

"These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He [the Father] put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church" (Ephesians 1:19b-22 NASV).  Friend, meditate upon this passage and rest in Him today, for He has it all under His control.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 22

Someone Loves You Perfectly

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." - 1 John 4:18

Are you gripped with fear about something? Do not give in to despair. There is hope. Love is the answer to overcoming your fear because love is the Christian's security blanket.

When you were a child, did you have a teddy bear or a blanket that gave you a sense of security—something you wanted to hold close to you and get wrapped up in? Well, dear friend, the Holy Spirit of God is the believer's warm, loving security blanket.

Have you read the verse, "Perfect love casteth out fear"? It may not have rung true to you because you are thinking, "I can never manage to achieve "perfect love." But this is not the way to look at this verse. Listen to it in The Living Bible, which says, "We have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly." God's perfect love can eliminate all dread. It is not our love for Him, but His perfect love for us that will cast out our fears.

The question isn't "Am I brave enough?" The question is "Do I trust His love enough?"