Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

MAY 23

"Authority Over" Comes from "Under Authority"

"And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name." - Philippians 2:8-9

Sometimes we underplay Jesus' humanity to prove that Jesus was God. But if you think of Jesus masquerading as a man instead of truly being a man, then you've missed out on a blessing. You see, it is the humanity of Jesus Christ that teaches us how we are to live as Christians in this world.

And how did He live? He said, "He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him" (John 8:29). He lived in subjection to His Father. And because He chose to submit, God gave Him authority.

Here is the principle to live by: We will never be "over" until we are willing to be "under." Authority does not develop on its own. It always comes from a higher source of power.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 24

Freedom and Liberty in Worship

"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." - 2 Corinthians 3:17

Formalism and worship are two separate things. When you are worshiping the Lord, there needs to be freedom and order. Worship is not real quiet music and everyone sitting still and not smiling. That's not worship. Some people say, "Well that's a dignified service." Perhaps they don't know the difference between reverence and rigor mortis.

If you study worship in the Bible, you'll find out that worship was marked with brightness, spontaneity, and joy. The early Christians had something that fire could not burn, that swords could not kill, that water could not drown, that jails could not hold. They knew the holiness, the loveliness, and the glory of God in a life-changing way.

Read Psalm 5:7 and 29:2 and take some time today to worship God in joy and truth.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 25

The Authentic Thirst-Quencher

"Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." - John 4:13-14

Have you ever been outside working in your garden or bicycling or playing football and become very thirsty? You go inside and perhaps grab a soda. It tastes great and seems to hit the spot. You return to your activity and you get thirsty and go for another soda. It is satisfying at first, but just doesn't seem to keep you quenched. Finally you fill a tall glass with water and you're satisfied.

Why? If you look at the ingredients on the soda container, it says it is artificially colored and/or flavored and/or sweetened. It doesn't have that touch of authenticity.

There are many who are trying to satisfy their thirst with things that are artificial when what we need is the water of life! When was the last time you quenched your spiritual thirst with the sparkling refreshment of time spent with God?

[Judy Harder]

MAY 26

Can We Know His Ways?

"Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters, and Thy footsteps are not known." - Psalm 77:19

Visiting the Sea of Galilee is an unforgettable experience. The Lord Jesus walked on the water there, but you cannot see His footsteps. When a boat goes through the ocean, it doesn't leave a trail does it? When a wagon goes across land, it does leave a trail, but a boat doesn't.

In this passage in Psalms, what is God saying? That we will never know Him just by studying history—by simply studying what He has done. His ways are mysterious. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

But we can know His ways, for He says in Psalm 103:7, "He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel." And in Micah 4:2 we find, "And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths."

You can try to make sense of God with all your ingenuity, creativity, and intelligence, but God says we will never know Him that way. We have to lay our intellect in the dust and say to God, "Show me Your ways."

[Judy Harder]

MAY 27

Loving What Jesus Loves

"And I [Jesus] say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." - Matthew 16:18

There are many people who say, "I believe in Jesus, but I just don't believe in the church." That is like saying, "I believe in football, but I just don't believe in stadiums, the gridiron, goal posts, and shoulder pads."

Jesus loves the church. He gave His life for the church. If you are ever going to be victorious in the spiritual battles of life, you must realize that Christianity is not a "Lone Ranger" religion. The church is here to bind together and win the battle together.

Sabine Baring-Gould wrote the famous hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers." One stanza really stands out in this regard: "Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane, But the church of Jesus constant will remain. Gates of hell can never against that church prevail; We have Christ's own promise, and that cannot fail."

Jesus loves the Church, which is His body. If we love Jesus, we will love what He loves.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 28

Returning to Your First Love

"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent." - Revelation 2:5

When my wife Joyce and I were on our honeymoon, we were driving south of Daytona Beach back to West Palm Beach. I was so in love that I had two eyes on her and no eyes on the road.

A policeman hailed me over and told me I had broken the speed limit of 35 mph. I was surprised because I hadn't seen a sign that changed the limit from 55 to 35. He said, "All right young man, here's what I want you to do. Turn around and drive back about three blocks. Look at the sign and go on." That was my punishment.

The officer made me go back before I could go on.

That's exactly what our Lord is saying to us when He tells us to return to our first love, a passionate love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 29

Will You Receive the Blessing God Sets Before You?

"Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day." - Deuteronomy 11:26-28

God is setting before you this day a blessing and a curse. What determines whether you receive the blessing? If you obey. What determines whether or not you are going to receive the curse? If you disobey.

There are six blessings God wants to give you today in exchange for your obedience: plenty (Isaiah 1:19-20), peace (Jeremiah 26:13), protection (Exodus 23:22), power (Acts 5:32), purity (1 Peter 1:22), and perception (Psalm 119:100).

Do you want Jesus to be real to you so that He's not just someone that you know or read about? Maybe you want to do more than just "pray" to Him; perhaps you want to talk to Him, and you want to relate to Him. Then read John 14:23 and obey Him.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 30

Putting Down the Weights

"All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." - 1 Corinthians 6:12

There are certain weights that an athlete must choose to lay aside. They are not bad for other people, but they are bad for the athlete. In the spiritual realm, it is the same for Christians.

Paul tells us, "all things are not expedient." The word "expedient" is similar to the word "expedition." You see, Christians are going somewhere, and if something doesn't speed us along the way, then it is excess baggage and we need to get rid of it.

Ask God today, "Are there legitimate, lawful things in my life that are keeping me from running the race?" It might be a hobby, friendship, recreational sport, or a cabin in the mountains. It is not bad; it just keeps you from maximizing your life for the Lord Jesus Christ. You must lay it aside.

[Judy Harder]

MAY 31

What You Might Miss Out On

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." 1 Peter 5:10

Isn't it wonderful to know that the works of God are perfect? That God's ways are perfect? And that His will is perfect?

Now, someone reading this may think, "But I don't know about God's will. I don't want to give myself completely to Him or He might send me to a remote desert as a missionary."

Let's set the record straight. God's will is not so much something that you surrender to as it is something that you get in on. God will choose for you what you would choose for yourself if you had enough sense to choose it!

Let your prayer today be, "Help me, Lord, not to fear what I'll miss if I do Your will; help me to fear what I'll miss if I don't."

[Judy Harder]

JUNE 1

Are You Feeding on The Word?

"But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." - Matthew 4:4

Many churches are suffering a famine because so many pulpits are not feeding their flocks the heavenly bread. If you are not feeding on the Bible daily, you are either not saved or you are dying of spiritual malnutrition. The only strength we have is found when we feed upon the Word of God.

Job said, "I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12). In other words, Job was saying that if he had to choose between eating physical bread or spiritual bread, he would rather have the Word of God.

How I pray that everyone reading this will commit to a daily routine of exercising on their knees in prayer and feeding with the nutritious bread of God's Word.