Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

April 7

Intimately Known by God

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:14

Ever feel like the little girl who was endeavoring to pray what we call "The Lord's Prayer?" She said, "Our Father which art in Heaven, how does He know my name?"

I've felt that way, but, friend, He does know our names. He knows me. He knows you.

But you say, "How could God be interested in me? The great God who made the universe - how could He be interested in me, like a fleck of spray in an ocean of existence?"

Well, He is interested in you. You are not an accident. You are intimately known by God.

Read what Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:30: "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

What does this tell you about God? 
What does this tell you about yourself?

[Judy Harder]

April 8

Sealed with the Holy Spirit

"...ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." Ephesians 1:13

The moment you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit of God seals you into Himself.

What does it mean to be sealed? It means to put the King's seal on you. The King's seal can be broken by no man. That means you are His for all time and eternity.

Second Timothy 2:19 says, "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His." You are sealed into a relationship with God by the Holy Spirit.

Read Daniel 6 and Matthew 27. Note the similarities in the accounts of Daniel and Jesus being sealed away for death and how He who is the Almighty God delivered them unto life!

[Judy Harder]

April 9

The Power of the Word of God

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" Romans 11:33

We must guard ourselves against lowering the standard of God's Word to our level of understanding or political correctness. And we must guard ourselves against raising our standard of tradition above the standard of His Word.

The Bible is not meant to be paraded past the judgment bar of your mind.

You can argue with it, but why?

You can pick up and read any other book, but this is the book that reads you. It pulsates with life and power. It cuts like a scalpel. It burns, crushes, and wields mountain-moving power. His Word has a life of its own. It is the voice of God to you.

You cannot refuse it, deny it, distort it, or dilute it. You can only bow before it.

When was the last time you studied the history behind the Word of God? Search the internet or go to a bookstore or your church's library and study how the translations were discovered and passed on.

[Judy Harder]

April 10

Nothing Can Separate Us from the Love of God

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

What if you had an appointment with the doctor and found out that you had cancer? Maybe you have heard this news or heard it on behalf of a loved one.

I want to tell you some things cancer cannot do.

Cancer cannot shatter hope. 
Cancer cannot corrode faith.
Cancer cannot eat away peace. 
Cancer cannot place a limit on eternal life. 
Cancer cannot quench the Spirit of God and 
Cancer cannot lessen the power of the resurrection.

That's how limited cancer is!

Is there someone in your life who is suffering from cancer? Give them the Good News that you've read today and pray that they will know the Savior. 

[Judy Harder]

April 11

Help Yourself to Happiness

"Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart." Psalm 119:2

Have you ever thought that if you lived according to God's laws, you were going to miss out? The truth is if you don't live according to God's laws you're going to miss out!

God's laws are for your welfare. God is not a tyrant in heaven making a bunch of laws to make you squirm like a worm in hot ashes as you try to keep those laws.

God loves you.

Every time God says "Thou shalt not," God is simply saying, "Don't hurt yourself." And every time God says, "Thou shalt," God is saying, "Help yourself to happiness."

God has something so wonderful for you.

Write the following down on some sticky notes and post them everywhere:


God loves me. 
God knows better than I do. 
God is in control. 
God is good.

[Judy Harder]

April 12

The Secret of Life

"And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on Me." John 16:8-9

What would you think of someone who gave you the secret of life? Do you think you might instantly call him your best friend? You bet!

That's what the Holy Spirit did for you. The Holy Spirit gave you the secret to, not only life, but eternal life! He convicted you of your sin. He drew you to Christ (John 6:44).

Don't get the idea that anybody can simply come of his own will and his own volition to Jesus Christ. No one could come; no one would come except by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has given you the secret of life. And He has drawn you there Himself!

That's some best friend, wouldn't you say?

Don't keep quiet about your Best Friend today. He wants to be known and He's given you the privilege to be His messenger. Share Him with those you care about today.

[Judy Harder]

April 13

Share a Smile Today

"A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance." Proverbs 15:13

What is a smile?

Here is something from an anonymous source:

A smile costs nothing, but creates much good.
It enriches those who receive it without impoverishing those who give it away.
It happens in a flash, but the memory of it can last forever.
No one is so rich that he can get along without it.
No one is too poor to feel rich when receiving it.
It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad and nature's best antidote for trouble.
Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen.

When you get dressed this morning, don't forget to put on a smile. Wear a smile all day from the inner joy that only Jesus can bring to your heart. Don't feel an inner joy? Then ask for one!

[Judy Harder]

April 14

Your Sense of Humor - a Gift from God

"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." Psalm 32:11

A merry heart has the ability to capture and enjoy those wonderful times of life and let them turn to laughter.

Your sense of humor is a gift from God.

Research studies have shown that laughter, along with a well-rounded sense of humor, is one of the sure signs of intelligence. It is also known to produce endorphins in your body that generate feelings of well-being.

Good, wholesome laughter is a gift from God. Abraham Lincoln said, "God must have meant for us to laugh, or else he would not have made so many mules, parrots, monkeys and human beings. God wants us to laugh."

Pass along the gift of laughter today to someone. Tell a good, wholesome joke. Send an email of a funny story to a friend that you haven't talked to in a while.

[Judy Harder]

April 15

Forgetting What's Behind, Reaching for What's Ahead

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12

There are two days that can steal the joy from today. One is yesterday and the other is tomorrow.

Paul exhorts in Philippians 3:13-14, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

We are to forget the past—the guilt, the glory, the grief, and the grudges.

Paul was one who was guilty, along with others, for the stoning of Stephen. He said he was the chiefest of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). But Paul buried that guilt in the grave of God's forgetfulness.

Maybe you've done something so horrible that you're gripped with fear to think someone would find out what you've done. Have you repented? Then don't be haunted by the ghost of guilt.

[Judy Harder]

April 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 every day 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!