Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

August 7

Learning to Find Real Contentment

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." - Philippians 4:11

Paul came to a place in his life—not a physical place, but a spiritual place—where he felt divine contentment. Most people think they know what this word "contentment" means, but let me tell you what it means in God's Word—"self contained."

In the context of this passage, we learn that Paul was thanking people for their love gifts to him, but he wanted them also to know that he was not dependent upon them because God had brought him to a place of sufficiency in Himself alone.

That is, Paul was able to say, "I have learned that I don't need anything or anybody else, but the Lord. I have Him, and therefore, I am self-contained, not self-sufficient. I can do all things through Christ."

Do you have a contentment today in Christ alone?





August 8

Seeking Things or Seeking Him?

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." - Matthew 6:33

Have you ever noticed that along with the command in Matthew 6:34 not to worry, correspondingly there comes a promise from God to take care of us? One of the most frequent promises is that we will be fed—God will take care of our needs.

Then why does God promise that "all these things will be added unto you."? So we will not starve? No. Friend, a lot of people who don't trust God have a pantry full of food. The average unsaved person is thinking about money, homes, cars, clothes, jewelry, etc. Jesus knows we have a one-track mind and cannot serve two masters. If these are the things you are seeking, then you are not seeking the Lord. He is telling us, "You trust Me. Bring all of your attention into trusting Me and doing good, and I'll take care of you."

Today each time you're tempted to worry, bring your concerns to your Heavenly Father and ask Him to help you trust Him.

[Judy Harder]

August 9

Trade In: Your Weakness for His Strength

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31

What does it mean to "renew" your strength? It literally means "changed," as if you changed clothes. You remove your rags of weakness and put on God's royal robes of strength. God promises to exchange our strength with His strength.

You see, the Christian life is not just simply a changed life, it is an exchanged life.

God doesn't just change us from what we were to something better. He exchanges His life with us. He takes our sin. We take His holiness. He takes our weakness. We take His strength. He takes our anxiety. We take His peace.

Sounds great. But, what's the problem? We get tired of waiting for the change.

Friend, don't give up. The wait is never too long when God is in charge.

[Judy Harder]

August 10

Just Passing Through—Our Real Home Is Waiting

"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." - 1 Peter 2:11

God saved you out of this world and sent you back into this world to tell the world that Jesus saves. He is scattering you as precious seed. You are an ambassador upon foreign soil for the King of kings.

You are not only scattered as precious seed, you are also scattered as a persevering saint. You are a foreigner in a land where you march to a different drummer. You don't settle down in this world. It's not your home; you're only passing through.

You ought to pray, "Lord, if I am building a nest, put a thorn in it." If you dabble and delight in this world, yet your citizenship is in heaven, you're going to have one foot in the world and one in heaven—just enough religion to make you miserable in the world and just enough of the world to make you miserable in your spiritual life.

[Judy Harder]

An Inheritance that Will Never Fade

August 11
"To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." 1 Peter 1:4

A man was sitting on a street corner, weeping. A friend saw him and asked, "Why are you crying?"

"Haven't you read the papers? Rockefeller died."

The friend responded, "Why are you crying? You were no kin of his!"

"That's why I'm crying!"

You have an inheritance right now as a child of God. It is incorruptible. The foul breath of decay and gnawing tooth of time cannot take it away. It is undefiled. No high-powered lawyer can find a loophole. It will never fade away.

If you understood what you have in Jesus, you would never be jealous of anybody. Ezekiel 44:28 says that God is your inheritance. You have an inheritance that is faultless, flawless, fadeless, and reserved in heaven for you!

[Judy Harder]

Which Grace Do You Need Most Today?

August 12
"As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." 1 Peter 4:10

The Bible speaks of the "manifold" grace of God. What does that mean? It means we can experience God's grace in many ways. For instance, there is singing grace. When Paul and Silas were in prison, God gave them grace to sing (see Acts 16:25).

There is speaking grace. Colossians 4:6 says, "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." God will give you the ability to talk about your troubles with His grace.

God also gives us strengthening grace. Timothy was often sick with many infirmities. Paul told him to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:1).

Which do you need today? Singing grace? Speaking grace? Strengthening grace? All three? Spend time in the Word of God today and draw from the manifold grace of God.

[Judy Harder]

We're Only on the Threshold of Knowing Him!

August 13
"Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Thy hands." Psalm 102:25

I have been preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ for more than fifty years, but I feel I'm just on the threshold of discovering Him. I want to move closer and closer to Him and learn more and more about Him.

Do you know what Paul said at the end of his ministry? That he may know God (see Philippians 3:10). Did he know God? Yes, but he knew so little about Him.

Let me ask you a question. Did Christopher Columbus discover America? Well, he touched on the shores of America. But even today there are thousands of unnamed lakes, forests, and more where no one has yet completely explored.

There is so much in Christ.

You may have "touched on" Christ, but God's plan is that you know Him more and more each day.

[Judy Harder]

August 14

Faith: Your Link to Promise and Victory

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

The life of Joshua in the Old Testament is an illustration of Jesus. As a matter of fact, Joshua is the Hebrew name of Jesus. The Lord Jesus is our heavenly Joshua who leads us into the land of promise and victory. And what is this victory? It is a victory of faith.

There is nothing more, nothing less that will achieve the victory in our lives but faith. Victory is not achieved by fighting. Victory is received by faith.

You see, when God has a gigantic task He wants us to perform, He gives the contract to faith. Your faith links your nothingness to God's almightiness and victory is yours for the taking!

[Judy Harder]

August 15

Saved, Sealed and Secure!

"In Whom ye also trusted,after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." - Ephesians 1:13

What does it mean that you are sealed with the Holy Spirit?

First, it is a mark of authenticity. If the Holy Spirit is not in you, then you are a fake. First John 3:24 says, "And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us."

Second, the seal is a mark of ownership, like the branding of a cow. You are His. Romans 8:9 says, "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."

Third, the seal is a mark of security. Esther 8:8 tells about this type of seal, which "no man can reverse."

The way I am kept saved is because God sealed me. The way you are kept saved, is because God has sealed you.

[Judy Harder]

August 16

Is Jesus Your Stumbling Block or Your Stepping Stone?

"We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:23-24

Jesus Christ will be either a stepping stone into heaven or a stumbling stone into hell. No one can be neutral about Jesus Christ. Either you rise on Him, or you fall on Him. You cannot walk around Him. Either you're saved by Him or you're judged by Him.

You will encounter Jesus Christ. He is inevitable. He is unavoidable. He is inescapable. What you do with Jesus Christ determines what Jesus Christ will do with you.  What are you doing with Jesus Christ today?

[Judy Harder]

August 17

God is Beautifully Arranging You!

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" - 1 Corinthians 3:16

I've had the privilege of pastoring churches in the midst of building campaigns, and it's been a faith-growing experience to watch God work. In fact, I will never forget the first church where that happened: in Fort Pierce, Florida.

There was an elderly architect who was over the job, and he said something I will never forget. As we were looking over the plans I said, "It can't be expensive because we don't have much money." And he replied, "Oh, my boy. Good architecture is not an arrangement of beautiful materials. It is a beautiful arrangement of materials."

You see, the Lord can take people like you and me from the quarry of sin. And with His grace and His Word, He can fit us together into a majestic temple of God.

You are an irreplaceable part of His beautiful workmanship.