Love Worth Finding

[Judy Harder]

August 29

Not to Decide Is to Decide

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." - Deuteronomy 30:19

Years ago I was witnessing to a young lady in Florida. I asked her if she had received Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She became teary-eyed and said, "I just don't seem...no...I can't do it today." I asked her, "Don't you realize that if you don't receive Him, that you're going to deny Him?" She said, "Oh, I wouldn't deny Him for anything." I said, "But there's no middle ground." And yet she refused.

I said, "Before you go, would you shake hands with me?" And she said, "Well, certainly." And so I said, "If you'll take Christ as your Savior, take my right hand. If you'll take hell and refuse Christ, take my left hand." She refused to take either of my hands.

Every person has a choice. There is no neutral ground. You are either crowning Jesus as Lord of your life or you are not. Which is it my friend?

[Judy Harder]

August 30

What Do You Love More than Jesus?

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." - 1 John 3:16

The rich man asked Jesus, "Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17). Then Jesus asked him if he had kept the law. He said yes. In love Jesus responded, "One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow Me" (Mark 10:21b). But the rich man was "sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions" (Mark 10:22).

Jesus let him go. Jesus didn't run after him. And there's another thing I want you to notice: Jesus didn't lower His standards.

Is there anything you love more than Jesus? You must willingly lay it down to be saved.

[Judy Harder]

September 1

Finding Joy in All the Right Places

"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him." - Psalm 34:8

A Christian should be filled with joy. But we can't take any credit for it. It is Jesus who gives us joy and satisfaction. We couldn't have found it had we been searching for it, but by finding, knowing, and growing in Christ, He has filled us with an overflowing joy.

Do you know what the devil will tell you? That holiness and happiness don't go together. He will tell you that if you make up your mind to live a holy life, then you won't have any fun. Friend, the devil is a liar.

You'll never know satisfaction and joy until you find it in the right place. You'll never enjoy the good things of life until you know Jesus. Oh, how sweet to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Is the hunger of your heart met in Christ?

[Judy Harder]

September 1

Finding Joy in All the Right Places

"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him." - Psalm 34:8

A Christian should be filled with joy. But we can't take any credit for it. It is Jesus who gives us joy and satisfaction. We couldn't have found it had we been searching for it, but by finding, knowing, and growing in Christ, He has filled us with an overflowing joy.

Do you know what the devil will tell you? That holiness and happiness don't go together. He will tell you that if you make up your mind to live a holy life, then you won't have any fun. Friend, the devil is a liar.

You'll never know satisfaction and joy until you find it in the right place. You'll never enjoy the good things of life until you know Jesus. Oh, how sweet to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Is the hunger of your heart met in Christ?

[Judy Harder]

September 2

Standing on the Edge of the Red Sea

"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." - Isaiah 54:10

Sometimes the grandest revelations come through confrontation. Why did God bring the Israelites to the Red Sea? That they might have a confrontation with Him and discover His greatness and deliverance.

Many times the things we think are tragedies and problems are God's way of drawing us to Himself. God shuts this door; God shuts that door...it seems that there's no way out.

But we must cling to the fact that God makes Himself known to us in the storm and He plants His footsteps in the sea.

Are you standing at the edge of your "Red Sea"? Have you stopped to consider that this could be your Father drawing you to Himself by the only way He knew He could get your attention? The God who parted the Red Sea and stilled the surface of Galilee is the One Who is your Shepherd.

[Judy Harder]

September 3

Will God Be Enough...?

"And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." - Matthew 10:22

Have you ever read God's Hall of Fame in Hebrews chapter 11? These men and women of faith did miraculous things. "Who through faith subdued kingdoms." Hallelujah! "Wrought righteousness." Praise the Lord! "Obtained promises." Amen! "Stopped the mouths of lions." Glory!

And how did they do it? Faith.

"And others [men and women of faith] had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder..." (Hebrews 11:36-37). "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise" (Hebrews 11:39).

Some had faith to escape; others had faith to endure. If it is God's will for you, faith to endure may be the kind of faith God wants you to have. Will God be enough if He lets you walk through the fiery furnace?

[Judy Harder]

September 4

Welcome! You are in the Priesthood

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." - 1 Peter 2:9

Christians are a kingdom of priests, so in order to understand what that means, let's look at what someone had to do to become a priest in the Old Testament.

The first thing the priest did was bathe from head to toe. This symbolized that he was saved (see Titus 3:5). When we are saved, we are bathed from head to toe in Christ's cleansing blood.
After his bath, the priest received a linen garment, which symbolized the righteousness that is provided by our Lord.
Then he was anointed with oil, which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.
How encouraging to discover God's Word flowing from the Old to the New Testament to describe such essential details of the believer.

Have you been bathed in the cleansing blood? Are you aware you're wearing a robe (the righteousness of Christ)? The Holy Spirit lives within you. As you go through your day today, be ever mindful: you are a priest—chosen, royal, holy, set apart for Him.

[Judy Harder]

Is Courtesy a Way of Life for You?

September 5

"Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great." Psalm 18:35

Do you know what our churches could use a little bit more of? Courtesy among the brethren—love in the little things, love that says "please" and "thank you," love that steps back and gives the other person first place. The gentleness of our Lord.

It never ceases to amaze me how people so quickly lose their religion when they leave church on Sunday morning. They go to their cars in the parking lot, then cut people off in traffic. And don't ever take someone's "regular" seat in church. You're seen as stealing their "rightful" place in the worship service!

May God cleanse our churches of self-righteousness and pride. May He purify us from anything that seeks to elevate self over others.

[Judy Harder]

Ready to Make an Honest Confession?

September 6

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

What does it mean to "confess your sins"? It doesn't mean to simply admit your sin. There are a lot of people who have admitted their sins, who have never confessed their sins.

I've spoken to people many times and asked, "Do you know that you're a sinner?" And they respond, "Yes, I know. We've all sinned." But those people aren't confessing; all they're doing is admitting. There is a difference.

The word "confess" is a compilation of two words, "con" and "fess," which mean "to agree with." To confess your sins is "to say with" God what God says about them.

As you go before the Lord in prayer today, rather than just admitting you've sinned, agree with God about your sin.  Then ask for His grace to overcome.

[Judy Harder]

What Are You Afraid Of?

September 7

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." Psalm 23:4

In Matthew 25, we read the parable of the talents. When the master who had distributed the talents came to see the stewardship of those talents, one man had taken his talent and hidden it in the ground.

You may have a buried talent, but you've been covered up by the sinister minister of fear, who keeps you from achieving your dreams. You say, "But what if I fail?" You can be so afraid of making a mistake that your entire life will be a mistake. The fear of failure keeps so many from competing that they never even get in the race. They just lose by default!

Sir Walter Scott was called a "dunce" by his teachers. Napoleon Bonaparte was next to last in his military class. Walt Disney was fired as a cartoonist because the newspaper said he couldn't draw! It's not bad to fail. We all will fail. But may God deliver you from the spirit of failure, which is a spirit of fear.