Daily Living for Seniors

[Judy Harder]

How you can avoid the trap of false teaching

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." - Matthew 7:15

Chuck Swindoll tells a story about how years ago, a man went into a fried chicken place and bought a couple of chicken dinners for himself and his date. But instead of chicken, the young woman at the counter inadvertently gave him the proceeds from the day—a whole bag of money.

After driving to their picnic site, the two sat down to enjoy their meal. But they discovered a whole lot more than chicken—over $800! So the man quickly put the money back in the bag, got in the car, and drove all the way back to the restaurant.

The manager was thrilled to death. He said, "Oh, great! I'm gonna have your picture put in the local newspaper. You're the most honest man I've ever met!" So the man quickly responded, "Oh no, don't do that!" Then he leaned closer and whispered, "You see, the woman I'm with is not my wife... she's somebody else's."

Now I'll be that you absolutely loved this man up until the last sentence. And now, you probably think he's a sleazebag! Isn't it amazing what can happen to our impressions of people once we know the full story?

In much the same way, many "spiritual leaders" today look good on the outside. But when you find out what they're really teaching, you discover they may not be all they proclaim. So be careful what you allow yourself to be taught by "pop-spirituality" and cling to the truth of Scripture!

Prayer Challenge

Pray and ask God to give you good discernment between what's true, biblical teaching and what is false "pop-spirituality."

[Judy Harder]

The best way to discover God's truth

"The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. How then can the LORD pasture them like lambs in a meadow?" - Hosea 4:16

Are you strong enough to face how mistaken many of your most cherished beliefs are? Well, here are a few things you may not have known:

1.      Marie Antoinette never said, "Let them eat cake." This phrase was attributed to her but had actually been used by other prominent figures long before.

2.      Charles Lindbergh was not the first person to fly nonstop across the Atlantic. He was the 92nd, although he was the first to do it alone.

3.      The centipede doesn't have a hundred legs. It usually has 21 or 30, though some have more than 100. And the millipede certainly doesn't have a thousand legs. In fact, very few have more than 200.

4.      A red flag to a bull is meaningless because bulls are colorblind.

5.      The idea that people never use more than 10% of their brain is false.

6.      An ostrich never buries its head in the sand. It only looks that way when it lowers its head in fear, to feed itself, or to cover its eggs for protection.

When it comes to our ideas of God, it's important that we don't have a stubborn heart and are willing to accept when we might be wrong. So instead of assuming you have the Christian life all figured out, live your life with a humble and teachable attitude and let God guide you in His truth each day!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to reveal to you areas where you have been stubborn and unteachable. Pray that He would soften your heart in these areas so that you can grow in His truth!

[Judy Harder]

How to recognize and overcome evil

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:21

John was driving home late one night when he picked up a hitchhiker. As they rode along, he began to be suspicious of his passenger. John checked to see if his wallet was safe in the pocket of his coat that was on the seat between them, but it wasn't there! So he slammed on the brakes, ordered the hitchhiker out, and said, "Hand over the wallet immediately!"

The frightened hitchhiker handed over a billfold, and John drove off. When he arrived home, he started to tell his wife about the experience, but she interrupted him, saying, "Before I forget, John, do you know that you left your wallet at home this morning?"

It's human nature to jump to conclusions about others we perceive to be different than us. That's because evil has been characterized in our culture with a "this and not that" mentality. For most, evil is what happens when a terrorist attacks a crowded building, but it's not what happens when a clean-cut employee gossips about a coworker. Yet the Bible says that both are evil.

As Christians, we must come to recognize evil wherever it is. Yes, we have to see it in ruthless killings of others. But we must also learn to perceive it in our own lives as well as those around us.

Evil is evil, no matter what flavor it is. So pray that God would give you wisdom to discern what's right and what's wrong, and strive each day to overcome evil with good!

Prayer Challenge

Pray for discernment when it comes to recognizing evil in your daily life and strength to overcome it.

Questions for Thought

What are some pictures that come to mind when you hear the word evil? How have we been conditioned to think that way?

How can recognizing evil in all its forms help us to overcome it?

[Judy Harder]

How to experience the fullest life possible

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13

Thirty years ago, 33-year-old Larry Walters decided he wanted to see his neighborhood from a new perspective. He went down to the local army surplus store one morning and bought 45 used weather balloons. That afternoon he strapped himself into a lawn chair, filled the balloons with helium, and cut his tie-downs. He took along a BB gun, figuring he could shoot the balloons one at a time when he was ready to land.

Walters, who assumed the balloons would lift him about 100 feet in the air, was caught off guard when the chair soared more than 11,000 feet into the sky and into the middle of the air traffic pattern at Los Angeles International Airport. Too frightened to shoot any of the balloons, he stayed airborne for more than two hours, forcing the airport to shut down and causing long delays in flights from across the country.

Soon after he was safely grounded and cited by the police, reporters asked him, "Why did you do it?"

"Because," he said, "you can't just sit there."

Many Christians today are content with "just sitting there" and letting life happen to them. Sure, they'll go to church on Sunday and read their Bibles during the week, but they never really engage others with their faith.

Don't just sit there. Take action and do something bold for Christ. When you do, you'll experience the fullness of life God has for you!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would show you where He wants you to do something bold for His name.

Questions for Thought

When's the last time you really did something outside of your comfort zone? How did it make you feel?

What's one way you can get out of your comfort zone today and do something bold for Christ?

[Judy Harder]

The importance of adding action to your plans

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. - James 1:23-24

Dr. J.B. Gambrel tells an amusing story from General Stonewall Jackson's famous valley campaign. Jackson's army found itself on one side of a river when it needed to be on the other side.

After telling his engineers to plan and build a bridge so the army could cross, he called his wagon master in to tell him that it was urgent the wagon train cross the river as soon as possible. The wagon master started gathering all the logs, rocks, and fence rails he could find and built a bridge. Long before daylight, General Jackson was told by his wagon master all the wagons and artillery had crossed the river.

General Jackson asked, "Where are the engineers, and what are they doing?" The wagon master replied, "They're in their tent drawing up plans for a bridge."

There are times when perfect planning is crucial. But there are also times when quick action is more important. And it's in those times that over-planning can result in a lack of action altogether.

The church today must plan, but it must also act. And far too often, the step of action is what's missing. So instead of just talking about doing something great, do it. Take action for the Kingdom and make an impact for Jesus' name!

Prayer Challenge

Pray and ask God to show you where you need to add action to your plans.

Questions for Thought

Why do you think taking action is often more difficult than just making plans?

What are some plans you've made that you can begin taking action on today?

[Judy Harder]

What it means to show Jesus to the world

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. - 2 Corinthians 5:20

J. Allan Petersen tells of a little boy who was consistently late coming home from school. His parents warned him one day that he must be home on time that afternoon, but nevertheless he arrived later than ever. So his mother met him at the door and said nothing.

At dinner that night, the boy looked at his plate. He had received a slice of bread and a glass of water. Then, he looked at his father's full plate and then at his father, but his father remained silent. The boy was crushed.

The father waited for the full impact to sink in, then quietly took the boy's plate and placed it in front of himself. He took his own plate of meat and potatoes, put it in front of the boy, and smiled at his son. When that boy grew to be a man, he said, "All my life I've known what God is like by what my father did that night."

As a Christian, you may be the best picture of God others will see. And while we'll never be perfect representations of a completely holy God, we can exemplify His attributes—like grace, love, joy, and peace—in our daily lives to a watching world.

While most non-believers may not pick up a Bible, they will see God in how we conduct ourselves. So live your life to reflect Jesus to a watching world!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would help you clearly reflect who He is to a watching world.

Questions for Thought

Who are some people you've known over the course of your life who have reflected God's attributes in a powerful way?

Who are some people in your life today who need to see Jesus in the way you live your life?

[Judy Harder]

The importance of dealing with bitterness

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. - Hebrews 12:15

Underneath the ground of Belgium's Flanders Field, one of the deadliest battlefields of World War I, a very dangerous and deadly secret lies. It's so deadly, in fact, that it's caused a very big problem for the Belgian government.

You see, all across this field, artillery shells are surfacing more than 90 years after they were fired. Still unexploded, many are still very capable of killing. Some are unearthed by farmers and construction workers, while others simply work their way up through the soil. Dozens of full-time workers cannot keep up with them. And even worse, thousands of these projectiles contain poisonous gas.

It's one thing to recognize something that can cause immense damage when it's obvious. I'm sure you didn't have to tell the soldiers fighting in World War I to avoid those artillery shells at all costs! However, when things such as these lie dormant for so long, they become all the more precarious because they are an unseen danger.

In much the same way, many Christians today hold on to bitterness for years, even decades, before it finally comes up to the surface or is unearthed by a particular situation. And when that happens, it can often be damaging, and even deadly, for relationships between friends and family.

So if you have any "unearthed" bitterness in your heart, be sure you deal with it by forgiving the person it concerns and even talking with them about it. Don't let buried feelings of contempt harm your relationships with friends and family because those relationships are some of God's greatest gifts!

Prayer Challenge

Pray and ask God to reveal to you any "unearthed" bitterness, no matter how old, you might have in your heart toward another person. If you find you do carry buried resentment, forgive that person and let them know you've let it go.

[Judy Harder]

The blessings that are yours today

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28

There was a golfer on the pro tour years ago who was a pompous egomaniac. In his mind, he could do nothing wrong, and he always had a quick excuse for any loss. As if these faults were not enough, he was also not above hustling a few extra dollars playing amateurs in cities on the tour for $50 a hole.

One day he was approached by a man wearing dark glasses and carrying a white cane who offered to play him for $100 a hole. "Why, I can't play you," the professional protested. "You're blind, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," replied the man. "But that's alright. I was a state champion before I went blind. I think I can beat you."

Now the pro had not been doing well lately, and he needed the money. So he told the blind man, "It's a deal. When would you like to play?"

"Any night you're ready."

It's interesting how one small factor can take a seemingly impossible situation and level the playing field. Take the Gentiles of the Old Testament, who had to essentially renounce their own heritage and become Jewish to partake of God's blessings. Yet when Christ died on the cross, He leveled the playing field and opened the door of God's blessings to all people, no matter their walk of life!

God made a way for all people by leveling the playing field. So thank Him today that all you have to do is believe, and the blessings are yours!

Prayer Challenge

Thank God that the playing field is level and you have immediate access to His blessings!

Questions for Thought

What does it say about God that He's called all peoples to Himself through a faith relationship?

How can you share that great news with others?

[Judy Harder]

What it takes to stand for the truth

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. - 2 Thessalonians 2:15

In the fateful winter morning of January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger stood poised for launch. Overnight, the temperature had plummeted into the twenties. At liftoff, it was a crisp 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Huge icicles clung ominously to the launch tower.

Allan McDonald, an engineer employed by the manufacturer of the solid rocket boosters that straddled the shuttle, shuddered, but not because of the cold. Research had shown that the O-rings sealing the sections of each booster might be more likely to leak as the temperature dropped. In fact, the rings had never been tested during an actual launch below 51 degrees.

McDonald stood virtually alone as he steadfastly opposed the launch that icy morning, but he was overruled. The launch went ahead as scheduled, and 73 seconds later, six brave astronauts and one enthusiastic school teacher lost their lives when the O-rings failed.

Was Allan McDonald arrogant when he challenged the decision to launch? Was he intolerant? Any thinking person would say no. He just was unwilling to see innocent people die because others had ignored or distorted the facts. Allan McDonald knew the truth, and he stood up for it.

Far too often, Christians know what the truth is, yet they neglect to stand up for it. But just as those seven people on the Challenger were headed toward tragedy, so are those who enter an eternity apart from Jesus Christ. So stand up for truth, whatever it takes.

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to give you the strength to stand firm for the truth even when it costs you.

Questions for Thought

Who are some people who are famous for standing firm for what's right even in face of persecution?

How can you, like them, be more intent on staying true to what you believe and standing firm in your faith?

[Judy Harder]

How to overcome the enemy's intimidation



Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8

In the operating room of a large hospital, a young nurse was completing her first full day of responsibilities. "You've only removed 11 sponges, doctor," she said to the surgeon. "We used 12."

"I removed them all," the doctor declared. "We'll close the incision now."

"No," the nurse objected. "We used 12 sponges."

"I'll take full responsibility," the surgeon said grimly. "Suture!"

"You can't do that!" blazed the nurse. "Think of the patient."

The surgeon smiled, lifted his foot, and showed the nurse the 12th sponge. "You'll do," he said.

It's often when the heat is on and the pressure rises that we're most tempted to compromise in doing what we know is right. But it's when we're intimidated and our backs are against the wall that God calls us to radical faithfulness to what we know is right!

The world and the enemy will try to intimidate you into compromise. But don't let them. Remain steadfast in what you believe and stay true to your godly convictions, no matter what!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to give you the strength to stand strong in the face of the enemy's intimidation.

Questions for Thought

Think of a time you stood firm for what you knew was right in the face of pressure. How did you feel when it was over?

Where is the enemy trying to get you to compromise today? How can you practically stand firm in the face of his intimidation?