Daily Living for Seniors

[Judy Harder]

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. --1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Winston Churchill, the great preacher of yesteryear, planned his own funeral that took place at Saint Paul's Cathedral. Included in the service were many great hymns of the church and the eloquent Anglican liturgy.

At his direction, a bugler, stationed high in the dome of the cathedral, was to play "Taps" after the benediction signaling that the day is over. Then immediately afterward, Churchill instructed another bugler, positioned at the other end, to play the tune "Reveille"—"It's time to get up. It's time to get up. It's time to get up in the morning!"

This was Churchill's testimony to all—though it was the end of his time on earth, it was a time of joy for he was getting up to go home to be with the Lord. At the end of history, the last note for all believers will not be "Taps," but instead "Reveille."

Believers can have hope for the day when death comes. When you take your last breath, know that your soul will go to be with Jesus in heaven and will one day be reunited with a new body when He returns. Death is not the end for the believer, it is just the beginning.

"We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ... For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 3:14, 16-17).

Praise God! The worst things are never the last things.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for the future you have with Him in heaven.

[Judy Harder]

Keeping the main thing the main thing

You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. - 1 Corinthians 3:3-5

Flight 401 was bound for Miami from New York City with a load of holiday passengers on the night of December 29, 1972. As the huge aircraft approached the Miami Airport for its landing, a light that indicates proper deployment of the landing gear failed to come on. The plane flew in a large, looping circle over the swamps of the Everglades while the cockpit crew checked out the light failure.

The flight engineer fiddled with the bulb. He tried to remove it, but it wouldn't budge. Another member of the crew tried to help out... and then another. By and by, if you can believe it, all eyes were on the little light bulb that refused to be dislodged from its socket. No one noticed that the plane was losing altitude.

Finally, it dropped right into a swamp, killing 101 people. While an experienced crew of high-priced and seasoned pilots messed around with a tiny light bulb, an entire airplane and many of its passengers were lost. The crew momentarily forgot the most basic of all rules of the air—don't forget to fly the airplane!

The same thing can happen to Christians today. In the midst of so much arguing and debating about worship styles, preaching personalities, and minor theological points, they often forget the most basic rule—reach others for Christ. So as you live your life, focus on what really matters and show the world the love of Jesus!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would show you where to compromise, where to stay firm, and most of all, how you can advance His Kingdom and make disciples.

[Judy Harder]

How God can use you to do anything

"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the LORD Almighty. - Zechariah 4:6

Here are a few interesting facts you may not have known about some very famous people:

Booker T. Washington was born into slavery.
Thomas Edison was deaf.
Abraham Lincoln was born of illiterate parents.
Lord Byron had a club foot.
Robert Louis Stevenson had tuberculosis.
Alexander Pope was a hunchback.
Admiral Nelson had only one eye.
Julius Caesar was an epileptic.
And yet despite the fact that each of these men encountered severe setbacks in life, each of them made history.

So often today, Christians like to make excuses for why they don't think God can use them. They talk about their bad health, their unfortunate background, or their lack of education and simply accept that they'll never truly make a significant impact.

Yet for every excuse or limitation that's given as a reason for God's inability to use a person, God reminds us that it's not by our might or by our power that He accomplishes His purposes; it's by His Spirit.

Do you have a handicap? Are you limited in some way? Call on the Lord. No problem is too big or too small for Him. He will make everything "work together for good" (Romans 8:28) if you turn to Him and trust in His power!

Prayer Challenge

Thank God for the blessings He's given you. Pray that His Spirit would work perfectly in your imperfections.

[Judy Harder]

Living beyond your circumstances through the resurrection

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” - Matthew 28:5-6

A little boy named Philip with Down Syndrome attended a third-grade Sunday school class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences.

On Easter Sunday, the teacher brought egg-shaped pantyhose containers for the students and told the children to go outside, find some symbol for new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom, they would share their new life symbols, opening the containers one by one. After running about the church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table.

Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. When one was opened, revealing nothing inside, the children exclaimed, “That’s not fair! Somebody didn’t do their assignment.”

Philip spoke up, “That’s mine.”

“Philip, you don’t ever do things right!” a student retorted. “There’s nothing there!”

“I did so do it,” Philip insisted. “It’s empty, just like Jesus’ tomb was empty!”

Silence followed. From then on, Philip became an accepted member of the class. He sadly died not long afterward from an infection most normal children would have shrugged off. At the funeral, this class of eight-year-olds marched up to the altar, not with flowers, but with their Sunday school teacher, each to lay on it an empty pantyhose egg.

Whatever challenges you face today, the resurrection of Jesus Christ can give your life hope, meaning, and purpose. So this Easter, rest in the goodness of God and the new life you’ve been given through Jesus’ resurrection!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to help you live beyond your circumstances and rest in the new life you’ve been given through the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

[Judy Harder]

Remaining faithful through persecution

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted... - 2 Timothy 3:12

In 1857, archaeologists digging in the remains of a boarding school in Rome found a picture dating from the third century. It shows a boy standing with his hand raised and worshipping a figure on a cross that looks like a man with the head of a donkey. Scrawled below in the writing of a young person are the words, "Alexamenos worships his God."

In an adjacent room, a second inscription was also found that says, "Alexamenos is faithful." Apparently, a young man who was a Christian was being mocked by his schoolmates for his faithful witness. Yet despite the fact that they made fun of his beliefs, they couldn't deny his faithfulness as a follower of Christ.

Since the inception of our faith, those who have followed it most closely have been persecuted for their devotion. Yet despite arguing against the content of what we worship, the world can never question the genuineness of those who are truly committed to honoring God with their entire lives.

For those who are firmly committed to the cause of Christ, persecution is guaranteed. But remember that while the world may hate you for what you believe, it can never explain away your faithfulness toward Jesus Christ!

Prayer Challenge

Thank God for the faith He's given you. Pray that despite persecution, He would strengthen you in your belief and that the watching world would be in awe of your faithfulness.

[Judy Harder]

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. --Philippians 3:14

On July 4, 1952, a young woman named Florence Chadwick waded into the water off Catalina Island. On the fog-covered morning, she intended to swim the channel from the island to the California coast.

Florence wasn't a rookie when it came to long-distance swimming. She had been the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. But the water was numbing cold that morning and the fog was so thick she could hardly see two feet in front of her. Several times, sharks had to be driven away with rifle fire from the boats in her party.

She swam for more than fifteen hours before she asked to be taken out of the water. Her trainer coaxed her to swim on since they were so close to land, but all Florence saw ahead was the thick fog. She quit only half a mile from her goal.

Later she said, "I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen the land, I might have made it."

Florence didn't fail because of fear, exhaustion, or the cold water. It was the fog.

We often fail too—not because we're afraid or tired—but because we lose sight of the goal. This is surely why Paul wanted to remind believers to "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [you] heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).

Two months after her failed attempt at swimming the length of the channel, Florence waded into the water off the same beach on Catalina Island, swam the full distance, and set a new speed record—all because she could clearly see her goal.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to clearly present you with the goals He wants you to strive toward. Pray that He would make your path clear in fulfilling His call in your life.

[Judy Harder]

What to do when life knocks you down

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. - Hebrews 10:36

A story is told that Andrew Jackson's boyhood friends just couldn't understand how he became a famous general and then President of the United States. They knew of other men who had greater talent, but never succeeded like little "Andy" did.

One of Jackson's friends said, "Why, Jim Brown was not only smarter, but he could beat Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match. But look where Andy is now." Another friend responded, "How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn't they usually say three times and you're out in wrestling?"

"Sure, they were supposed to, but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat. Jim Brown would get tired, and on the fourth try Andy would always beat him."

Picking up on that idea, it's been said, "The thing that counts is not how many times you are beat, but whether you are willing to stay that way." In life, you will face setbacks, but what really matters is whether or not you take courage and go forward in faith despite the challenges and even defeats you will encounter.

The real battle is the Lord's. So when it comes to facing life's struggles, get back up when you get hit because in Christ, your victory is already won!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to give you the strength to get back up when life knocks you down and remind you that your victory is already won!

[Judy Harder]

Waiting Patiently for God's Perfect Timing

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. - 1 John 5:14

There was a family who had a small Scottish terrier who would go to their back door and bark and bark until someone finally got the message and let it out. One day, a handyman had come to do some work on the house while everyone else was gone. That little dog took up his station at the back door and barked incessantly all day.

When the family returned home to find the handyman finishing up, he told them about how the dog had been barking all day at the door. The homeowner told him that his neighbors had said the same thing. "The sad thing is," the owner said, "it never occurs to the little guy that all his barking is totally useless when no one's home to hear!"

The Christian prayer life can sometimes feel like that little dog, can't it? You pray and pray, and often years can go by with no answer until you begin to wonder, "Is anyone even home up there?"

But God's timing is perfect. He knows what you need and when you need it. His timing for answering prayer is never early and never late. So instead of becoming discouraged that no one is hearing your prayers, remember that God knows what's best and will always work everything out for those who love Him!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to teach you patience as you wait for His perfect timing to answer your prayers.

[Judy Harder]

What if you're wrong?

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. - Romans 12:3

For centuries, people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Anyone, of course, at any time, could've taken a heavy object and a light one and dropped them both from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first. But no one did until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle's death.

In 1589, Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then he went to the top and pushed off a ten-pound and a one-pound weight at the same time. To their amazement, both landed at the very same instant. The power of belief was so strong, however, that the professors denied their eyesight. They continued to say Aristotle was right!

Modern physics today proves Galileo was correct. Yet it's astonishing that these learned men, despite seeing reality before their eyes, would rather assume their preconceptions were correct than accept a new idea.

Very often, it's our preconceptions and prejudices that cause division among the body of Christ. Even some of the most faithful men and women are guilty of assuming their way of doing things is the right way simply because that's how it's always been done. But true humility pushes our own agendas to the side and puts God's agenda first.

So instead of leaning on what you've always thought, trust in what the Bible says is true with fresh eyes, putting your own preconceived notions aside and promoting unity among believers instead of division.

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to show you areas where you've assumed your way is the only way. Pray that He would release you from that and be a force for unity among the body of Christ.

[Judy Harder]

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.  --Psalm 119:105

Bob Mumford gives a great analogy on how you can discover God's will in his book, Take Another Look at Guidance. He says that one particular harbor in Italy can be reached only by sailing up a narrow channel between very dangerous rocks and shoals. Numerous ships have sunk over the years because the passage is so hazardous.

To alleviate this danger, three lights have been mounted on three tall poles in the harbor to guide the ships safely into port. When these lights are lined up perfectly and seen as one, a ship can proceed safely up the narrow channel to its destination. But if the ship's pilot sees two or three lights, he knows he's off course and in danger.

In his book, Mumford says that God has also provided three beacons to guide us in our spiritual journey down life's narrow and often perilous path. The same rules of navigation apply to us as believers. Three lights must be lined up for us to proceed safely.

The three harbor lights of spiritual guidance are:

1. The Word of God
2. The Holy Spirit
3. Circumstances

God uses the combination of these to lead us on our journey through the often difficult passages of life.

Are you on the right path? Or have you fallen off course? When we follow this three-point navigational path along our spiritual journey, we know that God will lead us safely in His way.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to direct you along the path He wants you to take. Pray that He would reveal the three harbor lights of spiritual guidance to you each and every day as you journey through life.