Daily Living for Seniors

[Judy Harder]

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  --Romans 15:5-6   

In May 1987, National Geographic included a feature article about the arctic wolf. Author L. David Mech described how a seven-member pack of these wolves had targeted several musk-oxen calves who were guarded by eleven adults.   

As the wolves approached their prey, the musk-oxen adults bunched together in an unbreakable semicircle with their dangerous rear hooves facing out. In this position, the calves remained safe during the long standoff with the enemy.   

But suddenly, a single ox broke rank, and the herd scattered into nervous little groups. A fight broke out and the adults finally fled in panic, leaving the helpless calves to the mercy of their predators. Unfortunately, not a single musk-oxen calf survived the incident.   

In much the same way, Paul warned us in Acts 20 that wolves would come to attack God's flock. How true this is in the church today!   

We must remember that the "wolves" will have a much harder time penetrating and destroying the church when there is an unbreakable unity among us as believers. It's so true that even when one of us falls away, we are easy prey for the enemy to attack and devastate.   

Jesus prayed specifically that you and I might be unified in Him. He prayed: "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" (John 17:23).   

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Pray that God would give you strength to stand strong against the attacks of Satan on the church. Pledge to unite with other believers so that the world can see Jesus in you and His name may be glorified. 

[Judy Harder]

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  --2 Corinthians 9:7

When you go to the doctor for your annual checkup, he or she usually takes your temperature, checks your blood pressure, and pokes and prods in places to make sure everything checks out OK. The doctor will ask, "Does this hurt? How about here?"

If you cry out or admit that you are experiencing discomfort in a particular area, one of two things has happened:

The doctor has pushed too hard in that area without the proper sensitivity, or   
There is something truly wrong lying beneath the surface.   
In much the same way, believers often cry out in discomfort when God pushes us and prods us in sensitive areas of life.  And one of these areas is tithing.

When it comes to giving to God, it's not supposed to be a discomfort for believers. God's Word says we are to give cheerfully unto Him and without reluctance!

2 Corinthians 9:6 says, "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." Literally, if you withhold from the Lord what He has provided you, then you will not experience His blessings in full. But if you give cheerfully and sacrificially to Him, then He will in return bless you abundantly.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Dedicate your tithes and offerings to Him, and ask Him to bless them for the furtherance of His Kingdom.  

[Judy Harder]

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  --Romans 8:28   

In 1818, a boy named Louis was sitting in his father's workshop in France. His father was a harness maker and Louis loved to sit and watch his father work.  One day, he said, "Father, I want to be a harness maker like you one day."   

To which the father replied, "Why not start now?" He took a piece of leather, drew a design on it, and instructed his son to use the hole puncher and hammer to follow the pattern. The man set him off to work with a warning to be careful.   

Young Louis was excited to begin his new job, but when he hit the hole puncher, it flew out of his hand and pierced his eye. He immediately lost his sight in it as a result. Later, sight in his other eye failed, and Louis became totally blind.   

Several years later, Louis was sitting in a garden when a friend handed him a pine cone. Louis ran his fingers over the cone, and suddenly an idea came to him.   

This idea eventually led to the creation of an alphabet of raised dots on paper so that others who were blind could feel and interpret what was written. As a result of his accident, Louis Braille opened up a new world for the blind!   

To some, this type of tragedy would have been the thing that would have sent them into depression and isolation. But as believers, we know that all things happen for a reason—God's divine purpose and plan (see Jeremiah 29:11).   

Friend, God has mapped out every day and detail of our existence. When tragedy strikes, don't be alarmed. Know that God is in control (Psalm 47: and that all things work together for His glory and your good.   

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for His promises of hope and a future, even when tragedy strikes. 

[Judy Harder]

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  --James 4:14

Imagine if you were to check your bank account one morning only to find a direct deposit for $86,400. And it goes on for weeks!

Each morning you find a new deposit for this amount...but soon realize that your balance is not carried over to the next day. Instead, it is deleted each evening and the next morning you begin again with a new balance of $86,400.

What would you do when you finally realized your account balance would be deleted each evening if you didn't use it all that day? Of course...you'd withdraw the balance left over each day!

You and I have such a bank account called time. Each day we are credited with 86,400 seconds. And every night that which we have not used is deleted from our account. However, our time accounts do not allow overdrafts, loans, or savings options.

We must invest our time wisely in this life. According to one time management study, the average person spends two years making phone calls to people who are not at home, six months waiting for traffic lights to turn green, and another eight months reading junk mail!

Have you evaluated the way you use your time lately? Are you using it wisely to glorify the Lord? Psalm 39:6 says, "Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fr he bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it."

Our time on this earth is brief. God wants us to use every minute of our lives to serve and honor Him. Determine to use your time wisely to advance the cause of Christ.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Pray that God would show you how to spend your time wisely and to keep you from wasting precious opportunities to further His Kingdom.

[Judy Harder]

 

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  --James 4:7

Iron Eyes Cody, a Native American actor, once repeated an old Indian legend to Guideposts magazine.

One time, as a youth was traveling alone to prepare for manhood, he noticed a mountain peak capped with snow. So he set off to climb it. And when he reached the top, he could see for miles.

At the top of the mountain, the youth looked down to find a rattlesnake at his feet. The snake said, "I'm about to die. It's too cold up here for me. There's no food and I'm starving. Take me down to the valley."

The youth replied, "No...I know your kind. If I pick you up, you will bite and kill me."

But the snake promised, "I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, I won't harm you."

The youth resisted at first, but finally picked up the persuasive snake and carried it down to the valley below. There he gently laid it on the grass when suddenly the snake coiled and leapt, biting him on the leg and crippling the boy.

As the snake slithered away, he said, "You knew what I was when you picked me up."

Just as magnets are attracted to one another, so the Christian is drawn to sin through temptation. If you know the things that cause you to surrender to temptation and follow through with sin, then avoid and eliminate them in your life. When tempted, lean on Christ for strength to resist.

Paul said, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). To avoid being harmed by Satan's venomous bite, recognize His ways so you can be prepared to confront and resist the temptation with which he persuades you.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask the Lord to strengthen you, so that you will have the power of the Holy Spirit to resist the attacks of temptation from Satan.

[Judy Harder]

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  --Romans 13:14

As the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed, an elaborate bridge was built across a large canyon in the West.

The builder wanted to test the bridge, so he loaded a train with extra cars and equipment to double its normal load. Then he drove the train to the middle of the bridge, where it sat for an entire day.

One worker asked, "Are you trying to break this bridge?"

The builder replied, "No. I'm trying to prove that the bridge won't break."

Just the same, the temptations Jesus faced weren't designed to see if He would sin, but to prove that He couldn't.

Jesus fought the devil by the power of God's Word. And as believers, you and I will be attacked by Satan our entire lives. So we must always be prepared, like Jesus was, to never to give in to temptation!

In Billy Graham's Christian Workers Workbook, he lists several facts about temptation you can count on:

Temptation is common for believers (1 Corinthians 10:13). 
Temptation is of the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). 
Temptation itself is not a sin, but succumbing to it is. (James 1:14-15). 
God does not lead you into temptation (James 1:13). 
God allows Satan to tempt you, so that you can face it, overcome it, and be stronger as a result (Job 1:6-12, 1 John 2:14). 
All temptation can be resisted (1 Corinthians 10:13). 
When you are tempted, remember that Jesus has been there before (Hebrews 4:15).   
Remember that Satan will always attack you where you are most vulnerable. So, daily submit yourself to God through prayer and the study of His Word, surrender your mind, will, and emotions to Him, and clothe yourself with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-18) and the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to give you the strength to walk away when temptation arises.

[Judy Harder]

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
--2 Corinthians 4:18

There are several historical monuments in the US that look like they have withstood the test of time. One such place is Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

But up close, maintenance crews have found cracks running through the granite faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. While the monument isn't in immediate danger of disintegrating, experts say that without a facelift it will soon begin to crumble.

Mount Rushmore, just like every other earthly thing, is temporary. Human beings especially can see how temporary life is by the effects of aging. A person who was once young and energetic gradually ages and his or her body begins to wear down.

The aging process is a part of the cycle of life, but it can be very disheartening to the person experiencing it. For believers, we can look forward to renewed bodies in heaven.

The apostle Paul said, "And we eagerly await a Savior... the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:20-21).

The body we exist in now is just a temporary, crumbling structure. It may be that your body has suffered much disease, heartache, and injury. Perhaps you have grown weary and become saddened by the slow decline of your physical being.

Take heart, my friend, because one day we will live with prefect, heavenly bodies in eternity with Jesus where there will be no more tears, death, mourning, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4).

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for the promise of a new body in heaven one day with no pain or disease. Ask that He would give you comfort and peace in your temporary dwelling place until you meet Him in heaven.

[Judy Harder]

February 25, 2010 

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. --Deuteronomy 11:18-21

In life, most people are always building something up--a solid family foundation, a good reputation, a successful career, our relationships, and so on. But some of these things can vanish quickly due to financial loss, natural disasters, gossip, and other unforeseen difficulties.

Daniel Webster, a statesman, lawyer, and orator (1782-1852), once said:

"If we work on marble it will perish. If we work on brass, time will efface it. If we rear temples, they will crumble to dust. But if we work on men's immortal minds, if we imbue them with high principles...we engrave on those tablets something which time cannot efface, and which will brighten and brighten to all eternity."

One of the greatest achievements you and I can accomplish in this life is passing on a legacy of faith to our children and grandchildren. Many things can be destroyed in this life, but a legacy of faith will live on for generations.

In Proverbs 22:6, Solomon wrote, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Let us be the ones who sow the seeds of love, truth, and righteousness in the hearts of the next generation, so they can advance the Kingdom of Christ in the years to come.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Pray that God would make you the kind of godly man or woman needed to impact the lives of the next generation. Ask Him to provide opportunities for you to minister, encourage, and train up your own family in His Word and ways.

[Judy Harder]

How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. --Psalm 31:19

Allen Gardiner was a faithful missionary and martyr during the 19th century. He joined the Naval College in England at a young age and accepted Christ during his career in the Navy. Soon after, Gardiner accepted God's call to take the Good News of Jesus to tribes in Africa and South America.

In 1850, Gardiner and six other men attempted to trek through southern Argentina in hopes of reaching the Yagan Indians. Despite the many physical difficulties and hardships he faced throughout his journey, he said, "While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me."

However, in 1851 at the age of 57, Gardiner died tragically of disease and starvation while serving on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America. His body was later found along with his diary that contained accounts of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness.

In his last journal entry, illustrated by shaken handwriting, he wrote: "I am not hungry or thirsty in spite of five days without eating. ...I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God."

In the apostle Paul's time of hardship, the Lord said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). When you are experiencing difficulties in this life, rest in God's goodness and rejoice in your trials, so that you may fully experience His power in your life.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Praise God for His goodness in both good and bad times. Thank Him for being sufficient in your weakness and in control of your circumstances.

[Judy Harder]

For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. --Lamentations 3:31-33

Warren Wiersbe once relayed the story of a grieving woman traveling by train. She recognized fellow passenger F.B. Meyer, a famous preacher and evangelist, and went to share her burden with him.

For many years she had cared for her crippled daughter who brought her great joy in life. However, her daughter had recently died and she was miserable. Each day, she felt more alone with only an empty house to come home to after work.

Meyer listened carefully to her story and then said, "When you get home...say aloud, 'Jesus, I know You are here!' and be ready to greet Him. ...Tell Him what has happened during the day...just as you would have told your daughter. At night stretch out your hand in the darkness and say, 'Jesus, I know You are here!'"

Several months later, Meyer ran into the same woman again, but this time he didn't recognize her. Her face radiated with joy instead of misery. She said, "I did as you told me and it has made all the difference in my life, and now I feel I know Him."

If you have lost a loved one, it is natural to have feelings of loneliness. But you can find comfort and love in the presence of Jesus. Express your sorrow freely before the Lord and He will turn your grief into joy (see John 16:20). Simply draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Call out to Jesus and talk to Him openly in times of grief. Ask Him to comfort you and eventually turn your sorrow to peace and joy.