Daily Living for Seniors

[Judy Harder]

August 26, 2011     


Daily Living for Seniors
     
The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.  --Proverbs 28:1

In 1996, Reverend Joe Wright, pastor of a large church in Wichita, Kansas, bravely stepped to the microphone of the Kansas House of Representatives to open a session in prayer.

But it wasn't the generic prayer to which the congressmen were accustomed. In part, he said:

"We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it moral pluralism. We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism....

"In the name of choice, we have killed the unborn. In the name of right to life, we have killed the abortionists....

"We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment."

He then asked for wisdom and forgiveness and closed the prayer in Jesus' name.

As you can imagine, Wright's prayer caused quite an uproar. But he stood strong...and said he wouldn't apologize for stating what was true.

In today's secular and Godless culture, we need more people like Reverend Wright to take a bold stand for Jesus...people who aren't afraid of declaring and defending the truth of God as revealed in His Word.

Are you one of those people? When was the last time you took a stand for Christ? Maybe it wasn't in front of a room full of congressmen, but perhaps in a personal conversation with an unbelieving friend.

Today, I want to challenge you to memorize the verse at the beginning of this devotional, and live it out in your daily life.

As a believer, you have the truth on your side! So you can be as bold as a lion as you live the Christian life.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask the Lord to help you be bold and strong in your witness for Him.

[Judy Harder]

August 29, 2011     

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. --Ephesians 2:10

Pablo Picasso painted thousands of pictures in his lifetime. And as his fame as an artist grew, so did the number of forgeries of his work.

One day, a fellow artist brought the famous painter one of his supposed works of art.

"A fake!" Picasso exclaimed.

Not long afterwards, the friend returned with two more paintings for the master to inspect. "Forgeries!" he told the artist again. The dumbfounded artist sputtered, "I saw you paint this last one with my own eyes!"

Picasso shrugged, "Sometimes I paint fakes."

In your life as a Christian, do you ever feel that you're just "painting a fake"? Do you ever feel more like a forgery than a person who's actually been transformed by the awesome power of Jesus?

Truly becoming who God the Creator intends you to be starts with knowing Him, and knowing what He desires for you. And the best way you can do this is to spend time with God every day, reading His Word and talking to Him in prayer.

I want to challenge you not to settle for what you think Christlikeness looks like. Instead strive to be like Christ by spending time with Him every day!

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to make you more and more like Christ today...and every day.

[Judy Harder]

 Daily Living for Seniors
     
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. --2 Peter 3:8

History is filled with bold predictions that completely missed the mark:

At the turn of the 20th century, car makers produced only four million automobiles because the experts believed the world would eventually run out of chauffeurs. 
Lord Kelvin, president of the Royal Society, made the bold pronouncement that radio had no future in 1894.   
Mark Twain refused to invest in Alexander Graham Bell's telephone because he didn't see a use for it. 
Thomas Watson, the President of IBM, once said the future world would need "maybe only five computers." 
And in 1899, the director of the United States patent office told President McKinley that "everything that can be invented has already been invented." 
We often try to set our own course based on what we believe the future will be instead of seeking what God has planned for us first. How often we forget that God sees the future much better than we do!

Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."

When you put your trust in God and obey Him, you can rest in the assurance that He will guide and direct your steps today and tomorrow.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Praise God for His infinite wisdom and ask Him to guide your steps today.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Living for Seniors
     
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. --Ephesians 5:1-2

Muriel McQuilklin was an amazing artist, a vivacious radio host, and a devoted wife and mother while her husband Robertson had a prosperous career as a popular Bible college president. But this all changed when Alzheimer's disease began to slowly steal Muriel's mind.

At the peak of his career...while many urged him to put his wife in a nursing home...Robertson McQuilkin left his college presidency to stay home and care for his ailing wife.

His critics couldn't believe he would walk away from "God's work," but this devoted husband shrugged them off saying simply, "There are others who can lead the Bible college, but I am the only one who can care for Muriel."

Even when she no longer knew him, Robertson lovingly cared for Muriel until she passed away in 2003, 20 years after her diagnosis.

Like McQuilkin, you may know what it's like to walk beside an ailing loved one. If not, you can probably relate to having to make some kind of sacrifice for others, be it a sacrifice of your time, your energy, or your finances (or all three!).

At times like these, Satan loves to question just why you're making that sacrifice, and what you're going to get out of it. But don't listen to him!

Remember the awesome sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on your behalf on the cross...and know that He will bless you for giving of yourself unselfishly like He did.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for His wonderful sacrifice and ask Him to help you remember His precious grace when you must make sacrifices for others.

[Judy Harder]

September 01, 2011     


Daily Living for Seniors
     
"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  --John 13:35

Before he became the prime minister of Japan, the late Shigeru Yoshida served as an ambassador to England.

One day, he learned that a particularly annoying cabinet minister had come to London. Yoshida decided avoidance was the best policy, so he told his staff to tell the cabinet member that he was not available when he called.

Undaunted, the persistent minister kept calling. The minister finally decided to visit the embassy in person, and a polite man standing on the staircase said, unfortunately, he'd missed the ambassador again.

The cabinet member turned to leave, then turned back around in stunned recognition. He demanded, "Aren't you the Ambassador Yoshida?"

Yoshida reluctantly admitted he was, and then added, "And, sir, when you hear from Yoshida himself that Yoshida is out, you can believe it!"

More than likely, there's someone in your life you probably try to avoid. Maybe it's your nosy neighbor, the gossip at church, or the bitter man in the grocery aisle. And while your reluctance to mingle with these kinds of people can often be understood, I challenge you to try a new approach.

Instead of avoiding them, do something nice for the person who is a little hard to love. Perhaps something as simple as saying a kind word or doing something nice for them.

Jesus encouraged us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and that means the annoying, overbearing ones too! You may be amazed how showing kindness and compassion to someone will change you view of them.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for His love and ask Him to help you love your neighbor as yourself.

[Judy Harder]

September 02, 2011     


Daily Living for Seniors
     
So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun. --Ecclesiastes 8:15

Paul Tournier, a well-known Christian psychiatrist, gives insight to the subject of happiness in his book, The Seasons of Life. He says:

"True happiness is always linked with deep, inner harmony. It therefore always implies an acceptance of one's age; the acceptance of no longer being a child when one has reached the age of adulthood, and the giving up of the goals of active life when one is advanced in years.

This is the age of retirement, which for some [people] can be a meaningful experience, while for others it is a cruel trial. ... Those who complain about their retirement are usually the same ones as those who used to complain about their work and longed to be set free from it!"

There's no room after retirement for a bitter, complaining spirit. So, why does it seem so many people are unhappy? Experts reported not long ago that only 20 percent of Americans are happy. The relentless message from society is that we must buy certain things or go specific places to experience happiness. If happiness is not a permanent condition in us, then there must be problems in our lives.

But, most people don't experience a lifelong state of happiness. Happiness is a choice...even if only a few moments each day. Think about the last few days...maybe you had an unexpected visitor drop by, a letter came from an old friend, or someone may have complimented you. Moments like those are the ones that make the seemingly "bad day" disappear in a flash.

Tomorrow, stop and notice the sunset, listen to the birds outside your window sing sweet songs, or drink up the peaceful serenity of a rain shower. Then, you will see the happiness that God desires for you to experience.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for the sweet moments of happiness that He gives each day.

[Judy Harder]

Daily Living for Seniors
     



"Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders." --Deuteronomy 33:12

Consumers lose millions of dollars each year due to identity theft. Identity theft occurs when a person's social security number, credit card number, phone number, address, and other personal information is discovered by a thief who uses the information for his own personal gain.

As as result of this, many people have purchased paper shredders for their homes to help prevent the theft of their mail or private information from a trash can or dumpster. While this kind of theft can almost ruin a person and is a great travesty, we must be wary of having our true identity stolen.

Satan steals a person's potential in Christ by convincing them they are not worthy of God's forgiveness, grace, and love. He rips off others by using peers to influence them in negative ways or creating enormous amounts of guilt. Through fear, guilt, and shame, Satan can prevent many from discovering God's ultimate purpose for their lives.

The devil's goal is to keep you confused about your spiritual gift and purpose, trying to dilute your true identity in Christ. Remember that God loves you and you are "precious and honored" in His sight (Isaiah 43:4). You are valuable. So much so, that Christ hung on a cross for your sins. How's that for value? And you are capable of being all that God's called you to be because He has specifically gifted you to serve and honor Him (see 1 Peter 4:10).

It may cause some problems to have your personal information robbed by the common thief, but it would be even more devastating to have the sneakiest crook of all steal your identity in Christ.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to guard your heart from Satan's crooked ways. Pray that He would strengthen your identity in Him each day.

[Judy Harder]

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. --Romans 12:4-6

Have you ever met someone who was gifted in a certain area? And you wished you could have that same talent? Maybe you've had a close relationship with someone who had a gift of teaching, or a special talent in music. A person gifted in a specific way has exceptional abilities in that particular area.

But usually regardless of how gifted that person is in one area, they are not gifted in every area of their life. No matter how good the beautician is, she must still depend on others to fix her car or hook up her cable. No matter how talented the surgeon is, he must still find others to take his family portrait or sing at his daughter's wedding.

In the church it is the same. There is a spiritual God-given gift that every believer in Christ has. And everyone is to use their gift to serve the Lord and His kingdom (see 1 Peter 4:10). Paul mentions several spiritual gifts throughout his letters including serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, and mercy (Romans 12:3-8).

Most people are born with natural talents, but only believers are blessed with spiritual gifts. Every Christian, young and old, should be using their spiritual gifts in ways to bring blessing and encouragement to others (see Philippians 2:3-4). And, most importantly, we are to use our spiritual gifts to bring honor and glory to the Lord.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: If you still don't know it, ask the Lord to reveal to you your spiritual gift. Ask Him to help you find a place to use your gift. Pray that He would use you to bring blessing, encouragement, and hope to others through your gift.

[Judy Harder]

Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. --Psalm 119:49-50

As people live longer, there may be a progression in chronic illnesses among senior citizens. While great advancements are being made in curing cancer and heart disease, there is a condition that can be devastating to the one it affects, and his or her family and friends—Alzheimer's Disease.

The progressive nature of Alzheimer's is well known to most. A person, usually older, starts to forget the details in life. And these memory mishaps become more frequent until they reach a severe level of disability and begin to interfere with daily activities. Soon, the diseased individual fails to recognize familiar faces and places, and they lose the ability to care for themselves altogether.

God knows and has planned every day of the person who carries this horrible disease, so their gradual downward spiral is no surprise to Him. While this change is hard on family and friends, and even harder to understand, God brings comfort to those who experience Alzheimer's. And while Alzheimer's destroys the mind, God continually gives strength and hope in the spirit.

Professional support groups exist across the nation for families and patients dealing with this disease. There are many helpful and effective ways to cope with Alzheimer's for both parties today. It's important for you and your loved one to continue on in an active circle of care. We are to continually have the mind of Christ Jesus...not our own, but His. So, put the health, mind, and spirit of the one you love whom Alzheimer's affects in the hands of the Great Physician.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for the grace and mercy He shows us each day regardless of the pain and suffering from this world. Ask for God's protection and watch care over those you may know who are struggling with Alzheimer's Disease or any other disease.

[Judy Harder]

He guides the humble in what is right, and teaches them his way. --Psalm 25:9

The Internet is older than you think—it's not so young anymore. More senior adults are logging in and using the Internet all the time. In the United States alone, senior adults make up one in five people who use the Internet.

Using the Internet doesn't mean you have to delve into extensive research or know a secret code to enter the World Wide Web. Most people use the Internet to send and receive e-mail, read the news and current events, and find basic information on everyday topics such as the weather, travel, sports, and online shopping. There are even some senior adults who have joined online communities to meet and make new friends which, in turn, open opportunities to attend luncheons and talk on the phone with new companions.

There are still personal benefits for seniors to embrace in using the Internet—entertainment, money management, hobbies, family and friends, and grandkids, grandkids, grandkids! It is an easy way to stay in touch with the special people in your life.

If you have never used a computer or the Internet before, there are computer classes in almost every town or community. You can first check with your local library or public school to find classes nearby. And there's really nothing to be skeptical about when using the computer besides remembering to use caution when giving out personal information as you would "offline."

There are also some beneficial ways to enhance your spiritual growth through online Bible study tools and daily devotionals. Even as senior adults, God wants us to move forward with our lives, learn new things, and seek new ways to build relationships with others and with Him!

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for the new ways available for you to connect with other believers and with the people you love.