Daily Living for Seniors

[Judy Harder]

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy, and I will give thanks to him in song. --Psalm 28:7

In American history, Abraham Lincoln is lauded for his dynamic leadership during the Civil War. He's praised for the eloquent words of his Gettysburg address. And he's immortalized as the man who freed the slaves.

Abraham Lincoln, though, is not so well known for his own private battle with severe depression or for his wonderful remedy to his personal problem: laughter.

For example, Lincoln often told the story of two women who spread rumors in Washington about Confederate President Jefferson Davis and himself.

These women had a conversation comparing the virtues and potential of the two leaders. One said to the other, "I think Davis will succeed because he's a praying man." The other relied, "But so is Lincoln."

"Yes, but when Abraham prays, the Lord will think he's joking!"

Abraham Lincoln had a terrific sense of humor...and he was able to find joy during times when there wasn't a whole lot to laugh about.

What about you? Are you able to find joy and laughter even when your circumstances seem bleak?

Nehemiah 8:10 says, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Take comfort and find joy in the knowledge that Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, loves you.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Praise God by singing a hymn or a chorus and ask the Lord to allow His joy to radiate in you in all circumstances.

[Judy Harder]

How to experience spiritual renewal

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." - Hebrews 12:28-29

There's a story an American Lutheran bishop tells of visiting a parish church in California and seeing a stirring red and orange banner on the wall. "Come Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!" it declared in words printed under a picture of a fire burning. But what really attracted his attention during his Sunday sermon was a sign directly underneath the banner which said: "Fire extinguisher."

Looking down at his sermon notes, the bishop laughed as he thought to himself, "So much for this parish's commitment to spiritual renewal!"

When it comes to spiritual renewal in our lives, many Christians carry around a spiritual fire extinguisher because they're afraid of looking too "extreme" in what they believe or are afraid people will think they're crazy. But if you look at those who've followed Christ most closely in the pages of the Bible and throughout history, you'll find that while many of them were looked down upon for their faith, they were also well respected among believers and non-believers alike for sticking to their convictions.

So instead of trying to control the fire of the Holy Spirit in your life, let it burn free, moving to every area and consuming all you are as you're transformed by the renewing of your mind!

Prayer Challenge

Offer your entire self to God and allow Him to consume everything you are!

Questions for Thought

If someone were to ask those whom you interact with every day about how committed you are to God, what do you think they would say?

What are some areas of your life today in which you need to let God's fire burn away the impurities and give wholly to Him?

[Judy Harder]

Your most priceless possession

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." - Matthew 13:44

Vincent van Gogh first began to experiment with impressionist techniques during his Parisian period, the time from 1886 until 1888. The Dutch artist wrote to his sister in 1887: "Last year, I painted almost nothing but flowers to accustom myself to colors other than grey, namely pink, soft or vivid green, light blue, violet, yellow, orange, beautiful red."

In 1993, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam announced that it had authenticated a previously unknown work of the painter from the Parisian period. Purchased at a French flea market after World War II by a Swiss family and kept in their attic, Still Life (Vase With Flowers) fetched millions of dollars at auction.

Quite often, we don't see the immediate value of what we have. This is especially true when it comes to our riches in heaven. You see, what you have in Christ is much more valuable than any riches the world could throw your way. Yet many people treat their relationship with Jesus as an inconvenience or a burden they're just hanging onto in hopes of eternal life.

The most priceless possession you have is your salvation in Jesus Christ. God's great gift to you will never be surpassed in its value. So treasure it... and consider it more valuable than anything else you own!

Prayer Challenge

Thank God for the salvation He's offered to you in Jesus Christ. Pray that you'd continue to hold Him higher than anything else!

Questions for Thought

Have there been times in your life when you've treated the world's riches as more valuable than your relationship with God?

How can you avoid thinking of Jesus as just insurance against hell and move to a point where you're building a real relationship with Him?

[Judy Harder]

The importance of physical and mental rest

Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." - Mark 2:27

In ancient Athens, Greece, a man one day noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing games with some small children. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in a useless activity. Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the Athenian, "If you can, tell me what the unstrung bows implies."

Puzzled, the man looked at it for several minutes but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. So Aesop explained, "If you keep a bow always bent, it will eventually break. But if you let it go slack once in awhile, it will be more fit for use when you need it."

Much like that bow, people need to take time now and again to rest. God rested on the Sabbath day after creating the world. He also prescribed a Sabbath day of rest for Israel in the Old Testament. Jesus also lays out a pattern of rest for Christians now in verses like today's.

Set aside a special time every week to relax physically and renew yourself emotionally and spiritually. Even if you don't work every day, you still need time to separate yourself from the worries and anxieties of the world. When you take time to "loosen the bow" now and then, you'll be at your very best to be used for the Lord!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to help you be disciplined to separate yourself from the world regularly so you can be at your best!

Questions for Thought

What are some of the stresses you encounter that "bend your bow"?

What's the best time and place for you to get away at least once a week to refresh and renew your body and spirit?

[Judy Harder]

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. --Psalm 86:15

In 1859, a prominent French banker named Jean-Henri Dunant set off to see Napoleon about a financial transaction.

Running late, however, he found himself on a hilltop watching in horror as Napoleon's troops engaged in a brutal battle with the Austrians below. The images Dunant saw of the young dying soldiers and the wounded crying out in pain seared into his mind.

Then the next day, he saw a similar scene in a small, neighboring town. After a battle, terrified refugees were huddled together...and the wounded and dead lay everywhere. And as a result, Dunant decided to postpone his trip to visit Napoleon to stay and comfort the wounded solders and care for the frightened citizens.

This experience ignited a passion in the heart of Jean-Henri Dunant, and he started a crusade to help those in need. His efforts eventually won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, and the organization he founded, the American Red Cross, continues to help millions around the world today.

Like Jean-Henri Dunant, you've probably seen something that touched your heart and made you think differently. You've probably seen someone in need and wanted to help.

Unlike Dunant, however, you may not know what you can do to help those in need. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Anything you do for others in the name of Jesus, whether it's as simple as donating canned goods to your local food bank, supporting a local charity with a financial gift, or going on a short-term mission trip, is blessed in the eyes of God.

This should challenge each of us to go out of our way to help those in need! I hope you'll take time today and every day to show the love and compassion of Christ to someone who needs it.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God for opportunities where you can show compassion to others, and thank Him for the kindness He has shown you.

[Judy Harder]

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. --John 3:16

It all began with a single red paper clip.

Kyle McDonald of Montreal, Quebec wanted to see if he could eventually barter for a house in less than a year starting with only a red paper clip.

So first, he went online and traded the red paper clip for a pen that looked like a fish. That fish pen soon became a homemade doorknob...that became a camping stove...then a generator...and so on.

Near the end of his year-long trading spree, McDonald bartered a rare snow globe for a movie role. Then the small town of Kipling, Saskatchewan, offered to trade McDonald a three-bedroom house for the movie role, which they planned to auction off.

McDonald agreed and achieved his goal. From a mere red paper clip, he gained a house!

Have you ever thought about how valuable you are? You're so valuable, so priceless, that God made the ultimate trade for you! John 3:16 says He gave his only Son so that you could spend eternity with Him! You mean that much to Him.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for the worth He sees in you and praise Him for His gift of eternal life.

[Judy Harder]

How to prepare yourself to face each day

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" - Matthew 4:4

A story is told of a man who challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest.

The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he had.

"I don't get it," he said. "Every time I looked at you, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I did."

"But you didn't notice," said the winning woodsman, "that I was sharpening my ax when I sat down to rest."

Very often, Christians can become a lot like that that challenger. They step out into the battle of the Christian life, trying to live by their own power, only to find that they've made it more difficult. That's because they never take time to get into God's Word and "sharpen their ax" before they actually face the Christian life.

It's easy to think that the more you "do", the more effective you'll be in the spiritual life. But instead of blowing and going so much, spend time every day reading and meditating on the Bible. Ask God to help you live life to the fullest, and be better prepared to face the day by sharpening your ax with the word of God!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would help you find the time to read and meditate on His word regularly.

Questions for Thought

How often do you spend time "sharpening your ax" by getting into God's Word?

What goal can you set today for reading your Bible consistently over the next month? Every day? Several times a week?

[Judy Harder]

The virtue of taking responsibility

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God." - Acts 5:1-4

Some years ago, a former American astronaut took over as head of a major airline. He was determined to make the airline's service the best in the industry. One day, as the new president walked through a particular department, he saw an employee resting his feet on a desk while the telephone on the desk rang incessantly.

"Aren't you going to answer that phone?" the boss demanded. "No, sir. This isn't my department," answered the employee nonchalantly, apparently not recognizing his new boss. "I work in maintenance."

"Not anymore you don't!" snapped the president.

Recently, author John G. Miller wrote a book called The Question Behind the Question, where he discusses the epidemic of shunning personal responsibility that's so prevalent among people today. His argument is that we'd be much more fulfilled in life if we'd simply take responsibility when we're supposed to.

This is not a new concept. In fact, as you see in today's story of Ananias, it's biblical. As Christians, we're to accept responsibility, even when things don't go the way they should. So whatever your responsibilities are in life, be quick to accept them. When you do, you'll find that while you may get blame when things go wrong, you'll receive praise when they go well!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would give you the courage to accept responsibility even when things don't go how they should.

Questions for Thought

Why do you think it's tempting to shun responsibility when things don't go the way they should?

How can you practice maintaining responsibility even if it means accepting blame for things going wrong?

[Judy Harder]

Where to find true security

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. - John 10:28

The famous author and pastor F. B. Meyer wrote about two Germans who wanted to climb the Matterhorn. They hired three guides and began their ascent at the steepest and most slippery part. The men roped themselves together in this order: guide, traveler, guide, traveler, guide.

They had gone only a little way up the side when the last man lost his footing. He was held up temporarily by the other four because each had a toehold in the niches they had cut in the ice. But then the next man slipped, and he pulled down the two above him. The only one to stand firm was the first guide, who had driven a spike deep into the ice.

Because he held his ground, all the men beneath him regained their footing. F. B. Meyer concluded his story by drawing a spiritual application. He said, "I am like one of those men who slipped, but thank God, I am bound in a living partnership to Christ. And because He stands, I will never perish."

Because of God's great love for us, those who are in Christ are planted firmly and secure in His loving arms. So thank God today for His faithfulness to you in Christ. And if you haven't done so, trust in Jesus today to forgive your sins and place yourself securely in Him!

Prayer Challenge

Give God thanks that He's faithful to you and trust Him fully for the forgiveness of your sins!

Questions for Thought

What does your security in Jesus Christ say about how much God loves you?

Because you're firmly planted in Christ by faith in Him, what kind of confidence do you have when it comes to facing life and facing the afterlife?

[Judy Harder]

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. --Psalm 20:7

While serving in World War I as a merchant marine, British actor Herbert Marshall was required to wear a foul-smelling life jacket.

He hated wearing the putrid preserver, and at the close of the war, contemptuously tossed the repulsive object overboard in celebration. He then watched in horror as the long-tormenting object sank like a rock!

Like Herbert Marshall, you and I often put our security in things that really won't save us. Things like material possessions, finances, and job status...even things like our own good works.

In Jeremiah 17:5, God warns us, "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD." But two verses later He says, "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him."

So I want to ask you an honest question today: Who (or what) do you put your confidence in? If your trust isn't in Jesus Christ, you're holding onto a life preserver that will sink when you need it the most!

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Praise God that He is trustworthy, and ask Him to help you fully put your trust and confidence in Him.