Daily Living for Seniors

[Judy Harder]

Glorifying God in every aspect of life

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. - 1 Corinthians 10:31

You may be surprised to know that throughout his or her lifetime, the average American:

Spends 3 years in business meetings
Spends 13 years watching TV
Consumes 109,354 pounds of food
Makes 1,811 trips to McDonalds
Spends $6,881 in vending machines
Eats 35,138 cookies and 1,483 pounds of candy
Catches 304 colds
Spends 24 years sleeping
It's amazing to see those kinds of numbers isn't it? But what many Christians don't realize is that even in the seemingly "mundane" aspects of life like eating or sleeping, God can be honored. In fact, as you see in today's verse, you can glorify God in whatever you do!

It's easy to slip into the mindset of "sacred" versus "secular" and think, I can really only glorify God when I'm reading my Bible or singing to Him. But in reality, God doesn't just want an hour on Sunday, He wants all of you 24 hours a day and 7 days a week!

So whatever your daily routine has you doing, glorify God. If you're having lunch, use it as a time to thank God for the blessings of food. If you're meeting with friends, show them the love of Christ in how you talk and act. When you do that, you'll start to understand what it really means to glorify God with your life!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to show you "routine" areas of your life where you can bring glory to Him!

[Judy Harder]

The key to overcoming loneliness

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. - Psalm 25:16

Everyone, at some point in life, experiences loneliness. In his book Facing Loneliness, J. Oswald Sanders writes, "The round of pleasure or the amassing of wealth are but vain attempts to escape from the persistent ache.... The millionaire is usually a lonely man and the comedian is often more unhappy than his audience."

Sanders goes on to emphasize that being successful often fails to produce satisfaction. Then he refers to Henry Martyn, a distinguished scholar, as an example of what he is talking about. Martyn, a Cambridge University student, was honored at only 20 years of age for his achievements in mathematics. In fact, he was given the highest recognition possible in that field.

But he still felt such emptiness inside. In fact, he was quoted as saying that instead of finding fulfillment in his achievements, he had "only grasped a shadow."

After evaluating his life's goals, Martyn sailed to India as a missionary at the age of 24. When he arrived, he prayed, "Lord, let me burn out for You!" And in the next 7 years that preceded his death, he translated the New Testament into three languages!

Do you want to know what the key to overcoming loneliness is? It's living your life on a purposeful mission for God. So if you find yourself with feelings of loneliness, reach out to others with the love of Christ and watch the peace of God invade your heart!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would reveal to you areas where you can turn any loneliness into service to Him and that you would be overcome by His supernatural peace.

[Judy Harder]

How to get off the spiritual roller coaster

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. - 1 Corinthians 15:58

As a wealthy oil tycoon lay on his deathbed, his pastor talked of God's healing power. "Pastor," he gasped, "if God heals me, I'll give the church a million dollars." The pastor gave a wry grin and said, "Yes, sir, I'm sure you would!"

Miraculously, the man was healed and within a few short weeks was out of the hospital. One day several months later, he and the pastor were chatting on the sidewalk in front of the church. "You know," the pastor laughed, "when you were in the hospital dying, you promised to give the church a million dollars if you got well. We haven't got it yet."

"Did I say that?" the tycoon asked. "I guess that goes to show how sick I really was!"

It's interesting how in times of desperation, people tend to become more spiritual, promising God this and that. Yet when those times of desperation pass, they're left with unkept promises and a waning spiritual life.

Instead of living life on a spiritual roller coaster, stay close to God in good times and in bad. Don't treat God like a cosmic Santa Claus who you turn to when you need something. See Him, rather, as a faithful friend who is always with you no matter what you're going through!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would give you consistency in your walk with Him in good times and in bad.

Questions for Thought

Are there times in your life when you've been on a spiritual roller coaster? What were the circumstances that prompted you to get closer to or further from God?

When times are good, how can you reaffirm your commitment to God and avoid leaning on your circumstances for joy?

[Judy Harder]

The value placed on your life

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

Years ago, a Dutch professor took time to calculate the cost of an enemy soldier's death at different epochs in history. He estimated that during the reign of Julius Caesar, to kill an enemy soldier cost less than one dollar.

At the time of Napoleon, it had considerably inflated—to more than $2,000. At the end of the First World War, it had multiplied several times to reach the figure of some $17,000. During the Second World War, it was about $40,000. And in Vietnam, in 1970, to kill an enemy soldier cost the United States $200,000.

What is the value of a human life? At different points in human history, and even to different people, various values have been ascribed. But to God, the price was the life of His Son. And that value was not because we're worthy of it; it was given by God.

We are all sinners worthy of death and separation from God. Yet because God loved us so much, He gave those who are in Christ value and adopted us through the death of His Son, and brings us into eternal life. That's the value God has placed on us as His faithful people!

Prayer Challenge

Thank God that He loved and valued you so much that He sent Jesus to die for you so that you can live forever!

Questions for Thought

How does it make you feel to know God valued you so much that He sent His only Son to die in your place?

What can you do to share this wonderful news with others?

[Judy Harder]

How to love those who ridicule you

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." - 2 Peter 3:3-4

In 1818, Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis was born into a world of dying women. The finest hospitals lost one out of six young mothers to the scourge of "childbed fever." Back then, a doctor's daily routine began in the dissecting room where he performed autopsies. From there the doctor made his way to the hospital to examine expectant mothers without ever pausing to wash his hands.

Dr. Semmelweis was the first man in history to associate such examinations with the resultant infection and death. His own practice was to wash with a chlorine solution, and after eleven years and the delivery of 8,537 babies, he lost only 184 mothers—about one in fifty.

He spent the vigor of his life lecturing and debating with his colleagues. Once he argued, "While we talk, talk, talk, gentlemen, women are dying. I am not asking anything world shaking. I am asking you only to wash.... For God's sake, wash your hands."

Virtually no one believed him, and Semmelweis died insane at the age of 47, his colleagues laughing in his face. It wasn't until years later that hand washing became a common, life-saving practice among medical professionals.

There will come a day when all will be made known, and those who have scoffed at the gospel will see their error. But until then, stay vigilant in sharing God's message of salvation with a dying world!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would give you the resolve to be vigilant in sharing His message of hope with a dying world.

Questions for Thought

What is a time in your life when others have scoffed at you for what you deeply believed to be true?

How can you persevere in sharing God's message of salvation, even to those who see it as "silly" or "nonsense"?

[Judy Harder]

Finding your true value as God's image bearer

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. - Psalm 139:14

Our five senses give us some astonishing capabilities, don't they? The human can see a candle's flame 30 miles away on a dark, clear night and smell a single drop of perfume diffused in a three-room apartment. Our tongues can taste .04 ounces of table salt in 530 quarts of water. Our sense of touch can detect a pressure that depresses the skin .00004 inches on the face or fingertips. And our ears can tell where a sound is coming from even when it arrives at one ear just .0003 seconds before its arrival at the other ear.

Yet as you grow older, perhaps you've noticed that your eyes aren't what they used to be. Maybe your nose can't quite smell roses on a beautiful spring day like it used to. And it's possible that your ears have caused you to lean in a little closer to your friends to hear them clearly when they talk!

Despite these types of problems that everyone faces as they grow older, you are fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image. And because the Bible says that "God is spirit" (John 4:24), we know that this image isn't physical; it's spiritual. That means that whatever functions you may lose, you'll never lose the image of God in your soul.

So never forget that you bear God's image, and even when your physical body fails you, your spirit—who you really are—endures forever!

Prayer Challenge

Thank God that He's allowed you to bear His image. Pray that He would help you understand that your true value goes well beyond your physical body.

[Judy Harder]

The importance of praying continually

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

One Sunday in a Midwest city, a little boy was acting up during the morning worship hour at church. The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew, but were quickly losing the battle. Finally, the father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly down the aisle on his way out. Just before reaching the foyer, the child called loudly to the congregation, "Pray for me! Pray for me!"

At some point in time, every Christian feels just like that little boy. They're staring in the face of an undesirable outcome and their only hope is to simply say, "Pray for me." But what if, instead of it being a last resort, prayer was the first place you went? What if being in a persistent state of faithful prayer wasn't just something you did when times got tough, but was a way of life?

This is exactly the kind of attitude the apostle Paul wrote about in today's passage. He says that the Christian life isn't just about praying when times get tough; it's about praying at all times—good and bad.

The faith that sustains you when things look the worst is the very same faith that sustains you when things are at their best. So pray continually. If things are good, thank God for His blessings in your life. If things are bad, pray that God would show you His purpose. Communication with your Creator is the key to living a life filled with God's very best!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to remind you to stay connected with Him through prayer in the good times and bad.

[Judy Harder]

The most fruitful way to spend your time

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. - Joshua 1:8

Charles Francis Adams, the 19th century political figure and diplomat, kept a diary. One day he entered: "Went fishing with my son today—a day wasted." His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary, which is still in existence. On that same day, Brook Adams made this entry: "Went fishing with my father—the most wonderful day of my life!"

It's amazing how two people can see the same thing, yet not see the same thing. Charles Adams saw his day spent fishing as a wasted day—a day when he could've been much more "productive" had he been working. Yet his son saw the time investment as meaningful and loving. What a tragic difference in perspectives.

The only way to tell the difference between wasting and investing is to know one's ultimate purpose in life. For some, time spent praying and reading the Bible is time wasted, when so much more could be done.

Yet for those with the right perspective, it's time with their Heavenly Father, who longs for them to invest their time in Him. So have the right perspective. Spend your time building your relationship with God. It will be the best time you'll ever invest!

Prayer Challenge

Pray and ask God to give you a correct perspective with regard to your time.

Questions for Thought

What are some lies that the enemy puts into your head when you think about spending time in God's Word and praying?

How can you overcome those lies and have the right perspective that time with God is time well spent? 

[Judy Harder]

Recognizing your value in Christ



But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:4-7

The greatest obstacle to being physically handicapped is often not the condition itself but the stigma society still associates with it. Carlene Mattson shared a touching story about her handicapped son, Jeff, in an interview with Focus on the Family. She said,

"Our Lord is still in the business of changing lives, but not always in the ways we expect. Several years ago, Jeff played in a special Little League for kids with disabilities. After many seasons of watching from the bleachers and rooting while his big brother played ball, Jeff's opportunity finally arrived. When he received his uniform, he couldn't wait to get home to put it on. When he raced out from his bedroom, fully suited up, he announced to me, 'Mom, now I'm a real boy!' Though his words pushed my heart to my throat, I assured him he had always been a 'real boy.'"

Very often, our society ascribes value to people based on their contribution to it. So many people who are limited in their capacity to contribute are thought of as less valuable. But the truth is we are valuable because of who we are, not because of how we look or what we accomplish.

Don't base your value on what the world says. Instead, value yourself how God values you as His child because of your faith in Christ!

Prayer Challenge

Thank God for the incredible value He's placed on you through your faith in Jesus Christ!

Questions for Thought

Think of some times when you've had feelings of "worthlessness." What were the circumstances that brought those feelings on?

How can you remind yourself each day of your value in God's eyes as one of His children?

[Judy Harder]

Connecting yourself with the body of Christ

For 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, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. - Romans 12:4-5

A churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. The letter read as follows:

"I've gone to church for 30 years now. In that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time, and the pastors are wasting their time."

This started a real controversy in the Letters to the Editor column. It went on for weeks until someone wrote the following clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time, my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"

Quite often, people downplay the importance of church attendance simply because it doesn't give them the "spiritual high" they're looking for each and every week. But church doesn't exist to make you feel good. It exists to glorify God!

Stay in church; learn and grow with other believers. While you might not remember everything, you can be sure that if you have a willing heart, you're being transformed into Christ's likeness!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would give you the resolve to remain connected with other believers when you're tempted to do life alone.

Questions for Thought

Have there been times when you've had feelings of isolation? What brought those feelings on?

How can staying connected to other believers encourage you in your daily walk with Christ?