Daily Living for Seniors

[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.

[Judy Harder]

Jesus said]: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."  --Matthew 23:27-28

At her launch in 1936, the Queen Mary was the largest ship to sail the oceans. She served faithfully for four decades, even through a world war, until she was retired in a Long Beach, California harbor.

After her retirement, she was transformed into a hotel and museum. During the conversion, she was given a complete facelift. Her three gigantic smokestacks were taken down to be scraped and repainted. But once on the dock, they crumbled as soon as the makeover began.

Nothing was left of the ¾-inch steel plates that had once formed the stacks. All that remained were more than thirty coats of paint, which had been applied over the 40 years she was at sea. The steel had rusted away and left the stacks without substance.

Similarly, when Jesus called the Pharisees "whitewashed tombs," He meant they had no substance. They were merely concerned with externals...how they appeared before others. Jesus said, "On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness" (Matthew 23:28).

Oh that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, would never be compared to the Pharisees! As children of the King, we must "first clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean" (Matthew 23:26).

The Scripture says God does not look at outward appearances or the things that man looks at, but instead He looks at the heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7). Seek daily a pure heart and your outward appearance will reflect your inner beauty and God's love.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to cleanse and purify your heart, removing anything unclean from your life. Pray that He would create in you the inner beauty of His love,shining through to a lost world.

[Judy Harder]

Jesus said:] "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time."  --Mark 13:22-23

In the November 1987 issue of Reader's Digest, Betty Wein retold an old tale she heard from Elie Wiesel, a world-renowned Jewish novelist, philosopher, political activist, and Holocaust survivor:

"A just man comes to Sodom hoping to save the city. He pickets. What else can he do? He goes from street to street, from marketplace to marketplace, shouting, 'Men and women, repent. What you are doing is wrong. It will kill you; it will destroy you!'

"They laugh, but he goes on shouting, until one day, a child stops him. 'Poor stranger, don't you see it's useless?'

"'Yes,' the just man replies.

"'Then why do you go on?' the child asks.

"'I was convinced that I would change them. Now I go on shouting because I don't want them to change me.' "

To the church at Corinth, Paul said, "You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus be cursed,' and no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:2-3).

Even as Christians, we can easily be led astray to idols and gods of our culture by the influence of others if we're not careful.

Jesus even warned, "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time" (Mark 13:22-23).

It's just as easy to compromise our faith, even a little, as it is to be influenced. Always guard your heart and mind with the truth of God's Word.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to guard your heart and mind against evil influences.

[Judy Harder]

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  --Matthew 7:1-3

Sir Percival Lowell was an author, mathematician, and the world's most distinguished astronomer during the late 1800s and early 1900s. But Lowell was best known for his speculation that canals existed on Mars.

In 1877, he heard that an esteemed Italian astronomer had seen straight lines crisscrossing the red planet's surface. As a result, Lowell spent the rest of his years squinting into the eyepiece of a giant telescope, mapping the channels and canals that he saw.

He was convinced that there was life on Mars, even an older and wiser race than humanity. As a result, his observations gained wide acceptance.

Today, we know space probes that have orbited and landed on Mars show there are no canals on the Martian surface. So how could Lowell have been mistaken?

There are two possible reasons: 1) he wanted so badly to see the canals that he convinced himself he did, and 2) we now know that he suffered from a rare eye disease that made him see the blood vessels in his own eyes. The canals he saw on Mars were nothing more than the veins in his eyeballs. Today, this disease is known as "Lowell's syndrome."

When Jesus warned that "in the same way...you will be judged" and cautioned about missing the "plank in your own eye", do you think He could have been referring to a so-called spiritual Lowell's syndrome?

Again and again, we see faults in others because we don't want to believe anything better about them. And many times we think we have a clear view of their shortcomings when in fact our vision has been distorted by the plank in our own eyes. May we never judge others, but always commit them to the Lord in prayer.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to help you recognize the "planks" in your own eyes before judging others and see the good He has created in them.

[Judy Harder]

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. --Hebrews 12:1-2 

In the book, Is It Real When It Doesn't Work?, authors Doug Murren and Barb Shurin tell this story:

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the local newspaper: 'Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before, and he died a very rich man.'

"Actually, it was Alfred's older brother who had died; a newspaper reporter had bungled the epitaph.

"But the account had a profound effect on Nobel. He decided he wanted to be known for something other than developing the means to kill people efficiently and for amassing a fortune in the process. So he initiated the Nobel Prize, the award for scientists and writers who foster peace.

"Nobel said, 'Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph in midstream and write a new one.'"

Few things will change you as much as looking at your own life as though it were finished. What kind of legacy will you leave behind one day when you are gone from this earth?

Will your children, grandchildren, and family members remember you as one who followed obediently after the Lord each day of your life?

You and I are surrounded by people—family, friends, and acquaintances—who are watching the words we use and the things we do in this life. It's not too late to begin writing your epitaph. Strive to leave a legacy that will bring others to Jesus.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask the Lord to make your life a testimony of His love and grace to those around you and those you leave behind.

[Judy Harder]

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. --1 John 3:10

John Hess-Yoder, a missionary in Laos, once told this story:

"While serving as a missionary in Laos I discovered an illustration of the kingdom of God. Before the colonialists imposed national boundaries, the kings of Laos and Vietnam reached an agreement on taxation in the border areas.

"Those who ate short-grain rice, built their houses on stilts, and decorated them with Indian-style serpents were considered Laotians.

"On the other hand, those who ate long-grain rice, built their houses on the ground, and decorated them with Chinese-style dragons were considered Vietnamese.

"The exact location of a person's home was not what determined his or her nationality. Instead, each person belonged to the kingdom whose cultural values he or she exhibited."

It is the same with believers. We live in the world, but not of it. Instead, we are children of God's kingdom. Therefore, we are to live according to His holy standards and values in this life.

The Scripture says, "He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. ... No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:7-9).

If you are a believer, it should be easy for others to tell what makes you different from them. Just as the Laotians and Vietnamese could be easily defined according to their cultural values, we as Christians should also always be easily identified as followers of Jesus Christ and His values.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to integrate His values, morals, and biblical standards into every area of your life. Pray that you would be easily identifiable to the world as a follower of Jesus.

[Judy Harder]

You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.  --Leviticus 18:4-5

Author Timothy Munyon once wrote:

"While living in Florida, I had several friends who worked cleaning rooms at a nationally known inn located directly on the white sands of the Gulf of Mexico. They spent their work breaks running barefoot in the sand. The problem was the inn required all employees to wear shoes at all times while working.

"I noticed the employees responded in one of two ways.

"The majority thought the rule restricted their freedom. The rooms had shag carpeting, delightful to bare toes, and just a few steps away lay the beach. To them the rule to wear shoes was nothing more than employer harassment.

"But a minority of the employees looked at the rule differently. Sometimes late night parties would produce small pieces of broken glass. Occasionally a stickpin would be found hidden in the deep shag piles. Some knew the pain of skinning bare toes on the steel bed frame while making a bed. This minority saw the rule as protection, not restriction.

"Were God's laws written to make life miserable? Or were they written by a loving heavenly Father who cares about His children?"

Deuteronomy 11:1 says, "Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws, and his commands always."

Over and over again in Scripture, followers of Jesus are admonished to obey the commands and laws of the Lord. Many believe these "laws" are meant to restrict Christians from living a free and happy life. Others realize they are meant to provide certain boundaries for believers as a form of protection while walking with the Lord.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for the laws, commands, and biblical boundaries found in His Word. Pray that He would bring them to your mind as you walk daily with Him.

[Judy Harder]

Watch me," [Gideon] told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, 'For the LORD and for Gideon.'"  --Judges 7:17-18

In Everyday Discipleship for Ordinary People, Stuart Briscoe wrote:

"One of my young colleagues was officiating at the funeral of a war veteran. The dead man's military friends wished to have a part in the service at the funeral home, so they requested the pastor to lead them down to the casket, stand with them for a solemn moment of remembrance, and then lead them out through the side door.

"This he proceeded to do, but unfortunately the effect was somewhat marred when he picked the wrong door. The result was that they marched with military precision into a broom closet, in full view of the mourners, and had to beat a hasty retreat covered with confusion.

"This true story illustrates a cardinal rule or two. First, if you're going to lead, make sure you know where you're going. Second, if you're going to follow, make sure that you are following someone who knows what he is doing!"

In the Bible, God chose Gideon, an Israelite judge, to lead a group of men in overtaking the Midianites. Over and over, the Lord instructed Gideon on what to do and what steps to take. Because God ordered his steps and he obediently followed, Gideon defeated the Midianites with just 300 men.

Do you know who you're following? Is it your pastor, Bible study leader, or friend? Is he or she obediently following the Lord? If you're in a leadership position, are you following the Lord faithfully and thereby leading others down the right path?

Know who you're following and where they are going. And when leading others, follow the Lord so that you will always walk through the right door.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Pray for those leading you in life and ask God to reveal to you the right doors you are to walk through when leading others.

[Judy Harder]

Jesus said]: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."  --Matthew 5:13-16

In the December 1987 issue of Life magazine, Brad Darrach wrote:

Meryl Streep is gray with cold. In Ironweed, her new movie, she plays a ragged derelict who dies in a cheap hotel room, and for more than half an hour before the scene she has been hugging a huge bag of ice cubes in an agonizing effort to experience how it feels to be a corpse.

"Now the camera begins to turn. Jack Nicholson, her derelict lover, sobs and screams and shakes her body. But through take after take--and between takes too--Meryl just lies there like an iced mackerel. Frightened, a member of the crew whispers to the director, Hector Babenco, 'What's going on? She's not breathing!'

"Babenco gives a start. In Meryl's body there is absolutely no sign of life! He hesitates, then lets the scene proceed. Yet even after the shot is made and the set struck, Meryl continues to lie there, gray and still. Only after 10 minutes have passed does she slowly, slowly emerge from the coma-like state into which she has deliberately sunk.

"Babenco is amazed. 'Now that,' he mutters in amazement, 'is acting! That is an actress!'"

That kind of dedication amazes people! God has also called all believers to be dedicated--to be salt and light in the world--not lukewarm Christians. Jesus said, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!" (Revelation 3:15).

Be completely committed in your walk with Christ every day--so committed that others will look at you and say, "Now that is a Christian!"

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to increase your commitment to the faith, so that others may see a reflection of Christ in you and they can come to know Him as a result.

[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 his book Lost Moon, Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell tells the story of the intense competition between aerospace companies over the contracts to build the lunar and command modules for the Apollo space programs.

He tells how no one really wanted the lunar module, the "consolation prize" whose glory during the moon landings would be short-lived. Everyone wanted to build the commence module, which they believed would be the backbone of NASA for years.

As it turned out, North American Rockwell won the contract to build the coveted command module, and Grumman begrudgingly accepted the lunar contract.

In his book, Lovell notes how the lunar module actually became a lifeboat for the Apollo 13 astronauts who almost died on their now infamous journey into space. What was once thought of as the "consolation prize" ended up saving three lives!

I want to ask you today, do you ever feel like you've been given the consolation prize? Are there areas of your life where you feel like you're not getting the recognition you deserve?

In John 1:10, the Bible tell us that Jesus Himself wasn't recognized for who He was or what He would do. Like Him, we often have to wait to see the fruits of our actions or the impact they will eventually make.

But the fruit of your actions will reap a harvest. Psalm 37:3 says, "Trust in the LORD and do good." There are no conditions to this command from the Lord! Each of us should do good all the time, trusting that God will reward us for our faithfulness to Him and work everything for our good.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God to help you trust in His faithfulness and that He will work everything for your good.