Daily Living for Seniors

[Judy Harder]

The real purpose of prayer

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." - Matthew 6:6-8

As Christians, one of the great paradoxes we face is asking God for something that He already knows we need. If you've ever wrestled with that seeming contradiction, perhaps the thoughts of the 19th-century preacher R. A. Torrey can help. Among the reasons he gave for prayer are these:

Because there is a devil, and prayer is a God-appointed way to resist him (Ephesians 6:12-13, 18).
Because prayer is God's way for us to obtain what we need from Him (Luke 11:3-13; James 4:2).
Because prayer is the means God has appointed for us to find "grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
Because prayer with thanksgiving is God's way for us to obtain freedom from anxiety and to receive "the peace of God" (Philippians 4:6-7).
Besides these reasons, it should be enough that we're commanded to, "Pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Yes, God is all-knowing, but He also desires our fellowship and wants us to pray to Him. He also wants us to convey our utter dependence upon Him as our creator and sustainer.

When we seek God's will in prayer, we strengthen our relationship with Him. So pray... not because you're telling God something He doesn't know, but because through prayer, you grow deeper in your connection with God.

Prayer Challenge

Spend extended time in prayer today telling God what's on your heart and allowing Him to speak into yours.

[Judy Harder]

Are you saved by faith or works?

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. - James 2:26

A story is told of the renowned artist Paul Gustave Doré, who lost his passport while traveling through Europe. So when he came to a border crossing, he explained his predicament to one of the guards. Doré hoped he would be recognized and allowed to pass because he was so famous. The guard, however, said that many people had recently attempted to cross the border by falsifying their identities.

Doré firmly insisted that he was the man he claimed to be. "Alright," said the official, "I'll give you a test, and if you pass it, we'll allow you to go through." So he handed him a pencil and a sheet of paper and told the artist to sketch several peasants standing nearby. Doré did it so quickly and skillfully that the guard was convinced he was indeed who he claimed to be.

In the Christian life, the relationship between faith and works can be a funny thing. On the one hand, when it comes to your standing before God, there's no amount of good deeds you can do to find acceptance. It's by faith alone. However, that same faith must be given substance by one's works. Just like Doré, what you do must validate who you claim to be.

So instead of seeing your works as making you holy, think of them as confirmation of the reality that you've already been made holy. And remember that while faith alone saves, the faith that saves is not alone!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would show you areas in your life where you can be diligent in validating your faith to the world through good works.

[Judy Harder]

The redeeming freedom of Christ in your life

(B)ut those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:31

When A. J. Gordon was pastor of a church in Boston, he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, "Son, where did you get those birds?"

The boy replied, "I trapped them out in the field."

"What are you going to do with them?"

"I'm going to play with them, and then I guess I'll just feed them to an old cat we have at home."

Gordon replied, "I'll give you $2 for the cage and the birds."

"Okay, it's a deal, but these birds are worthless!"

The exchange was made and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny coins. Gordon walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire coop, and let the struggling creatures soar into the sky.

The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ's redemptive work. "That boy told me the birds were not songsters," said Gordon, "but when I released them and they winged their way heavenward, it seemed to me they were singing, 'Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed!'"

Apart from Christ, we're all held captive to sin with no hope of escape. But Jesus purchased us with His own blood and redeemed us from the punishment of captivity. Because of that, we can be set free in Him!

Prayer Challenge

Thank Jesus for His redemptive work in your life and for the freedom He's purchased you on the cross.

Questions for Thought

Before Christ, what did bondage to sin look like in your life?

How should life lived in freedom be different from life lived in the captivity of sin?
LIVE IN SUCH A WAY THAT OUR WORLD WILL SEE THERE IS AN ANTIDOTE TO EVIL, JESUS CHRIST!

[Judy Harder]

Finding God's favor through perseverance

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:14

Psychologist Martin Segilman of the University of Pennsylvania advised the MetLife insurance company to hire a special group of job applicants who, although they had failed a normal aptitude test, tested high on optimism. So the company participated and observed these workers over time.

They were shocked, then, to observe that compared with salesmen who passed the aptitude test but scored high in pessimism, this group made 21 percent more sales in their first year and 57 percent more in their second.

Explaining this phenomenon, Dr. Segilman reasoned that a pessimist is likely to interpret rejection as meaning, "I'm a failure; I'll never make a sale." Yet when optimists fail, they tell themselves, "I'm using the wrong approach," or, "That customer was in a bad mood." By blaming failure on the situation, not themselves, optimists are motivated to make that next call and experience success.

As Christians, we're also called to be optimists. When we give things our best and they don't go our way, we can safely say that it wasn't God's will and He has something better planned. So instead of expecting the worst, keep your head up and press on, knowing that God's plan is perfect and He'll always show you His favor!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to help you see His favor in every situation—even when it doesn't go your way!

Questions for Thought

How should living with a heavenly perspective change your outlook on everyday life?

What can you change today to help you better persevere through life's setbacks?

[Judy Harder]

Building a deep dependence on God's provision

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" - Matthew 6:26

The famous missionary Hudson Taylor knew what it meant to trust in God's faithfulness. In his journal he wrote:

Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning.... He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all.... Depend on it, God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply.

As Christians living in a time and area of the world characterized by unprecedented wealth, it can be easy sometimes to take our attention off the fact that everything we have comes from God. Yet the truth is that we are just as dependent upon God for the shelter over our heads and the food on our plates as the poorest person who's ever lived. We just tend to be less aware of it!

There are times, however, that you become keenly aware of your dependence on God for life. When it doesn't look like there's enough money in the bank... or when it seems like you won't be able to cover your basic expenses, you're forced into a place where you have no other choice than to trust that God is going to provide for you.

God knows your need. He knows when you're struggling to make ends meet. He knows the stress that comes with uncertainty about whether or not your expenses will be covered. So take heart. He cares for His creation and will care for you, too!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to drive you to a deeper dependence upon His faithfulness to provide for your every need.

Questions for Thought

How does living in a culture that praises 'self-made success' impact your trust in God for His provision?

How would your life be different if you completely surrendered to God's provision?

[Judy Harder]

How God can use you to do the extraordinary

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. - Acts 4:13-14

On October 2, 1840, Rev. Dan Edwards was ordained as a missionary to the Jews. He received a letter shortly after from the famous pastor, Robert Murray McCheyne, who wrote,

"Remember you are God's sword, His instrument—I trust, a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God."

Sadly, many Christians have mentally disqualified themselves from living a life of impactful ministry simply for the fact that they don't feel they possess a dynamic personality or exceptional communication abilities. But as you look down the annals of history, you see that God has used very ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

Take Moses, for example, who didn't believe he could speak well enough to represent God to Israel (Exodus 4:10), yet God used him to liberate His people from slavery. Or, look at the disciples, who once held jobs that were by all accounts extremely ordinary, yet they made an eternal difference for the Kingdom simply by surrendering to God's work in their lives.

It doesn't matter who you are or what you do. What matters is the level at which you let God work through you. In Christ, you really can make an eternal difference in the lives of others. All you have to do is trust in God to use you and surrender your will to His!

Prayer Challenge

Pray and ask God to work through you to make an extraordinary difference in the lives of others!

Questions for Thought

Can you think of a time when God has used you to do something well beyond your own abilities?

What can you trust God with today so that He can work through you in a powerful way?

[Judy Harder]

Responding to God's love for you

"Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them." - Jonah 2:8

God's redemptive work in the lives of His faithful people will naturally provoke worship. Author and pastor Leslie B. Flynn once told a story that illustrates this truth.

An orphaned boy was living with his grandmother when their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to get upstairs to rescue the boy, perished in the flames. The boy's cries for help were finally answered by a man who climbed an iron drainpipe and came back down with the boy hanging tightly to his neck.

Several weeks later, a public hearing was held to determine who would receive custody of the child. A farmer, a teacher, and the town's wealthiest citizen all gave the reasons they felt they should be chosen to give the boy a home. But as they talked, the lad's eyes remained focused on the floor.

Then a stranger walked to the front and slowly took his hands from his pockets, revealing severe scars on them. As the crowd gasped, the boy cried out in recognition. This was the man who had saved his life. His hands had been burned when he climbed the hot pipe. With a leap the boy threw his arms around the man's neck and held on for dear life. The other men silently walked away, leaving the boy and his rescuer alone. Those marred hands had settled the issue.

In our world today, many voices are calling for our attention. Among them is the One whose nail-pierced hands remind us that He has rescued us from sin and its deadly consequences. And because of the redemption He's purchased for us with His blood, we owe our devotion to Him!

Prayer Challenge

Pray and thank God for the redemption you have because of Jesus Christ. Commit yourself to worshipping Him above everything else.

Questions for Thought

What are some things in your life today that compete with God for your attention?

What does Christ's redemptive work say about your worth in God's eyes?

[Judy Harder]

The key to building solid, selfless relationships

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.... - James 1:19

Albert Einstein was invited to speak at a banquet held in his honor at Swarthmore College. Hundreds of people from all over the country crowded an auditorium to hear what he had to say. When it came time for him to speak, the greatest physicist walked to the lectern, solemnly looked around, and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am very sorry, but I have nothing to say." Then he sat down.

The audience was in shock. A few seconds later, Einstein got up, walked back to the podium, and spoke again. "In case I have something to say, I will come back and say it." Six months later he wired the president of the college with the message: "Now I have something to say." Another dinner was held, and Einstein made his speech.

It's been said that God gave us two ears and one mouth for the simple reason that we should listen more often than we speak. Yet for many Christians today, relationships are breaking down for the simple reason that people are forgetting how to listen to each other.

You never hear of someone sticking his foot in his ears—only his mouth! So when it comes to interacting with others, listen before you speak. Prefer others and let them talk. Listening, not talking, is the key to keeping peace and building solid relationships that honor God!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to show you people with whom you can be quick to listen and slow to speak.

[Judy Harder]

The dangers of hasty decisions

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. - Proverbs 21:5

The photographer for a well-known magazine was assigned to take photos of a great forest fire. The problem was that smoke at the scene hampered him. So he frantically called his home office to hire a plane. "It will be waiting for you at the airport!" he was assured by his editor.

As soon as he got to the small, rural airport, sure enough, a plane was warming up near the runway. So the reporter jumped in with his equipment and yelled, "Let's go! Let's go!" The pilot swung the plane into the wind and soon they were in the air.

"Fly over the north side of the fire," said the photographer, "and make three or four low, level passes." "Why?" asked the pilot. "Because I'm going to take pictures!" said the photographer with great exasperation. "I'm a photographer, and photographers take pictures!"

After a long pause the pilot said, "You mean you're not the instructor?"

Many times, in order to make the quickest decision possible, it can be easy to sacrifice our God-given wisdom for the sake of expediency. And all too often, these hasty decisions result in negative outcomes, because when not all the facts are known, bad choices can very easily be made.

Yet the wisdom of the Psalms tells us in today's passage that diligent planning and seeking the Lord's will ultimately result in our good. So instead of making decisions too quickly, spend time praying and seeking wise counsel to make the best choices possible!

Prayer Challenge

Pray and ask God to give you wisdom and patience to make decisions that honor Him.

[Judy Harder]

Two stances to take toward sin in your life

The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their ways preserve their lives. - Proverbs 16:17

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. - Proverbs 28:13

A 1990 Subaru car commercial showed a Volvo heading toward a wall, and then, in slow motion, crashing into the wall. The point of the commercial was that the Volvo is built so sturdily, the passengers are not hurt in spite of the severe nature of the crash.

The next shot shows a Subaru heading at a high rate of speed toward a wall. At the last possible moment the driver slams on the brakes and the Subaru stops inches from crashing into the wall. The announcer then cuts in and asks what you would prefer: to live through a wreck, or not to get in a wreck in the first place?

As Christians, we should have both a proactive and a reactive stance toward getting into trouble. A proactive stance is what we do to avoid trouble. So if you struggle with anger, you proactively take steps to avoid blowing up when stress hits. A reactive stance, on the other hand, is what happens when you do sin. So if you do blow up, you react by being apologetic and asking for forgiveness.

Both of these stances are crucial when it comes to dealing with sin in your life. So stay on your guard proactively by watching out for where you're prone to sin. Also, develop a planned biblical response for when you do make a mistake that keeps your relationships with God and others fully intact!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would give you wisdom to avoid sin, as well as deal with sin when it happens.