Daily Living for Seniors

[Judy Harder]

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]

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]

The great reward of servanthood

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. - Philippians 2:3-4

A large group of European pastors came to one of D. L. Moody's Northfield Bible Conferences in Massachusetts in the late 1800s. Following the European custom of the time, each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But because this was America, there were no hall servants.

Walking the halls that night, Moody saw the shoes and was determined not to embarrass his European brothers. He mentioned the need to some ministerial students who were there, but was met with only silence or excuses. So Moody returned to the dorm, gathered up the shoes, and, alone in his room, the famous evangelist began to clean and polish the shoes. Only the unexpected arrival of a friend in the midst of the work revealed the secret.

When the foreign visitors opened their doors the next morning, their shoes were shined. They never know by whom. Moody told no one, but his friend told a few people, and during the rest of the conference, different men volunteered to shine the shoes in secret.

D. L. Moody was a man with a servant's heart, which was the basis of his true greatness. And while many might consider his act of service as that of someone who was "super spiritual", all it took was humility to do what he did. In the same way, God calls us to humility each and every day—to live out the love and life of Christ to a watching world around us!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to give you the humility it takes to show Christ's love to a watching world.

Questions for Thought

Think of a time when you truly served others with a humble heart. How did it make you feel?

What specifically can you do today to look out for others' interests and serve them with a humble heart?

[Judy Harder]

The importance of aligning yourself with God's will

Trust in the LORDwith all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6

An Australian physics professor used to illustrate the time of descent of a free-falling body by allowing a heavy ball suspended from the lecture-theater roof trusses to fall some 30 feet and be caught in a sand bucket. Each year the bucket was aligned meticulously to catch the ball—and each year students jokingly moved the bucket to one side so that the ball crashed thunderously to the floor.

Tiring of this rather stale joke, the professor traced a chalk line around the bucket. The students moved the bucket as usual, traced a chalk mark around the new position, but then rubbed it out and replaced the bucket in its original spot. "Aha!" the professor exclaimed, seeing the faint outline of the erased chalk mark. He moved the bucket over it and released the ball—which thundered to the floor as usual.

Quite often in the Christian life, it's easy to second-guess God's will. We see where He wants us, but are much more comfortable aligning ourselves with our own desires for life. And when the ball of hard times drops, it should be no surprise that it crashes to the floor!

So instead of going your own way and second-guessing God, align yourself with His will found in Scripture, trusting fully that you'll be safe in Him!

Prayer Challenge

Pray and ask God to help you align yourself with His will and give yourself wholeheartedly to obeying it.

Questions for Thought

What are some areas of your life today where you feel you aren't aligned with God's will?

How can you align yourself with God's will in those areas and trust His way over your own?

[Judy Harder]

Where you can find real healing

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. - Psalm 103:11-12

A drunken husband snuck up the stairs quietly one evening as his wife was sleeping. He looked in the bathroom mirror and bandaged the bumps and bruises he'd received in a fight earlier that night. He doctored himself up, then proceeded to climb into bed, smiling at the thought that he'd pulled one over on his wife.

When morning came, he opened his eyes and there stood his wife. "You were drunk last night weren't you!"

"No, honey. I wasn't."

"Well, if you weren't, then who put all the Band-Aids on the bathroom mirror?"

Many people today are much like that husband. They look into the mirror of their lives, see their scars, and do the best they can to bandage themselves up, replacing "bad behavior" with "good behavior." But the reality is when they do that, they're simply putting bandages on a mirror and doing nothing to really heal the sin in their lives.

But in Christ, you have a whole hospital of spiritual healing at your disposal that takes the sin in your lives and doesn't just hide it, but separates it from you as far as the east is from the west. So instead of just trying to be a "good person" trust fully in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and experience healing in His name!

Prayer Challenge

Ask God to help you get beyond just being a "good person" to fully trusting in the forgiveness Christ offers from sin.

Questions for Thought

What are some sins in your life you've tried to cover up just by being a "good person"?

How does it make you feel to know that your forgiveness isn't based on your performance, but on Christ's finished work on the cross?

[Judy Harder]

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]

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]

How to recognize truth in the midst of lies

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
James 1:18

One of the most elaborate hoaxes in broadcast history was an April Fool's joke played on the British Broadcasting Corporation's current affairs program Panorama, with its rather dignified host Richard Dimbleby relating a story about the annual spaghetti harvest filmed in a Swiss-Italian spaghetti orchard.

For the segment, the producers and cameramen actually flew to Switzerland and hung spaghetti on trees in an orchard. They then filmed local women climbing ladders with baskets and pulling the spaghetti off of the trees and filling their baskets full! And with guitar music added into the background, the final product was complete.

At the end of the three-minute film Richard Dimbleby said, "Now we say goodnight to this first day of April." In spite of that hint, the next morning it was surprising the number of people who didn't recognize that the spaghetti harvest was a hoax. The BBC had pulled a big one off on countless viewers across Britain!

It's amazing how when something is presented to us by a credible source, we'll often believe it without any questions. This is true when it comes to the lies of the enemy and the world, which often lure Christians into false beliefs. So don't be hoodwinked by what the world says is true. Instead, focus on what God says is true and trust fully in Him!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would give you wisdom to discern His truth from the world's lies.

Questions for Thought

What are some lies the world tries to tell us that are contrary to Scripture?

How can you be more consistent in immersing yourself in God's truth so you'll be able to tell what's true and what's not?

[Judy Harder]

How do you feel about change?

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
1 Corinthians 3:1-2

In his book, Holy Sweat, Tim Hansel recalls how a close friend of his was asked back to his forty-year high school reunion. For months he saved to take his wife back to the place and the people he'd left four decades before. The closer the time came for the reunion, the more excited he became.

The day came to leave. Tim recalls how, as he drove the couple to the airport, their energy was almost contagious. "I'll pick you up on Sunday evening, and you can tell me all about it," he told them. "Have a great time."

Sunday evening arrived. As this couple got off the plane, they seemed almost despondent. So Tim asked his friends, "Well, how was the reunion?"

"Tim," the man said, "it was one of the saddest experiences of my life. It wasn't what happened but what didn't happen. It has been forty years, and they haven't changed. They had simply gained weight, changed clothes, gotten jobs... but they hadn't really changed."

People choose not to change. They grow content with the status quo and live there the rest of their lives. But God has called us to grow, to break out of young, inexperienced ways of thinking, and to develop into fully devoted followers of Him. So for His sake, be willing to grow in your faith, getting a swift kick when you need it, and following Him ever more each day!

Prayer Challenge

Pray for God to give you a "swift kick" in the right direction when you need it so you can follow Him more each day.

Questions for Thought

In what areas of your life do you resist change the most?

How can you become more open to change, allowing the Lord to give you a "swift kick" in the right direction when you need it?

[Judy Harder]

How you can be set free from sin

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Romans 6:6-7

Canadian journalist Thomas Costain described the life of Raynald III, a fourteenth-century duke in what is now Belgium. Grossly overweight, Raynald was commonly called by his Latin nickname, Crassus, which means "fat."

After a violent quarrel, Raynald's younger brother Edward led a successful revolt against him. Edward captured Raynald, but decided to not kill him. Instead, he built a room around Raynald in the Nieuwkerk castle and promised him he could regain his title and property as soon as he was able to leave the room.

This would not have been difficult for most people since the room had several windows and a door of near-normal size, and none was locked or barred. The problem was Raynald's size. To regain his freedom, he needed to lose weight. But Edward knew his older brother, and each day he sent a variety of delicious foods. Instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew fatter.

Raynald stayed in that room for ten years and wasn't released until after Edward died in battle. By then his health was so ruined he died within a year—a prisoner of his own appetite.

What is it about sin that so easily draws us in? While we read the story of Raynald and shake our heads in disbelief, we're no different when we choose sin and self-indulgence over the abundant life Christ offers. So instead of sin, choose Christ, who died for you so you could experience freedom from the chains of disobedience!

Prayer Challenge

Pray and ask God to empower you to recognize sin and overcome it every day!

Questions for Thought

What are some areas in your life that sin has drawn you in?

How can you trust Christ to overcome sin in these areas and experience the joy of freedom?