Live Your Full Life

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:07:23 EST

"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21).

Many people are killing themselves. They are working hard at it, running for some goal not realizing that they are on their way to destruction. There is no doubt that all will die physically. These bodies of ours are only designed to live a certain period of time since Adam and Eve sinned. Although, we look forward to the time of Jesus' return, when His kingdom will be brought forth in all of its glory; until then we have to live with the reality of physical death. "And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?" (Matthew 6:27).

Although we cannot add a single cubit to our life span, we can, however, shorten it. This is easy to do by not taking care of our health, living under great stress seeking some goal of man, but the way of a short life is not normally thought of as violating God's Commandments.

"You shall walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess." (Deuteronomy 5:33).

Proverbs 19 - Teaches us today?

Proverbs 19:16 "(16) He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, But he who is careless of his ways will die."

Psalm 81:1-5 "(1) Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob. (2) Raise a song, strike the timbrel, The sweet sounding lyre with the harp. (3) blow the trumpet at the new moon, At the full moon, on our feast day. (4) For it is a statute for Israel, An ordinance of the God of Jacob. (5) He established it for a testimony in Joseph, When he went throughout the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not know."

Today's question. Can I live a long life by following God's Commandments only?

No. That is not the point of today's Proverb. People can die by accident, war, disease and many ways that result in a shorter life. The point of the Proverb is that if you curse God, if you steal from others, if you disobey your parents, if you murder, lie, cheat, etc., it is very likely that your life will be shorter. This is not new. This teaching has been tested over thousands of years. Yet, every generation believes that they can violate these basic principals, do things their way, and live a long life. The objective in life is to live as long as God has ordained that we live, not shorter. It is to accomplish His will and not our will or the will of others. It is to have a relationship with God, through the cross of Jesus Christ that will carry over into the next life. And, our objective is to participate with God as He chooses by obeying Him and being a part of His plan.

As Christians mature spiritually, we can earn rewards during our lifetime that will be given to us in heaven. Keep God's commandments and receive His blessings. "each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire; and that fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward." (1 Corinthians 3:13-14).

Dear God, I pray that we live our full life as you have ordained it. Amen.

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Live Your Full Life