The proof of death is in life. People see people die everyday; therefore, they know that death is real. What more proof is needed than that? Most people, although they know the reality of physical death ignore it, not hoping it will go away, but that death will be delayed. This morning I delayed my death for twenty years. I have done that all my life. However, I do not have the power to delay my death but only shorten my life. People shorten their life, ironically, to forget their death.
I believe that people want to escape the inevitability of death by ignoring the reality of it. Many won't even read what is written here because they have thanatophobia. I have it as well. It's okay to fear things that we have no power to control. We can't control death but we can influence life by right choices. The commandment with a written promise is, "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Exod 20:12).
There are no qualifiers - ifs - in that. Parents, even cruel ones, are to be honored. Why would that be? God is our Father, and many consider his form of justice cruel. They accuse God of sending people to Hell. Although there are many cruel parents, there are also many who perceive their parents as cruel. Although they recanted later, all my children, at one time in their youth, declared their hatred for me. Why? They didn't appreciate my authority over them, and sought emancipation. That's the way many consider God.
Bad parents are sinful ones. When anyone accuses their parents of cruelty, that may be correct. However, there is none without sin and all are deserving of death. Cruel parents, just as sinful you, are to be forgiven seventy-times seven. (Mat 18:22). The truth is, that is hard to do! That's why there is an extra reward for it: "That thy days may be long upon the land." Persevering bad-parenting extends the life of a patient person. Why honor cruel parents? Years are added to life for doing so!
There was recently a movie out called Timeless. Everyone had twenty-five years to live at birth and there was a time meter on their forearm. That was their life expectancy. However, they could increase their time by trade or theft. They could steal time from the lifespan of another. They could waste time by spending it on trivial things. Everything had a cost, and as they bought and sold, they saw time changing; either increasing or decreasing but biased toward time expenditure.
Think of this passage:
" Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away" (Jas 4:13-14).The truth is that life is but a vapor. The Timeless residents were proportioned twenty-five years. Human beings have a maximum of one-hundred twenty years it seems (Gen 6:3). That, of course, pertains to the time allowed to build the ark, but scripture often has other symbolic meanings. Although a few have lived beyond that limitation, hardly anyone ever has!
Our time clocks are set at one-hundred and twenty. Perhaps, if a person sinned little, they could approach that. I believe, that perfection is that long, but iniquity reduces longevity. The Fifth Commandment seems to validate that. Obviously, if you do not murder, it is likely that you won't be murdered. If you don't steal, it's also likely you won't be murdered, and so on. Sin, for most people, results in guilt; guilt can gradually kill people, or some can take their own life out of guilt. Stress is an effective killer and guilt results in anxiety and stress.
I see one-hundred and twenty years as a practical life-span. People would tire of living if they survived that long, especially because they outlive everyone they love. The stress of that would decrease the lifespan.
We can't extend the time allotment by doing good things, but it can be compressed. Each sin that people do, decreases their longevity here on earth. That is not to say that people who die young are the greatest sinners, but that there is a correlation between sin and death as people age. We should learn from out sins, and decrease the iniquity in our lives.
The Ten Commandments are for awareness of sin, and are not punitive. They all shorten mortality and can lead to the loss of immortality. We are not condemned for sinning, but suffer the consequences of sin. Sin leads to death by increasing the rate of dying. Dying is gain if anyone is in Christ. (Phil 1:21). Obedience demonstrates to God that you are in Christ. Thus, obedience leads to physical longevity and eternal life.
The obedient person has less stress because there is less internal conflict, resulting from the dualism of wanting to pleasure oneself while pleasing God. Scripture refers to that as serving two masters., and one must win out. (Mat 6:24). Most often, in pleasuring themselves, they become their own masters.
We all want to live forever, unless some enjoy insanity. That is a simple thing to do; be born again. (John 3:7). To live forever, Jesus said that we "must be." Admittedly, most enjoy this life and knowing they are destined to die, want to delay death. Righteous living prolongs life, not beyond the limitation, but approaching it.
Considering Timeless, think of sin as spending our time. Each sin is pleasurable and requires payment for the enjoyment. Spend your time wisely. I am not referring to be selective of sins which provide the most pleasure, but accept the contentment in life which costs nothing. How much time does it cost to love your children? It takes just a little time, but the reward is great. A great amount of time is added to yours and your children's lives.
Terri asks me sometimes to do things I don't want to do. Often, I consider, perhaps this will make her happy. I spend a little time to make her time more fulfilled. We put our spiritual forearms together and share the time we have remaining just as they did in the movie. Love is wanting to share time, and spend what life is left together. Too many people do their own thing alone. That shortens the time on their forearms.
There is a quality to life. Time should not be wasted, because of its value, on trivial things. I don't like to watch many TV shows, because I am wasting time. Right now, I am sharing my time with others as I use my valuable time to share my thoughts. This is not only for me, but for you. If it remains unread, then my time meant for you is wasted. That's not effective use of the short time that I have remaining. I am reaching out, offering my forearm to share my time, and many will reject the time-sharing.
What I share is that you can increase your time here, and maybe add to the one-hundred twenty years - eternity. That's a great deal but most refuse! Living the fantasy is that you can live forever by ignoring death. Time is spent even outside awareness. Some even induce fantasy by smoking dope or injecting harder drugs to live the fantasy of living forever, even as they decrease their time remaining. That is foolish use of valuable time.
Time can also be sacrificed. Not only can it be given to others but to God. Sharing time in those two ways is the most effective use of time. Truly, loving others and God provides eternal time!
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