We are living in a period where there are numerous cases of premature deaths all over and around us, both of believers and unbelievers. This has somehow brought fear in our hearts, for our loved ones and our lives as well. Does the bible have an answer to this?
When God made us, He also wrote down the number of days we are to live from the very first day to the last. Ps 139:16, and Job 14:5 says also that a mans days are already determined, and the number of months is wholly under Gods control and he cannot pass beyond his allotted time. God having taken time in His wisdom to plan our lives definitely wills that each of us should live the full length of our days and everyone of us have different time periods which God has determined.
Premature death is dying without fulfilling the number of our days. For each day there is what God has planned for us, dying early will cause us not to fulfill all of Gods will in our lives; we therefore can also say that premature death is dying without fulfilling the purpose that God had for us. It does not mean as we know dying before 70 years for Jesus and Paul never reached the age of 70 years and yet they fulfilled their purpose on earth.
Jesus said in John 10:10 that the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. He steals our focus and attention and instead of focusing on things that have eternal value, we concentrate on what is temporal, and he then kills our passion and desire for God and our willingness to fulfill our God given and then he destroys our lives by hardening our hearts, and other ways. When we give the devil a foothold in our lives, then he will accomplish the three works in our lives and finally we may end up dying prematurely.
If we are to live the full length of our days as God has planned, we have a responsibility and we take it, WE WILL BE FREE FROM THE FEAR OF DEATH for Christ came to set us free from the fear of death. Heb 2:14-15.
KEEP YOUR TONGUE FROM SPEAKING EVIL AND YOUR LIPS FROM LYING
Ps 34:12,13, 1Pet 3:10 tells us that the first requirement for us to live the full length of our days is in relation to the way we use our tongue. We have to stop speaking evil, i.e. gossips, slandering, cursing, lying…
2. TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD. SEEK PEACE, PURSUE IT AND WORK TO MAINTAIN IT
The second requirement in Ps 34:14, 1Pet 3:11 turning from evil, running from places you will be tempted to do evil, and doing good, i.e. looking for opportunities to do good and also seeking peace with everyone including those who hate us and always seeking each moment to be at peace with everyone as far as it lies with us.
3. FEARING GOD
Prov 10:27 says that the fear of God prolongs life. Fearing God means fearing to do anything or say or even keep in heart or mind that will grieve or hurt God.
4. HONORING PARENTS
Deut 5:16 tells us that if we want that it may go well with our lives and that we may live the full length of out days, we must honor our parents. This unfortunately is something that is taken lightly today and that is why we have parents burying their children instead of children burying their parents,
5. LETING THE HEART KEEP GODS COMMANDMENTS
Prov 3:1,2 tells us that if we want long life we have to keep the commandments from the heart. This is a deeper way of keeping the commandment, it includes delighting in obeying God.
If we delight in obeying God, we will reach the full length of our days.
6. GETTING WISDOM
Prov 3:15,16 tells that wisdom offers us long life. The seven characteristics of wisdom in James 3:17 are; PURITY, PEACEABLE, GENTLE, WILLING TO YIELD, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD DEEDS, WITHOUT PARTIALITY AND SINCERE (without hypocrisy). Let us seek with all our hearts this wisdom.
If we seek with all our hearts to live as seen above, we need never fear that we can die prematurely. We can boldly say “ I AM IMMORTAL UNTIL MY LIFES WORK IS EENDED. GOD WILL PRESERVE AND KEEP ME FROM ALL EVIL”
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