Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK
Nov. 2, 2011

“How Well are We Living?”
”For by me [Wisdom from God] your days shall be multiplied, and the years of your life shall be increased.” – Proverbs 9:11 (The Amplified Bible)

Much like the message from a couple of days ago—this verse is very closely tied to one back a few chapters ago where Solomon talks about wisdom adding “time” to our lives. The question that many have and one that is totally justified and is open for discussion is this: “Does this mean Christians should expect to live longer than non-Christians?” I think we can all see the trap that can be laid here. How does this fly into the face of a life cut short by illness, accident, or anything of the sort? How can we rely on such a great promise that we have here in Proverbs when so many of us experience the opposite? There is not a one of us whose lives have not been touched in some way or another by cancer invading a family member, a close friend or even you personally. We lost a very dear friend about four years ago who died of ovarian cancer. She was only 39 and left behind a four-year old son. She was a dedicated wife, mother and Christian. She was loved by everyone who knew her. She was out-going, vibrant and loved life. As a Christian and Pastor, any attempt to make sense of a life cut short in this way is beyond my ability. From my observation she did nothing to her body that would have invited such a horrible disease in. She served the Lord wholeheartedly and if anyone deserved a longer life it was her. I still don’t understand it. So how can I as a Pastor—someone who has dedicated his life in telling people that God keeps His promises—that He cares about His people and will take care of them, deal with this verse in light of what I and many of us have experienced? Is it is a contradiction? According to Biblical historians, the average life-span of a man (in Solomon’s day) was around 55 to 60 years. Less for those who did a lot of manual labor and slightly longer for those who were “Temple Servants,” or the Religious elite. (They lived a far less strenuous existence.) The average life for women was slightly longer and varied according to lifestyle. By the way, these were “religious” people—those who did follow the Word and lived mostly according to its directions. Was the promise of this verse any less real to them as it would be to us? If their lives were cut short would they be as apt to complain and lament as we would and often do? I have stated before but something that bears repeating here; in our culture we tend to measure a “good long life” to those who live into their eighties, nineties and even beyond. But does that mean that their life has been a good one? Could it be that those who lived far less in terms of their years experienced more “life” in a short time than many who live to be much older. It is unfortunate that too many leave us way too early, but if they knew the Lord as their Savior—if they have been “saved by grace,” and were walking with Him through life—then I would say they got far more mileage out of their life. Please do not mis-understand me here. This should in no way mean that we should not grieve their loss. And in the case of those we have been talking about, when someone is taken from us much earlier than expected it just increases the power of our response—often leading us to question, “How could God allow this to happen?” When we lose someone dear to us—old or young alike, to grieve and hurt is not only a natural response, but a necessary one as well! We grieve because they mattered to us—because God made them matter to us thanks to the fact He made life to be that way! He made life to live and people to live it with. Living it with a sense of purpose and direction with the power of Christ may not add years to our lives, it will add life to our years. I love this quote from John Eldredge from his book, The Journey of Desire: “The Jews (of Jesus day) were practicing a very soul-killing spirituality, a lifeless religion of duty and obligation. They had abandoned desire and replaced it with knowledge and performance as the key to life. The synagogue was the place to go to learn how to get with the program. Desire was out of the question; duty was the path that people must walk. No wonder they feared Jesus. He came along and started appealing to desire Are you getting the most out of your life? Each day is important and worth the living. Are we really living it?
Pastor J. T. Carnell