Hot Topics: Prolonging Life

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your Book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

Psalm 139:16 (NKJV)

I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’

Isaiah 46:10 (BSB)

King Hezekiah was a rarity, as one of Jerusalem’s few good kings, who ‘Did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done’ (2 Kings 18:3)...

But he got sick and didn't want to die. So he begged God and got fifteen more years. As the end of Chapter 20 reveals,* these years saw the king make a grave mistake: one that would later destroy his kingdom.

If the timing of our death was up to us, most people don't want to die now, either. We take drugs (and other drastic measures) to avoid death or try to look younger.

For outsiders, it’s understandable. They fear what will happen beyond death's door, and many think… this life is all we've got.

But for insiders, what are we thinking? Don't we know...?

  • Life with Christ will exceed everything here.

  • We'll be healthy, joyful, and among kin.

  • Beauty beyond reckoning awaits us.

  • God cares for the loved ones we leave behind.

  • God's timing was, is, and will be perfect.

  • We’ve nothing to fear. Great gain is coming.

  • Why choose quantity over quality?

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

Now is the time to walk out our callings, using our talents to glorify God. ‘I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation’ (1 Corinthians 6:2).

Yesterday is gone. We dare not look back! ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’ (Luke 9:62). 

Tomorrow is unguaranteeable. ‘Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring’ (Proverbs 27:1).

Wise daily choices? Don’t procrastinate! Do prioritize! (Ask God to help you.) Continue to follow Jesus forward.

Hot Topics: Prolonging Life (Part 51)

* Entire Chapter, full story of King Hezekiah's request for a prolonged life and its result: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2kings20&version=NKJV

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re all called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re all called to be models of Jesus. We all have gifts, talents, and a commission to multiply them in the world for His glory.

P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend DAILY BIBLE READING.

WARNING: Don’t focus on your favorite verses, because taken out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!

Carey Arban