Never Die

I'm listening to radio commentator.  I've come in at the middle of his speaking, and am not sure exactly what his theme was, but...

Quoting author Jack London a few weeks before his death:
"I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.”

But  modern day people are encouraged to do just that--prolong their days and merely exist.  People are afraid to live; to think; to dream.  They seem content to sit in front of the tube living their lives vicariously through people who are paid actors--people who memorize lines and spew them out like they are real--or through sports heroes, or...  Without much thought they just accept what is told them. 

Hebrews 9:27  "And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment;"

What is life?  Is it merely the breathing out and in of the body?  Is it merely going through the days of our life that are numbered to us?  Is it a job, a home, a family?  What is life...

Luke 12:15  "And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth... 22)  And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. 23)  The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment."


Luke tells us that life isn't the things which we posses in this life, it isn't what we eat, or what we shall wear.  Yet how many people go about their daily lives striving for things?  They strive for food--which is a necessity to some extent, and yes clothing is as well, but...


  
"If your clothes have any name on it except your own, we can't afford it."  I used to tell my children.  I told them that half serious, and half joking.  In my day (younger) a brand name would often indicate quality...in these days it is often just a status symbol.  It indicates a person has more money than sense.


An acquaintance recently sent me a group of pictures.  One picture shown was of Hitler's officers in 1939.  They were dressed in their uniforms sitting at a long elegant table with nice place settings.  The next picture in the series was of three modestly dressed young children sitting at a small child sized make shift table with some sort of cloth covering it.  The heading on the latter picture was: "Christmas dinner of cooked cabbage, 1931".  Any history buff would understand at least part of the stories behind both of those pictures.  I would rather be one of the three impoverished children of the second picture than affiliated with Hitler and the first picture.

 
Striving--striving after the wind. 

 

“There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”  G. K. Chesterton

Quite a few years ago now I found that it seemed as if any time we made more money, some one took it for taxes, or it got sucked away in some fashion.  I determined that making more money did not solve our problems.  Being the thinker that I am, I decided that what I needed wasn't more money.  I needed to learn to live cheaper.  We have always kept a garden, so some of the other things we did were taking it to the next level.  We are country folk, so we got some laying hens, a milk cow, and even raised some of our own hogs.  We changed some of our habits in order to live better, and it improved more than our money situation.  Our family became closer in several ways.

James 4:14  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.

We know this life won't last forever.  We know that neither sorrow, nor joy will last forever.  Yet, sorrow makes joy much sweeter, and the combination makes heaven more anticipated. 

The test comes when we find we can say as the apostle Paul did in Philippians 4:11  "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

1Timothy 6:6  "But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7)  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8)  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."

The reality is that our body will die, unless our Lord Jesus comes again before that happens.  Our body will not last forever, but we will never die.  The real question is, where will we live forever?  How comforting to make our peace with God, and know that there is a place waiting for us in heaven.  As we live our days it is necessary to really live those days, and make a difference while we are living.  So praise God, and live well now and forever.  Hallelujah, what a Savior!