Enjoy Long Life

Deuteronomy 6:1-2 - "These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, ² so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life"

If we want to enjoy a long life, we need to obey God's commands, decrees and laws. He did not only say that we would have long life, but enjoy the life we have. This is so contrary to what the world tells us and often even our own hearts. The world tells us to do whatever feels good. The world tells us that happiness is found in sex, power, and money. It is found in having fun and partying. It is found in fulfilling the desire of our hearts (flesh), and do whatever we like.

So often as Christians we fall for this propaganda and get sucked into self-centered living, instead of Christ centered living. Yet if we look honestly at the world around us, it is full of pain, turmoil, trouble, despair and suffering. People hate one another or at the very least can't get along. There is fighting and division everywhere. There are people killing themselves and people being killed. This is all brought about because of mans disobedience and unwillingness to submit  to God and his decrees. Many peoples lives are cut short due to their sinful ways. Yes their are the wicked who live long, but don't enjoy the long life.

King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 2:4-11, states that he didn't refuse himself any of the pleasures of life, and had more wealth and power than anyone of that time, but he considered it all worthless because it could not satisfy the true inner man.

Man is always trying to fulfill the emptiness in him that only God can fill. Sin and the pleasures of this world satisfy for a brief moment. Their are many temptations and pleasures in this life. Yet, they can not draw us away from God as we remain close to him. It is when our relationship with God is in trouble that we are tempted to fill it with other things.