Life is precious

Father God, I give thanks this morning to see another wonderful day you have made.  Who are we why we are so blessed that the many ailments that befall others, it does not fall on us.  Lord we just thank you!  I pray this morning a blessing on the reader.  I pray that all is well with them and their family.  I pray that each day they draw closer and closer to you.  I pray that their faith is increasing, and that they are learning to trust in your word which is the manual for our lives.  Oh God we just thank you for your Son and his instructions.  We pray Father that you forgive us for our shortcomings, and continue to love us as you always have, and that we remain covered under your hedge of protection.  We give you all honor and glory, and we pray this in your son’s Jesus name.  Amen.

 

I want to talk to you about the Rib Cage.  The Rib cage is one of the largest conglomerations of bones in the human body. This large body part serves as vital protection as well as skeletal structure for the human physique. The cage is made up of several bone types and cartilage. It is also one of the toughest and most painful areas to treat if any of the ribs become broken.  The main purpose of the rib cage is protection. The rib cage forms a barrier that encloses the heart and lungs. The most durable bone, the sternum, is directly above the heart and it offers the most protection. The sternum is so durable that a special bone saw must be used to cut it open for operations or autopsies.  Vital is defined as pertaining to life.  Durable is defined as able to resist wear, decay, etc.
Looking at how God designed us with such meticulous precision, the rib cage protects, or should I say guard what is essential to our life, which are the heart and lungs.  These things are so precious that God made sure that we had a protected barrier around it.  God created us complex but sensitive, and we should be mindful of how precious life is.  For example, when we work, if we are handling something that can break, we are extremely careful.  Do we really show the same care for our life? It would be appropriate for a man to remind us on how precious life is especially one who knows his life will be cut short because he did not handle it with care.  This man is Moses.

In Psalms 90, Moses speaks about the goodness of God, and how we can take God’s gift of life for granted.  In verses 10-12 it reads “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their (mankind) boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.   So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”   It alludes to how we are bound by time, and what we are to do with our time.  It is amazing when you look back on how long people lived in comparison to now.  The closer to creation, the smaller the effect of sin was on the body, and the longer man was able to live. Now, we are steeped in sin, and its effects have warped our bodies so that our life span is much shorter than it was at the beginning.   Our life now is 70 years, and by faith or will power it can be 80 years.  Anything above that is God’s will and the question is why.  In Genesis 6:3 it reads “And the Lord said, My spirit will not be in man forever, for he is only flesh; so the days of his life will be a hundred and twenty years.”  This is not saying that a person will live up to 120 years, but if you understood what took place before the flood, and the warning God gave Noah, it is evident that God waited an additional 120 years before he sent the flood, to give man time to repent of his ways.  Oh the mercy of God!!!  So if we are given 80 years on earth to live, what would be the reason for those who are living past 80 years?  Is it because of mercy and giving time to correct his/her ways, or is it because of an exception like with Moses to do a specific work for the Lord?  In either case, if we believe this Word then it is what it is.  Whether they correct their ways or do as the Lord instructed them is another story.  We will leave that up to God.

The point I am trying to send home, is that Moses in Psalms 90 understood, when it was too late, how he did not manage his life properly.  He could have lived longer, but because of his disobedience, his life was cut short.  Our life is precious.  What are we doing with our lives to make sure we live it to the fullest?  The bible states "You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your  days in the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time." (De 4:40)  This would be the root for a long life.  How precious is life to you?  Amen!