Searching for the Secret to a Long Life

Remember the story of Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon searching for the legendary “Fountain of Youth” in the 1500’s? I heard there’s a rumor going around that he currently resides in St. Augustine, Florida and spends his days watching reruns of “Dora the Explorer.”

Going through my email recently a headline caught my eye. It read, “Harvard Study Shows Unexpected Key to Long Life.” I didn’t take the time to read the article, but I thought everybody knew the secret to a long life: Just avoid dying. (Good luck with that.)

 

I’ve read a few novels and seen science-fiction films and TV shows about people who somehow achieved immortality. There’s an episode of the old “Twilight Zone” dealing with that theme that I especially enjoyed. What would you do – how would you react – if somehow you stumbled across a Fountain of Youth or ingested some kind of elixir that enabled you to live forever?

 

I’ve pondered this on occasion. My conclusion is it wouldn’t be all that great a deal. Think about it: All of your family members and friends eventually would pass away, but you’d keep hanging on. In a film I viewed recently, the indestructible lady had to keep inventing new identities to avoid raising suspicions about why she never aged or became ill. Hers had become a lonely existence; after a century or so she became tired of it. She was actually relieved when she became mortal again.

 

Then again, the Bible clearly and unwaveringly addresses the prospect of not a long life, but a forever life. The best-known verse of all declares, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

 

When Jesus Christ said this, He clearly wasn’t offering an assurance of not experiencing physical death. Rather, it was His promise that for those who trust in Him, death is merely a step into what we might term, “the other side of eternity.”

 

Sometime later, in comforting Martha, whose brother Lazarus had just died, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). Then, as if to demonstrate His power over life and death, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead – a foreshadowing of His own resurrection after His crucifixion.

 

We could cite numerous other passages that offer the same assurance, but here are just two more to consider: In Titus 1:2 the apostle Paul writes about, “a faith and knowledge resting in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.” This, Paul made clear, was not a “hope-so” faith, but a confident assurance, an earnest expectation for all who follow Christ.

 

And another apostle, John, asserts, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God has not life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).

 

No doubt, scientists and physicians will continue their search for the keys or secrets to longer life. And that’s not a bad thing. But death for us all is inevitable, even more than taxes. It’s just a matter of when. To date, the mortality rate for humankind – and all living things – has been 100 percent. But by faith in Jesus Christ and His transforming power, we need not dread death. We’re assured that when our days on this earth come to an end, there’s a far more glorious life to come, beyond anything our finite minds can comprehend.

 

As the two most pivotal days on the Christian calendar approach, Good Friday and Easter, we can rejoice in the promise Jesus gave to His followers: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29).

 

For now, we can do as King Solomon admonished in Ecclesiastes 5:18, “I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot.” And then, for everyone who knows and follows Jesus Christ, real life will begin.

What to Do with Eternity in Our Hearts

I’m old enough to remember the haunting tune sung by Peggy Lee, “Is That All There Is?” Numerous times over the years I’ve heard successful businessmen refer to it in describing their climbs up the corporate ladder and discovering how unfulfilling that had been for them.

 

But we don’t have to be in the business or professional world to occasionally have similar thoughts. We get married, filled with dreams of happily ever after and then, when the honeymoon glow has long faded, we might begin to wonder, “Is that all there is?” Sooner or later, idyllic imaginings about the joys of parenthood are similarly dashed when we suddenly realize that our children aren’t perfect – and as parents, neither are we. “Is that all there is?”

 

I’m sure there are many athletes and actors, once their aspirations for fame and fortune have been fully realized, have reached the “Is that all there is?” stage. Reports of alcoholism, drug abuse, divorce and suicide give us clues that the so-called “good life” isn’t necessarily as good as it’s hyped up to be.

 

The question takes on even more profound meaning when we start to recognize the brevity of life. In our younger days, we seem convinced we’ll live forever. That’s why many young people take an approach to life that’s both carefree and careless. Feelings of invincibility can do that. But then we start to see lives of loved ones and friends coming to an end. “Forever” has an expiration date.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The timeless, eternal God, who has no beginning and no end, desires for our grip on this life to be a loose one. In the Scriptures we read, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

 

It says the Lord has “set eternity in our hearts,” a deep-down sense that as we appraise our existence on earth and wonder, “Is that all there is?” we have the assurance that no, it’s not. There’s more to come.

 

Years ago, I interacted quite a bit with a hardened atheist – unsuccessfully, I must admit. In his words, after this life has reached its inevitable conclusion, “all we are is dust in the wind.” A refrain from a different song – sung by Kansas, not Peggy Lee.

 

The skeptic I talked with certainly wasn’t the only person to hold those sentiments. But even a child knows, “Eternity is a REALLY long time,” making our temporal lives less than a blip on the screen. This being the case, even the most productive life doesn’t amount to much. That is, unless there’s indeed hope for life beyond the one we’ve come to know and love.

 

Earthly life and eternal life. These make up a recurring theme in both the Old and New Testaments. They’re such pressing concerns that in his first letter, John the apostle wrote these encouraging words to believers in the first century: 

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life.” Then John added the clincher: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God [Jesus Christ] so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).

 

How important is it that we can know for certain that we have eternal life? If you’ve ever walked past or driven by a cemetery, it’s a solemn reminder that as Ecclesiastes 3:2 states it, there’s “a time to be born and a time to die.” Is that all there is, living out whatever time we’re allotted and then coming to an absolute dead end, whether it be a grave, tomb, mausoleum or crematorium? 

 

There’s not much that can top the hope and confidence that for those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, when we draw our final earthly breath then, to quote yet another popular song, “We’ve only just begun to live.” (Thank you, Karen Carpenter, for that lovely thought.)

 

But what can knowledge that we have eternal life do for us, other than assure that our existence won’t dissipate like steam coming out of a teapot? It can give us meaning and a sense of purpose, far beyond our strivings for a promotion and pay raise at work, a better golf score, or any of the many other things – tangible and intangible – that tend to occupy our time and attention. Because all of those will be forgotten eventually, perhaps sooner than we think.

 

During His “sermon on the mount,” Jesus gave a description of the impact having eternity in our hearts can make: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).

We’ve often heard it said, “You can’t take it with you,” but as Jesus promised, we can send it on ahead. 

Life – It’s Really Just the Tip of the Drumstick

The other day at my drum lesson, I had a bit of an epiphany (not to be confused with tympani). My teacher, who like me had met AARP membership criteria long ago, and I got into a conversation about the brevity of life and how the majority of our earthly existence is already behind us.  

As we were chatting, I glanced at the tip of one of my drumsticks. The tip is less than one-half inch, while the entire stick is more than 16 inches long. A drummer uses the entire drumstick, of course, but the tip is where the action is. This prompted me to think about the span of one’s life here on earth, compared to eternity. 

 

The average American lives well beyond the age of 70, although we all know of people who passed away much younger. And there are many people living well into their 80’s, 90’s, and some past 100. That seems like a long time, but as a little girl once said, “Eternity – well, that’s like forever!” Yep, a very, very long time.

 

Which begs the question, if our time on earth is equivalent to the tip of a drumstick, while the entire drumstick (and beyond) represents eternity, why are we so focused on just the tip?

 

Skeptics might contend that this life is all there is, there’s nothing after we die. If that’s the case, we might do well to consider the somewhat pessimistic perspective of the author of Ecclesiastes, who wrote, “So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 8:15). Eat, drink and be merry, ‘cause tomorrow you may die! 

 

However, the same book’s writer also observed, “[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). In response to the plaintive question of the old song, “Is that all there is?”, the Bible teaches emphatically, “No, that’s not all there is.”

 

The Scriptures don’t sugarcoat the reality of life. As it says in James 4:14, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away.” The New International translates the word as “mist.” Vapor or mist, neither is anything you can hang onto for long.

 

But rather than telling us to resign ourselves to a relatively short-lived existence, the Bible is filled with passages and promises that essentially tell us, “Quit concentrating on the tip of the drumstick and learn to value the entire stick.”

 

In what’s perhaps the best-known verse of Scripture, John 3:16, we’re told, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This isn’t referring to the fabled fountain of youth that Ponce de Leon searched for, but life that continues long after we take our last breath on planet Earth. 

 

The apostle John expanded on this when he wrote, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:12-13).

 

Speaking to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and Jewish leader, Jesus Christ referred to this when He said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).

 

On another occasion, Jesus assured His followers, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Another translation terms it “abundant life.” Either way, He was not referencing hefty wallets and investment portfolios, shiny cars and grandiose houses, but life for all of eternity with our Heavenly Father.

 

Writing a final charge to his protégé, Timothy, the apostle Paul clearly understood there’s more to life than what he’d experienced on “terra firma.” With his sights set on what awaited him, Paul declared: 

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, for which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

 

Even though in Romans 6:13 he wrote about our offering ourselves as “instruments of righteousness,” I don’t think he had drums or even drumsticks in mind. But he might have appreciated that metaphor for pondering this life and the life to come.

 

How about us? Is our concentration fixed totally on this particular moment, tomorrow or next month, or have we given thought to what is, as Paul phrased it, “in store” for us in eternity, beyond the “drum tip” of everyday life?

When a Gift Ceases to Be a Gift

By now, Christmas has become a distant memory. What were those gifts we received, anyway? Some of us have moved on, already starting to compile a new list of wants for next Christmas. We all enjoy receiving gifts, don’t we? The more the merrier!

But have you ever considered what a gift really is? Or what could possibly happen so that a gift would cease to be a gift?

Some TV talk show hosts, like Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and others, are known for being gift givers. Recipients might be people confronting difficult circumstances; their gifts intended to help them overcome their adversity. Others receiving gifts might be folks engaged in noble causes, working with limited resources to assist people in need. And sometimes, the studio audiences are the beneficiaries, receiving free books, cosmetics, small appliances and, on rare occasions, more extravagant gifts.

But what if an intended recipient, for whatever reason, declined or refused to accept the gift? Would it still be a gift?

One thing is certain: If not accepted, the intent of the gift will never be fulfilled. Why is this important? Because the Scriptures repeatedly refer to salvation – which includes receiving forgiveness for sins and gaining the assurance of eternal life – as a “gift.” 

Case in point: After presenting the bad news, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), the apostle Paul provides the good news: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

After explaining how what the Bible calls our “sin nature” became a universal part of mankind’s spiritual heredity because of Adam’s disobedience, Paul writes about the impact of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection: “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man (Adam), how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow for the many!” (Romans 5:15).

And writing to believers in ancient Corinth, reminding them about “the surpassing grace God has given…,” Paul enthusiastically declares, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:14-15).

Other passages speak more about this gift, but two truths about gifts must be recognized, especially God’s gift of eternal life: First, a gift isn’t earned; it’s given freely, not based on merit or performance. As Titus 3:5 states, “[Jesus] saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy….” And second, the gift must be received. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

Even the most well-known verse in the Bible affirms this: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This passage doesn’t say that everyone is guaranteed eternal life, even though God “gave.” It makes clear this gift applies to “whoever believes in [Christ].” In other words, for those who don’t believe – or refuse to believe – the gift is null and void.

Does this sound exclusive? Perhaps. But consider who is doing the “excluding.” A TV talk show guest, or a member of the studio audience, might correctly state he or she didn’t go home with a gift from the show. But that would only be because they chose not to accept – or receive – the gift. They determined to exclude themselves from the gift.

As I understand it, this is true as well for the ultimate gift – that of eternal life. The gift has been offered, but it still must be received. So the question we must all ask ourselves – or should ask ourselves – is, “Have I received this gift? And if not, why not?”

The Wonderful Words of Life

Much of life is mundane, uneventful. We get up in the morning, prepare for the day, perform appointed tasks and pursue chosen goals, eat a couple of meals in the interim, maybe chill out a bit in the evening. Then we head for some sleep so we can do it all over again the next day. Sound familiar?

But there are moments in life, exceptional moments, that stand out. Ones that really make life worth living. We could call those the times when we hear “the words of life.”

For instance, when the doctor or nurse looks up from the ultrasound and with a smile announces, “It’s a boy!” (Or, as happened for us several times, “It’s a girl!”) Or that exhilarating moment when the surgeon appears in the waiting room and informs the anxious family, “We got all of the cancer.”

Perhaps it didn’t involve surgery, but you went to your primary care physician (didn’t PCP used to be some kind of hallucinogenic drug?) for an illness or troublesome pain. You described your symptoms, he or she undertook a thorough examination, and then assured you, “It’s nothing serious.” Or there might have been a time when some calamity occurred and you feared loved ones might have been involved. After hours of waiting and wondering, the phone rang and you heard the good news: “They’re safe!”

Those in truth are words of life. It’s nice when we hear our favorite team won the big game, or receive a much-hoped-for raise or promotion. But when it comes to matters of life and death, health and safety, we’re desperate to hear the words of life.

We see something like that – even more profound – when we read in the gospel of John after many among the adoring throng that had been following Jesus suddenly turning away. Addressing to His closest followers, the ones known as the 12 disciples, Jesus asked, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” In response, Simon Peter quickly said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:67-69).

“Life” is a word Jesus used a lot during His earthly ministry. After stating our spiritual enemy “comes only to steal and kills and destroy,” Jesus declared, “I have come that they might have life – and have it to the full” (John 10:10). I like the translation that says we can have life “abundantly.”

Sometimes Jesus meant physical life: Lazarus being summoned from the dead after several days in a tomb. A little girl restored to life after a distraught centurion in faith asked Jesus to help his ailing daughter. A blind man given sight, a leper made clean, a crippled man raised to his feet, a woman cured of her long-term “issue of blood.”

But more often, Jesus’ words of life concerned not earthly existence, but the life that comes after it. One of the best-known verses in the Bible tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

Later Jesus described Himself as “the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). Moments later, in case anyone missed His meaning, the Lord declared, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51).

The best thing about this offer of eternal life – the ultimate words of life – is that it’s not a matter of hope-so, or maybe. We have this assurance: 

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Numerous other passages could be cited as well, but the Scriptures make it abundantly clear: We live in a world in which our physical lives are threatened at every turn. And we know that for each of us, one day our days on earth will come to an end. But for followers of Christ, that is only the beginning of real life. 

At any moment, in the blink of an eye, we will step onto the other side of eternity. We will be greeted by our Lord, and He will welcome us with the words of life – eternal life. So, as we press on in this life, we would be well-advised to heed the admonition of Proverbs 4:11-13, “I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths…. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Grass is supposed to be green, not brown, right?

Weeks ago I mentioned we had our front yard reseeded, spending money to grow grass. It worked. Areas where there’d only been dirt – turning into mud during heavy rains – sprouted thin blades of grass and the yard slowly turned from brown to green. We had a “lawn” again.

Last week we went out of town. In our absence scorching heat and insufficient water conspired to stifle the new growth, reverting some of the newly green covering back to brown.

Since our return – no rain in sight and more hot weather predicted – I’ve watered the “grass,” trying to grow greenery so I can mow when (and if) it grows long enough. Somehow that picture seems askew.

But this grassy reality mirrors everyday life. We spend much time and energy in pursuits that seem attractive at the time, only to fade eventually. They fall short of expectations; we lose interest in them, or find something “better.” All that effort, with nothing to show for it.

The Bible employs this “here today, gone tomorrow” grass analogy several times. For instance, Isaiah 40:6-8 declares, “All men are like grass, and their glory is like the flowers of the field…. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Years ago a wise friend said, “Only two things in this life will last – God’s Word and people.” Personal and professional goals come and go; styles and traditions change; people become celebrities one day and nobodies the next. The bright, shiny stuff we eagerly acquire breaks, becomes tarnished, or gets old. Like grass, they fade away.

But the Word of God has endured for more than 2,000 years and shows no sign of losing its impact, to the chagrin of nonbelievers. Its “eternal verities,” as theologians would say, remain as true and relevant today as ever. The author of the Word is unchanging as well: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

And people are God’s primary interest on earth. Storms, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and fires destroy splendid structures and breath-taking scenery. However, men, women and children – the Lord’s consummate creation – remain His focus. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

So we might be wise from time to time to assess our lives, goals and priorities. Are we devoting ourselves to “growing grass,” or using our time and talents for things that will last?