Walking in wisdom brings length of days and a life worth living (Prov. 3:2 AMP). But sin can cut your life short: "The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord prolongs one's days, but the years of the wicked shall be made short" (Prov. 10:27 AMP).
Satisfied With Long Life
It isn't God's will for you to die young. He wants you to live out the full number of your days: "With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation" (Ps. 91:16). "This promise is given to the person who abides in Him" (Ps. 91:1).
On the basis of this scripture, if you live 70 or 80 years and still aren't satisfied, just keep on living until you are! (Feel free to live 120 years if you aren't satisfied.)
That's what the patriarchs of old did. They lived until they were ready to go home. Then when they were old, plenteous in goods and satisfied with their life, God just "gathered them unto their people" (Gen. 25:8). In other words, they were gathered to their family that was already on the other side.
Did you know heaven is a real place? You have family waiting for you there. And the older you become, the more family members will gather there before you.
The Bible says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). It also says that to be present with the Lord in heaven is far better (Phil. 1:23).
So when you leave this earth, you will instantly be with the Lord. And you will also be "gathered unto your people."
A Wonderful Welcome
The first people you will see in heaven will be your family members. Even members you have never met before will come out to greet you. It will be a grand reunion!
Also, anyone whom you helped lead to the Lord while on earth will be there to greet you. So the more souls you bring into God's kingdom during this life, the bigger your reception will be when you go to be with the Lord.
Heaven is a real place, and it will be glorious someday to be gathered to our people in the presence of the Lord. Yet even though we are citizens of heaven, we should want to live out our lives on this earth so we can fulfill what we are called to do.
We must run the race that has been set before us and finish our course (Heb. 12:1). Meanwhile, we can enjoy all the rights and privileges that our heavenly citizenship provides for us now in this life.
Perhaps you haven't been living according to God's wisdom. You may have even been living in a manner that has destined you to die young.
A Clean Slate
Well, you can change that destiny. You can come over to God's side right now and make Jesus Lord of your life. You can begin to walk in His wisdom and His ways. He won't hold your past against you. He'll just wipe away all your past mistakes and give you the blessings that belong to you as a new creation in Christ Jesus - including long life!
It's your choice. If you choose to live the world's way, you will very likely cut your days short, and the days that you do live won't be worth living. But if you choose to walk with God, you can enjoy a long, satisfying life full of good days - with far better days yet to come in heaven.
God is making it very clear - how you live does make the difference!
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka: Kenneth Copeland Ministries