Life is a word that describes the existence of anything that has the breath of God.
(Job 33:4) “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.”
Individual life is dependent on somebody else’s life, like the life of a cow being sustained by grasses or cows being killed to sustain human life, and so on. And, ultimately, our lives depend on the original source of life.
(Psalms 145:16) “Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.”
(Acts 17:28) “For in him we live, and move, and have our being…”
Human life is sustained by so many things: The right amount of gas, including hydrogen and oxygen; the right amount of food, including the “not-so-good-to-the-taste-buds”; the right amount of sleep and rest, including meditation and self-awareness; and the right doses of God’s word including His reproof and correction.
(Matthew 4:4) “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
(II Timothy 3:15-16) “And that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
Human life on earth is also controlled and manipulated by various factors in nature. Time and environment have great influence in life. Time is spent on life and life is spent on time. A life that should have been lived longer is shortened if lived in “not so good times”. Distress and depression can make life shorter in a country infested by wars, hatred and chaos. A household where the members of the family live in hatred and confusion may be plagued by cardiovascular diseases.
(Proverbs 17:22) “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
Health is necessary for a good quality life. Health deteriorates in a chaotic environment. Pollutions and toxins can destroy health, and eventually, life itself. But here is something to ponder about: the Owner of life can alter the effects brought to life by nature, time, and the environment. This was displayed by the ministry of Jesus, the Captain of life.
(Acts 3:15) “and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.” RSV
He gave sight to someone born blind.
(John 9:1-7) “ And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind, Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”
He made the lame walk.
(Matthew 9:2, 6-7) “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house.”
And resurrected the decomposing cadaver of Lazarus.
(John 11:39-44) “Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.”
Truly, human life is anchored on the power of God. God, the Creator, has the final say on it.
(Hebrews 9:27) “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
(Deuteronomy 32:39) “ See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.”
(Ecclesiastes 8:8) “There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.”
All life emanate from Him.
(John 10:17-18) “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
Thus, a logical thing follows: Life must be lived within His will.
(Philippians.1:27) “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,” RSV
…must be spent for Him
(Acts 20:24) “But I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” ASV
…and must be ended by Him and for His glory,
(Romans 14:8) “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”
A logical question follows: Aside from God, is there anybody who has a right to take life from a human person? The logical answer is: “Thou shall not kill”. Killers and murderers under any circumstance are not of God.
(John 8:44) “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
There is no commandment that will justify euthanasia. The commandment, thou shall not kill, did not say, “Thou shall not kill a healthy person”. Mercy killing, as they say, is erroneous. Who could be more merciful than God?
(Psalms 103:8) “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”
If a person lived a single day, week or month, it means that God wanted him to live that long or that short. Another logical question follows: How about those who kill without mercy? The logical answer is: They will be dealt with, without mercy.
(Hebrews 10:28-29) “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace”
(James 2:13) “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”
It is prudent and wise to help stop killings among humanity. If anybody feels like killing anybody, do an experiment on yourself. I advice you to get a needle, disinfect it, and prick your flesh. If your brain is telling you that it is painful, and that it hurts, then you should realize that the pain brought by a stabbed wound, by a bullet wound or by the multiple wounds that can be inflicted by a bomb are far much greater.
Our very own life is not ours as we owe it to God, the Creator. And we must not take it by ourselves. Learning to love ourselves is learning to love the life of others. If you love your mommy, your daddy, your brother or your sister, you will not kill them. The victims of those that are committing murders and mass killings may be a mom or a dad, a brother or a sister loved by their relatives the same way these murderers love their own. So take my advice friend, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the royal law.
(James 2:8) “If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:”
It is not yet late for anyone who does not know this law. Let us follow this law and we will be a better society of civilized humans!
Sincerely,
EFS