The fear of the LORD prolongs days,
but the years of the wicked will be shortened.
Proverbs 10:27
Up to this point, Proverbs has been laying a foundation about wisdom, perhaps the main lessons Solomon wanted his son to learn. But moving into Chapter 10, we find the familiar pattern of Proverbial couplets--something about the righteous, something about the wicked, and so on and so forth. This verse is one of several like it, but I focused in on it because if went right along with my thoughts over the last few days about the fear of the Lord.
If the Bible can make any other point clearer, I don't know what it is. God is good for you. God is good for your health, your happiness, your family, your finances, your relationships, your profession. In every area of life, things are made multitudinous times better by the blessing of God.
Fearing God will prolong your life; sin will shorten it. If that concept is a little vague, think about it this way. People who aren't Christians have no convictions about what they do to their bodies, even though they know what they do may harm them. Habits like smoking, drinking and doing drugs are not habits normally associated with a Christian lifestyle. Sex outside the blessing of marriage can be just as dangerous, what with all the diseases and jealous lovers out there. Criminals running afoul of the law could be shot; if they go to prison, they could be shanked; if they cross their own, they could get the shaft in a mortal kind of way.
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, holy living increases your chances of survival!
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