Living Longer
What is the secret to a long life?
‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for your selves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. ‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’ Peter said, ‘Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?’ And the Lord said, ‘ who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says to himself, “My master is delayed in coming”, and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. - Luke 12:32-48
Jesus tells a parable about being trustworthy and dedicated to one's master. We don't think of ourselves as slaves to anyone, though some may feel like slaves to their work.
Surely, if we do a good job and the boss can trust us, we will be happy longer, keeping our job when times are tough, and maybe even advancing if we commit ourselves to finding better ways to get the job done.
But what about living a long life? It is one thing to know we will be rewarded with everlasting life when we die, but is there anything we can do now to improve our chances of living longer?
Well I found a TED talk that hits on this topic. Here is the link:
What it says is that a study shows having close friends we can trust and engaging in social activities are the top two indicators of how long we are likely to live.
So, as Jesus points out, being a trusted employee, partner or friend is up there. It has a double benefit, storing up treasures in heaven, as well as shoring up treasured moments on earth.
So, let's spend more time together.
More to come...