Death offers us perspective. When someone we know dies, it causes us to take a step back and re-evaluate how we’re living. It’s almost an automatic response for everyone – especially if it’s someone who we believe died before “their time.”
The concept of people dying before “one’s time” suggests that we all have an appointed time to depart the earth. It also begs the question: “who sets this time?” Who really determines when the clock of our life runs out? Let’s try to answer some of this question.
First, who determines when the clock of our life runs out? The most popular answer to this question is, “God is the time keeper of our lives.” The only issue with this answer is that it puts the blame on God, and alleviates us of any sense of responsibility. However, there’s a plethora of scriptures that explicitly state that God desires that we enjoy long life on the earth and in eternity.
But Let’s turn to the Bible for some guidance.
A. 1 Peter 3:10 – “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.”
B. Proverbs 18:21 – “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
C. Ephesians 6:2-3 – “‘Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise— ‘so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’”
From these 3 scriptures, it appears you have a say in this matter. It appears you are the ‘clock setter.’ By being intentional about speaking words of life, and by making deliberate efforts to honor our parents, we can essentially prolong our time on the earth. This is very simple, yet frequently unpracticed.
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Ugo is an energetic and dynamic youth leader and the president of the nonprofit NEU Gen Leaders. He is the author of 2 books – Secrets of Academic Excellence and The NEU Era. He can be reached at [email protected].