Eat your food with joy and be glad you are alive
“Some days you just need to be in a bad mood at harvest time,” Ed told me yesterday. My old neighbour in Saskatchewan was feeling more negative than positive about his progress with his combining. I tried to point out that a change for the better may be only a day or so away. Working long hours at combining can also result in bad moods. It is my opinion that every day we are alive is a reason to be positive and thankful. Ed was skeptical.
I tried to convince Ed the fact a person is alive is a very positive situation compared to being dead. I told Ed the Bible says: “Anyone who is among the living has hope – even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart. Enjoy life with your wife whom you love." The Bible also says God has given you life under the sun, so you can labour with all your might before the grave, where there is no working or planning.
Do we need to be positive because we are alive? Should we remember how fleeting life is for everyone? The Bible warns; “Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come. Whoever digs a pit may fall into it, whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake, whoever quarries stones may be injured by them, whoever splits logs may be endangered by them. As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them!” Accidents, injuries and death can happen without warning at any time.
Ed said that people in Bible times had a short life expectancy. My old neighbour suggested folks live much longer now. He did agree that everyone will die. Ed feels that it is common sense to believe being alive is better than being dead. He objects to my hope that everyone will die in faith in Jesus Christ who conquered death and the grave. Ed feels preachers pressure people to believe in Jesus when there is no rush needed.
I told Ed that when he buys a lottery ticket, there is a time limit involved. The deadline for picking the winning number is set for the lottery. If you don't buy a ticket before the deadline, you cannot win the lottery because you have no ticket. As we live our lives, we know that we all have a deadline ahead of us, which is the time of our death. Mostly we are confident it is so far down the road it is out of sight for us. Death before us is inevitable but not immediate.
The return of Jesus from heaven is certain but with no specific date. The Bible promises; “The Lord Himself will come down from heaven.” Jesus explained, “No one knows about that day or hour, only the Father in heaven.” He also warns, ”Keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour. So, you must be ready because the Son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
