Deuteronomy 5:33 teaches us, “You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.”
Does God want you to live a long life?
Yes absolutely!
Does this mean it is true 100% for everyone?
No, Paul got saved and had a worse life going from killing to being killed.
So life as a believer is not perfect and always daisies and sunflowers, but for the majority of the time it will be daisies and roses if we follow the Lord.
It will, “go well with you” if we follow God.
Life as a believer is not perfect, but the Word teaches us how it will go well with God when we are with Him.
What is the key to a long life? Jesus, when we follow the Lord we will live a long and healthy life.
This means that we must follow and walk in God’s word.
A good way to look at it is like this: the reward of long life for honoring your parents is a general principle, not a universal truth.
John Ortberg was once out surf-
ing, there was no one else in the water.
In fact, there was no one around at all, except a guy the size of Goliath doing tae kwon do on the beach.
After he’d been out a little while, a tiny wisp of a kid came paddling up out of nowhere - he couldn’t believe this kid was out there by himself.
He pulled his little board right up next to John.
The kid was so small he hardly needed a board.
He could have stood up in the ocean on a Frisbee.
He started chatting with John like they were old friends.
The kid told him that his name was Shane.
He asked John how long he’d been surfing, and so John asked the boys how long he’d been surfing.
“Seven years,” he said.
“How old are you?” John asked.
The boy said, “Eight.”
He asked John about his kids and family.
Then Shane said, “What I like about surfing is that it’s so peaceful.
“You meet a lot of nice people here.”
“You’re a nice guy, Shane,” John said.
“That’s why you meet nice people.”
They talked a while longer.
Then John asked the boy, “How did you get here, Shane?”
“My dad brought me,” he said. Then he turned around and waved at the nearly empty beach.
The goliath doing martial arts waved back.
“Hi, Son,” he called out.
Then John knew why Shane was so at home in the ocean.
It wasn’t his size.
It wasn’t his skill.
It was who was sitting on the beach.
His father was always watching. And his father was very big. Shane wasn’t really alone at all. Neither are we.
While parents are not always easy to obey and listen to, it is Godly wisdom is to honor them.
Just as this young boy was staying in eyesight of his dad, so should we honor our father in Heaven.
Take time to give thanks to the Lord and honor Him.