This date has been my choice for dealing with sins that are not generally discussed. They are overshadowed by the gross sins of our concern, but sins nonetheless. One of these sins is intemperance in life, our consideration for Today’s Page. The point is of sufficient importance that the Scripture notes the matter of moderation, of temperance, of balance, for life as spiritual, perhaps more important than we realize for fulfilled and happy life. To agree to the principles is not enough. Application must follow. Application requires self-policing. We understand that to be self-controlled is related to our lives over matters about which we have something to say. We may forget that we are in partnership with God to make his teachings actualized in our lives. In choices, God grants us freedom to which we are born.
By the perception of society, I have lived a long period of years. At this editing I am half through my tenth decade. My plans require me to live to 100 years of age. I defer to God’s preference if I am wrong. Ninety plus years are many for one expected to die in his first year of life, and for major physical problems including two different cancers requiring major operations and continuing adjustments. The story lengthens. If someone were to ask me how to gain so many years I would have to respond by saying that the Lord determines our life length but with our input. He has his meaning joined with ours. One of those forces, for the vast majority of persons surviving childhood, relates to moderation. God would not have anything omitted from our lives that we need or may be granted. We are as individuals, our own enemies, and the models and influences for emulation in others. My beliefs, habits and conduct may be the most influential factor in the decisions of my children for their lives – even for some adult persons who regard me. Many persons have been dragged into depressing excesses or managing controls by their family members.
Without any doubt on my part, I am persuaded that moderation may have been the most important human/spiritual factor for longevity. The decision on food intake; on habits; on daily regimens; on periods of rest and activity; on balanced alternations for desired, beneficial and necessary factors for life; even for my spiritual exercises – have contributed significantly to long life. Christians tend toward the lifestyle of moderation more generally than the general public, but with the increasing influence of the inflated general culture, even to persons holding Christian faith, the omission of guidelines for moderation has been an impediment in the witness of life truth to those with whom we have to do. Early in my professional life, in raising funds for Christian higher education, I learned that some insurance underwriters held that Christians lived several years longer than the general public. This was likely because of their greater practices of temperance. More recently that extension appears to have narrowed a bit when it should have lengthened as new information became available. (I have not seen recent documented figures.)
Violation of the guidelines of moderation is related to human weakness, to disregard of values in self-control, to omission of the instruction found in Scripture, even of instruction communicated by knowledgeable students of human health. Becoming dependent upon some favorite habit, of excess, of distraction challenges our creator, signifying disregard for his preference that we enjoy long life. Long life is for me a prelude to immortality, so must be treated as the author of immortality would have it. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation. Psalm 91:16. We have a promise. It is a promise we help God keep, or one we may fritter away because of a lack of perception and application. This does not mean that persons dying young have failed. Human life is faced with so many variables that we play God to offer only one variable in determining an outcome. In any event, we can know that we have voted for favorable outcome when we practice balance in our lives, so not permitting anything to usurp the place of God and maturity to the cultivation of our lives. The Christian regimen is healthful, fulfilling and practical. It also becomes economical and balances resources available to us. Anything so practical and functioning for a controlled, gratifying and useful life is to be highly regarded. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020