Celebrating Life

Celebrating Life

Abraham breathed his last and died… an old man and full of years. Gen 25:8

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7 Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi. (Gen 25:7-11)

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Years ago my wife’s former pastor, Rev. Harold Kent, introduced me to a wonderful
thought that had, up until then, been unknown to me.

The King James Version says, “Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old
age, an old man, and full of years.” The New International Version doesn’t change
it much as it states, “Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age,
an old man and full of years.”

I am not a scholar of Hebrew or Greek, but I learned that a few words had been
added to what was in the earlier manuscripts in order to bring clarity. However, it
could be argued that they resulted in confusing the lesson to be learned.

If Abraham died an old man, of course he was full of years! The Scriptures are not
usually redundant. However, what these words celebrate is that “Abraham died an
old man and full.” Wow! Now that is something that I would like to have known
about me, whether old or young.

Abraham faced many difficulties in life. He had not lived a perfect life. Abraham
did remain faithful in his commitment to follow God, and when his life was
finished it had been a ‘full’ life. He had tasted deeply from the blessings and
wonders that God had provided. He had walked with God into unknown countries
and faced challenges that had never been faced by others before him.

There are similar passages, but the other one that comes to my mind is found in
Ecclesiastes 12:13. The statement reads, “Fear God and keep His commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.” Again, it appears that our understanding
might have been clouded in an attempt to bring clarity. Solomon says,
“Fear God (or honour God in your life), and keep His commandments,
for this is the whole man.”

Do you want to be whole? Do you want your life to be fully lived? Abraham, in his
God-centered faith, found the secret and Solomon, in his God-given wisdom,
confirms the same essential foundation for living a full life.

Today is the perfect opportunity to honour God in your life, to follow His direction
and to live life to the full. Maybe the commitment of honouring God ‘the rest of
your life’ is too much to consider. I think that is why God has given us the privilege
of walking with Him, one day at a time. Could you consider a commitment during
the next hour, or the morning, the afternoon, the evening — one day at a time?
Abraham and Solomon were not perfect followers but they were consistent.
They made this the priority in their lives. When they messed up, they
got back on track. God’s grace is sufficient.

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Heavenly Father, I need to stop for a minute and appreciate the richness You have
added to my life. I read the papers and hear comments from others in restaurants,
staff rooms and throughout radio talk shows. It seems that most are preoccupied
with the little things in life. They can’t seem to stand back and appreciate all that
You have made available. Thank You for giving me direction, establishing my
life on eternal principles and values. But most especially, thank You for
pulling me up out of the inconsequential and mundane. Amen.

- Noel Churchman

Noel was the Executive Director of Christian Horizons form 1976 to 2001. The devotionals we will be using are from a book he wrote in 2005 called “Walking with God”. Noel’s reflections are grounded in his experiences as an educator, and provider of supports for individuals with exceptional needs as well as his life as a dedicated follower of Christ.