Ever heard a Christian lament that at any given moment in time, God might just decide to “take” their life? 

Absolute hogwash!

For one, God isn’t in the business of killing His people.  He is the Life Giver, not the Life Stealer.

And two, why would He tell us over and over and over again the many different ways we can extend our time here on earth?

Here are eight guaranteed ways to lengthen your life, according to God.

1. Learn, remember, and keep God’s Word (Proverbs 3:1-2)
2. Honor your mom and dad (Ephesians 6:1-3)
3. Set your love on God (Psalm 91:14-16)
4. Fear the Lord (Proverbs 10:27)
5. Be honest in your business transactions (Deuteronomy 25:13-15)
6. Use your words wisely (Proverbs 13:3)
7. Be humble (Proverbs 22:4)
8. Ask (Psalm 21:4)
9. Don’t eat a mama bird if you find her in a nest filled with eggs (Deuteronomy 22:7)

Number 9 was a bonus.  I figured that most of us would rarely find ourselves in that sort of situation, so we all have eight applicable ways to lengthen our lives, and the avian biologists reading this got an extra one thrown in.

It’s worth mentioning that Ephesians 6:2 reminds us that the commandment to “honor your mother and father” is the first command with promise.  These are eight promises (or nine, depending on your affinity for birds) that God has made to you.

And assuming we can trust God at His Word, this is definitive proof that God wants you to live a long, satisfying life. 

We have a choice before us.  We can choose to believe the nonsense that a few preachers are spouting out.  Or, we can choose to believe God.

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing.  Therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

[ your turn: There are other “long life” scriptures, to be sure. Which ones did I miss? ]