Ezekiel 20:11 states, “I gave them My statutes and made My judgments known to them. If a person keeps these commandments, they will live by them.”
In the Bible, God emphasizes that those who obey His commandments will truly live. The word “live” is significant in the Hebrew Bible, where it can also mean “revive.” According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “revive” means to restore from a depressed, inactive, or unused state; it means to bring back vitality.
This concept is reflected in many businesses in Pakistan, such as Revive Restaurant, which utilize the name to convey a sense of new strength and energy. The term implies refreshment and renewal.
When God created Adam, He did not place him in a grand castle; instead, He put him in the Garden of Eden, surrounded by animals and abundant greenery, vegetables, and fruits. This environment was meant to refresh and nourish humanity. God’s intention was for humans to enjoy a long, blessed life free from depression, excessive labor, or tension-essentially a comfortable and refreshing existence. Adam’s creation was meant for him to be in God’s presence, tending to and guarding the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15).
However, when man disobeyed God’s command, as Adam and Eve did, they lost their comfortable existence and were condemned to a life of labor. This is reflected in the Amplified Bible: “Therefore, the LORD God sent Adam away from the Garden of Eden to cultivate the ground from which he was taken” (Genesis 2:23).
If you are given a long life but it is filled with stress, hard work, and debts that burden you, it may be better to pray: “Lord, I don’t want merely to live a long life; grant me a shorter but happier life.”
“This disobedience to God’s instructions is the key factor leading to stress in human lives. God designed these instructions to provide refreshment and peace.”
*Many people suffering from health issues feel no refreshment and struggle with depression because they have disobeyed God’s teachings regarding their bodies. They engage in harmful behaviors such as excessive drinking or smoking, which is prohibited in Ephesians 5:18: “And do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery”
“Similarly, many experience ongoing financial instability due to neglecting God’s law of tithing, as outlined in Malachi 3:10: “Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
*A practical example can illustrate this principle. I know of a man who sold drugs despite his Christian father’s pleas for him to stop. He ignored this advice and eventually sold expired drugs, resulting in the death of several people who used them. Tragically, his two-year-old daughter also slipped and died as a consequence of his actions.
Jesus intended for us to have a life, and an abundant life, which is one of refreshment, but this requires adhering to His teachings. In the areas where we break even minor or major instructions, we may encounter consequences akin to death-the opposite of the revival and life that God desires for us..
Gallery
No Comments