MORALITY AND LONGEVITY
TIN KÍNH ĐỂ ĐƯỢC TRƯỜNG THỌ
Kinh thánh: Tít 2: 11-14
Câu gốc: TÍT 2: 12 – Ân ấy dạy chúng ta chừa bỏ sự không tin kính và tình dục thế gian, phải sống ở đời nầy theo tiết độ, công bình, nhân đức.
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MORALITY AND LONGEVITY
Bible: Titus 2: 11-14
Main verse: TITUS 2: 12 – (For the grace of God) teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.
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– One of human’s biggest wishes is to live a long and healthy life. From the ancient times, people were always trying to find a way to live longer lives. With the advancement of science, human lives are longer, compared to those who lived a few centuries before, but people are still looking for ways to extend their lives as much as possible.
– God also wants us to have a long, healthy and happy life. That’s why He has instructed us to live according to His standards that were recorded in the Bible. We should look into it to learn how we can have a long, healthy and happy life.
PROVERBS 3: 1-2 – My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.
CHÂM NGÔN 3: 1-2 – Hỡi con, chớ quên sự khuyên dạy ta, lòng con khá giữ các mạng lịnh ta; Vì nó sẽ thêm cho con lâu ngày số năm mạng sống và sự bình an.
– We all know that God is Love and His love for us as His children is expressed numerous times in the Bible. He has given us the Bible to learn about Him and His love for us, so therefore the Bible is beneficial to our physical and spiritual lives.
2TIMOTHY 3: 16-17 – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2TI-MÔ-THÊ 3: 16-17 – Cả Kinh thánh đều là bởi Đức Chúa Trời soi dẫn, có ích cho sự dạy dỗ, bẻ trách, sửa trị, dạy người trong sự công bình, hầu cho người thuộc về Đức Chúa Trời được trọn vẹn và sắm sẵn để làm mọi việc lành.
– The word ‘complete’ means that the Bible helps Christians to be strong and healthy in both aspects. We cannot imagine someone who is complete having strong faith while abusing drugs at the same time. When we look carefully into the Bible and study it thoroughly, we will find many secrets that will help us live a healthy life.
– The first secret is to fear God, because if one fears God, then they will obey His instructions recorded in the Bible, and find out how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
PROVERBS 3: 7-8 – Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.
CHÂM NGÔN 3: 7-8 – Chớ khôn ngoan theo mắt mình; Hãy kính sợ Đức Giê-hô-va, và lìa khỏi sự ác: Như vậy, cuống rốn con sẽ được mạnh khỏe, và xương cốt con được mát mẻ.
– Scientists and doctors have confirmed by their studies that people who live a morally correct lifestyle tend to live longer than others who do not. That lifestyle, according to them, is not that different from what God has described in His book thousands of years ago.
– Jesus had commanded Christians to love one another and to be considerate towards others, as recorded in the Gospel of Mark:
MARK 12: 30-31 – And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
MÁC 12: 30-32 – Ngươi phải hết lòng, hết linh hồn, hết trí khôn, hết sức mà kính mến Chúa là Đức Chúa Trời ngươi. Nầy là điều thứ hai: Ngươi phải yêu kẻ lân cận như mình. Chẳng có điều răn nào lớn hơn hai điều đó.
PHILIPPIANS 2: 3- 4 – Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
PHI-LÍP 2: 3-4 – Chớ làm sự chi vì lòng tranh cạnh hoặc vì hư vinh, nhưng hãy khiêm nhường, coi người khác như tôn trọng hơn mình. Mỗi một người trong anh em chớ chăm về lợi riêng mình, nhưng phải chăm về lợi kẻ khác nữa.
– Good people are always loved and respected by others. They rarely compete to gain their own fame and fortune, and they will show respect to old people while caring for the younger ones.
– They will have no enemy and they will always be happy among others. Even if someone hated them for no reason, they will continue living in peace and harmony.
– Studies showed that with that attitude, their body will operate at a good rate. Their body will be in a better state, and because they have good health, they will lead a healthier and happier life.
– Studies also showed that people who live an immoral life are often not healthy. Those people usually think for themselves and tend to be envious towards others. With that kind of attitude, their lives will be filled with hostility and tension. According to scientists, those people will have a lot of psychological pressure on their mind and bodies, and it will make their bodies’ organs become dysfunctional and prone to diseases.
– In order to protect our bodies from harmful effects, the Bible commanded us not to be hot-tempered, because it will cause us damage.
EPHESIANS 4: 26 – In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.
Ê-PHÊ-SÔ 4: 26 – Ví bằng anh em đang cơn giận, thì chớ phạm tội; chớ căm giận cho đến khi mặt trời lặn.
– We should always give thanks to God for the protection that He has given us, but we cannot give thanks to God while we are still angry. Anger causes the brain to be tense, and if we keep being angry for too long, it will damage our nervous system and even our blood vessels.
– Medical studies showed that anger, especially if it’s held for too long, will cause damage to the body’s systems, including circulatory, digestive, endocrine, immune, energy and nervous system. More specifically, anger will increase constriction, rate and output of the heart and the long time effects are hardening of the arteries, elevated blood pressure and heart damage.
– Moreover, anger will decrease digestion and creates gastrointestinal problems, like ulcers and cancer. Anger also affects the endocrine system and makes it releases norepinephrine, adrenaline and cortisol and thus creates damage to the endocrine system (liver, kidneys, adrenaline glands). Anger also causes the suppression of the immune system and creates lower protection from cancer and infection.
– Anger also affects the energy system to increase the release of glucose and fat into the blood stream, and in turn it damages the artery walls, liver and kidneys. And as we already know, anger affects the nervous system and causes changes in focus, attention, and makes it too difficult to focus, lose the ability of problem solving, creates more anxiety and depression.
– To make it more simple, we should know that anger also decrease digestion and it will creates new problems, like cancer and liver damage, plus it will also change your focus and attention negatively, and one can lose the ability of problem solving, which creates anxiety and depression.
– That’s why God warned us not to keep our anger to the end of the day. And those Christians who actually fears God and obey Him will remember that and forgive others before the anger does any damage on their bodies.
EPHESIANS 4: 32 – And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ê-PHÊ-SÔ 4: 32 – Hãy ở với nhau cách nhân từ, đầy dẫy lòng thương xót, tha thứ nhau như Đức Chúa Trời đã tha thứ anh em trong Đấng Christ vậy.
COLOSSIANS 3: 13 – Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
CÔ-LÔ-SE 3: 13 – Nếu một người trong anh em có sự gì phàn nàn với kẻ khác thì hãy nhường nhịn nhau và tha thứ nhau: như Chúa đã tha thứ anh em thể nào, thì anh em cũng phải tha thứ thể ấy.
– As we can see, God is Love and Wise, so He has used the Bible to teach us how to live morally in order to have a healthy life on Earth and to gain an eternal life in the future. So we Christians should keep the Bible at a special place in our hearts and carefully follow all His standards instructed in the book to achieve the life that He has intended for all of us to have.
– May God help us with personal determination to constantly live according to His commandments always so that we will soon achieve a more healthy and happy life while on earth until the day He comes. May all of us experience such wonderful life today and forever. Amen.