Shalom,
Proverbs 18:9 says this:
9 He who is loose and slack in his work is brother to him who is a destroyer and he who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide.
The KJV only has the first part of this verse, but I think that the second part shows the true meaning in a much more powerful way! We have all read or heard stories about people who have destroyed their own lives and wasted their gifts and talents by getting involved in the things of the world, but did we ever realize that not putting the necessary time into developing the gifts and talents that God has given us has exactly the same results in the eyes of God? It is a life calling NOT fulfilled! A person who knows what to do in order to have a healthy body, and refuses to do it, may as well just kill themselves now and be done with it! That may sound harsh, but that is exactly what happens! Have you ever seen someone who died from lung cancer because of smoking? I have! It's not pretty and it takes an uncalled for toll on the family and friends left behind! We have a responsibility, as believers, to care for this Temple of the Holy Spirit so that we can live long on the earth, bringing Glory to His Name! AMEN!
I have had many questions about whether or not a person who actually has committed suicide will go to Heaven. The ONLY Way to Heaven is through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. If someone takes their own life, who has received Jesus as Lord and personal Saviour, they will be immediately in the presence of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8)! If they never received Jesus as Saviour, then they will NOT! Taking your own life is a sin (a selfish decision to do something our way instead of God's), but the ONLY sin not covered by the blood of Jesus Christ is the sin of rejecting Him! Let's just share the Good News of the Gospel with people so that THEY can KNOW they have Heaven as their home when they leave this earth!
Do you have friends and loved ones who have yet to see the Truth of God's Word in some area(s) of their lives? Pray this Holy Spirit inspired prayer that Paul prayed, putting THEIR name in it! Then pray in the Spirit, allowing the Holy Spirit to do His great work! Ephesians 1:16-23:
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. 17 [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that he may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, 18 By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), 19 And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, 20 Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places], 21 Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world that is to come. 22 And He has put all things under His feet and had appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [a headship exercised throughout the church], 23 Which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself].
A perfect prayer that is completely in line with God's Will! We KNOW that this prayer WILL BE answered (1 John 5:14-15)! AMEN!
2 Samuel 23:3-4 are the last words that the LORD spoke through David:
3 The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me, When one rules over men righteously, ruling in the fear of God, 4 He dawns on them like the morning light when the sun rises on a cloudless morning, when the tender grass springs out of the earth through clear shining after rain.
THAT is how Jesus Himself will rule and reign on the earth for 1000 years after the Great Tribulation! Until then, we need to pray continually for good and Godly leaders to rise up in our nation! An election is coming up sooner than you think! Pay attention! AMEN!
2 Samuel 23 also records the names of the mighty men who served David and served WITH David! Do you notice the very last name on the list? Verse 39:
39 Uriah the Hittite -- thirty-seven in all.
Uriah was one of only 37 men who put their lives on the line constantly for David and for Israel! I have come to realize that the ONLY strong thing about David was his love for the Lord! He would continue to pick himself up and run after God every time he made mistakes, and he made many! WE are without excuse when it comes to following God's plan for our lives! MOST of us haven't made anywhere near the kind of mistakes that David made, and yet he remained a man "after God's own heart"! What do we do? Get back in the Word of God and in close, intimate fellowship with Him. Then begin again to DO what He has told us to do! Simple! Easy? Not always, but ALWAYS simple! Here is an interesting little video about David's mighty men, using pictures of modern Israeli soldiers!
Shalom in Him!
