Living is more than breathing, then what is living?

Salut mes Amis,

As I was preparing to leave for my house morning to go teach one of my students, I decided to listen to some messages on my phone while I prepare. Choose which one to listen to was not really easy because I have a whole lots of them on my phone but I decided to go with the one a very popular man of God; Apostle Orokpo. And as I listened to his teaching, it got a point I decided to pause the message because he had struck a cord that had provoked my mental faculty to engage in intense thought.

He said '...because breathing is not living'.

There are phrases like; 'immediately I heard his voice, I became Alive!' or 'Now I can say I am living' or 'I am more or less a walking dead- man'. This is all point out that that statement is true. You are not really living because you breathe but because you have some thing in your capacity or that you can perform some function or that you have regained a lost asset. Which ever one it is, you only say you are living not only because you are breathing but you are a living being 😁

Back to Apostle Orokpo, as I began to ruminate on those words, I found out that in God's perspective, most people are actually not living. Take for example in the garden of Eden before the fall of man, God's first and only commandment to Adam was: "Do not eat of this tree, because the day you eat from it, you shall die!" Now if we look at that sentence, we are suppose to witness the physical death of Adam and possible the decay of his flesh and bones. But this wasn't the case, infact the reverse happened; 'his eyes became opened and he knows good and bad and he knew that both he and Eve were naked' (I paraphrased). Then, what went wrong? The truth is what we call death isn't what God calls it same goes for living. Take for example, God called himself the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whereas he as said he is the God of the living. Jesus made us to understand that these people even though we can see that physically they no longer in existence, yet their are in the bossom of God. They have been translated to another life form through a bridge called death are now living forever before God!

Coming back to Adam, before his fall, Adam had enjoyed the fellowship of his creator and friend so much that he had become accostumed to his visitation. Infact the Bible says God regularly comes down to visit his and fellowship with him. Now fellowship here does not only mean giving instructions, but also playing, talking, walking and all other forms of fellowshipping. Now fast forward to when he sinned, the same God that had been with and knows all things, suddenly can't see him again. The same Adam that has always enjoyed the presence of his creator friend and walked with him ran to take cover when he heard God moving in the garden! What a pitiful state😢 Listen to the conversation between them;

Genesis 3:7-10

[7]And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

[8]And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

[9]And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

[10]And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Notice the statement that they had sewed fig leaves and had made aprons out of them, yet when his Lord came, he said; I heard your voice (which used to be sweet and comforting and friendly and full of mercy and compassion) and I was Afraid (which was not supposed to be since he was created in the likeness of God, but now he has taken another form), because I was NAKED (even though he had sewed fig leaves and covered himself, he is still make before the judge of the whole world) and I hid myself! And that's the death! He became disconnected from God, he became an outcast from the presence of his maker. And worst still his spirit which was supposed to sustain his body to enable him live forever died thereby bringing the play the nature and process of physical death. He had died a Spiritual one before a physical one

So there you have it, whatever it is you have or you are, if you are not connected to God then you are dead before him. If you have all the riches or clothes or wisdom or beauty or anything it maybe and your life is good of the kingship and influence of God's kingdom then you are not living. Look at what king Solomon the wisest and richest king to ever lived wrote;

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3,8,13,16-18

[2]Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

[3]What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

[8]All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

[13]And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

[16]I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

[17]And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

[18]For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

He continued in his discourse, he said:

Ecclesiastes 2:2-3,8-10,15-17

[2]I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

[3]I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

[8]I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

[9]So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

[10]And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

[15]Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

[16]For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.

[17]Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

So, are you living or breathing?

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