23 Sep, 2008
Thu Sep 18, 1:09 AM ET
TOKYO (Reuters) - The world's oldest man celebrated his 113th birthday on Thursday, telling reporters at his home in southern Japan about his joyful life and healthy appetite.
"I'm happy," said Tomoji Tanabe as the local mayor presented him with flowers and a giant tea cup glazed with his name and date of birth. "I'm well. I eat a lot," he added.
Tanabe, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living male last year, eats mostly vegetables and believes the key to longevity is not drinking alcohol.
The former civil servant lives with his son, drinks milk every day and has no major illnesses, although he now writes in his diary only once or twice a month. He used to write on a daily basis.
"He's said he wants to live for another 10 years, that he doesn't want to die." The Japanese are among the world's longest-lived people, with the number of those aged 100 or older at a record 36,276, a government report last week showed.
Reporting by Chisa Fujioka; editing by Sophie Hardach; See full story at news.yahoo.com
The Secret to Long Life
1 Peter 1:24-25
24 All men are like grass
and all their glory like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers,
and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord stands forever. And this word is the Good News that was preached to you. (NIV)
How does God's Story scripture tell us about the secret to long life?
Tomoji Tanabe deserves our utmost respect partly because the Bible instructs us to respect our elders...but also because the man has lived in 3 different centuries for cryin out loud! That seems like a really long time. Just imagine all of the change in the world he has seen.
But the truth is...113 years is just a blink of an eye when compared to eternity. In today's passage, Peter is reminding us that this life is short and that we better not get too wrapped up in the things of this world because just like the flowers of the field...it will all be gone tomorrow.
He also is teaching us that there is only one thing that will last and that is God's Word...and this word is the Good News...life eternal through Jesus Christ.
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
Take an honest look at your life. Is your focus more on eternal matters or is it on sports, fashion, music, drama, a boyfriend or girlfriend, impressing the right people or even video games? C'mon...be honest. Take a minute and be real about answering that question.
2 Corinthians 4:18 tells us to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
If your focus right now is on anything else but the eternal, talk to God and ask Him to help you refocus. When we do this, it makes the daily "struggles" seem pretty insignificant. It helps us to understand how really small we are. It also helps us to live with purpose...that is, spending our time and energy on eternal matters...things that will last.
How can we connect today's story, God's Story and our story to others?
- Knowing that time is short, be intentional about building relationships where you can share the Good News. No one is guaranteed 113 years...or even tomorrow.
- Think of those friends who seem to be doing pretty well according to the world's standards. They may have plenty of money, good looks, awards and the right friends...but eternally, where are they? Many of these friends of ours are spiritually empty and long for something more. We can introduce them to Jesus who has true life to offer them and its life eternal!
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