Lessons from the Blue Zones

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Live long, live well”

Our Bible verse for today: “I have come so they may have life and have it in abundance.” John 10:10 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Lessons from the Blue Zones”

The average life expectancy in the USA is now into the high seventies for the average person, and it’s not uncommon to see people living healthy and active lives well into their eighties and even beyond that. More-and-more we’re seeing people live active and happy lives into their nineties and sometimes over one hundred.

In John 10:10, when Jesus told us He wants us to have abundant life, I believe He meant that in all ways – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Quantity as well as quality. God wants us to live a well-rounded healthy and productive life that honors Him, blesses others, and which does so for years and decades, extending well into old age. Living long and living well can also be a great testimony to others. It shows what God can do in the life of a person who takes proper care of themselves in all ways.

Our study of living long and living well is going to carry over into another month now because I believe there’s a lot more that needs to be said about it. Next, I would like us to consider some lessons from what have been called “The Blue Zones”.

In 2008 National Geographic published a book based on the research of Dan Buettner. The title was, “Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest.” The publishers said, “Living a healthy, active life well into your 90s – and possibly your 100s – may be easier than you think. Dan Buettner has traveled the world to meet the planet’s longest-lived people and learned nine powerful yet simple lessons that could put you on the path to longer life. Where did he find them? In the Blue Zones. Blue Zones are communities where common elements of lifestyle, diet, and outlook have led to an amazing quantity – and quality – of life.”

Here are a couple of their findings, “Scientific studies suggest that only about 25 percent of how long we live is dictated by genes … The other 75 percent is determined by our lifestyles and the everyday choices we make. It follows that if we optimize our lifestyles, we can maximize our life expectancy within our biological limits.”

“Most of us have more control over how long we live than we think … if we adopted the right lifestyle, we could add at least ten good years and suffer a fraction of the diseases that kill us prematurely.”

We will spend several days considering what Dan and his team learned about longevity and quality of life in the Blue Zones. And please bear in mind that our objective in all of this is to be good stewards of our physical body and our life in this world that God has given us. We not only want to live long, but we want to live well and do it to the glory of God.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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