According to Associated Press, John McMorran, the oldest man in the United States, died Monday, February 24, 2003, in Lakeland, FL, at the age of 113 from heart failure. He was born on June 19, 1889, in a log cabin in Michigan and was the fourth-oldest person in the world.

His 35-year-old great-granddaughter, Lisa Saxton said of McMorran, "He lived a great lifeHe smoked cigars, drank beer, and ate greasy food. He was an amazing man."

Granted, McMorran had QUANTITY of years in his life - but what about the QUALITY of his life? Some might point to his habits of smoking, drinking, and eating greasy food, and conclude, "See, he lived to be 113, and those habits neither harmed him nor shortened his life." Are you sure? I do not believe he lived to be 113 years old BECAUSE OF any of those habits, but IN SPITE OF those habits. In fact, it is possible he might have added even more years to his life if he had not engaged in those unhealthy habits. He might still be living today.

God's inspired word says, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NKJV). Further, Paul writes by inspiration, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). Healthy habits make good sense - physically and spiritually. Things we take into our bodies can harm us physically and shorten our number of years of life on earth - even though there are some exceptions. Physically, a healthy diet and exercise are essential for longevity.

Many Sunday school children learned that Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old, is the oldest man recorded in the Bible. He too had QUANTITY of years in his life, but what about the QUALITY of his life? Some have calculated the year that he died as coinciding with the year of the flood. Did he die of natural causes before the flood, or did he die in the flood as a wicked person - while his grandson Noah and his family were saved in the ark? (Note Genesis 5:25-29; 7:6-8:22; 1 Peter 3:20-21).

Margaret Langford, the grandmother of my wife Beverly and the mother of Jean Irvin, is 97 years young today. We love her so much, and her life is one of both QUANTITY and QUALITY. She has cultivated healthy life habits, both physically and spiritually, that have contributed to her longevity. She is a wonderful Christian example to us all. "Her children rise up and call her blessed" (Prov. 31:28a).

But whether any of us live to see Willard Scott wish us a "Happy 100th Birthday" or not, we should always remember that QUALITY of life is more important than QUANTITY of years. What is the QUALITY of your life - physically and spiritually? Healthy living in Jesus Christ has good, sound benefits - both here and hereafter.