In review of Ecclesiastes 3:11 it reminds me, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (NLT).
God has set the right time for everything. He has given me a desire to know the future, but never gives me the satisfaction of fully understanding what he does. God has "planted eternity in the human heart." This means that I can never be completely satisfied with earthly pleasures and pursuits. This is because I am created in God's image, thus (1) I have a spiritual thirst, (2) I have eternal values, and (3) nothing but the eternal God can or will truly satisfy me. God has built in me a restless yearning for the kind of perfect world that can only be found in his perfect rule. He has given me a glimpse of the perfection of his creation. But it is only a glimpse; I cannot see into the future or comprehend everything. So I must trust God now and do the work he has laid out for me on earth.
This life is full of contrasts. I go through mountains, and valleys. I go through successes and failures. I have wins, and then I also have losses. When it comes to the weather, there are four seasons. However in life, there are dozens of different seasons. And every season of life includes both good and bad times.
Today’s verse in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 gives me a representation of different life experiences: “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace” (NLT).
Seems life is a combination of contrasting seasons. All sunshine and no rain make a desert. As I follow God’s will, seeking to live my life according to the way God wants me to live, then I’ll eventually see that these experiences can have a purpose and a value in my life.
I may think that the only time I’m in God’s will is when I’m at church or having a quiet time. However, I can be in God’s will as I’m cleaning out a closet. I can be in God’s will as I’m mowing the lawn. I can be in God’s will when I move to a new location or stay right where I am. There’s a time and a season for everything.
However, not everything is beautiful. Cancer is not beautiful. Child abuse is not beautiful. War is not beautiful.
Today’s verse from Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds me that: “God has made everything beautiful for its own time” (NIV). This is very different from “Everything is beautiful in its own way.” Because God’s word says that he can take even the bad things and, in the proper season, turn them around and use them for good in the way he intends.
I go through seasons that are not not beautiful. Work is difficult. Finances look ugly. Health looks ugly. The future looks very uncertain. The good news is that God can make something good out of it as long as I trust him with the pieces.
In summary, God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity into my heart, however I will never be able to see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. I can never be completely satisfied with earthly pleasures and pursuits. I am created in God's image, I have a spiritual thirst and eternal values. I must trust God now and do the work he has before me. Life is a combination of contrasting seasons. As I follow and seek to live according to the way God wants me to live, I'll eventually see that these experiences can have a purpose and value in my life. There's a time and a season for everything. I will go through seasons that are not beautiful, but God can make something good out of them as long as I trust him with the pieces.
Father I pray this morning that I continue to keep trusting you with the pieces of what occurs. In your time you will use what happens and bring good out of it. I also ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day. Allow me to think clearly and respond in a manner that corresponds with how you want me to love and serve others. Also I ask that you help me keep from over committing myself and my team. Help me to properly shape perspective of those who may be asking me to over commit. I ask these things in your Son Jesus name Amen.
0 comments:
Post a Comment