Eccles. 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the
heaven:
How sensitive would you say you are to the timing of things in your life?
When you sense change on the horizon, what is your initial response? Ladies,
in this life we will encounter events that we will not be able to alter;
we are just going to have to allow them to change us. Are you willing
to submit to God's purpose for phasing out the old things and bringing
in the new? By additional reading of Ecclesiastes 3, scripture teaches
that you and I must be ready to release our grip on everything we hold
dear…
Eccles. 3:2-8
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck
up that which is planted; [3] A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time
to break down, and a time to build up; [4] A time to weep, and a time
to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; [5] A time to cast away
stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a
time to refrain from embracing; [6] A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away; [7] A time to rend, and a time
to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; [8] A time to love,
and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
In all honesty, nearly every one of us prefer to experience the pleasant
side of life as pointed out in today's text. We look forward with great
anticipation to new life. We readily plan and prepare for times of planting.
The majority of people appreciate a period of healing and the chance to
develop themselves. We cling to times of laughter and leaping for joy.
Gathering and embracing is equally satisfying to all. Getting and keeping
is almost an obsession with folks. Putting things together is an agreeable
activity as is the prospect of a hearty discussion. And peace and love
are two key elements of life for which everyone longs.
Even so, if we only selected these types of experiences and isolated ourselves
from the unbearable, life would quickly fall out of balance! You see,
ladies, every end is a new beginning… Are you afraid of new beginnings?
You shouldn't be! Our heavenly Father wisely balances life for us - birth
with death; planting with plucking up; killing with healing; breaking
down with building up; weeping with laughing, losing with keeping, silence
with speech, and so on. Though the season you are facing at present you
may or may not wish to go on forever, rest assured times will eventually
change! Hence, by God's grace we must learn to accept and benefit from
the adjustment of our circumstances. By being sensitive to the Lord's
management of our affairs, we yield to the fine-tuning of our hearts…
Eccles. 3:10
I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be
exercised in it.
Ladies, are you willing to let God control the events of your life? If
so, do you trust Him when He orders a time for you to exercise your heart
with travail? Will you face every new season of life without suspicion
of His judgment and love for you? We must not view difficult times with
reluctance for labor. If the season of life you are facing at present
is piled high with challenges, don't cry - rise to the occasion! People
can cry much easier than they can change… Abraham Lincoln stated that
as our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. What great counsel!
In effect, we must disentangle ourselves from old circumstances as God
directs. Regrettably, we prefer to direct our own affairs and as a result,
work against our Maker to orchestrate circumstances to our will rather
than adapt our will to the changes He orchestrates! Don't fight God's
timing, work with it. Hard times are profitable and that which is painful
is needful…
Proverbs 14:23a
In all labour there is profit…
As Christians, we are so taken up with our own wills that we cannot see
God's hand in any season of our lives! Therefore, the events designed
to profit we foolishly believe will end in poverty. We exchange tranquility
in for frustration by refusing to confess that God's way is right - at
all times. Let Him mix the ingredients of your life as He sees fit. Yes,
our existence in this world is a mixture of joy and sorrow; still, God
said that all things work together for our good and we would do best to
conform to the timing of His will…
Eccles. 3:11
He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world
in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from
the beginning to the end.
In closing, realize today that the seasons of life are short lived, but
what God does is forever! Take a reverent attitude toward His plan for
your life and you will find every season both meaningful and manageable.
As you leave old times behind and face the new ones, do not try to figure
the Lord's purposes out - just live for Him and let Him have His way with
you. Be content to labor under His rule. Do you think Him to be a cruel
Master or a loving Parent? The dearer your heavenly Father becomes, the
more inclined you will be to release your grip on your own desires!
Matthew 26:42
He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if
this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60: 1&2
Copyright 2003 Pamela A. Iannello
