Truth Seekers Newsletter
December 30, 2007: To Everything There is a Season!
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Genesis 1:13 tells us, God said, "Let bright lights appear in the sky to give light to the earth and identify the day and the night; they shall bring about the seasons on the earth, and mark the days and years." And so it was.
Psalm 104:19 tells us, "He assigned the moon to mark the months and the sun to mark the days."
Genesis 8:22 tells us of God's Promise to Noah and to us that as long as the earth endures ... summer and winter ... day and night ... will never cease. They are part of the consistency and faithfulness of God.
Why Would God Include Seasons in His Great Plan for Earth?
Often I feel trapped between two fears. When I think of the things I'm not too happy with, I become afraid that things will always be this way. When I think of the things or people that I love, I'm afraid that things will not always be this way.
God took care of both of those fears in the creation of the seasons. The Promise of Genesis 8:22 says, "There are some things you can count on. Some things will happen regularly, right on schedule. But some things will change. This season is going to change." In the "dog days" of summer when we are burning up, we know that in a little while, it will be cooler. In the midst of the cold winter, when everything seems barren, we know that in a little while, it will be spring! We can count on it. God said so!
One Season Following Another
God designed things to move. The earth moves constantly. We move. Our lungs and hearts and blood move constantly. Food is taken in and nourishes us and then what is not used, is transformed and moves out of the body. We shed skin cells every minute. Hair and nails grow out and get cut off. Seasons fit right in with these.
Not only is it possible for you to change, but God wants it to happen. He wants you to cast off when you no longer need and He wants you to grow new things in your life. We think, "It's too late. You've gone too far. You've gotten too old ... too fat ... too whatever." The message of the changing seasons says, "No, so you missed some of the things of last spring ... but there is a brand new spring coming. It can be different this time!"
It's Time to Move On!
What if you like this season? What if you are not ready to move on? Many of us get so firmly embedded in our good times and good feelings that we fail to grow with the times. What happens then?
I've found that when I settle in too long anywhere, what I am doing often becomes a habit instead of something fresh and good. Like bread left out for too long, I become stale. Often people who are stale don't even notice it. It is others who notice it first.
Why would we not be ready to move on? We may just be enjoying ourselves so much where we are that it is hard to imagine it getting any better than this. We may stay where we are because of fear. We're afraid to give up what we have, even for the possibility of great good. We look at a change as a gamble. While it could be good, it also might not be good. What if we don't like the future as much as the present?
God designed us to go from "Glory to Glory." God wants us to realize that He will provide for us constantly. He designed our bodies to take in fresh food every day, and He feeds us without fail. He never leaves us with a month or two supply of food and then leaves us to fend for ourselves. No! He feeds us every day with fresh food!
It's Safe to Change!
God's Provision and Faithfulness means that it is safe to allow the season to change. Whatever we are holding on to will never be as stable as He Who is holding on to us. Sometimes we try to hold on to a precious season, or even one in which we're just getting by. But life circumstances push us on to the next stop. The baby in the womb might not choose to be born, except that things become very cramped in there and the forces of life push him on to the next stop, which is so much better.
The same principle holds true with dying. It usually takes a push to get us to leave the known world of earth. But we are pushed onward. The circumstances of life push us on to a bigger place where we can receive more than we ever can here on earth.
Who's Running This Show?
Many of us want to control the slide show of our lives. We want to decide when it is time for spring, summer, fall and winter. But it is God, Who runs the show and not us. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.
God knows when it is time for every activity for us individually. Many people feel the push to try to live by the time tables set by the world. Some people believe that everyone should marry ... and marry at a certain age ... have children right away ... get a six figure salary by a certain age, etc.
Have you ever felt that you were somehow off the world's time table? The good news is that you don't have to conform to the world's time table! God created each of us with individual talents and ways to use them. Ask God what He intends for you in this season of Life.
A Time to Die ... Can We Control the Number of Our Days?
Can we control how long we live or has the clock already been set? This is a puzzle. Those who believe the clock has already been set quote Psalm 139:16. David tells us that all the days ordained for him (implied for us, as well) were written in God's Book before one of them came to be. Those who believe we can affect the numbers of days we live quote Exodus 20:12, which says, "Honor your father and mother that your days may be long upon the land, which the Lord God is giving you."
Well, if we can't control when we die, what is the point in trying to do anything? Is it pointless to exercise or eat right? If the only purpose in anything we do is just to gain us extra time on earth, then it is in vain. If what we do is for us to be in optimum condition to work well in advancing the Kingdom of God, it is a good thing. Our goal should always be to give God Glory, wherever He assigns us. Our goal is serving Him, whether for a short time or a long time upon earth.
We cannot buy life on earth with anything, not even healthy habits. God gives us this life on earth as a gift, not a payment for what we have done. Why has God given us this gift of Life on earth? Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that "we are God's Workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God sent you here with a certain number of minutes, talents and a mission! As to whether those minutes are negotiable, you will have to talk to Him!
What's The Mission?
Many people waste many of the minutes of their life trying to determine what the mission is. Jesus already told us! Mark 16:15 records that Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the good news everywhere. Whatever God brings to your mind to do, ask yourself ... how is this helping me to fulfill the Mission?
Can The Length of My Life Be Changed by Anyone But God?
Only God can change the length of our life. In at least one instance in the Bible, God did extend the life of a person. Hezekiah was very ill "unto death," but God responded to his prayers and gave him 15 more years upon the earth.
Living the Good Life in All Seasons!
So how do we live in each season? We trust God. When God says it is time to kick back and enjoy the season, we can. When He says, this season is changing, we need to get ready for change and flow into the next season of our lives with confidence that God goes before us and will continue to provide in every season!
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