Times of your life

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL – Tuesday, December 9, 2014

There is a season of your life. What season of life are you in? Are you enjoying the season of life you are in?

Scripture reading:

Solomon’s point in this section is that God has a plan for all people. Thus, he provides cycles of life, each with its work for us to do. Although we may face many problems that seem to contradict God’s plan, these should not be barriers to believing in him, but rather opportunities to discover that, without God, life’s problems have no lasting solutions!

Timing is important. All the experiences listed in these verses are appropriate at certain times. The secret to peace with God is to discover, accept, and appreciate God’s perfect timing. The danger is to doubt or resent God’s timing. This can lead to despair, rebellion, or moving ahead without his advice.

When is there a time for hating? We shouldn’t hate evil people, but we should hate what they do. We should also hate it when people are mistreated, when children are starving, and when God is being dishonored. In addition, we must hate the sin in our life—this is God’s attitude (Psalm 5:5¹).

Your ability to find satisfaction in your work depends to a large extent upon your attitude. You will become dissatisfied if you lose the sense of purpose God intended for your work. We can enjoy our work if we (1) remember that God has given us work to do, and (2) realize that the fruit of our labor is a gift from him. See your work as a way to serve God.

God has “planted eternity in the human heart.” This means that we can never be completely satisfied with early pleasures and pursuits. Because we are created in God’s image, (1) we have a spiritual thirst, (2) we have eternal value, and (3) nothing but the eternal God can truly satisfy us. He has built in us a restless yearning for the kind of perfect world that can only be found in his perfect rule. He has given us a glimpse of the perfection of his creation. But it is only a glimpse; we cannot see into the future or comprehend everything. So we must trust him now and do his work on earth.

To be happy and do good are worthy goals for life, but we can pursue them in the wrong way. God wants us to enjoy life. When we have the proper view of God, we discover that real pleasure is found in enjoying whatever we have as gifts from God, not in what we accumulate.

What is the purpose of life? It is that we should fear the all-powerful God. To fear God means to respect and stand in awe of him because of who he is. Purpose in life starts with whom we know, not what we know or how good we are. It is impossible to fulfill your God-given purpose unless you revere God and give him first place in your life. (NLT)

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 – There is a time for everything, a season 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 rebuild. 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 lose. 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 up. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

What do people really get for all their hard work? I have thought about this in connection with the various kinds of work God has given people to do. 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. So I concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose in this is that people should fear him.

For more Helpful Inspirational Material:

TIME: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/time/

TIMING: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/timing/

PLANS, PLAN: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/plans-plan/

PROBLEMS: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/problems/

BARRIERS: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/barriers/

OPPORTUNITIES: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/opportunities/

DECISIONS: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/decisions/

FAITHFULNESS: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/faithfulness/

IMPATIENT, IMPATIENCE: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/impatient-impatience/

OBEDIENCE, OBEY: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/obedience-obey/

PRAYER: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/prayer/

SALVATION: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/salvation/

TEMPTATION: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/temptation/

TRUST: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/trust/

WORRY: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/worry/

PATIENCE: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/patience/

BLESSINGS: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/blessings/

MARRIAGE: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/marriage/

COMMITMENT: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/commitment/

WAITING: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/waiting/

MINISTRY: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/ministry/

SUFFERING, SUFFER: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/suffering-suffer/

LIGHT: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/light/

PREPARATION, PREPARED, PREPARING: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/preparation-prepared-preparing/

WRONG, WRONGDOING: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/wrong-wrongdoing/

GREED: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/greed/

RESPOND, RESPONSE: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/respond-response/

OPPRESSED, OPPRESSION: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/oppressed-oppression/

RIGHT: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/right/

POWER: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/power/

DESIRES, DESIRE, DESIRED: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/desires-desire-desired/

EXCUSES, EXCUSE: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/excuses-excuse/

EXPECTATIONS, EXPECTED, EXPECTS: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/expectations-expected-expects/

SURPRISED, SURPIRSES, SURPRISE: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/surprised-surprises-surprise/

SUCCESS: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/success/

REBELLION: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/rebellion/

SUPPORT: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/support/

PROVIDE: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/provide/

WORK: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/work/

ACCEPT, ACCEPTABLE, ACCEPTANCE: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/accept-acceptable-acceptance/

DOUBT, DOUBTS: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/doubt-doubts/

ADVICE: https://helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com/advice/

¹ God cannot condone or excuse even the smallest sin.  Therefore, we cannot excuse ourselves for sinning only a little bit.  As we grow spiritually, our sensitivity to sin increases.  What is your reaction to sin in your life?  Are you insensitive, unconcerned, disappointed, or comfortable?  As God makes us aware of sin, we must be intolerant toward it and be willing to change.  All believers should strive to be more tolerant of people but less tolerant of the sin in others and in themselves.  (NLT)

Psalm 5:5 – Therefore, the proud will not be allowed to stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil.

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