He’s gone out of style, but the world will be a poorer place when it loses the last of his kind.”
–Elmer Kelton (The Time It Never Rained)
“I know that there is nothing better for them to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime.”
–Ecclesiastes 3:12(NASB)
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My Pastor, Milton Pool, preached a very good message Sunday on the “Seasons of Life” using the very familiar verses of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3:1-8. When I was a kid, junior and high school, my favorite time of the year was the Spring–baseball season. Notice it has a “season” of its own. Close to it was the autumn–the World Series. As you can see, my life sort of revolved around baseball.
Then as I became older, my favorite season became Fall. That time of year when the leaves turned color warning us that winter is soon to come. In the fall of the year, we may or may not have snow, but to look upward toward the high peaks, which would already be snow-covered there was another warning–winter is soon to come.
Throughout life I think we are given such warnings. Most of the time we do not begin to heed them until we get in the Autumn of our lives. We don’t often think of the Fall of our lives during the summer months. We are far too busy making a living. Doing “things,” paying bills, and trying to enjoy life. Once in a while we may think of the future, maybe when we attend a funeral, but not often. Life is simply too busy to be thinking of such things.
Let me jump to verse 11 of chapter 3.
“He has made everything appropriate in its time…” (NASB)
What time is it? That is an appropriate question, one in which everyone should ponder, and answer. Look at two more Scriptures:
“For He says: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
–2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV)
“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
–Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)
These verses show us what time it is. This is the day of salvation! Today, is the “accepted time.” Then I follow up with the idea that since you have been saved by grace, what are you doing, today, to grow in grace? We are to be accepting the Lord–today. We are to be following the Lord–today.
One of the ways we grow in grace is to realize and accept that the day is given to us by the Lord. What will we do with the time He has given to us today? For sure “WE WILL rejoice and be glad in it.” (emphasis added) We are to be enjoying the time He has given us today; we are to be glad of the day and all that it brings.