Pray

Read: Ecc 3:1-8.

Meditation

There is a time to weep and a time to mourn. What we see here is that we must be prepared, because days of sadness will come. The goal of this life is not to be always happy or always comfortable, because there is a God-appointed time to mourn. Living in a fallen world means that we should expect tears and mourning at times. As Solomon says elsewhere, there will be many dark days. And so, in preparation for those days, we should not think of suffering as something unusual, but rather fortify our souls now and be prepared for when those times arrive. Our Saviour was a man of sorrows, and God has ordained our sorrows as well, for our good. Remember the promise of verse 11, He makes all things beautiful in their time. Our tears will turn to pearls in the fullness of time, and we are called to believe that.

There is a time to laugh and a time to dance. This is one area where many of us might do well to be challenged. How expressive are we in our joy? What cultural avenues exist in our lives to express ourselves exuberantly? To dance, Solomon says, there is a time to dance. When did you last dance? And yet many of us find ourselves uncomfortable with bold expressions of joyful emotion. There is also a time to laugh, and laughter is good for the soul. It is a gift of God. Perhaps we need a push in this area sometimes. Perhaps we need to think about it more deeply, and learn again how to enjoy God’s good gifts with gratitude and freedom.

Verse 5 tells us, there is a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together. There will be times when we gather resources and build projects, and there will be times when we throw resources away. Either way, we must remember not to become too attached to these things, because as surely as we gather, the time will come to cast away. Our projects and possessions in this life must be seen as temporary opportunities to further the kingdom, not as things upon which we set our hearts. Our treasure is not built out of stuff. Our treasure is Christ, seated at the right hand of God.

There is a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. We will have seasons of singleness and seasons of intimacy. There are times and relationships where embracing is appropriate, and there are times and relationships where it is not. Relationships, particularly sexual relationships, can easily become idols to us. The world around us tells us that we should have an unfettered right to sexual fulfilment, but sex serves a higher purpose, and at times it is right to abstain. And so, whether in marriage or in singleness, these relationships must be held lightly and seen for the temporary things that they are. In the next life, marriage as it now exists will cease, as Jesus himself said. In all our relationships, then, our highest goal must not be personal satisfaction, but growth in Christ and faithful service to God.

There is a time to seek and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away. There is a time to tear and a time to sew. Once again, this reminds us to hold our possessions lightly. The true value of what we own is measured by the degree to which it helps us love, serve and honour Christ. As we consider purchasing something, or as we reflect on what we already own, we should ask how it helps us fulfil life’s real purposes. You may probably heard of the KonMari method, where you go through your house and get rid of anything that does not spark joy. Perhaps we need a Christian KonMari, where instead of asking whether something sparks joy, we ask how useful it is for kingdom purposes. We might do well to ask ourselves more often why we are buying something in the first place. And if a thing has served its purpose, then perhaps it is time to cast it away, or even give it away. Our purpose in having things must never be simply to have things. Things can so easily become idols, and our materialistic culture is habitually idolatrous when it comes to stuff. We buy and buy and buy, but as Christians we must know why we buy. Do our possessions enable us to love and serve Christ better, or do they hinder us?

There is a time to keep silence. There is a time to stop speaking and listen, a time to pause and ponder what has been said, and a time to be still in the presence of the Lord. The best time for silence is when God speaks. We must learn to quiet our thoughts and become skilled in the art of receiving the wisdom that God gives.

There is also a time to speak. We must learn to tame our tongues and use them well, because if we do not, we will not be prepared when the time to speak comes. God’s Word is full of wisdom about the use of our tongues, and we must be diligent students of it. There is a time to name the name of Christ before the world. There is a time to speak a word of kindness to a broken soul. There is a time to offer instruction to the simple, to ask wise questions of our elders so that we may learn, and to lift our voices in praise to God. There is a time to seize opportunities to share Christ with the lost, and a time to speak words of repentance. Perhaps above all, we must pray for wisdom, so that we will know how to speak well, and how to speak at the right time. SDG.

Prayer of Confession & Consecration

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