2016...A Time For Everything...

Words I read the first morning of  2016 were from Ecclesiastes 3... As I went to pick up my Bible that morning, I just thought, Ecclesiastes 3, so I turned there and began to read...

"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....
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."
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11&14

I've thought of these verses for several days now...wondered how to settle them in my heart for 2016...there's a few things that stuck out to me...

1. There is time and there are seasons. Time spans and seasons change. I want to be able to recognize God's time and when he changes my season...Walk in grace through those season changes and be able to, by His Spirit, let go of the old season and embrace the new one with peace, joy and excitement. That can be kinda hard when I'm uncertain of the season.

2. With that said, I must choose to trust my God. I need to trust him to make everything beautiful for its own time. No matter what it may look like today or tomorrow or the next, continue to stand on his promise to make it beautiful for my good and ultimately for his glory.

3. I, no matter how hard I try, nor how bad I desire it, cannot and will not ever see on this side of heaven the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. But, I know he does. He sees it. He knows. He holds it. Every bit of it. And he is good. He is good at his job and his work can be trusted.

4. His work was finished in the resurrection of my Jesus, my Redeemer. I can never add to it nor take away from it. "It is finished," were the words uttered by my Savior when he died on that cross and he totally meant those words with everything in him. He requires nothing from me, but belief in him and his work completed on the cross that day. It is by his complete and total work that I am saved and I come to him empty handed, and he fills my empty hands with everything good.

5. I am to fear my good God. I should not get confused with the spirit of fear and the spirit of overwhelming awe, respect, glory and reverance due my eternal God. I should not take his goodness and his choosing to have a personal relationship with me lightly nor pretend for one second that I ever did anything to deserve his presence, his audience and our relationship. I will continue to stand in awe and wonder of how he knows me best, yet loves me most.

Those are just a few of my thoughts and I'm hoping you have a few of your own. Conclusions to settle in your heart and challenges to pursue for the new year we have begun...

2016...there's a lot of things I don't know about you...there's a lot of things I'd like to ask of you...you will be a span of time and seasons of change...and my good God will take me through it all...I don't know much about you right now so I'll just choose to trust the One who does...I choose to believe no matter what you hold and no matter what time I find myself in nor what season is upon me there will be sweet fruit. There will be peace beyond understanding and my paths will be made straight...

Be blessed in the time and seasons set before us - 2016 - He sees it all,
Lenee