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Times and Seasons of our Life
This tract is based upon materials that I picked up many years ago. I do not remember the source or I would give them the credit that they deserve. It has been modified to fit our present situation, but the seeds of thought were planted by that good article. - Sharon Bliss
I would like us to think about the time and the different Seasons God gives us in our lifetime.
Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
God gave us Seasons, Days and years. We all have the same 24 Hour day. God tells us there is a time for everything
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
If it is God's will for our lives we will have the opportunity to go from our mother's womb to being a Senior Saint before He takes us to heaven. Satan has gotten a lot of victories and convinced countless women to usurp God's plan and accept his plan of having socially accepted abortions, killing an "unwanted baby." We have the opportunity in our lifetime to learn, and acquire wisdom and understanding from God, that we may grow spiritually as well as physically. We have the opportunity to make good or bad choices. Think of it like a garden. Just as a garden needs care to become and to stay fragrant and beautiful so we need care to be beautiful for Our Lord.
First, and most importantly, we need to be truly saved. We can not live for the Lord and be really happy over our life time if we are not Biblically saved.
Saved God's way: John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. We are not saved because our parents are Christians, or because we attend a good church, or because we obey and are by all appearance good. All of us have to personally come to the Lord His way. If you have any doubts please do not let another day go by without talking to your pastor or other mature Christ about any questions you have.
Once we are really saved God gives us the Holy Spirit to help and guide us in each Season of our life. If we are reading our Bible, praying and listening to Godly counsel then the Holy Spirit can and will guide us. The T.V., ungodly friends, ungodly music and secular magazines are not designed to guide you to a Godly way of life.
Hebrews 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. God wants to work in our lives so we will be happy and grow to maturity so we can bring Glory to Him. God really does love us and wants the very best for each one of us. Young child, teen, adult and senior can all serve the Lord.
Psalm 92:12-15 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
God desires for us to produce spiritual fruit from what we do in our lives. God does not want us to live just for ourselves.
Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
In each season of our life God has a plan and a purpose. We need to learn to be content with where we are in God's plan. We need to trust that He created us and He above anyone else knows what is best for us.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. These are verses which are becoming more and more meaningful the older I get. In these different seasons of our life there are lessons for us to learn. Because God knows we will need it He gives us scripture to help in each of these times. God helps us to grow and learn through things that happen beyond our control, sometimes things happen because of our mistakes, but always He is there for us if we will just trust in Him. From Babes to Grandparents we can serve God with our lives.
Let's think about some examples:
- (Birth to 3) Babies ~ Give us a great opportunity to guide our children toward Godly things. Please, parents don't fall into the world's trap of demeaning parenthood. This is one of God's most important jobs in our world.
- (4-10) Young child ~ Learn scripture, learning to obey, learning to love and obey God
Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
- (11 - 17) Pre-teen and Teen ~ Read your Bible, learn scripture, witness, be a good testimony before your friends. You can decide to keep yourself pure until marriage. You can decide to live for the Lord. Learn to make right choices.
- (18-25) Young adult ~ Teach others, witness, live for the Lord. Take a stand for the Lord at home, work, or in sports. Help in church ministries. Make right choices. Be aware of those you affect around you.
- (26 - 54) Adults ~ All of the above, you can choose to be full time for the Lord or be a good testimony in whatever you believe God wants you to do. Be active in church and learn to be the Godly person in your home and workplace that God wants you to be. Be a Godly testimony to your neighbors, at the grocery store, and mostly to your immediate and extended family. You do have a mission field to reach for the Lord. We do have an important job to do for the Lord in our own homes. Let your family see a Mom or Dad who relies on the Lord for their life in the good and the bad times. We have a great responsibility to be the example God wants us to be. How we live daily in our homes speaks louder to our children than what we say. God challenges you to live what you teach.
- (55 - up) Seniors- By this time in our life we are beginning to realize God has taught us a few lessons. Hopefully, we have learned that during the early seasons of our lives we were real novices. We always need to go through a real time of learning. Then times come when we can be a mentor and maybe a help to others. At this time in our lives we see the need to pray so much more. We have more time now than we did when raising a family. We can be the one to drop a note of encouragement to others, go visit someone in need, give a hug or word of encouragement to someone hurting. God has so many things we can still do for Him. We also know that God is still teaching us many things which will help us to be faithful to Him.
We need to be salt and light in this old world we live in today. There are so many temptations and those around us need to see someone who is a real Christian. We need to learn to be the Christ like examples God wants us to be in any season or trial that God gives us.
We should endeavour to be like Jesus in our actions and in our reactions as we live in this world. Remember those "What Would Jesus Do" bracelets that were so popular? Wouldn't our churches and our lives be great if we all really lived our lives that way?
The older we get the more we learn that the choices we make in our lives affect not only our lives but those around us. We should live our lives so that others can see Jesus in us no matter what season of our life we are in.
If you have never received the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, please do so before it is too late. No matter what season of your life that you are in, your first and primary need is to trust Jesus as Saviour.
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
After that He has promised to guide you and keep you throughout eternity.
Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
