“It’s a New Season”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
ECC 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: ECC 3:2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, ECC 3:3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, ECC 3:4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, ECC 3:5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, ECC 3:6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, ECC 3:7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, ECC 3:8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Today we are going to talk about seasons. Our lives and our world is governed by seasons.
The Seasons
Spring-The Time To Plant
Summer-The Time To Watch Blossom and Grow and Tend
Fall-The Time To Harvest
Winter-The Time to Plan For Next Year
We will focus on the seasons of our lives.
Life comes in three volumes, volume #1) YESTERDAY, #2) TODAY, #3) TOMORROW. Yesterday is gone, but it pays visits to Memory Lane. Tomorrow is a good place to dream, but tomorrow may never be! Today is where life should focus. There will be seasons of success and seasons of failure.
Don’t build monuments to your own success. Success that is rooted only in your Earthly life and possessions can easily be gone tomorrow.
Ecclesiastes 2:24-26
ECC 2:24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
If the sole purpose of your life is to collect as much wealth and “stuff” as possible you will be dissapointed. The righteous and humble will inherit what you have anyway.
Galatians 6:7-8
GAL 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
If your plans or goals are not Godly minded, they will not be Godly blessed.
“Success” has many meanings to different people. Success is not what you “have to show”, but being able to “show what you have” if you have God in your life
So don’t base success on what you have to show!
The Great Conqueror Charlemagne was born on April 2, 742 in Northern Europe. "By the sword and the cross," Charlemagne became master of Western Europe. Charlemagne was determined to strengthen his realm and to bring order to Europe. In 772 he launched a 30-year military campaign to accomplish this objective. By 800 Charlemagne was the undisputed ruler of Western Europe. His vast realm encompassed what are now France, Switzerland, Belgium, and The Netherlands. It included half of present-day Italy and Germany, and parts of Austria and Spain. By establishing a central government over Western Europe, Charlemagne restored much of the unity of the old Roman Empire and paved the way for the development of modern Europe.
It is said that about 200 years ago, the tomb of the great conqueror
Charlemagne was opened. The sight the workmen saw was startling.
There was his body in a sitting position, clothed in the most
elaborate of kingly garments, with a scepter in his bony hand.
On his knee lay the Holy Scriptures, with a cold, lifeless finger
pointing to Mark 8:36: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall
gain the whole world, and loose his own soul?"...
The Seasons of Life
Spring-The Time To Plant
Your value is not based on money or possessions, your value comes from God’s design built into you to accomplish the goals he has set before you.
Goal-Whatever you intend to happen.
Ask 3 questions to yourself about your goals
1 Why do I want that goal?
2 What is the purpose?
3 What is my motive? Motive makes all the difference
Goals should be just out of reach but not out of sight.
You will face opposition to any goal that is for the Kingdom of God
Why?-We are in this world but not part of it. If you are born again you are a threat to the Devil, he will throw you curve balls.(Lion/Devour Plans of Righteous)
1 Peter 5:8
1PE 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Plan before you plant. Have an exact idea of what you want and how to go about it.
No successful farmer just randomly tosses out seeds without knowing what he is planting.
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
God knows exactly what he has in mind for you even if you don’t know for yourself.
The key to unlocking God’s will and plan for you can only be found through prayer.
A wise man once made this observation “I was frustrated out of my mind, trying to figure out the will of God. I was doing everything but getting into the presence of God and asking Him to show me.”...
Some people are not content to serve in the role or place
God intends for them
One world famous orchestra leader and renowned 1st chair violin player was asked, “What is the most difficult thing you have even been asked to play?”
“Second-fiddle,” was his reply.
Leonard Bernstein was once asked which instrument was the most difficult to play. He thought for a moment and then replied, "The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm - that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony." (elbourne.org)...
(Story of Ephraim and Manasseh)
Summer-The Time To Watch Blossom and Grow and Tend To Crops
Some of you have unfruitful vines or people you need to cut out of your life.
Amos 3:3
AM 3:3 Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?
"Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible." C. S. Lewis, "Charity" chapter in Mere Christianity, p. 132...
(Illust.-The Vine in The Garden)
Fall-The Time To Harvest
John 9:4
4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
Now is the time to take care of plans that you have. You may not have tomorrow.
What if I fail?
View failure as only a short term thing. Learn from your failures, Let them educate your mind, and then get back on track. Failure is feedback to use for corrections.
When God bolts the door, don’t try to get in through the window. The will of God never will lead you where the grace of God cannot get you.
If we would look at some men in the Bible we would see that God did great things with people who had failures or shortcomings (Letter to Jesus/Fictional)
Dear Sir:
Thank you for submitting the resumes of the 12 men you have picked for managerial positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken the battery of tests and we have run them through our computers. It is the staffs’ opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, educational and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would suggest that you continue your search for persons with experience and proven capability. Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has no leadership skills at all. The 2 brothers, James and John, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to inform you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus have radical leanings and registered high manic-depressive scores.
Only one of the candidates shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness who meets people well and has a keen business mind. He has contacts in high places and is highly motivated, ambitious and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man.
We wish you every success in your new venture.
Sincerely-Jerusalem Managerial Consultants.
Winter-The Time to Plan For Next Year
A farmer never relies on the present yield of crops to last or sustain him for the rest of his life. Plans need evaluation/revision
“The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it—but we must sail, and not drift, nor live at anchor.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
(Stir Up Your Anointing)
Every season has a beginning and an end. The seasons of life don’t always correspond with the seasons on the calender.
No matter how big the task God has for you, he will be with you in it. You may think you cant go on anymore or take 1 more step in the plans God has for you. If it is a goal you have for yourself that you think is unreachable or impossible remember these words-
CLOSING
In World War II merchant ships were used to take food and supplies across the sea.
One day a Father took his son down to the docks to see the boats being unloaded.
"Brave men have risked their lives to bring us this precious cargo," he told him. The boy noticed a line painted around each vessel. "What’s that for?" He asked.
"To show the people loading the ship how much it’s made to carry," he said. "If they put too much on, the line disappears below the water. The boat will sink. If they put too little inside, it won’t be full enough to do what it was made to do.
Each boat is made by its builder to carry just the right amount."
God has painted a water line in our lives… He will not give too much to bear… but will allow “too much” to cause us to need His help. Many children enjoy in helping bringing in the groceries from the car. They prefer to carry in the candy and cookies…. But at times Sometimes parents ask (make) them to carry in other items. Sometimes kid reach for items unaware of the weight and if too heavy… say…, “You do this one daddy.” God allows for “things” to get to heavy for us so we can humble ourselves and say, “You do this one daddy.”
If theres anything that seems too hard or undoable on your own strength, let Daddy do it!
