ESOCS Devotional 23 October 2024 – God Appoints the Times and Seasons
MEMORY VERSE: “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
TEXT:ECCLESIASTES 3:1-15
To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time [a]to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
8 A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.
The God-Given Task
9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.
14 I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.
15 That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God requires an account of what is past.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional Here
These words are words for every person, in every place, in every circumstance. God has appointed the times and seasons, the events of our lives, the happy and the sad, the easy and the difficult. On one hand, this can bring worry; but on the other hand, it should bring you hope because we know that God is in control. God exalts and humbles the same person. He raises nations up and brings them down. Even the day of our death has been set, God is in control.
Sometimes, you may wonder about that. I mean, it is easy to doubt that God has it all together when you look at the world. It doesn’t seem to be doing all that well: Crime is up, abortion is up, homosexuality is on the rise, the nation is in debt, etc. It can be pretty discouraging but God has got it all under control. God has a purpose in what He does even if we have a hard time understanding what that purpose is. Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
The evidence of change is all around us: Spring becomes Summer. Summer becomes Fall. Fall becomes Winter. Winter becomes Spring. The young become aged and the new becomes old. My computer runs slower and my body gets weaker. And the times change. The millennium is here. Wellspring is closing. You will be wondering about where to go to church next year. But don’t worry. God is in control.
Christians go through some of the greatest changes. First, we are blind, dead sinners. Then we are made alive. Then we discover more of our sinfulness and God continues to change our hearts. God wants to make our hearts more like His. It challenges you by causing you to grow through the trials and tribulations of life. However, God does not change. Imagine what it would be like if God changed on us. What if one day He were nice and another day He was mean. Or what if He altered between merciful and judgmental; or one day He decided to answer but it occurred in the next that He did not. I thank God that He is unchangeable (Malachi 3:6). That means you can count on Him to always be there and to do the right thing. He won’t change His mind about you.
- Be confident that God is with you always. You are well protected.
- Lord, I will always trust you. Let your defence never depart from me.
Further Reading: Proverbs 28:12-end; Luke 22:14-23; 2 Corinthians 7:2-end
ESOCS Devotional 23 October 2024
