Reading Assignment:\u00a0Ecclesiastes 3:1-15<\/p>\n
There is an appropriate time to do everything. The big problem is recognizing when that time has arrived. The things that Solomon has talked about so far were in terms of all or nothing. For example, there is nothing wrong with mirth per se, but there is something wrong with it when it is your goal in life. Basically, nothing should be done in excess. We need to keep things in perspective.<\/p>\n
What can we learn from Solomon’s poem? When done at the appropriate time, everything is beautiful. However, we don’t have the proper viewpoint to fully grasp everything around us. God lives in eternity. We can grasp the concept of eternity, but we live in a finite amount of time (James 4:13-17). We don’t know everything that happened before we were born and we can only guess what will happen after we die.<\/p>\n
The best that we can do is to rejoice, do good, eat, drink, and enjoy the fruits of our labor. All of this comes from God. It may seem like a contradiction, but Solomon is saying that we should enjoy life, though life is not an end unto itself.<\/p>\n
We cannot change what God has planned to do, so we shouldn’t waste time trying to change the unchangeable (Matthew 6:27). We need to learn to respect what God has decided (Philippians 4:11). We may not be able to alter our environment, but we can control who we are. God will expect us to give an account to him of what we have done with our lives.<\/p>\n
Time Reading Assignment:\u00a0Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 Did you understand what you read? The poem about time is beautiful, but how does it fit into the discussion? “A time to be born, and a time to die.” Death is a hard thing for most people to accept. What should the Christian’s attitude toward death be, according to the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":13496,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14399","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":61377,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/what-does-the-bible-say-about\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-lying\/","url_meta":{"origin":14399,"position":0},"title":"What Does the Bible Say About Lying?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"What Does the Bible Say About Lying? Lying Is a Sin \"Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another\" (Ephesians 4:25). \"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61409,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/what-does-the-bible-say-about\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-death\/","url_meta":{"origin":14399,"position":1},"title":"What Does the Bible Say About Death?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"What Does the Bible Say About Death? You Only Have One Life \"And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment\" (Hebrews 9:27). Reincarnation Who controls when we die? Is there a set time for someone to die? Waiting What Is Your Life?\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7595,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/mens-training-class\/public-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":14399,"position":2},"title":"Public Prayer","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 17, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Public Prayer Introduction Congregational prayer is authorized in I Corinthians 14:1-16, among other passages. One man leads a prayer while the whole assembled body prays along with him. Since the man is leading the congregation, he should pray for things that pertain to the whole congregation. He is giving voice\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7583,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/mens-training-class\/the-lords-supper\/","url_meta":{"origin":14399,"position":3},"title":"The Lord’s Supper (Men’s Training)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 17, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"The Lord's Supper Introduction While no more or no less important than any other part of our public worship, the Lord's Supper should be considered as a solemn occasion that deserves careful preparation and proper execution. Everything possible should be done to allow the worshipers to partake without distraction. Read\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61372,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/what-does-the-bible-say-about\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-suicide\/","url_meta":{"origin":14399,"position":4},"title":"What Does the Bible Say About Suicide?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"What Does the Bible Say About Suicide? Life Is to Be Respected \"Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7589,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/mens-training-class\/the-collection\/","url_meta":{"origin":14399,"position":5},"title":"The Collection (Men’s Training)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 17, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"The Collection Introduction The collection is no less a part of worship than any other part. It should not be treated as an afterthought. Preparatory Remarks The collection is usually taken after the Lord's Supper since the men to pass the trays are already available. 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