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Seasons of Life :: Tim Boettger
April 27- CF Community Center
May 4- Grundy Center
May 11- CF Sanctuary
Message Summary
Using the passage below as his focus, Tim taught that God has given us the precious gift of time in the ever-changing seasons of life. For each season, there are appropriate, wise activities to give ourselves to. Part of living well is discerning what season we are in and wisely choosing where and how to focus our time and energy. Extra pain in life often comes in the form of regret, guilt, or awareness of missed opportunity when we either don’t know our season, or fail to wisely choose activities that are most appropriate for that season.
Scripture Focus ... Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
"There is a time for everything,
and 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 uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere Him. That which is has already been, That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past."
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
"...the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."
Questions for small group discussion or personal reflection & journaling ...
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Using the descriptions in Ecclesiastes 3, talk about what season of life you think you are currently in ... If none of the words seem to describe your season of life, make up a name for it yourself! It can be a book title, movie title, a one-word description ... whatever makes sense to you!
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Based on your current season, what are a few key activities God might be asking you to engage in, that would be appropriate and unique to this time in your life?
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What are some activities God might be asking you to stop engaging in? Why might that be?
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Talk a bit about what happens in life when people choose to disregard the biblical truth that there is "a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. "
- What about you? Was there a time when you paid no attention to seasons? What did that look like?
- How did that impact your choices about where and how to spend your time?
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What are some of the dangers of failing to acknowledge seasons of life?
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Look back at Ecclesiastes 1 and 2 in which Solomon outlines many of the "meaningless" pursuits in which he engaged to give his life purpose and value without God... (i.e. wealth, power, pleasure, wisdom, knowledge etc.) Talk together about times in your life when you pursued one or more of these very common goals.
- What was guiding your thoughts?
- How did this pursuit work out in your life?
- Did it bring the happiness it appeared to promise? Why or why not?
Try this ...
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Write Ecclesiastes 3 (or parts of it) down and carry it with you into your days. Read it on occasion. Ask God to give you insight into your season of life. Ask Him to give you wisdom about which activities He’s calling you to.
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During the course of the next week, pay attention to the flow of your days. Where’s your focus? Who or what gets your time and attention? Where does the bulk of your energy go? Where do you most feel the painful disconnect between what you most care about and a lack of time or energy?
Then ask yourself these questions:
Does how I spend my days fit with the season of life I’m in?
What are some of the things I’m doing that don’t seem to "fit" very well right now?
Is there anything I can do about that?
What are some of the things I’m doing that fall into the "sweet spots" - that fit perfectly with this season of life?
How can I protect those activities? Make more space and time for them?
Prayer for the week
Dear Lord, We thank you for you calling us in specific ways during all the many different seasons of life. Encourage us by your Spirit to understand what season you’ve placed us in currently, and how we are called to respond. Give us the courage, desire and faithfulness to be obedient to you when we hear your call. In your name, Amen.
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