A Balanced Life

May 31
A Balanced Life
Read Ecclesiastes 3
 
Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.
 
LIFE occurs between the two events, moving from moment to moment, birth to death. One way to look at those moments is to see them as chance or luck. We are born by chance, living in bad luck and good luck, and dying when our luck runs out.
Another way is to see life’s moments as a plan from God. In this view we live our moments under God’s Word and his ways or not.
   One of the world’s many lies is, “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” The truth is, God gives us life, and we can’t handle any of life properly without him. Proverbs defines how we are to respond to and be wise in nearly every type of life moment. What’s more, the Bible describes how God shows up in the sheep pen, on the battlefield, in the temple, in a manger, on a cross and in the church to “handle” our lives all the way home to heaven.
   And let’s remember, there is no Bible “hero” who could handle life without the God of Life directing him or her. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies gives us difficult life moments beyond our strength, so we will learn of his power to defeat the opposition and experience the joy of our salvation.
   Yes, God has caused us to be born. One day he will cause us to die. We can’t safely handle those two events or any other moments of life on our own. We must choose to abundantly live in him that we may safely die in him. 
 
Everything is Beautiful
 
Ecclesiastes 3:11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.  
 
THE New Testament records “beautiful” used in several ways. Jesus, for example, declared a woman who generously poured expensive perfume over him to honor him, “She has done a beautiful thing to me.” (Matthew 26:10) The Apostle Paul declared, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:15) Stephen preached in Acts 7:20 “Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight.” See, too, the triumphant beauty of God’s new creation at the end of time: “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2 NIV)
   When Solomon declared, “God has made everything beautiful for its own time.” he saw all of creation as God’s bride formed to be stunning, perfect, and holy under God’s hand. Solomon announced to the world that God had formed a magnificent universe, and he reminded the Hebrews how God had made them to be a joyful creation in his sight.
   Solomon also knew how beautiful it was to speak God’s Word. He had seen how people came from many nations to hear his wisdom. He knew God’s beautiful truth had acted to bring prosperity and peace to Judah. Indeed, everything, including our own lives joined with God, is beautiful because God has created all with eternity in mind.