Lesson Three: The Truth About Time

Please read Ecclesiastes 3

A Procrastinator's Poem By Kalish Awati

Procrastination’s the thief of time.
It only makes one fall behind.
So, try if you can
to stick to the plan.
Don’t wait for intervention divine.

As we continue the study, Solomon's next focus is time.Time is our great equalizer. It is our most valuable commodity. We don't know how much we have. Once time is spent, we are out. How we spend it is of great importance in a believer's life. James 4:13-17 warns us about how we speak about spending our time. "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city and spend a year there, carry on business and make money." In verse 14 he continues, "You don't even know what will happen tomorrow." These are interesting points of view to have about time, while one assumes we have all the time in the world, why not put things off as shown in the poem. The second point of view from James assumes we have all the time in the world, let's follow our own agenda. While doing some research for this lesson I found a website that takes your height, weight, age, and general outlook towards life and calculates how much time you have left on earth. My clock told me if all went well I would live to 93. Of course, we can never really know how long we have, but it put things in perspective for me right now. As we begin the lesson, my prayer is that God will reveal to us how to be better stewards of the time he gives to us.

Point 1: In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 we see that time has a purpose
Let's use church time as an example. In church we have time for worship, offering, learning, and fellowship. While some may enjoy worshipping, others may prefer learning and fellowship. I find myself getting sidetracked during the announcements, but being distracted could cause me to miss an opportunity to serve. Or maybe getting to church on time is challenging a particular morning and we arrive late and miss the beginning of worship. Each piece of the service is important. It is cliche to say, but you get out of something what you put in. When we miss this time or any piece of this time, we can never get it back. They all work together to bring a complete offering of worship to our God and edification for us. In order to make the most of the time we have, it seems we need to be prepared.

Study Question: Are there areas in your life that are slipping away due to lack of your purposeful intention?
Discuss with the group an example of a successful process of preparation that leads to complete fulfillment in one area of your life whether it be in the home, work, church, a project, or your ideal day.

Point 2: Ecclesiastes 3:3,4,8 We see there is a providence for the seasons we endure.  I found the definition interesting,  God directing the affairs of humankind with wise benevolence. In the good times in our life and the bad times in our life, God is in charge of us. Matthew 7:24 illustrates it to us this way. There are two men, one built his house on the sand and the other on a firm foundation. The interesting point though is that the rain came down on both of them. As christians we are not exempt from trials in our life. God uses them for our sanctification. James tells us we should face these trial with joy at the thought of them because we are becoming more like Christ. So often I'm tempted to whine or complain about the hard times, it is hard to remember to keep such a perspective as James encourages me to have.

Study Question: Read Matt 7:24 and James 1:2.
How are you building your faith on a firm foundation?
How are you prepared for the rain of trials in your life?

In conclusion, time has a purpose and providence in our life.  As the four seasons, winter, spring, summer, and fall have their high points and low points, there is something beautiful and meaningful about them.  We can draw a parallel and see we can enjoy something beautiful about the seasons in our life if we are willing to be patient and endure its process.