To every [thing there is] a season (set time), and a time to every purpose (delight, desire, longing) under the heaven ... And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it [is] the gift of God.
I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for [there is] a time there for every purpose and for every work. Wherefore I perceive that [there is] nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that [is] his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him? (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11b, 17 & 22)
There is a appointed or set time and a perpetuity of time to every purpose, desire and delight on this earth ... it is set and carved out for a brief moment for us. Time is short! There is a time for everything, every desire or purpose that we can experience here:
birth
death
planting
harvesting
murdering
healing
breaking down
building up
weeping
laughing
mourning
dancing
casting out stones
gathering stones
embracing
not embracing
getting
losing
keeping
casting away
rending
sewing
being silent
speaking
loving
hating
war
peace
In our lifetimes we will experience so much but God says in His WORD that it is for a set time. So if it is just for this short time what should we be doing? Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 tells us the only good for us in the here and now is to 1) rejoice (sameach), to 2) do or make good and 3) to eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of our labor ~ this is God's gift (reward). Eat, drink and be merry? Is this the only good in our life?
Phillipians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always: [and] again I say, Rejoice.
Ecclesiastes 2: 24 [There is] nothing better for a man, [than] that he should eat and drink, and [that] he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it [was] from the hand of God.
One of the punishments for not serving the LORD was to not be able to eat from your own herds and vinyards (Duet 28:30-31) therefore we are warned serve Him with joyfulness and gladness of heart for the abundance of all HE has given you. As Thessalonians says rejoice evermore! We have so much to be thankful for. God blesses our "herds and vineyards" whatever those are to us this day "our work, our labor" so be thankful and take your "fruit and harvest" with a grateful heart to Him. It is not just to eat, drink and be merry ... it is more about rejoicing and serving Him with a grateful heart for the abundance of what HE has done. He has done GREAT things! Therefore we ought to do the good that we can!
God does it and we should tremble before Him ... for a time is coming ... a time of judgement ... for vindication or for punishment. God is our Judge and will execute His judgements in righteousness. All of our pursuits, labors, undertakings, all that we can achieve serves a purpose dare I say for wickedness or righteousness and God will judge that ... and as He already warned us do good.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14) The Judge of all the earth will do right! (Gen 18:25)
Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. (Psalms 98:9)
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. (Matthew 16:27)
He will separate the sheep and the goats. As I studied earlier this week through Genesis 1, God is a God of order and distinction. He separates and divides light and darkness, waters above from waters below, day and night, holy and most holy, holy and unholy, clean and unclean, the Levitical priests from the children of Israel, cities of refuge, His special people, Heaven and earth, from filthiness to those who seek the LORD, from peoples of the land, strangers and the mixed multitudes. In Ezekiel 22: 26 God talks about the sin of not separating ... God is a God of distinction and our sin ultimately separates us from Him therefore do what is right. "When the roll is called up yonder" I want to be on the right hand with the sheep.
God is our Judge, but He can also be our "defence lawyer". But the LORD is my defence; and my God [is] the rock of my refuge. (Psalms 94:22)
When all is said and done and the time here is over where will you stand? With the sheep or the goats? Will He be your legal defence or your prosecutor? He is just and right and will make the final distinction at the end of all time and then the Good News ...
Behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Behold, I make all things new. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him ... For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel ... and then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory ... this same Savior, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
He came once as a babe lying in a manger ...
He will return as Judge and King!
His return is very near ...
Prepare ye the way and look for His Coming!!!
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