From Pastor Ben
Bible Trivia:
Can you tell me: Which son led a rebellion against his father, King David? Was it Solomon, or Nathan, or Absalom, or was it Bathsheba? Pick the one you think.
On the lighter side: Why couldn't the senior feline see anymore? You guessed it! It was because she had cat-aracts. Ho, ho, that was the best I could do this morning.
Challenge:
Ecclesiastes 8:5b,6 "Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right, 6 For there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble."
Solomon here is warning us that there's a right and wrong way of doing things, and a right and wrong time as well. The trouble that lies heavy upon us today is that we can't always discern these moments of destiny. If we remember Wisdom's poem in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, it reminds us that God alone knows the proper time and right procedure to follow. When we are faithfully guided by our Father, we will then be guided by the proper time and procedure to follow.
Here is that poem to reflect on:
"1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. 3 A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. 8 A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace."
Our learning here is that God has appointed a time for all things that will result in us coming to the proper realization that day to day living truly has a clear purpose. This leads to the understanding of the importance of our listening, leaning, and learning from Him and the great value of following the leading of the Spirit in our lives not just daily but moment by moment.
As a young man, I went out to Missouri to visit and assist my dad. I spent the time helping him sort, organize, clean up, and prepare the four square blocks of my grandfather's lifetime of gathering. It consisted of all sorts of what he had considered metal treasures from the gleanings of others. We were cleaning up in preparation for a giant week-long auction. You see, my grandfather had for the majority of his life gone to auctions, bought what others felt was junk, and then would buy at deeply discounted prices things in which he saw value. Then he would haul it back to the yard and organize and store it in such a way that onlookers could see the benefit of, and then purchase, items for their own benefit.
Dad had gained that same ability that Grandpa had learned, which was to recognize the value in what the eye of those with limited understanding would see as "just junk."
Nancy, my sweet older sister, reminded me the other day of the many times that the bread factory would break down on its assembly line that Dad worked across the street from. After their highly trained maintenance team couldn't find a way to get their plant back into production, they would then run across the street and beg Dad's boss to let him evaluate the problem and then produce machine a machine part to get them back on line. It seemed that at least once a month this process would begin again. God had given Dad the ability to find a repair solution for this large factory, even with its many varying processes to get it back in operation. I knew this because Dad would come home with the back seat filled almost every week with bread of all types they had given him in appreciation for his repair skills! He would say to me, "Son, if we ask God for His wisdom, He will guide us into all truth in many situations."
SO GO WITH GOD, for He will, without a doubt, guide us through the challenges of our day. Oh, my dear ones, draw near to His words daily for He will enrich your mind with the time that you invest in studying his Word, the Bible. What you are studying in the Bible may have no connection with the challenge that comes your way at the time, but your dependence on Him for wisdom will result in your ability to maneuver through and experience this enriching understanding of life's tips and turns when they do happen.
As the song's lyrics of "What a Wonder You Are" say, it is so true: "Jesus what a wonder You are!" If you have time joy in this truth with this song sung with Benny Hinn on YouTube, let this song fill your heart and mind with His joy.