A Season for Everything

Dear Friend,

Permit me to write to you as a friend speaking to someone who is facing change or major decisions in life, not knowing what is looming up ahead in the near or far future. Fear not. Embrace it. [Matthew 16:24-26, MSG] Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 teaches that there are seasons for everything and God is the overseer of each of these seasons.

[Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT]

 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.

And further in Ecclesiastes [3:12] it teaches us that “there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.”

[Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 NLT]

 9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 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. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

I have chosen to travel in life the higher road. It is a road that is less traveled, and it leads to a spacious place. It is a tougher road, but infinitely more rewarding. Your journey is going to look different from mine, in the detail. Everyone can do it. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ calls us to do this.

 
In the big picture, we might share the major milestones. We are all called to be saved. We are all called to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to be ourselves, no more and no less. We are who we are. We are not what we do. We are not what we have. [Matthew 5:5 MSG] “When we are truly ourselves, we will find everything that cannot be bought.” [Matthew 16:26 NLT] 26 “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” [Matthew 16:24-26 MSG] 24-26 Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?”

We are all called ... but not everyone answers yes. Not everyone is willing. It is a matter of choice.
 

 
I know that we all want what is financially rewarding. Life is so much easier when we have enough money. We don't all start with the money, but we can all end up with abundance. A favorite preacher, Paul De Jong, has a CD series called Attracting Abundance. The gist of his teaching is that who we are attracts abundance, rather than what we do.
 

 
Another reason people are not willing to travel on the higher road is this: people like to choose the most comfortable way. There is a limit to what we can see if we only rely on our own natural eyes. Ask God to give you the supernatural sight. Ask God to lead you where He wants you to go instead.
 

 
Sometimes, when we are looking for future direction, we don’t seem to see the really obvious—what is already under our noses. Pastor Brian Houston would have said: "What have you already got in your hand?" Use what you have already got in your hand. God can do a miracle with what you already have in your hand. With Moses' shepherd staff, God parted the Red Sea.
 

 
I am not called to be a popular personality. I don't have a need to be popular. On the contrary, I am called to go against the prevalent culture of the day, if it is wrong, deadly, and destructive. I am called to lead by following the leadership of Abba Father, Lord Jesus Christ. I can’t teach you how to destroy yourselves.
 

 
I don't have to spell out what is destructive. God will let you experience it for yourselves.  Or we can learn from the Bible.
 

 
Dr John C. Maxwell would have said it like this: “The wise learn from their own mistakes. The wiser learn from other people's mistakes.”
 

 
There is a common misconception. Leadership is not an elite domain for the select few. The Lord Jesus Christ calls everyone to leadership. There is at least one area in life that each one of us can lead. There is at least one area in life that is gifting and strength. For some of us, there might be a few. Then God is able to add to us, one on top of the other. For me, all roads come from the Lord Jesus Christ and lead back to Him.
 

 
John C. Maxwell (from the Maxwell Leadership Bible) taught me that if you chase two rabbits, you are going to lose both. It is a question of focus.
 

 
May the grace, favor, and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Thank You, Abba Father, Lord Jesus Christ.

Seasons

Seasons come and seasons pass
 
Rain makes the day cool
 
Sun makes the day warm
 
Snow lets the soil rest
 
A season for everything

The LORD is Lord of the seasons
 
In the good times
 
In the tough times
 
Whatever the season
 
This too shall pass

The LORD is the Lord of the harvest
 
Sow in tears
 
Reap in joy
 
Whatever the reason
 
We will praise Him

These are the cycles of life
 
Every season
 
For a reason
 
We shall not be moved
 
Put our trust in Him

We will keep moving forward
 
Always onward
 
Always upward
 
Into the call of God
 
Until we finish the race

Bible References:

[Proverbs 15:24 NKJV]

24 The way of life winds upward for the wise,
 
      That he may turn away from hell below.

[Isaiah 43:18 NIV]

 18 "Forget the former things;
 
       do not dwell on the past.

[Philippians 3:13-14 NLT]

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Thank You, Abba Father, Lord Jesus Christ.