October 1,2018 – Ecclesiastes 3:6-7

A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. Ecclesiastes 3:6-7.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1. Each song has a rhythm. Our lives, lived according to the wisdom of King Solomon, also have a rhythm of seasons and times.  

It is well to know what time it is — the ‘when’s’ of God’s time  changes.  When to keep and when to throw away is one we learn as we down-size our possessions.  While young I learned to fold ships until the fleet of ships, made from pages of the old Sears catalog, threatened to overwhelm my closet. Mother insisted I throw them out.  A difficult task then, and eased ‘down-sizing’ later in life.

The words we speak in the hot anger of the moment is the time to be quiet.  King Solomon also wrote Ecclesiastes 10:4- If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.

When is the time to hate?  Proverbs 8:13 – All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.   What place does peace have in our lives? But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.  James 3:17-18.

A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:8.