Winning Big in the Seasons of Life!

BIBLES TO HAND OUT!

One of the challenges of our modern era is to understand the meaning of time.  Because of our microwave, 30-minute sitcom, soundbyte world, we are accustomed to solutions to problems occurring virtually instantaneously.  We can even be present at the battlefront with the advent of satellite communication and imagery.  And the pace of change threatens to overtake us no matter how fast we try to run on the treadmill.

As we go through life, and begin to pass from one season of the life to the next, we begin to see our values shift.  Bob Buford, writes in his book “Halftime” that the two “halves” of life in his mind look like this:  “The first half of life has to do with getting and gaining, learning and earning.  The second half is more risky because it has to do with living well.”  Another person suggested that it was life after 40 that they had become interested in, because they had ceased to be impressed with the first half of anything.  What they wanted to see was how someone finished.  Finishing well can be tough stuff.

Winning Big in the seasons of life requires that we learn the value of time, and maintain a longer horizon than the moment, or the week, or month.  One ancient writer, who understood this truth was the wisest man who ever lived.  Solomon was given the opportunity to be given something by God and he asked for wisdom.  God granted his request and the book of Ecclesiastes is his writing.  As we start this morning, let me lift up a few principles from this text.

There is a ____________ for everything.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Navigating the course of life requires an acceptance of the concept of  “seasons of life”.  There is an appropriate time for everything.  Understanding this will assist you to grow better rather than bitter.

9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12  I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

God makes all things beautiful in His time…accept His viewpoint and find peace

13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil–this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

Two final thoughts from this section

  • Satisfaction in your life comes from knowing that you are making a difference.
  • God promises His presence and provision during each season of our lives.

Isaiah 46:3  “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. 4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

4 Opportunities You have to Win Big in the Seasons of Life!:

  • See each season as an opportunity to grow
  • Commit to respecting and caring for older adults

1 Timothy 5:1 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers,2  older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.3  Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.4  But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.

  • Providing care and nurture for your own family is a Biblical responsibility
  • Parents and Grandparents have the opportunity to leave an eternal inheritance

2 Timothy 1: 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also

We have an opportunity to create a Generational Transfer of Wealth that will not involve an estate tax, or require a GST at all!

Friends of mine who sail talk about the critical nature of having a horizon point.  As you navigate your journey, what are you leaving in the wake of your life?  Do you have a horizon point that is worthy and will get you through the seasons of life Winning Big?

Dr. John Jackson is the President of Jessup University. He’s the author of 10 books, the most recent being “Grace Ambassador”. He’s a transformative leader, committed to equipping believers and fostering change in their local communities… Read more

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