Do you realize that we are now nearing mid-March and April will soon be upon us. It’s hard to believe that February 2016 is already a thing of the past. When I was your age, someone my age told me, “The older you get, the quicker it seems that time passes.” I can definitely say, without a doubt that is true. So let me ask you this question: In the past two months what significant things have you done . . . for God?
To answer this question, in a roundabout way, I want to share with you several verses from one of my favorite books of the Bible, Ecclesiastes. Solomon, the author and brainiest brainiac ever, wrote these famous words: “Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, for killing and healing, destroying and building, for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing, for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting. There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving, for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking. There is also a time for love and hate, for war and peace” (Contemporary English Version, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
What did Solomon mean when he wrote this? Did he have too much paper and not enough words? Of course not! To understand the first eight verses, you have to read the last 13. Solomon recognized that a clear understanding of who we are could only be formed when we have a clear understanding of who God is. He sums up the last part of chapter 3 in this statement: “So I told myself that God has set a time and a place for everything. He will judge everyone, both the wicked and the good” (verse 17). I find it interesting that he echoes this summary again in the last statement of the last chapter of Ecclesiastes. Apparently, understanding this truth is really important stuff.
So now that you understand the fact that God is in charge, and one day He will judge all that you do, what will you do with that information? How does this information affect your life? How should it affect your life? Well, simply put, we need to be busy doing God’s work on this earth.
Check it out—I know your next question before you ask it. What specific work does God have for me? The answer I have for you is: I don’t know! That’s between you and God. But I do know generally three things that God has for you to do.
ENJOY
Live your life and enjoy it. Yes, go on and live it up! Solomon makes it crystal clear that as Christians we aren’t supposed to live in a bubble, and we should be the happiest, most joyful people around. Have you ever stopped to consider that many non-Christians (and Christians) have a warped perception that Christians are some of the most unhappy, uptight, joyless people around? Not true at all! God wants us to enjoy ourselves in our lives, but remember, He’s always watching, recording, and remembering. Ultimately, good or bad, He’ll judge you.
SHARE
Share the good news of His love, grace, forgiveness, and salvation. You can do this every day, day in and day out. Remember, if you’re a Christian—and I hope you are—you’re not living your life for yourself, but for God. So make sure that every day you share with others the love, grace, forgiveness, and peace you’ve received from God, through Jesus. There’s no work on earth of more importance for you or me to do. You are God’s first and best plan for spreading the good news, aka “evangelism.” “Plan B” is for rocks to do it (Luke 19:40), and I don’t know about you, but if I were hiking and the rocks were like, “Yo, dude, have you heard about Jesus?” I’d make my way to the nearest emergency room for a MRI of my melon. So go with God’s first plan. He knows what He’s doing. Don’t make Him make rocks talk . . . please!
HELP ONE ANOTHER BE THE BEST THEY CAN
Make disciples. This is different from sharing Jesus’s love. Sharing His love is the first step, but then we are all to help each other, in Jesus, to be the best that we can be—that’s called “discipleship.” Jesus Himself gave us all this clear mandate: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Did you know that as a new month begins, we are one month closer to the day Jesus will return and take us home to be with Him? Paul wrote: “You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be saved is nearer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord” (Romans 13:11).
We all have important work to do for God. So as time marches on, let’s work for God with joy, power, and purpose.