Seasons

SEASONS

By: Pastor Ron Crandall

Intro:

We all understand that our surroundings go through seasons, but what about the Christian? We know that the earth has four seasons winter,spring,summer and fall. Some seasons we like and others well, we just can’t wait for them to be over. I think we are much like the four seasons in our walk with God there comes a season of blessing, and boy do we not want to leave it. But when the season of "God where are you?" hits, many times we are just praying that we’ll make it through. There are also some things in certian season you can and cannot do! I really don’t know anyone who like to go swimming in the dead of Winter... But if it is summer man it is hard to pull you out of the pool,off the beach or out of the lake. Likewise you don’t prune your fruit trees in the midst of summers rays and why? They will bleed to death because the sap is flowing. But in the winter time you begin to prune the fruit tree so it will bear fruit and not marble sized either. Prunning of a tree fruit tree causes it to bring forth larger and sweeter fruit. I think you get the picture... There are seasons in our walk with God. Oh they may not be called winter,spring, summer and fall but we still encounter them. So what do we do and how do we react to the seasons we encounter turn with me to:

Eccl 3:1-15

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

(KJV)

* We will always have seasons of miracles(this is what I call them) of God’s love, we call them struggles and testings.

** There will be times that we attempt to do the will of God, yet, everything seems to go Wrong.

It may even feel like we have two left feet,but rest assured God has a plan in spite of our feelings.

1.) We can’t Pray away God’s season;

The Lord has purpose in not allowing us to be fruitful all the time.

If you look at the fruit tree they do not bear fruit year round, there is a season when everything is ripe and ready for the harvest.

A tree that is never pruned (tested) always produces small fruit and it is usually bitter.

But if you prune back the tree, it does bleed, and when it heals and spring comes then you begin to see large fruit, sweet and good for use.

* These seasons or periods destroy our pride in our own ability, and they reinforce our dependency and our sufficiency in God’s ability.

Remember it is OUR RESPONSE to God’s Ability that forms responsibility.

a.) There is a purpose in these temporary inconveniences, test and challenges.