Focal Point

Focal Point
Focal Point is more than a blog. It's purpose is to help us stay focused on Christ through Gods Word as we navigate through life and today's culture.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

When Life Makes Sense

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How long is thirty minutes?  Well ask a student or teacher waiting for the dismissal bell on a friday afternoon at school and thirty minutes can drag on forever.  How long is an hour?  Ask a patient sitting in a dentist chair with their mouth wide open waiting for the root canal work to end and they will tell you its an eternity. How long is three months?  Ask an expecting mother who is into her sixth month.  Ask a teenager who gets their drivers license next year..just how long a year seems? Ask a Father who it seems was just walking his daughter to her first day of school and is now walking her down the wedding isle?  Time can drag on or time can fly by.  However time is a wonderful thing because we all have it.  We all have the been given the same amount of time.  The question is how do we spend out time, how do we utilize our time? 

We are studying the book of Ecclesiastes at Smith River Baptist  www.smithriverbaptist.org  and this past sunday we were in Chapt 3 where Solomon is discussing this important topic of time..and trying to make sense of it all.  Up to this point Solomon had been living life from his own perspective and had tried everything under the sun.  He had talent, wealth, fame, power and plenty of time to do it all.  But he kept running into a dead end with the answers to life.  But now he is coming to a turn point in his life.  What Solomon needed to do totally and what we need to do is turn, turn, turn from our own ways and our own perspective on life to Gods. 

When you study the third chapter of Ecclesiasties you find that Solomon gives us an IOU.  That is an Inward look, Outward look and a Upward look as he begins to figure out what life is all about.

Inward look - The bible says that 'He has put eternity in their hearts..."   Augustine said "Is it no doubt we are always restless till we find our rest in him."  Solomon said the Lord has placed eternity in our hearts.  That is when you look inside you realize this life is not all there is to it.  God whispers to us as we hear the call from the inside "This is not all there is..there is more..and you were created for eternity..Therefore we should live our life with eternity in view..we don't live for ourselves but we live for Gods purposes.

Outward look - Solomon goes on in 3:12-13 and speaks of the gifts that God has given us. The gift of food, drink and work..these are all gifts of God.  But then he also speaks of the gift of rejoicing.  And while we may get excited and rejoice at times..there is no rejoicing like that which comes from a true deep relationship with God.. Solomon also speaks of the gift to do good in ones life time.  We are to do good and make a difference.  We are not just here to suck air, eat, and draw a pay check but we are to make a difference in others lives and that is a gift of God

Upward look - chapt 3:14 - we are to fear God.. This is not a fear that calls us to be scared, but rather a fear that brings us into a reverent, holy awe and repect of who God is and what He says.  When we look upward to God we should look with a reverent awe and fear of Him.. Many have lost that fear today.

The problem with many is that we have pushed God over to the edge and corner of our lives.  We are glad He is there and we can call on Him whenever we want and need Him.  But God doesn't belong in the corner of our lives, He belongs in center of our lives.  Our time belongs to Him

We all need that turning point in our life that brings us back to a right relationship with Him.

Turn, Turn, Turn