Day 205 - Ecclesiastes 1-12

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 205 - Ecclesiates 1-12 (A Time to Die)
(To View Past Posts Click: http:/tonyvicreyes1-yearbible.blogspot.com/ )

       "To everything there is a season, 
        A time for every purpose under heaven: 
        A time to be born, 
           And a time to die; 
        A time to plant, 
           And a time to pluck what is planted; 
        A time to kill, 
           And a time to heal; 
        A time to break down, 
           And a time to build up; 
        A time to weep, 
           And a time to laugh; 
        A time to mourn, 
           And a time to dance; 
        A time to cast away stones, 
           And a time to gather stones; 
        A time to embrace, 
           And a time to refrain from embracing; 
        A time to gain, 
           And a time to lose; 
        A time to keep, 
           And a time to throw away; 
        A time to tear, 
           And a time to sew; 
        A time to keep silence, 
           And a time to speak; 
        A time to love, 
           And a time to hate; 
        A time of war, 
           And a time of peace.
        He has made everything beautiful in its time. "
        (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11a) 

Although the author remained anonymous, it is almost sure that King Solomon was the one who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes based on the description of the author about himself, especially the part about being the wisest and richest king who ever lived up to his time.  Ecclesiates means preacher or teacher which was what the author was.  The book is all about the vanity of life and about what really matters in life.  I highly recommend you read the entire book which is not long at all.

The text I chose above for this devotional is a very popular passage that has been quoted by both secular and religious people alike.  Because God is a patient God who has appointed a time for everything under heaven including the seasons of the year and the birth of every living being, we too must recognize that there is a time for everything in life.  When we align everything with God's timing, we can expect to see Him make everything beautiful in its time.

The rest of what I'm about to write may sound morbid but for the person who understands what God is saying in our Scrupture passage above, it is not at all.  As God has appointed a time for every person to be born, so also we are told that He has appointed a time for us to die.  Now, I choose to believe God's word when it says that God has made everything beautiful in its time, so therefore, I believe that the time of my appointed death by my maker is beautiful.  As the Psalmist wrote, "Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints (Psalm 116:15)."

For those who truly know the Lord Jesus Christ, they ought not to be afraid of death knowing that even that time is appointed by God in His time.  Jesus promised His followers that death will simply be the gate for them to enter heaven and that someday He will raise their dead bodies back to life to live forever on the new earth.  As for me, I choose not to be afraid to die but rather desire to look eagerly to my entrance into the eternal presence of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and God the Father.