- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: ~~
With the work that should be done in the present, you should do it in the present, and with the work that should be done in the future, you should do it in the future. You cannot do in the future what you failed to do in the present. Even if you do in the future what you failed to do in the present, because the time has already passed and the moment has already passed, It will not be effective. Also, in the future, you must do ‘the work of the future.’ That is why, the present work should be done ‘now, in the present.’ If you try to do in the present what you failed to do in the past, you will be unable to do what should be done in the present. If you try to do in the future what you failed to do in the present, you will be unable to do what should be done in the future.
Things of the present must be done in the present. Only then will you harvest ‘fruit’ in the future as a result of that. It is like this: If a farmer does not sow seeds when he should sow seeds in the present, he cannot harvest ‘crops’ in the future. Therefore, you have to do the things of the present in the present. Only then will you do well in the present and also have things to gain in the future. Those who do what should be done in the present and run and work hard with the Lord are the ones who will eat, drink, and enjoy with the Lord both in the present and in the future.
God’s Providence history must be done according to ‘time.’ It is because God takes action according to ‘time.’ Whether people are ready or not, He surely takes action according to time. Look at the seasons. They do not wait for people. Human beings too- they must take action according to that time. Only then will they live according to reason.
Airplanes, buses, trains, all have ‘time.’ You have to board them according to that time and hour. Only then can you go all the way to your destination. The right time has come. So who are you waiting for? Even if you are doing it by yourself, you have to do it at ‘the right time.’ Once the right time has passed, no matter who helps you, it will not have much effect. Once the right time has passed, even if the Holy Trinity help you, it will not have much effect. ‘Those who do things at the right time’ even if they are doing it by themselves, is the wisest person. Once the time has passed, even God will say, “That was the work that should have been done in the past at that time. Since you did not do it at that time, there is nothing I can do.
Now, it will not work out even if I, Yahweh, do it with you.” I will tell you using a parable. A person had to dry his grains while the sun was still up even if he was by himself. However, he did not do that because he was by himself. He waited for someone to help, waited for God, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Son. However, They came after the sun set. Since he tried to dry the grain after the sun set, They said, “It will not work now.” Still the person said, “Now that we can do this together, let’s do it even now,” and laid out the grain in the yard. Since he left out his grain in the night, the evening dew drenched all the grain. This is why I tell you to do it when the time comes even if you do only as much as you can. Even if you are by yourself, if you do it at the right time, then the time will help you.
Between the time when the sun rose and the time when the sun set, the circumstances will change. In this way, when the time passes, the circumstances’ will also change. If you do it at the right time, you can do a good job because the circumstances will not change. With the same distance to go, there are many ways for people ‘to travel.’
- One is to go to the destination by walking comfortably,
- Another is to go faster by running even though it is hard,
- Still another is to go even faster by driving even though it costs them money.
If you travel slowly, the arrival time at the destination will be that much delayed, and you will gain things later. If you go faster, you will arrive at the destination quickly, so you will gain and enjoy things sooner. Will you go slowly and arrive late and gain late?
Or will you go faster and arrive faster and gain and enjoy faster? This is determined by ‘how fast you take action at the right time.’ You may travel comfortably, but if you arrive late, you will have no time to gain and enjoy. You may suffer, but if you arrive quickly by running and sprinting, you will have a lot of time to gain and enjoy. Some people live choosing only ‘comfortable methods.’ It is good because they are comfortable. However, being comfortable is not being happy. Being comfortable is not the way to gain. Since they have that kind of a mentality, they live their lives of faith only comfortably too. Since they live their lives of faith while walking slowly, they will gain around sundown so they will have little time to eat, use, or enjoy.
Everyone receives according to ‘their own deeds.’ Especially in the world of faith, you absolutely receive according to your own deeds. Words can fool everyone. However, when you look at their deeds, they cannot deceive. That is why you can recognize ‘a great person’ when you look at their deeds. So I urge you to discern by looking at their deeds. However, there is an even more accurate way to discern. You can tell when you look at their spirits. Spirits go around wearing ‘their authority and their rank’ outright as ‘clothing,’ carry it around as their ‘beauty,’ and as their ‘light.’
Therefore, when you look at a person’s spirit, that person can never deceive you about ‘what kind of a person he/she is.’ Therefore, I hope that you will become spiritual people by receiving the Lord’s education and raising your level, and live that way. With the distance you set as a goal, there are many ways for you ‘to travel.’
- One is to travel comfortably on a path with a gentle slope,
- Another is to go by stairs,
- Still another is to go by a path with steep inclines even though it is hard.
The path with steep inclines is rough, but the travel distance is that much shorter. But if you go with all your heart concentrating your mind, you can travel even far distances in ‘short time.’ A person who travels by stairs is ‘an ordinary person.’ A person who travels on a path with a gentle slope is ‘one who does things slowly going through no hardship.’
A person who travels by a path with steep inclines is ‘one who does things with all his heart even though it is hard.’ ‘A person who does things with all his heart even though it is hard’ gains fastest, gains the most, and enjoys it. This is the law of God that you absolutely cannot circumvent. ‘The destiny of each person’s body, soul, and spirit’ is determined by the rate of speed at which each person lives his life.