To: en
My dearest En, today's message comes from the word of God as written in the book of Ecclesiastes, also known as The Preacher or The Teacher. The passage is Chapter 3:1-11 which starts "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the sun (KJV)", or "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven (NIV)."
I marvel at God's love as this passage is selected by the Holy Spirit for me to send to you today: As I think of how best to say "I love you", the Holy Spirit prompts me that I may best do so by sharing passages of scripture with you. Driving in my car on my way down from Jurong, it seemed to me that this was the passage that I was being directed to, to share with you. Being sensitive to the prompting I obey, not knowing the exact reason or purpose, but believing that it is the will of God for me to share this passage with you.
The author of this book is unknown, but bible scholars think it may have been Solomon. In verse 2-8 the Preacher teaches us how there are so many contrasts of life's activities that we must go through: it reminds me of the 7 fat cows and the 7 thin cows: what do you think. So God tells us that we will have good times and bad, sad times and happy times:
Verse 2 seems so obvious, but many people around us behave as if they are not ever going to die. We do not need the bible to understand this simple truth, but many people refuse to accept the fact that they are going one day to die. Once you accept this fact you can place your life in perspective of eternity, and realise that you either spend the rest of eternity with God, or you get to spend eternity in the other place. Sure as hell I am of that bit of theology. Romans 10:9 says "If you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved!" So in eternal terms we have to choose between everlasting life and everlasting death during our mortal lives.
Vs 2b is interesting: in agricultural terms it is plain: but does it not also foresee and foretell that that Lim En Yu will be uprooted from Cavenagh Rd and replanted in Ashley Rd for a season? I think it does. The sense of "uproot" gives the feeling of being plucked out of a comfortable nutrifying bed, but if it is to mean being replanted in a richer bed of nutrients where more sunshine and water can reach and where there is more room to grow, it must be good for plants, and if the Word of God says so, it must be good for us.
Verse 5 says that God has planned and provided for times for you to be together with Mark, does it not? That is a lot to thank God for, is it not? How wonderful to embrace and know that it is God's will for us to do so. Conversely, the time of being apart must be God-designed also: painful though it is, we must learn to see God's plan in this time of "refraining" and follow his designs for us. You can almost read between the lines that God says there is a time to study and a time to play! And if we are obedient and can be patient, we will see "He has made everything beautiful in his time". (Proverbs 30:18 identifies how amazing and not understandable is the love between a young man and a maiden. God certainly knows a lot about love: in fact God is love!)
So do read and meditate on this passage and appreciate how God has planned and cared for us. He does not promise us that life will be bed of roses, but indeed roses He does provide. And when we are scratched by the thorns, he is there to comfort us: He knows what thorns are: he made them, and He felt them as a painful crown when He was on the cross.
God has surrounded you with people to care for your physical needs, and even brothers and sisters to care for your spiritual needs. He has created most of us as normal people who require both human fellowship and spiritual fellowship. In human terms I wish I could be with you always to comfort you and provide for you, but I know I cannot. My anguish about this is replaced by joy knowing that if you put your faith in God, He will provide. What a loving God we serve.
Love, dad.
From: Su Min
Subject: To Everything There Is A Season
For any comments or enquiries please write to Dr. Lim Su Min
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