YS STUDENT NEWSLETTER #354
August 11, 2008
Contents
- Something for Your Heart
- Surf Report
- Forgettable Fact
- Potent Quotables
- Uh, That's Funny?
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FIND SOME WISDOM...
The Wisdom On... series is a collection of easy-to-read books designed to help you apply biblical wisdom to your everyday life. Using case studies, personal inventories, interactive activities, and helpful insights from Proverbs, author Mark Matlock addresses the big issues you face, such as relationships, decision-making, money, parents, and media, and will also help you understand what wisdom looks like in the not-so-big things as well.
Learn more about or purchase books from the Wisdom On... series here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/index.php?cPath=2_46_100_114
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1. SOMETHING FOR YOUR HEART
WHAT TIME IS IT?
I heard a story about a man who learned his father had just died. The man reacted to the news in a rather unusual way. He tried to ignore it--to pretend it didn't happen. Why? He wanted to be in a productive, joyful season. He wanted his life during that time to be about good things. He didn't want his time to be about loss and sadness and grieving. Try as he might, though, he couldn't make his plan work. He couldn't postpone his grief. He eventually had to break down and submit to the season he was in.
King David knew what he was talking about when he told God: "My times are in your hands" (Psalm 31:15). We don't control our times. We have little say over the season of life we live in or how long it lasts. David's son Solomon used every bit of his God-given wisdom when he wrote these words in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8--
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
An essential element in using our time wisely is recognizing the season in which God has placed us and embracing it. For example, a person shouldn't expect life to be full of wild celebrations in a season of mourning. On the flip side, it's a shame when people miss a season of good times because they're too busy thinking about all the sad things in life.
If you're an unmarried person, God's Word says you should view your present life as a season to "refrain from embracing" (having sex). Then when you become a newlywed, it's time to enjoy your season of "embracing."
We must all submit to the God who determines our times. Our moments are in his hands. It's pointless to say, "I will reject God because this is not a season of laughing or dancing or peace or building." The only wise option is to ask God to help us live wisely in whatever season we find ourselves--to help us make the most of it--because soon enough it will pass, and then we'll find ourselves in a different season.
SELF-EVALUATION
Ask yourself: What season am I in right now? Read through Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 again. Which of those times best describes your current circumstances?
Now that you've identified your season, ask God to help you understand how to live wisely in that time. Ask him to help you recognize your personal season and make the most of your hours and days for as long as your life lasts.
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Taken from "Wisdom on... Time and Money" by Mark Matlock, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=411
2. SURF REPORT
~ BREATHEcast: Find Christian music, videos, artist interviews, and more
http://www.breathecast.com/
~ Back to School Prayers: It'll be that time again soon. Get your heart ready...
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2004/004/12.72.html
~ Mark Matlock's Blog: Check out the blog from the author of today's excerpt
http://planetwisdom.com/marksblog/
3. FORGETTABLE FACT
Pollen can travel up to 500 miles in a day.
4. POTENT QUOTABLES
"If you want to be happy, be."
~ Leo Tolstoy
"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up."
~ Mark Twain
5. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?
Q: What is it that looks like an elephant and flies?
A: A flying elephant.
