By Florida Senator John Grant (Retired)
Week Nineteen, 2019
A TIME TO PLANT
A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest (Ecc. 3:2).
Recently I was in a rural farming community where they grow cotton, peanuts and corn. In talking with the locals, I learned how important science is to the process. I thought you just plowed the field, dropped the seed and waited for the crop to be ready for harvest.
Not so. Optimum soil temperatures at planting can make a significant difference in emergence of crops. They recommend planting cotton when the average soil temperature has been 65 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 consecutive days and warm temperatures are forecast. The farmer should plant when he can expect 50 degree-days in the next 5 days. The optimum window usually extends about thirty days.
In life there are optimum times to do various things. Solomon speaks of that writing in the book of Ecclesiastes. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
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 cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing
a time to seek, and a time to lose
a time to keep, and a time to cast 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 for war, and a time for peace
It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself. So often we do the right thing at the wrong time or the wrong thing at the right time. Bad timing, even with good intentions can poison relationships, cause financial disaster, can destroy and a lot of other things.
God created you uniquely at the right time. God sent His Son to die for your sins at the right time. Jesus helped us and heard us. Now in the time of salvation. Not tomorrow, not next month, not next year. God is giving you an opportunity to receive His grace. You will either accept or reject. If you reject, there is no guarantee that there will ever be another opportunity.
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
Reading God’s Word
S.P.A.C.E.P.E.T.S.
a) Is there a sin to confess?
b) Is there a promise to claim?
c) Is there an attitude to change?
d) Is there a command to obey?
e) Is there an example to follow?
f) Is there a prayer to pray?
g) Is there an error to avoid?
h) Is there a truth to believe?
i) Is there something to thank God for?
—Ken Whitten
Paul noted: “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:9-10).
Jesus has the final word: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
When God looks to make changes, He is not likely to use “artificial intelligence”, but instead will plant a seed in the heart of a committed believer. —Dwight Short
2.1 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water systems.
Rational people don’t risk what they have and need for what they don’t have and don’t need. —Warren Buffett
2014 life expectancy at birth in years: Male 76.4, Female 81.2
All mistakes are lessons to be learned and challenges to be overcome. And they come in the form of objects, events and people.
Green tea is considered one of the world’s healthiest beverages. The origination of green tea began in China around 2737 BC.
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
God will strip you externally in order to get to you internally. —Jonathan Evans
“The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Exodus 14:14 (NLT)
In a secular society defines success by secular means. In a postmodern culture that rejects absolute truth and biblical morality, it is inevitable that some people will do whatever they can to achieve what they seek. —Jim Denison
One small positive thought can change your whole day. —Aristotle
Don’t discourage those who are doing what God called them to do.
Let God do God’s work and get out of His way.
If you want to go broad, you need to go deep.
When the Holy Spirit came, He went viral. Nothing has not stopped.
We must understand that post-modern is not post Jesus, but we must modify our methods of penetration into the general community.