A Matter of Quality, Not Quantity | Ecclesiastes 3:1–2

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 NLT)

Reflecting on the passing of human life, ethicist Michael Josephson wrote, “Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. . . . So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? . . . Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.”

The author of Ecclesiastes wrote, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 NLT). The psalmist wrote, “My future is in your hands” (Psalm 31:15 NLT). And Job said to God, “You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer” (Job 14:5 NLT).

Contemplating how short life is and how powerless we are to change that can trigger anxiety in some people. It magnifies the importance of being proactive in the choices you make, not to mention the importance of starting to make those choices as early as possible. To put it another way: The evening of your life is determined by the morning of your life.

If you start prioritizing healthy eating and exercise as a young person and continue the practice throughout your life, you will enjoy the benefits for years and years. Likewise, if you start prioritizing the things of God as a young person and continue the practice throughout your life, you will reap unimaginable blessings for as long as you live.

The author of Proverbs touched on this principle when he wrote, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 RSV).

If you’re in the morning of your life—if, statistically speaking, you likely have many years ahead of you—now is not the time to sow your wild oats or to do the things you plan to repent for later. Now is the time to establish the habits, practices, and principles that will guide your life. Now is the time to study God’s Word, to memorize and apply it to every area of your life. Now is the time to begin the discipline of prayer, to set aside time every day to speak and listen to the Lord. Now is the time to develop and sharpen your skills when it comes to sharing your faith. If time is on your side, don’t let that advantage slip away.

If you’re in the afternoon or even in the evening of life, the same principle applies, just in a different time frame. It’s never too late to adopt God-honoring disciplines. And right now, you’re as young as you’ll ever be.

Reflection question: How can you prioritize and embrace God-honoring disciplines in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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