One of the most valuable resources we have on this earth is our time. Time cannot be earned or purchased. Time cannot be paused. All that we are guaranteed here on this earth are the moments we currently live in. As valuable as our time is, it seems that our time is passing away more quickly by the day. Because today is all we are guaranteed, we have to treat the time we are given as valuable as it is and make the most of it. For followers of Christ, that means being fully devoted followers of Christ by knowing Christ and making Christ known.
What tips and tricks have you used recently to help you with time management?
1. Read Genesis 1:27 and Ecclesiastes 3:11. What do these verses reveal about human beings, and how does what these verses reveal impact the way we view our time?
Genesis 1:27
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
2. Read Ecclesiastes 1:8-11. What did Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes, discover about the things of this world?
Ecclesiastes 1:8-11
Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. 9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.
3. Read Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. Summarize what Solomon found to be truly purposeful and meaningful, according to this passage of Scripture?
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
4. Look back at verse 14. What does this verse teach about the significance of our daily actions?
1. How have you had a similar experience to Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes, finding that the things on this earth are “meaningless” and cannot satisfy?
2. As image-bearers of God, how can we live in a way that honors God with our time?
3. What is one way that you specifically can honor God with your time this week?
Is there anything that you have been looking to for purpose and meaning other than God? Share that with your group today, along with one step you can take to let go of that thing and recenter your life on God and His word. After everyone has shared, pray. Ask God to help you all as you seek to center your life solely on Him.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty." While we understand what the word "fear" means, the concept of fearing God can be difficult to understand. In our study today, let's take a closer look at the word "fear" to understand what it truly means to fear God. As we study, we will seek to define the fear of God by looking at two examples of fear in the Old Testament. Then, we will revisit Ecclesiastes 12:13 with our new understanding of the fear of God.
One of the places we can turn to for understanding the fear of God is found in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 6, Isaiah was given a vision by God that completely overwhelmed him. His response to this vision is a prime example of what it means to fear the Lord.
1. Read Isaiah 6:1-8.
Isaiah 6:1-8
It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” 4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
2. Describe Isaiah’s vision in this passage of Scripture?
3. What was Isaiah’s response to the vision he saw? (There can be more than one answer to this question.)
4. After reading this passage of Scripture, how would you define fear of God?
We read about two unlikely women who became heroes in Exodus 1. These two midwives found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place when the king of Egypt ordered them to kill all of the baby boys in Egypt as they delivered them. Take a look at their story and their fear of God.
1. Read Exodus 1:15-21.
Exodus 1:15-21
Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: 16 “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?” 19 “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.” 20 So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
2. Summarize the dilemma these two women faced in this passage of Scripture. What was at stake if they disobeyed Pharaoh. What was at stake if they obeyed him?
3. How did these two midwives demonstrate a fear of God?
Now that we have studied two examples of what it means to fear God, it's time to look back at Ecclesiastes 12:13. For the next few minutes, take a few minutes to reflect on Ecclesiastes 12:13 in light of your new understanding of what it means to fear God. As you discuss, you will see how the fear of God and obedience go hand in hand.
1. Read Ecclesiastes 12:13 one final time.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.
2. How do fearing God and obeying His commands go hand-in-hand?
3. How are both Isaiah and the Hebrew midwives examples of people who feared God and obeyed His commands?
4. Is there an area of your life where you have put off obeying God? If so, will you share that area?
Think of the area where you have put off obeying God. Commit today to obedience out of fear of God. What step can you take this week toward obedience? Share that with your group. End your time praying together. Ask God to help each one of you have a healthy fear of Him that leads to obedience.
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