Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Ecclesiastes 3:1-15), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• [1-8] Ecclesiastes uses 14 opposing pairs to convey a wide range of possible earthly matters in which we find ourselves. God is the one who brings every kind of time into our lives. He calls us, not to reject the times in which we find ourselves, but to respond to him and relate to him during every moment. Looking through these verses, do any of them describe this current moment of your life? What kind of time is today for you? How is God calling you to respond and relate to him today?

• [11] God has made everything beautiful in its time—but this can be hard for us to believe, when we’re stuck in bad moments we wouldn’t have chosen. God is weaving all the moments of our lives together, like a glorious tapestry, according to his eternal plan. We might suspect something like this is true, because he has put something of eternity into our hearts. Yet, he has not given us the ability to understand everything he is doing from his own divine perspective. Having a God’s-eye view of how your life fits into eternity is not a prerequisite for your life with God. Is this difficult for you to accept? Do you expect (or demand) to be able to understand everything God is doing in your time and in eternity? Can you imagine being encouraged rather than resentful, knowing that God’s perspective is so much bigger than your own?

• [14] Ecclesiastes has made it clear that what we do in this world “under the sun,” apart from God, is as insubstantial and fleeting as vapor. But whatever God does endures forever. And what God is doing is bringing times into your life in order to bring you to Jesus, to give you the gift of communion with Jesus, and to make you more like Jesus. This is a work of God that has everlasting significance! How can you receive this moment of your life from God with thanksgiving in Christ? How can you find in this moment an opportunity to know Jesus, to be with God? How might God be using this moment to refashion you in the image of his Son? How might others in the church be able to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus during this time?