任何季节都有欢欣的理由。

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1

凡事都有定期，天下万务都有定时。-传道书3章1节

Today is the first day of spring in the northern half of the world. If you live in Australia, it’s the first day of autumn—the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere and the autumnal equinoxin the southern hemisphere. Today, the sun shines directly on the equator, and the hours of daylight and nighttime are nearly equal around the world.

今天是北半球春季的第一天。如果你住在澳洲，今天就是秋季的第一天，因北半球的春分，正是南半球的秋分。在这一天，太阳直射赤道，世界各地的昼夜几乎都是等长的。

New seasons are important for many people. Some count down the day because of what they hope the new season will bring. Perhaps you’ve been marking off a calendar for spring in Wisconsin to signal the end of another winter. Or maybe you live in Melbourne, and you can’t wait for autumn to bring relief from the Australian sun.

对许多人来说，新季节的来到意义非凡。有些人倒数着日子，因为他们期待着新一季将发生的事。或许住在威斯康辛州的你，曾在月历上标记春天来临、告别冬天的日子；又或者你住在墨尔本，正引颈期盼秋天的到来，能为你带走澳洲的酷暑。

We also go through seasons of life that don’t have to do with the weather. The author of Ecclesiastes told us there is a season for every activity under the sun—a time appointed by God during which we live our lives (3:1–11).

除了天气之外，我们也会历经人生不同的季节。传道书的作者告诉我们，在日光之下凡事都有定期，也就是说我们一生所经历的事，都有上帝所定的时间（传道书3章1-11节）。

Moses spoke of a new season in his life after he led the people of Israel through the wilderness (Deuteronomy 31:2), and he had to give up his leadership role to Joshua. And Paul faced a lonely season while he was under house arrest in Rome—asking for visitors but realizing that God was “at my side” (2 Timothy 4:17).

在摩西带领以色列民行经旷野之后，他也谈到自己生命中新的一季（申命记31章2节），这时他必须把领袖的棒子交给约书亚。保罗在罗马遭受软禁时，也同样面临一个孤寂的季节。他期待有人前来探访，却也体会到“惟有主站在我旁边”（提摩太后书4章17节）。

Regardless of the season of life, let’s give thanks to God for His greatness, His help, and His companionship.

无论我们正处于人生的哪一个季节，让我们为上帝的伟大、帮助与同在，一起来向祂献上感谢吧！

Lord, thank You for the promise of Your care during this season in our lives. You have allowed this circumstance for a good reason. 

Help us to use this time appointed by You in a way that deepens our trust in You and Your purposes and Your faithfulness.

主啊，感谢祢应许在我们人生的这个季节看顾我们，
祢允许我们处于这个环境，必定有祢的美意。
求祢帮助我们，能善用祢所定的时节，使我们更深信靠祢、祢的目的和祢的信实。

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11  NIV

3 There is a time for everything,
    anda season for every activity under the heavens:

2  a time to be born and a time to die,
    atime to plant and a time to uproot,
3  a time tokill anda time to heal,
    atime to tear down and a time to build,
4  a time toweep and a time to laugh,
    atime to mourn and a time to dance,
5  a time toscatter stones and a time to gather them,
    atime to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6  a time tosearch and a time to give up,
    atime to keep and a time to throw away,
7  a time totear and a time to mend,
    atime to be silent and a time to speak,
8  a time tolove and a time to hate,
    atime for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 

10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Hehas also set eternity in the human heart; yet noone can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

传道书 3:1-11 

3 凡事都有定期，天下万务都有定时。 

2 生有时，死有时。栽种有时，拔出所栽种的也有时。 

3 杀戮有时，医治有时。拆毁有时，建造有时。 

4 哭有时，笑有时。哀恸有时，跳舞有时。 

5 抛掷石头有时，堆聚石头有时。怀抱有时，不怀抱有时。 

6 寻找有时，失落有时。保守有时，舍弃有时。 

7 撕裂有时，缝补有时。静默有时，言语有时。 

8 喜爱有时，恨恶有时。争战有时，和好有时。 

9 这样看来，做事的人在他的劳碌上有什么益处呢？ 

10 我见神叫世人劳苦，使他们在其中受经练。 

11 神造万物，各按其时成为美好，又将永生安置在世人心里，然而神从始至终的作为，人不能参透。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

Many believe King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes because the author refers to himself as the “son of David, king in Jerusalem” (1:1) and“king over Israel in Jerusalem” (v. 12) who had more wisdom and possessions “than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before [him]” (v. 16; 2:7). The book’s purpose seems clear: “It defends the life of faith in a generous God by pointing to the grimness of the alternative” (Michael Easton, Ecclesiastes).Ecclesiastes underscores the necessity and desirability of following God in a fallen and frustrating world today (12:1)—no matter our season in life. “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments” (v. 13).

许多人认为传道书的作者是所罗门王，因作者说自己“在耶路撒冷作王”，是“大卫的儿子”（1章1节），“在耶路撒冷作过以色列的王”（12节），且拥有更丰富的智慧和财富，胜过“以前在耶路撒冷的众人”（16节，2章7节）。曾有圣经注释学家指出这一卷书的题旨很清楚，是“以描述不信上帝之人虚空灰暗的人生，来拥护相信慷慨之上帝的人生”。传道书强调的是，不管我们处在人生的哪个阶段，在现今这个堕落、令人失望的世界上，一定要渴慕跟随上帝（12章1节），并且教导我们：“这些事都已听见了，总意就是敬畏上帝，谨守祂的诫命，这是人所当尽的本分。”（13节）

What has helped you to understand the wisdom of following God in various seasons of your life?

在人生不同的阶段中，你如何领悟到跟随上帝才是明智之举呢？

整理：于姊妹