Day 4

Romans 1:19–20 CSB

19 since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

Genesis 1:14–19 CSB

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for seasons and for days and years. 15 They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night—as well as the stars. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth, 18 to rule the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 Evening came and then morning: the fourth day.

Intro

The seasons we experience are primarily caused by Earth’s 23.5-degree axial tilt as it orbits the Sun. When a hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, it receives more direct sunlight and longer days, producing warmer temperatures and summer. When it is tilted away from the Sun, sunlight is less direct and the days are shorter, producing winter. Spring and fall occur during the transitions between these positions, with the equinoxes marking times when day and night are nearly equal. Therefore, it is not Earth’s distance from the Sun that causes the seasons, but the changing angle and duration of sunlight throughout Earth’s yearly orbit.

The Moon and stars do not directly cause the seasons, but they still have important relationships to them. The Moon helps stabilize Earth’s axial tilt over long periods, contributing to the relative stability of our seasonal patterns. The stars serve as seasonal markers because different constellations become visible as Earth moves around the Sun, which is why ancient cultures often used them to identify planting, harvesting, and other seasonal periods. This connects interestingly with Genesis 1:14, where God says the heavenly lights would be "for signs and for seasons, and for days and years"—the Sun marking the year and seasons, the Moon helping mark months, and the stars providing recognizable signs throughout the yearly cycle.

The Sun, Moon, and stars have served as natural clocks and calendars throughout human history. Each one helps us measure a different aspect of time.

Earth’s rotation causes the Sun to appear to rise and set, giving us the basic. The Sun’s position in the sky can also indicate the time of day, which is the principle behind a sundial. As Earth completes one orbit around the Sun, approximatelypass, giving us the. The Sun’s changing position and the changing length of daylight also mark the.The Sun measures days and years.  24-hour day 365¼ days  year seasons, solstices, and equinoxes

The Moon moves through a repeating cycle of phases—new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter—approximately every. This cycle became the basis for the concept of a, and many ancient calendars were lunar or lunisolar calendars.The Moon measures months.  29½ days month

Because Earth travels around the Sun, different constellations are visible during different parts of the year. People could therefore recognize the time of year by observing which stars appeared in the evening or before sunrise. Stars also provided reliable reference points for navigation and nighttime timekeeping.The stars measure seasons and years. 

This gives additional meaning to Genesis 1:14: “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.” The heavens function almost like a God-given clock and calendar: the Sun marks days and years, the Moon marks months, and the stars help mark seasons and the progression of the year.

God of Seasons

God has designed our lives to function in “seasons” both literally and spiritually. You may have heard people use the word “season” to describe a time in their life. Well Scripture has backed up this reality that God designed life in seasons, not just in the sun, moon and stars but in our lives as well.

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 ESV

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

This scripture describes a variety of the seasons that we face. As we read this many of you probably thought about times where you experienced the different aspects of these seasons. In understanding the nature of human thoughts, we probably focused more on the seasons that bring pain. But I want you to understand that for every season of pain, there is a season of great joy. Don’t allow your seasonal focus to dwell only on the pain of a season. In winter, we focus on the cold. In summer, we focus on the heat. Often times we spend so much time avoiding the discomfort that we miss the beauty of what each season has to offer.

Every season is a productive season

often we focus on the experience of what we are going through rather than what is being cultivated in our life. It is hard to see in the moment but:

Romans 8:28 CSB

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

Every season has a purpose. We use this to have hope in the painful times but I also want us to understand that we always run a risk of missing it in the joyful times. The good seasons always produce, but often we let ourselves get relaxed in a way that we don’t soak up all there is. we take it for granted.

In a good season of great fruitfulness it is important to store up as much as you can for when the famine season comes. When the season of famine comes, we can have enough to make it through.

Don’t give up

Galatians 6:9 CSB

9 Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.

I find it interesting that he doesn't say don't give up or get tired of doing good. Why would you get tired of doing something good? It would be because we are not reaping anything from it. You can be in a good season, but it feels pointless because you see no fruit. A good season does not feel like a good season sometimes. Because it's not about how you feel. Don't allow your feelings to dictate the seasons. Don't let how you feel about something change what you were doing. God will shift your season at the right time. Your job is to continue to be faithful where you are. I can't change winter to spring. But I can embrace winter for what it is and make the most of it and continue to do good. We are not supposed to hibernate and waited out. No matter what the conditions of the season we are to continue to move forward.