Investing In Your Future
Ecclesiastes 11:1-8
As I read the text for today I was struck with a sense of awe as I thought about the necessity of preparing for one’s future. Those of us who work and are looking forward to retirement someday have plans in place to have a secure future, I hope. As I reflex on this text I am reminded of the all the people in the Enron fiasco that lost so much of what they had invested or planned on for their future. As I think about the economic times we are in and people being laid off from their jobs and having very difficult times finding new ones. I wonder about the security of the future
However, today’s text gives us instructions and directions that are counterintuitive to the natural mind. The imagery and similes used are powerful. We are told to cast our bread upon the waters, to share liberally with the poor sowing into them the necessities of life. We are assured that what we have sown will be returned to us eventually. We are admonished to sow generously and abundantly into the lives of many persons, because we do not know if one day we may be in their shoes. We are to be as generous as a rain cloud filled with water, because in death our deeds will be judged and where we end up will be settled for eternity. This is one of those scriptures that give us a promise that what we have sown will be returned. Additionally we cannot allow our sowing and reaping to be determined by circumstances. If we wait for optimum conditions to do the work that God has for us to do we will never get it done, because there will almost always be thing that could cause us to delay doing God’s will. Since we do not know what the Lord is doing in the circumstances he allows in our lives we should be about the master’s will and sow our seeds no matter the time of day, early morning or late night.
Finally this text tells us that life is sweet. Every morning that we wake up and see a new day is a day to celebrate. We should enjoy the comforts of life, and not allow ourselves to become bitter over life situations. No matter the circumstances we should be able to say as the psalmist, “This is the day The Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it. This enjoyment of life should be tempered with the understanding that we will spend more days in eternity than in this life that we are to enjoy. That truly is the future that we are investing in. How we live and give, sow and reap will determine the joys we share in eternity. If our investments for the future are only for this life, they are vain, futile, and empty, or as is said in the text “Vanity”
Prayer: Father show us how to invest in our future. Open our eyes that we may see those who are less fortunate than we and give us hearts that will give them generous portions of our resources. Also, dear Lord, help us to focus our attention on your will and not the circumstances which will be a distraction to us. Help us to enjoy the sweet life that you provide. AMEN
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