Read Ecclesiastes 11-12 at Bible Gateway.
Cast your bread upon the waters,
For you will find it after many days.
Give a serving to seven, and also to eight,
For you do not know what evil will be on the earth. Ecc 11:1-2In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
For you do not know which will prosper,
Either this or that,
Or whether both alike will be good. Ecc 11:6
There is great value in generosity, and in having several business ventures going. There is great value in putting your offerings, your money, or your time, effort, and labor, into many enterprises. If they all prosper, they will all come back to you. If evil befalls one or two, you have others to sustain you. If one business collapses, you will not be destitute. I have heard it commonly said among millionaires that the secret to success is having multiple streams of income. “Don’t put your eggs all in one basket” is the old wives’ wisdom taken from Ecclesiastes.
Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Ecc 12:1
Most youth spend their youth pursuing that which will satisfy the flesh, but that is vanity. The flesh will never be satisfied, and so it is a vain pursuit and a waste of time. So instead of wasting precious years and strength and resources pursuing vanity, seek God early in life, to learn of Him early in life, and to spend one’s youth in serving Him.
Many go on with serving their own life, but they do not realize that not everything is always going to be as it is today. Good times come to and end, and bad times come upon all men, and for a man to wait until he is in dire straights to turn to God, is a mistake. Many men do, and God will take anyone who comes to Him no matter when. It will just be harder on the man who does that than it has to be.
Remember we had learned that Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon at the end of his life? He spent his whole life seeking out wisdom; he had power, servants, riches, women, anything the heart or flesh could desire beyond all men, and searched out every thing that could be known under heaven. The reason he knew that the making of books would never end was that he spent decades pursuing knowledge. Everything a man could find to do, he did, in order to test what was wisdom.
And this is his conclusion:
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all. Ecc 12:13
That’s it. If we occupy ourselves with that, everything else will sort itself out. 🙂
Though I never comment, I always love to read your daily devotionals.
Todays bible study is no exception, and I thank you for posting it. I thank God for blessing you with spiritual wisdom, and for sharing his word.
I truly hope others reading this will be as blessed by the word as I feel my spirit has been blessed.
The world says by your own effort you will achieve x,y,z. They tell you nothing comes easy, you have to work hard, study hard, take a particular career path, give heed to the cares of the world in the quest for things / fulfillment.
When our heavenly father tells us all that we are, all that we need is in Him. When we’re in Christ, we are not of the world system – we reap what we didn’t sow. After all, are we not of more value than the birds.
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and ALL things shall be given us.
Sometimes I think God’s ways are too easy for man to comprehend. So many continue in strife seeking for that which is already given us freely.
Thanks again,