Ecclesiastes 11:1, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for after
many days you will find it again. Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap."
Have you ever waited to photograph that perfect sunset? You think
to yourself, I'll wait another minute, then it will be brighter and
full of those vibrant colors that only God's paint brush can create in the
evening sky." But in the next moment it loses all of the color it had only
seconds ago, and you missed it.
The perfect conditions for racing may never occur either. You will
always have in the back of your mind that it may get just a little better,
if you wait a little bit longer. But, by waiting, it may indeed get worse
instead of better. Maybe the air got better, but the track conditions got worse,
or vise-versa. Things can change rapidly on any kind of a racetrack, just
as things in life change quickly too. The perfect conditions for life on
earth will never occur either. This old world isn't getting better with age, it's
aging along with the rest of us.
Human life, as we know it, involves some risk along with
overflowing opportunities. Because there are no guarantees, we must be prepared to
face them. "Cast your bread upon the waters" can imply that a Christian
may have many opportunities of serving the Lord or sharing the message of the
good news during his or her lifetime, therefore we must seize them. As
believers, we need a spirit of trust and adventure in our Christian walk.
Remember that life is a wonderful adventure ... if you are walking
with Christ. If you'll seek the Lord (concerning ministry opportunities)
with an attitude of obedience, He will answer your requests to pursue them,
open some doors, and you will be successful. The bottom line is that we need to
face up to life's spiritual risks and opportunities with God-directed
enthusiasm and faith.
Waiting for perfect conditions means inactivity. This practical
insight is especially applicable to our spiritual life. If you wait for the
perfect time for personal Bible reading, you will never begin. If you are
waiting for the perfect church, you will never join it. If you are waiting for the
perfect time to pray, you will never get around to it. If you are
waiting for the perfect ministry, you will never serve. Don't wait for conditions
that may never exist. Come on, take some adventurous steps today to grow
spiritually, the exercise will be well worth it!
