November 21, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Ecclesiastes? Here’s today’s reading:
Ecclesiastes 11 (NIV)
Invest in Many Ventures
1 Ship your grain across the sea;
after many days you may receive a return.
2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
3 If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain on the earth.……Continue Reading
9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;
Walk in the ways of your heart,
And in the sight of your eyes;
But know that for all these
God will bring you into judgment.
10 Therefore remove sorrow from your heart,
And put away evil from your flesh,
For childhood and youth are vanity.
“Truly the light is sweet, And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun; But if a man lives many years And rejoices in them all, Yet let him remember the days of darkness, For they will be many. All that is coming is vanity.”
Ecclesiastes 11:7-8 NKJV
Thankful that we will be with Jesus in eternity and not in darkness.
“There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”
Revelation 22:5 NKJV
5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
9. …..Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
These are not meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 5-11
Ecclesiastes 11 Solomon is saying do not stop by giving one person bread, but give to everyone in need. Blessings will be returned to the person who is generous.
We can’t wait for perfect conditions or we will never get anything done. There will be days of darkness when we can learn and grow. We will still go before God for our judgment.
Again in this chapter there is some wise words and some not wise at all but foolish. Here are a few. In verse 5 Solomon says that we don`t know how the way of the wind nor how the body is made in the mother`s womb nor the works of God. Which is true. The NIV translates a word as wind and the KJV translates it as spirit. In verse 8 he speaks that all is vanity which isn`t true. Maybe some things but not all. Then in verses 9,10 he states that young men should walk in all the ways of their heart but God will bring all these things into judgment. We are told in scripture that our hearts are desperately wicked. Who can know it. And without the True God in one`s life mankind will do whatever is right in their own eyes. Jeremiah 17;9 [ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it.] Also in Judges 21;25 [ In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes.] It is true that God will bring everything into judgement. May we all walk with discretion under God`s guidance.
More great insight. No guarantees in life. Take advantage of opportunities today. Vs 4. Many need to read this one. Waiting for things to come to you. Leads to nothing Wait for the perfect time or place. Not gonna happened. Looking for a perfect church. Waste of time. Not gonna happened. Love vs 7-8. Solomon has a great attitude. Rejoice in every day!! Last verses. Bring young wish I had wisdom. Just living for each day. Not caring what a role it would take later in life. Some morale choices when we are young effect into the rest of our lives
So glad we trust in God rather than the vagaries of life. And we are wise to grasp hold of opportunities that come and create a few when we have a chance. We can also find fullness in every period of life, but how good when those who are young can find fullness in the things of God rather then the things of the world. Choices made in the flesh often lead to regret….whereas choices in the Spirit leads to a better foundation of life. And we are all wise to banish anxiety from our hearts and cast our cares on God because He cares for us. Worry steals our joy and often doesn’t change anything.
Life will send much at us but knowing we have a plan and a purpose with God makes the good that much better and the bad a time to learn and grow. We should not cast away any experience for everything has a purpose in God’s timing.