我們若要等候最佳時機，最終可能會一事無成。這正是第4節的提醒。這很容易成為我們靈修生活的提醒。真有一段固定的最好的時間，專門坐下來讀經、禱告、靈修嗎？何不決定每天靈修，雖然時間可能並不固定，不是更好嗎？如果我們總想要尋找一間最好的教會，可能永遠也找不到。我們若要等候一份最理想的工作，可以為主而做，那麼，我們可能一直等候，結果無所事事。現在就憑著信心踏出第一步，相信神會透過你手中所做的事使用你。

第4和第6節的比喻表達了同一個觀念。倘若農人要等到風和日麗才撒種，他可能永遠都沒有收成。這個比喻再次提醒我們，我們一有機會，就當抓緊機會服侍主。現在就做，憑信心踏出第一步，神必賞賜你。

本章的最後一節，明確提醒年輕人雖然可盡享人生的歡愉，卻要緊記終必要接受神的審問。在新約聖經，基督多次提及人要向神交賬。保羅也經常提醒信徒，我們終必要站在基督的審判台前，為今生所做的一切向祂交賬。這個嚴肅的提醒，必然影響到我們天天在主裡的事奉。我們很容易會浪費時間，因此，我們要珍惜每個時刻，憑信心作出行動服侍主基督。

Day 16

STEP OUT BY FAITH

Ecclesiastes 11: 1-10

1Cast your bread upon the waters,
For you will find it after many days.

2 Give a serving to seven, and also to eight,
For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

3 If the clouds are full of rain,
They empty themselves upon the earth;
And if a tree falls to the south or the north,
In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.

4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

5 As you do not know what is the way of the wind,
Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,
So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.

6 In 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.

7 Truly the light is sweet,
And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun;

8 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.

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.

Message

Again we have a collection of challenging sayings, some of which are well known. Take the first verse for example. It has been used many times to encourage God’s people to give not just money but whatever help or even witnessing they may be able to share and it will come back to them again in the days to come. The NLVB puts this thought plainly, “Give generously for your gifts will return to you later.” Good advice for us all.

Waiting for perfect conditions could well mean we will never get anything done. That is the advice of Verse 4. This could easily be applied to our own devotional life. Is there ever a perfect time to sit and read God’s Word and spend time in prayer? Isn’t it better to do it regularly even if the time of day may vary from day to day? If we are always looking for a perfect church, we may never find one. If we wait for the perfect job to come along which we could do for Christ, we may wait and do nothing for a long time. Step out in faith now and trust God to use you in what your hand finds to do.

The same thought is expressed in different figures of speech in both verse 4 and verse 6. If a farmer puts off sowing seed until the wind is right or the clouds are perfect, he will never have any harvest. Again the message comes to us - wherever you have an opportunity to serve the Lord, take advantage of it. Do it now. Step out in faith and God will honour you.

There is clear instruction in the closing verses of this chapter to young people to thoroughly enjoy life to the full. But remember we must one day give an account of what we have done. In the New Testament, Christ speaks often about accountability. Paul mentions it often - with the plain statement that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of the things done while we are here in this life. It is a solemn thought which ought to influence our service for Christ day by day now. It is easy to waste time. Let’s make every moment count as we step out in faith with Christ.