"Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good."
Every day we make decisions regarding where and how we utilize our time, energy and resources. As Christians we believe God is the ultimate source of blessing and provision, and He expects that what He has entrusted us will be utilized wisely and with great discretion. "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more" (Luke 12:48). The expectation is simply that we who proclaim ourselves as followers of Christ are worthy to be trusted. When we read God's Word with teachable hearts and apply what we learn, we demonstrate as Jesus taught in the parable of the talents that good stewardship brings forth God's favor, while poor stewardship results in loss. "For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away" (Matthew 25:29). With this in mind, we can begin to understand Solomon's exhortation to cast our bread upon the waters as we wisely consider the investments we make across all facets of our lives.
It is peculiar that one would find sound financial advice in the "All is vanity!" book of Ecclesiastes, but that is precisely what Solomon communicates to begin chapter 11. Investing wisely means diversifying our portfolio in order to protect the assets entrusted us by God and ensure we are producing the greatest dividends possible by adhering to sound financial principles. Spiritually-speaking, God calls us to weigh our decision-making by seeking first His kingdom and adhering to the truth of His Word. "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). What Jesus conveys is an urgency to elevate God's will above our own that compels us to dive into His Word for answers. In other words, why should we invest? Where? When? How? What difference does it make if life is vanity? We must remember, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The good work we seek is a profitable return on our investment, and that comes only when we seek the Lord through His Word for wise counsel and discernment.
Despite our best efforts, Solomon reminds us that life is unpredictable. Rain clouds may roll in and trees may fall, but we cannot predict every event that will happen in our lifetime. Similarly, we can diversify our investments and make sound financial decisions, but God is ultimately in control and can take away all we hold dear if that is the means He chooses to sanctify our hearts. What we must wrestle with is how we respond when that day arrives. For example, God allowed Satan to test Job by afflicting him with catastrophic loss, one after another. Job could have reacted and cursed God. Instead, Job responded with prophetic words mankind would deem illogical. "Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong" (Job 1:20-22). Job was ultimately not worried about his financial security because the spiritual investment he had made was all that mattered when life became unpredictable. How would we respond though if the fortitude of our financial portfolio was shattered? There are certainly unforeseeable circumstances such as unemployment, terminal illness, or stock market crashes that have the potential of testing our faith and who we trust as our provision if they directly impact us. Would we panic if adversity or misfortune arose, or faithfully trust God despite the storms surrounding us? Our reaction or response in the midst of trial is the most accurate spiritual thermometer we have at our disposal.
Is it better then not to invest altogether in order to minimize loss in the event of calamity? According to Solomon, we must also guard ourselves from idle-thinking. Remaining parked in neutral looking for the perfect time to invest or conversely withdrawing in fear will ultimately result in a lack of action altogether. There is no perfect solution. Periodically, life will require us to take one step back to progress two steps forward. The key is to trust the Lord in all things because He is sovereign. Solomon conveys the simple truth that we will never be able to fully comprehend the works of the Lord. For no father or mother can witness the birth of their child and not come full circle in awe and wonder of God's miraculous creation, and we cannot assume that God is limited to our finite thinking. He transcends our ability to comprehend, proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that His will be done despite man's lack of understanding. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). Therefore, we can invest confidently using the resources God has provided because choosing not to is considered sinful in His eyes (see Matthew 25:14-30).
In the end, we are simply called to sow and reap despite the circumstances surrounding us. The greatest disservice we can provide the kingdom of God is not sowing seeds of faith in our lifetime. That is why Scripture exhorts, "But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). We have been entrusted with the great spiritual asset known to man, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of God's love for us, He sent His only Son to die a sinner's death on our behalf so that we would be reconciled to Himself and saved from eternal torment and suffering. Why then would we not share that message with others and sow seeds of grace, peace, mercy, righteousness and salvation to those around us? We cannot take our financial portfolio with us when we die but we will spend eternity in 1 of 2 places: Heaven or Hell. Therefore, our response is simply to fulfill the Great Commission, sowing and reaping in faith that whoever chooses to receive salvation will live in heaven for eternity. As for those who reject the Word of the Lord, Jesus warns, "And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it" (Matthew 7:26-27).
