(See related sermon here.)

In the final portion of our passage from Sunday (Eccl 9:11–11:6), we read about the farmer who refuses to get out and sow his seed due to the non-ideal weather conditions:

• He who observes the wind will not sow,
  and he who regards the clouds will not reap. (Eccl 11:4)

This is not the way of wisdom. The wise are not deterred by the non-ideal conditions in this non-ideal world, but, instead, they know that without risk, there is no reward.

• 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. (Eccl 11:6)

What are you putting off because the conditions “just aren’t right”? What forms of employment, kingdom labors, acts of service, or spiritual disciplines has the Lord placed on your heart that you are not acting upon?

While the possibility of a fruitless return is one of the risks of investing your time, talents, and treasure, another is the risk of getting hurt. The proverbs in 10:8-9 seem to speak to the fact that this world is not a safe place. I think the main point of the long list of proverbs in that section is that there is no remedy to the dangers and difficulties of life. The wise, then, are not deterred by the possibility of harm. Again: no risk, no reward.

With respect to the risk of being harmed physically, it is not as though hiding behind the walls of our homes can truly keep us safe, for tragedy can just as easily reach us there. With respect to the risk of being harmed emotionally and thus avoiding the work of investing in the lives of others, we cannot expect to flourish in life if we are not laboring to help others flourish as well.

All that we have, from our time to our talents to our treasure, has been entrusted to us by God, and He will call us to account for how we have stewarded it all.

You cannot reap what you do not sow. As the old proverb says: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Life is for living, so let us live it!

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Evan