Cast Your Bread upon the Waters
11:1 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
3 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.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 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.
6 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.
7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
8 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes 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 the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
10 Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. (ESV)
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
This verse is very appropriate for high school students. There are great joys with being young. But we also need to keep in mind the judgment that is coming. We will give an account to God for everything we do. Let’s enjoy being young…but in a way that God will be pleased with!
I follow up on what Bobby said. A lot of kids just want to live for the now, but when judgement day comes, it’s not going to be pretty. Let us be the servants that God calls us to be! That will bring us true joy that others will enjoy as well! :)
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
this verse stood out to me in particular because it reminds me that I cant worry about everything and sometomes i have to trust that the Lord will provide and follow through though sometimes things look sketchy and unsure. the person who watches the wind and looks at the clouds is being to cautious and is waiting and dreading the rain and wind, so they wait for a perfect time to plant. but if that perfect time never comes, they never plan or reap. if you plant trusting God and knowing He will provide, you will reap
10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.
This verse reminds me not to worry or be anxious. Why should i worry when i have God in control of my life? When we worry we are just wasting time because God is control of everything and knows what is in store for all of us.
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
This verse says: Fine, do what makes you happy and have fun while you’re young. As high schoolers, most of us do want to have fun all the time, and that’s ok. I still need to make sure the things that make me happy make God happy too. If we’re really Christians, then doing godly things should make us happy : D
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
I agree with Cameron. When we become too anxious over the physical circumstances, we end up not taking advantage of opportunities that God has given us. We need to trust that God has control over everything including the wind and rain and seek to glorify Him with every opportunity He gives us, not just wait around for the perfect situation or opportunity where we will feel most comfortable.
Great comment Ashlyn!
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
Like Jessica, i liked this verse too; it commands us to enjoy life, but to remember that the Lord sees and knows all and someday we will be judged for what we do. So in response to this verse we should be living lives that are full of joy yet following the commands of Lord, becasue in reality, these are what gives us the true joy that comes as a gift from God.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
So, today my family started on our drive to Texas. I found myself watching the clouds that looked like whipped cream above me for a good portion of the time. This verse literally applies to my life at the moment. It may be a long drive, but I could be using my time much more wisely (like memorizing the verses I brought, or having a quiet time). If I do not use it, I will lose it and not reap.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
This verse stood out too me as well. I totally love what cameron already said about it too! This verse is convicts me for it calls to thought my lifestyle of evangelism. Do i just sit out and watch others evangelism while it sit and do nothing or am i active in planting seeds and being a part of the glorious work that God has prepared. May we all be more proactive in evangelism and not be caught on the sidelines but get in the game!
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
This verse is talking to us because we are that young man or women. There is a great joy and happiness for being young and not have to go to the school in the summer, like now. It is saying to enjoy life, but watch what you do because there will be a day of judgment.
I do not get when it says to follow the ways of our hearts and whatever our eyes see, because isn’t our heart evil and a cesspool of wickedness.
9.) Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
What everyone has commented about this verse is so true! As high-schoolers, all we want to do is have fun, but what we all need to remember is that EVERYTHING we do will be accounted for on the day of judgement.
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.
This verse really lets you know that it is truly impossible to comprehend how amazingly powerful God is. Anything you can imagine would be an insult to how great he is and that we should just be in complete fear of Him.
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…
God is obviously uncomprehendable. Just think about it…. how did he create the universe? How is he God? We are unable to fully understand everything about God and the universe…..but I cant wait to find out!!!!!……..Heaven!!!!!
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
I agree with what everyone has said about this verse. Living in orange county we are so easily caught up with going along with what everyone else is doing. Peer pressure is such a huge issue but we need to remember that we will be judged for all that we do here.
(:
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.
There are so many things that we do not understand in this world. It is amazing how some people think this world just appeared one day with a bang or we developed out of monkeys. It is so much more complicated than that. If they were to think about it and really study say for instance the human eye they may possibly change their mind. The eye is so complicated and intricate and couldn’t have possibly just appeared with the rest of the body. It takes an intricate creator to create somethink so intricate.
We never will know everything about God and how He created the world but God knows everything. We are so advanced in science these days but yet we barely know how the human body is formed inside a mother’s womb. That is another proof that that process had to be thought of and not just happened.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
ive really learned this over time: to get what you want, you have to work for it.
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
This verse reminds us all that God actually does want us to be happy and to have joy in our lives but in a way that pleases him. We always need to think over the things we do and really examine whether they are bringing joy to God and if we are being obedient or not.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
If we keep waiting for the circomstances to change we will never accomplish anything.
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
Yes, it is true that most high schoolers just want to have a good time, and to live it up! But judgement day is coming, and we are all going to be judged for what we have done. This should be a motivation to always live for the Lord!