I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all (Ecclesiastes 9:11).

The saying goes, "The race is to the swift and the battle to the strong," but the absolute certainty of time, particularly the end of one's time on earth, and the unpredictable assault of chance, particularly ill fortune, one or the other or both will eventually overtake every person. 

What is Solomon's point? He wants to show the ultimate vanity of every wordly gain, whether it be winning a race, having victory in battle, gaining material prosperity, or obtaining fame. All of these benefits will end with a person's death. At the same time, unpredictable misfortune strikes one or another and over time it strikes many.

This fatalistic observation is not designed to invoke pessimism over one's existence but rather to drive the thoughtful reader to Solomon's final conclusion:

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Solomon wants us to understand that people will not be judged by any worldly standard, that is, how smart they are, how strong they are, how wealthy they are, or how popular they are. These are all vain when evaluated with the litmus of God's eternal counsel. Instead, people will be judged by just one standard, namely, did they fear God and keep His commandments during their fleeting time on earth. Every act, whether obvious or hidden, good or evil, will be judged on this basis.

Friends, someone asked me the other day, why I always seemed spiritually burdened. After all, there was ever only One person who followed everything in the Bible perfectly. I answered that he gave me too much credit, for in my eyes I was still way short of even an average mark. Without considering anyone else, I said that the mirror of God's Word reflects back to me an image of myself that is far from where I could be and ought to be.

What might cause me to think differently? Perhaps if our church gatherings were more like meetings of Christ's generals in the war room. Perhaps if our conversations were about the fierce spiritul battle that was raging around us and what strategies we must deploy with the arsenal that God has given us to fight. Perhaps if our work were seen less as self-fulfilling careers and more like supply convoys bringing food and resources to support the battle lines. Perhaps if every believer was fully employing the weapons of their spiritual gifts in the battle for human souls. Perhaps if God's people were as avidly gathering for prayer as they do to be entertained by charismatic speakers. Perhaps if they were busily toiling on the front lines of poverty, hunger, and alienation as much as they seek out pleasant fellowship and conversations. Perhaps if there was no need to coax people into meditating on God's Word because they already recognize their need of it for their very survival. Perhaps if Christian leaders were not driven by salary and title and ambition but simply by the declaration, "For me to live is Christ!"

But our churches are not like this. Our leaders are not like this. And I am not like this. But this is my goal for myself, for our leaders, and for the church, so help me God.

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both. (Ecclesiastes 11:5, 6 NLT)

Today, continuing the theme from last year, I thought I'd add another interesting financial application from Ecclesiastes.  One thing I failed to mention last year regarding this entire text is that the basic theme of it is the uncertainty of life. Solomon gives principles for addressing this uncertainty as much as humanly possible, but all of this is with the understanding that life in general is vain because the only certainty is death and that every human endeavor will pass away.

Last year, my last comment was with respect to Solomon's counsel not to overanalyze. He writes,

Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. (Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT)

Perhaps a better expression of this principle is to TAKE ACTION. People who try to find just the right moment to invest may never invest. Most people read about taking control of their finances, but they often have little to show for it. It is easy to talk the talk but few walk the walk, and only those who do actually make a difference. My wife said that one of my most appealing traits was that while others read about doing real estate investing, she was impressed that I actually did it. So, to all you single men out there, perhaps this principle will help you find a good woman :P. A best-seller by the former CEO of Honeywell, a multibillion-dollar corporation, is simply called Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. This book is all about this principle of taking action. 

Now, regarding Ecclesiastes 11:5-6. This passage draws out the idea presented in verse 4, namely, there are limits to what we can know. While there are patterns in the world to analyze and principles that are generally true, there are also plenty of mysteries. Solomon speaks of the path of the wind and the mystery of birth:

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. (Ecclesiastes 11:5 NLT)

Solomon writes that humans cannot understand the activity of God. This is not new. He has already written elsewhere that even the wise, who think they know what God is doing, do not really know. No one can know because God has hidden it from human perception. Solomon includes this reminder in the midst of his financial advice because it is in keeping with his larger theme, namely, ultimate meaning and purpose are only found in fearing God and obeying His commandments. Even though human beings cannot understand the whole activity of God, they can know this much. He is in control. 

Now, Solomon immediately follows this verse with another practical call to action. Just because we do not know certain things does not mean that we should stand around stupidly and do nothing. He writes,

Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both. (Ecclesiastes 11:6 NLT)

Keep working. Don't get lazy. Don't rest on your laurels and think that your one source of income will secure you. I remember reading Donald Trump's first book called The Art of the Deal. You may know him from "The Apprentice," but his initial fortune came through investing in real estate. His father was a real estate mogul in New York City. He followed in his father's footsteps and became one himself. Yet, at the height of his investment success, he took his hand off management and began to simply enjoy his wealth, only to see his entire real estate empire crumble before his eyes, so that he fell into debt in the order of some eight billion dollars. The real estate market was collapsing, and he was too busy partying to know it until it was too late. Now, he ingeniously and "miraculously" recovered all of it, but he also learned a valuable lesson, which this verse in Ecclesiastes also teaches, namely, KEEP WORKING. As any very successful businessman will probably tell you, you can never take your eyes off the ball. You have to stay alert and keep busy. Otherwise, all you have worked for could crumble in a moment.

Friends, I talk about these things as if I know something. I really don't know anything. My few financial "successes" are a drop in the bucket compared to the testimony of others. But I want to deepen your interest in God's Word any which way. So I simply point out that what others have said regarding their great successes has already been said by an even wiser and greater person in the Bible. 

Perhaps as you apply these biblical principles to your life and achieve some modicum of success, you will also trust the other, even more important things, the Bible has to say. My prayer is that you will make God's Word your daily study, and you will find it both trustworthy and sufficient to guide your every pursuit. 

Friends, did you know that the Bible has a lot to say about money and investing? Some of the best and most enduring financial counsel concurs with Scriptural truth. For example, consider Ecclesiastes 11:1-2,

    Cast your bread upon the waters,
      For you will find it after many days.
    Give a serving to seven, and also to eight,
      For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

In these first two verses, we learn the first lessons of successful investing.
Rule #1: Do not hoard, but invest. That is to say, don't just put your money under your bed, where it will lose its value every day because of inflation. Now, keeping it in the bank at .02 % interest is not that much better, except that it is secured by FDIC, which is like a free insurance policy for you. But you can do better through any number of other kinds of investments if you search it out. I like how the TNIV conveys verse 1.

 Send your grain across the seas,
      and in time, profits will flow back to you.

Rule #2: Multiply and diversify your investments. Again, consider the TNIV translation of verse 2 reads,

But divide your investments among many places,
      for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.

Money managers talk about this all the time. A guy named Jim Cramer,  co-founder of theStreet.com, has a whole show dedicated to having a diversified portfolio of stocks. Diversification is a hedge against risk. If you put all your money in one place (e.g. stocks), what will you do when the stock market crashes, as it did in 2008? But if you have it diversified into treasuries, money market, bonds, gold, etc., then you will not suffer as much and can potentially gain while others lose. This applies not only to securities but also to other kinds of investments, for example business ventures, rentals, royalties, earned income, etc.

Now, like the Proverbs, these are general rules. You will not always make a profit when you invest, and you will not always avoid risk by multiplying and diversifying your investments. However, in a money-driven and uncertain world doing these kinds of things will increase your probability for financial success.

There are more principles on money to discuss here, but I will just touch on one more. Consider Ecclesiastes 11:3-4.

      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.

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

There are basic rules of nature. When the clouds are full of rain, it will rain on the earth. And when a tree falls, while it may fall toward one direction or another, you at least know that it will fall in place. These are things you know. So Rule #3: Invest based on what you know, not what you don't know. As obvious as this sounds, I know many people that put thousands of dollars into a company (read stock) that they know little to nothing about. One of the most famous investors was named Peter Lynch (of Fidelity Investment Co.), and he applied this principle to the management of his mutual fund, which became one of the most lucrative funds of all time. He even wrote a book based on this principle called One Up on WallStreet. His basic principle was to invest in companies that you know and that make products you use. As simple as this sounds, it earned his fund billions.

And just in case you didn't get the principle from verse 3, the next verse adds a corollary to this principle.

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

You cannot know everything. If you observe too much, you will never invest. If you are too careful, you will never make a profit. Some people are so risk-averse, they never move forward, whether to invest in the market, start a business, apply for a job, etc. So Rule #4: Don't overanalyze. There is a statistic floating around that says 9 out of 10 small business ventures fail. Can you imagine what America would be like if everyone took that statistic to heart and never ventured to start a small business. That would mean no Apple Computer. No Subway. No Walmart. All these companies started as a small venture. As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Pethaps a better way to consider that statistic is that since only one out of every ten ventures succeed, I have pretty good odds for success if I pursue at least ten ventures. 

Friends, perhaps I have peaked your interest. If what I have shared draws you deeper into God's Word, I'm glad. I hope that as you find valuable principles for your financial success in the Scriptures, you will also discern the even more valuable truths that pertain to having a vital relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord.