When time is wisely used, there will be no wasted effort. Time, effort and effectiveness are inter-related. Our effectiveness in life and work correspond with the time and effort we put into living or working. In Ecclesiastes 10:15 we find a fool squandering his time and soon all his efforts become wasted. Sadly, we are told he is oblivious to it. And in verse 16, we saw how time had been wasted by the king and princes. These collectively comprise a group of people whom we acknowledge as leaders. This tells us that they celebrated needlessly instead of leading purposefully. Here in Ecclesiastes 11:18-19, we are given another advice. The counsel of these two verses is for us to wisely exploit our time and make all our effort worthwhile. A person must not be slothful and squander his time and effort by fooling around. It’s true that lazy people are never worn out by work, but by their effort in dodging work.
Know it or not, we are all energized when we work hard, especially when we are doing it for the Lord. We find a deep soul satisfaction because we know we are serving God and doing things that matter for eternity. In perspective, we feel guilty when we are not working. For we realize that there are always things that we need and must do. This is not so for a fool. He gets exhausted by works he did not do and is wearied by thinking about work he failed to do. Yet, he will still convince himself by his elusive thoughts that he has been wearied by his work. That’s why Ecclesiastes 10:15 says “The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.” It suggests that such a person won’t get anywhere in life. He will fail to find his destination.
The end result of laziness according to verse 18 is telling. “Through sloth, the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.” The slothful person fails to maintain the roof of his house. Small as the job to upkeep the roof may seem, yet it requires regular getting at it. If we fail to do it, the final outcome will be calamitous. The lazy fool in question neglected and failed to act when the problem was small. There came a time when his neglect came back to haunt him when his roof totally collapsed. Remember that even big door swings on small hinges. Little things may not seem to matter for the moment but add them all up and the sum total cannot be ignored. The ultimate deterioration because of neglect tells us that taking care of things incrementally should not be overlooked. The same is true of spiritual life. If we neglect to strengthen our spiritual intimacy with Christ, we will slowly but surely drift further apart from Him. Let us not take personal sanctification for granted. We must do what we need and avail ourselves to God, and the gracious work that He alone can do. Spiritual progress is a divine and human collaboration. We diligently do what we need to do and God on His part will do what He alone can do.
Following Scriptural teaching, hard-work always pays off. A workman deserves to be paid. No one should muzzle the ox that treads out the corn. In contrast to the sluggard, a hard-working and wise person will have the means to meet the basic necessity of his life. And more than that, he will also have more than enough to live comfortably. So, verse 19 tells us that “Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.” The wise also knows how to handle his money wisely for he understands the limitation of money. He does not worship it nor trust it entirely. Yet the truth remains that having money is better than not having it. With money, our basic necessity in life can be met. And we can do many things with money. The bread in verse 18 refers to basic necessity and fine wine to pleasure. If one has no money he cannot afford either. But with money, a person can have both bread and wine and other things as well. For us believers, money enables us to contribute to God’s work and invest in work that will advance His Kingdom. When we put in the time and effort, success is within reach. For footprints on the sand of time is not made by sitting in an armchair. Let’s get to work and invest our time in the effort to advance God’s Kingdom and glory!
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