There is no ideal place to serve God except the place where He has set you down. - Eric Alexander(1)
The Lord wants us to bloom where we’re planted, and to serve Him faithfully right where we are. He doesn’t want us to sit around waiting for the “perfect situation” before we serve Him. If we want to make an impact for the kingdom then we must begin with the small things in life. Jesus said those who are faithful in a little will be faithful in much; and those who are faithful in the small things will be given greater responsibility (Mt 25:21).
If we wish to be promoted to having a greater impact and more influence, then we must begin serving the Lord right now with whatever we’ve been given. John MacArthur states,
There are many people who want to have immediate success in ministry without there being a proving ground - a place where they’ve perfected their skills and their spiritual gifts. Someone who does the Lord’s work in the Lord’s way doesn’t just plan for the future; he ministers in the present as well . . . Don’t be content to do nothing, waiting for the perfect situation. Find an open door and go through it.(2)
This quote by MacArthur summarizes the main premise of this message – that there are way too many believers waiting for the perfect scenario to come along before they will serve the Lord. It’s an excuse that’s oftentimes utilized for spiritual inactivity - the excuse of not being able to serve the Lord because life is too hard or difficult right now, or that it’s not an ideal time or situation.
A secondary premise of this sermon addresses the urgency of investing our gifts and spiritual understanding wisely. Time is of the essence in our journey through life, and we’ve been entrusted with a great wealth which must be invested in the lives of others while it’s still called today. We must make lasting spiritual deposits in the lives of the people whom we encounter on a daily basis.
Serve the Lord Anywhere You Can (vv. 1-2)
We must use what God’s given us before we lose it. Before we get started, let me share something from the book of James. James cautioned against hoarding, telling us this: “Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded . . . You have heaped up treasure in the last days” (5:2-3). O. S. Hawkins, President of the Southern Baptist institution GuideStone Financial Resources, elaborates on these verses, saying,
The first century world did not have certificates of deposit or stock certificates. Their wealth was measured in grain, garments, and gold. When James said, “Your wealth has rotted,” he was referring to grain . . . How does it rot? By lack of use.(3)
The person James spoke about hoarded his grain, and grain was as good as money. The application here is that whenever we hoard money, or heap it up and not spend it, then it’s good for nothing. It might as well be sitting in the bank rotting. The same thing holds true whenever we fail to invest spiritually. In Ecclesiastes 11:1-2, we read,
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 (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2).
The New Living Translation reads, “Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you, but divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead” (Eccl 11:1-2). Whether you translate the word as “bread,” or as “grain” (11:1), both convey the same concept. Our bread, or grain, is the amount of wealth in our possession.
Grain is not something that can be saved or hoarded, for it is perishable and can rot; therefore, it must be sold in the market so that it can be cashed and turned into currency. It does no good just sitting in a silo or grain bin. It’s like stock, in that we can’t forever leave it sitting in the same place.
The price of shares rise and fall, and if we leave our stock sitting in the same place when prices are falling then we could wind up with nothing left. Shares must be sold and the cash value rolled over into other stocks. Money must be invested, and it can’t be invested unless it is moved.
Bread must be sold, and it can’t be sold until we actually put it on the ship to go to market. The point is that we can’t hoard wealth or it loses its value. It must be in motion in order to receive a return, and I’m not talking about the motion of frivolous spending, but the motion of investing. Wealth must be in motion, and when we make the decision to move it then we should keep in mind that it’s unwise to invest it all in one place.
We’re told to divide our investments among many places (Eccl 11:2). Put a little bit here and a little bit there, and in time we will receive a return. If we’re afraid to put our grain on a ship for fear that the ship will sink, then we’ll definitely wind up losing it all when it finally rots. Put it on many ships and send it to many different market places, but let’s not resolve to do nothing at all. In time we’ll receive a return on our investment, or profits from the sale.
How can this be applied spiritually? Each believer has been allotted bread (wealth) from God. The Lord has given us a set amount of time to live on this earth, and He’s given us the wealth of gifts and talents, and the bread of His Word which leads to salvation and eternal life for those who hear and believe. What we do with this wealth matters greatly.
We must not be so specific, or so afraid, that we allow opportunities for spiritual investing to bypass us. We should serve the Lord anywhere we possibly can! We should invest our life in numerous areas of service!
Life Will Continue Without You (vv. 3-4)
Life is fleeting. James said, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (4:14). Our life will be over before we know it! If we refuse to become involved and serve the Lord anywhere and in any capacity, then we’ll soon run out of time and lose our chance. Life will continue on without us! In Ecclesiastes 11:3-4, we read,
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 (Ecclesiastes 11:3-4).
The New Living Translation reads as, “When clouds are heavy, the rains come down. Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls. Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest” (Eccl 11:3-4).
The first statement reminds me of the trivial question, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s there to hear it, does it really make a sound?” If a tree falls in the forest, it falls in the forest. The writer is saying that life will be what it will be, or that life is what it is. It may not get any better or any worse.
Clouds become heavy with moisture and rain falls from the sky, and trees fall in the forest all the time even if we’re not there to see or hear them. The cycle of life goes on, and we can’t change it. Life does what it does, and God does what He does. God will do His thing with or without us, so we need to get on board and quit waiting for the perfect situation.
Something else being emphasized here is that if the wind blows so hard that a tree falls down, we may be afraid to sow our seed in the windy weather; but if the conditions refuse to be favorable we still have to get our seed in the ground somehow, even if some of them are blown by the wayside (cf. Mt 13:4).
If torrential rains fall every three to four days we might be afraid to sow, but if the pattern of rain doesn’t cease we have to go ahead and get our crop out anyhow. For example, farmers must cut their hay even if the rain beats half of it into the ground while it’s still curing, and they only wind up with a small bailing!
We need to quit watching and waiting, and go ahead and serve the Lord in some way! God will do His thing with or without us. If we sit around refusing to serve the Lord because we’re waiting for the perfect situation to come along, then life’s going to continue on without us while we’re just sitting around in one spot. We need to go ahead and get involved in ministry somewhere, even if it’s not what we were expecting!
Life Doesn’t Have to Make Sense (v. 5)
Sometimes when things don’t work out the way we want them to, or the way we plan and according to our expectations, then we can sit around saying “I don’t understand!” We sit, and we sit, refusing to serve God because it doesn’t make sense to us. In Ecclesiastes 11:5, we learn that there are just some things that people will never be able to figure out. This verse tells us,
As you do not know what is the way of the wind or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything (Ecclesiastes 11:5).
The New Living Translation reads, “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” (Eccl 11:5). God doesn’t always make sense! He’s so much bigger than any of us, and we read here how “You cannot understand the activity of God” (11:5 NLT). In Isaiah the Lord declared,
My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways . . . 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).
Paul declared, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Rom 11:13).
God is God, and we don’t have to understand Him in order to serve Him, and we don’t have to understand our situation in order to walk in obedience. The Lord has called us to be faithful in carrying out the Great Commission of going and making disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey God’s commands (Mt 28:19-20).
Saying, “I don’t understand!” is an excuse for inactivity. It’s an excuse to give up on God so we can go and live our own life and do our own thing. Think about how many times children in school will tell the teacher they don’t understand their assignment, so they can get out of doing their homework. Life circumstances don’t always make sense, nor do ministry assignments, but that’s no excuse to become inactive. We must be faithful to serve and sow our seed even when we don’t understand!
Dr. James Dobson wrote a book entitled When God Doesn’t Make Sense, and in his book he shared an illustration that’s applicable to this particular verse. Listen as I share his illustration:
In 1945, a young associate pastor named Cliff married his fiancé, Billie. They had very little money but scraped up enough to take a honeymoon. When they arrived at the hotel, they were told it was now a rehabilitation center and not available to overnight guests.
They hitchhiked to a grocery store several miles down the road. The owner was sympathetic to their situation and let them stay in a room over the store. The owner quickly caught on that they were Christians and he referred them to a friend with a nicer place to spend the rest of their honeymoon.
During the week their host invited them to attend a youth rally at a nearby Christian conference center. The regular song leader was ill that night, so Cliff was asked if he might take charge of the music service. He consented and led the music, before a young evangelist named Billy stepped up to preach.
Cliff Barrows met Billy Graham that night and formed a ministry team that has preached the gospel throughout the world for fifty years. When your plans don’t seem to work out, perhaps God has something better in mind. He sure did for Cliff and Billie Barrows!(4)
In this illustration, Cliff Barrows and his wife did not get discouraged, become depressed and keep to themselves during an unplanned and seemingly messed up situation. They kept focused on God and attended a youth rally, and Cliff even served the Lord by doing the song leading.
He served God where he was and with what he had. He didn’t wait until he was home from his honeymoon, and he didn’t wait until he was serving on a church staff, or settled in life or a career. He didn’t have to know why and how. He just served right then and there!
Sow at Any Chance You Get (v. 6)
Paul advised the believers in Colossae, “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity” (Col 4:5 NLT). He informed the believers in Ephesus, “Be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (Eph 5:15-16 NLT). We too must make the most of every opportunity and serve the Lord at any chance we can get! In Ecclesiastes 11:6, we read,
In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good (Ecclesiastes 11:6).
The New Living Translation reads, “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” (Eccl 11:6). Most of us should be aware of the spiritual concept of sowing seed; the seed of God’s Word.
We’re told to sow seed in the morning, all afternoon, and in the evening (Eccl 11:6). Why? Because some seed will prosper and some won’t; but since we don’t know which will do the best we must sow at any chance we get, and everywhere we can. Paul said, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season” (2 Tm 4:2a). In other words, preach at any time and all the time.
We don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing when we’re going to serve the Lord and when we’re going to sow the seed of the Word. Life is short and we only get one chance to make an impact and live significantly! So we shouldn’t waste God’s time waiting for the perfect scenario to come along before we serve Him.
We should also be sowing the seed of the Word at any opportunity, because we might be the only person who will ever share the gospel message with a lost person in his or her lifetime. People come across our path each and every day, and these people are souls destined for eternity. Where they spend eternity - whether heaven or hell - could depend on us!
Ezekiel told the story of the watchman, and said that if the watchman sat down on the job and didn’t blow the horn of warning, and people died, then their blood would be on the watchman’s hand (33:6). Each of us is a watchman, and if we refuse to sound the warning and share the gospel message – that people are lost without Jesus Christ, and are destined to die in hell if they’re not forgiven of their sins – then their blood is on our hands.
Life may not make sense, and it can be really scary and one big gamble, and we can be frightened into inactivity; however, the lost can’t afford for us to waste time sitting around wondering about God’s will, and waiting to serve Him at some more convenient or opportune moment. The opportune time - or “opportunity” - is right now! God’s will is that we serve Him right now; therefore, we must sow at any chance we can get!
Time of Reflection
We must quit waiting for the perfect scenario, and bloom where we’re planted. Will we serve the Lord right where we are, with what we already have, and with whom we’re already acquainted? Or, will we refuse to serve Him, focus only on ourselves, and squander our spiritual wealth? Mark Hall of “Casting Crowns” stated,
Ministry is for today and calling is for today - right now. God has a place and a purpose for you right now. I’ve never had God tell me what He wants me to do a year from now. Because where you are is where you’re planted, and you’ve got to bloom where you’re planted . . .
I’ve always felt that if God wants me somewhere, He’ll take me there. That doesn’t mean I’m not motivated. It just means I’m motivated to bloom where I am. And I’m going to pour everything into who I’m with at the time.(5)
So, wherever we bloom, let’s make sure that we’re dropping some seeds - that is, seeds of the gospel message – that people can be saved from the consequences of their sins through believing and confessing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (Rom 10:9-10); and I want to ask in closing: “Have you been forgiven of your sins and received eternal life by confessing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord?”
NOTES
(1) Eric Alexander, in GraceQuotes: www.thegracetabernacle.org/quotes/Service-Perspectives.htm (Accessed November 30, 2009).
(2) John MacArthur, “Marks of a Healthy Church: Doing the Lord’s Work in the Lord’s Way - Part 2,” Bible Bulletin Board: www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/1887.htm (Accessed November 30, 2009).
(3) O.S. Hawkins, Money Talks (Annuity Board, 1999), p. 68.
(4) James Dobson, When God Doesn’t Make Sense (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1993), pp. 135-136.
(5) Michael Herman, “Overnight Sensation,” Christianity Today: www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2004/castingcrowns-0204.html (Accessed November 30, 2009).
