I wish that I had thought up the title, but I did not. It was the title to a book by the late Francis Schaeffer, "How Should We Then Live?" But the question itself is not unique to Dr. Schaeffer. It is a question that all Christians ought to ask. And it is a question to which we are brought by the Preacher.

Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, we have been treated to a sober and realistic view of life as it exists "under the sun." It is not a pretty picture. You are born and you struggle through life and then you die. The years that pass by can never be reclaimed. And that realization should motivate us to live purposefully, making our lives count.

We have come to use this phrase about casting bread upon the waters without thinking much of its meaning. Casting bread upon the waters meant either throwing it into a river or into the ocean. In either case, that is a good way to lose a loaf of bread. It does not seem to be the better part of wisdom. And yet, the Preacher who gave us the Proverbs and who exhorted us to walk in the way of wisdom tells us to throw our bread in a location where it will be swept away. What does this mean? I believe it to be a reference to attempting a venture.

1. Casting Your Bread upon the Waters Appears Wasteful.

2. Casting Your Bread upon the Waters is Risky.

• Jonah

• The disciples of Jesus

• The Apostle Paul

3. Casting Your Bread upon the Waters means that you do without for a time.

4. Casting Your Bread upon the Waters brings Eventual Gain.

5. The Return on Water-Cast Bread does not come Immediately.

Do you remember the story of Jacob? He is on his way back to Israel after having been away for 21 years. He receives the news that his brother Esau is coming to meet him - that is good. But his brother is bringing with him a band of 400 horsemen - that is bad. He does not know if his brother will be peaceful or vengeful. So Jacob seeks to act wisely. He diversifies. He prepares of possible misfortune. He divides his caravan and his family into two parts, reasoning that if one group is attacked, the other has a chance to escape. Risk is good, but foolish risk is - foolish.

Verses 3-5 give observations concerning the way things are. Verse 6 gives the practical application - the "so what" of the passage.

Can you picture the plight of the over-careful farmer? He goes out to sow his seed, but he looks up at the clouds and thinks, "It might rain today and if it does, then it might not be the best day for sowing seed because it would then be washed away." And so, the seed stays in the barn. The same thing happens the next day. He waits for a perfect set of events that never come. The Preacher exhorts us not to be like that farmer.

It is true that the rains MIGHT come and the seed MIGHT be washed away. Today's work might be ruined and I might have to do it over again tomorrow. But that is okay. Today's work might succeed as well as tomorrow's And if so, then I will be able to reap the rewards for both.

Here is the point. Risk does not have to result in immobilization. It should instead result in redoubled efforts. It is true that we should work smarter and not just harder. But there are also times when we ought to work harder.

Nothing comes without effort. That is true in the natural realm and it is also true in the spiritual realm. Even your salvation took effort - it took the strong arm of the Lord.

Life is good. It is a gift of God. And it is to be treasured. And the beauty of light is all the more pleasant when it is recognized that darkness eventually comes.

Even if a man lives many years, the days of darkness will also be over a course of many years. You live and then you die and the days in which you will be dead far outnumber the days which you will live. The emptiness of death comes to all men. So live while you are alive.

In Ecclesiastes 3 we read that there is an appointed time for everything and a time for every event under the sun. This includes each of the seasons of life. The morning. The noon. And the twilight of life. We are called to treasure all of the seasons of life. Here is the principle. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not merely endured.

That sounds good and even has a measure of truth, but it contains a subtle trap. It is the trap of thinking that you must obtain certain THINGS or achieve certain GOALS before you can begin enjoying life.

I tend to be like that. I remember one particular vacation where we were going to spend several weeks in the mountains of North Carolina. We drove north along the coast, going through Savannah and Charleston over a couple of days. By the third day, we still had not gotten to the mountains and I found myself not having much fun. It was as though I had a goal - "Get to the mountains" - and couldn't bring myself to relax until I had achieved the goal. I like to think that I am better than I used to be. And I'm learning to enjoy the journey. But this applies to more than just vacations. It also applies to LIFE.

The Westminster Catechism asks the question, "What is the chief end of man." The answer is, "To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." We are called to enjoy the life which God has given and to enjoy the God who has given it. I am rather fond of the twist that John Piper has put on this by saying we are "to glorify God by enjoying Him forever."

You are only young once. Enjoy it while you can! This is a call to the optimism of youth. Time enough to be pessimistic in the grave. There are a series of parallel injunctions:

The parallel continues:

This is a call to follow your dreams. What is it that you want to accomplish in life? Do it NOW while you are still young!

I love the part that Robin Williams plays in the movie, "Dead Poets Society." He is a teacher of poetry for an old, established all-boys school. On the first day of class, he takes his students downstairs to a hall filled with old photos of past classes. Some of those photographs are 50 and 75 years old. Most of those in the photos have lived and died.

They are nothing but worm food and daisy fertilizer. The pictures portray them in their youth and vitality, but that was in the past and now they are dead. And as they gaze on these long-forgotten portraits of youth, they hear the whisper of the Preacher. Carpe Diem - "Seize the Day!" Life is short. All too soon, they will be nothing more than a faded photograph on a wall. So seize the day - make each day count. Live purposefully. Meaningfully. Do great things while there is time for greatness. And yet, there is a warning. This warning serves as a balance.

Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things (10:9). In your quest to live your life meaningfully, do not forget that it is God who sets the standard for what is truly meaningful.

In verse 10 is a third injunction. As in the previous two cases, the injunction is given, followed by its rationale.

So, remove anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting (11:10). Life is too short to harbor anger. As to pain, put it aside while you can. There will be plenty of time to hurt when you are older.

The reference to "pain from your body" can refer either to a physical evil (pain) or to moral evil. The context seems to favor the former as a part of a contrasting parallel.