"What influences our identity depends on what you believe about humanity…what it is, where it comes from, it depends on your anthropology. But it really doesn't matter what I believe a human is or not. I'm a human, whether I believe I'm a human or not. There are some things that are matters of fact that we have a hard time believing. In fact, we'd often rather believe the lie than the fact. Identity isn't a matter of opinion. It's a matter of fact. It's a declaration that defines being. The big question becomes, 'Who gets to make the declaration? Who has the authority to declare identity?' I think everybody agrees that identity is a matter of fact. The disagreement begins to emerge when we ask the question, 'Who has the authority?' There are two choices we have on who has the authority. Either we are hand made creations of God himself, the God of the Bible, or we are whatever we say we are."
— Matt Lantz
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.
There's no modern-day parallel for this first verse about casting your bread upon the waters, so the interpretation is uncertain. That being said, there is an undertone of being generous, patient, and diversifying.
Here are a few Scriptures that speak of generosity in God's Word:
"The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives." Psalm 37:21
"It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice." Psalm 112:5
"Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed." Proverbs 19:17
"And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts." Acts 2:46 [This verse is about bread and generosity!]
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.
Verse 3 speaks of cause and effect. Luke 6:31 says something similar: "And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." When we sow with a generous and patient heart, life will overflow with that same richness, and it will all fall in place as the Lord sees fit.
I like verse 4 because it reminds us that we shouldn't wait for perfect timing. If we spend too much time reading the sky, reading the market, reading the news, or trying to predict the ideal moment — it will become a loss. Plant goodness. Sow love. Cast the seed of encouragement. Keep your hand to the plow!
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.
We're going to sit here—in these next few verses—for a bit. With a warm beverage in our hand, and our hearts open to Him. ❤️
Verse 5 refers back to Ecclesiastes 3:21. For the Preacher, the human spirit is mysterious. Psalm 139:13-14 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
Notice the end of the verse from Psalms 139:14: I know that full well. One of the deepest struggles in believers' lives today is a lack of identity. Or, better yet, a lack of belief in what God has determined and done for us.
I listened to a terrific podcast this last week called the Theology of Identity. Here's a quote from Matt Lantz that was super impactful to me and ties into knowing full well Whose we are:
There's a verse in the Scriptures that says, 'For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which he prepared beforehand for us that we should walk in them' (Ephesians 2:10). In that verse, you get identity as something that is received, not something that is achieved or decided upon. Once I receive this identity I live it out by faith. The identity is received because I as a human have been acted upon by a Creator God that designed me for unique things. As we come together under the name of Jesus Christ together, each of our designs and giftings compliments each other, and so together as the Body of Christ, we end up functioning as if Jesus was still on the earth. We actually become his body. It's almost like Jesus has never left.
Did you catch the part about your identity being received and not something you strive for? I get that backward so often. I think I must "help" God to make me more purposeful. Of course, we're active participants, but the work was done on Calvary. My role is to surrender and humbly allow God to fit all the pre-ordained, purposeful pieces together.
Also, there's a point in the podcast about living life out by faith. We may know the promises of God, but how do we activate those in our lives as believers? How do we walk those promises out? Like the father in Mark 9, we must cry out and say, "I believe, help my unbelief!" That's a verse I repeat because it's not an issue of the answering missing; it's an issue of my heart not believing.
Lord, I believe, help my unbelief! And, may I know you full well. Amen.
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.
In short: Do the work! Not the work Jesus already accomplished, but the work He's called you to do in ministry partnership with Him. Colossians 3:23 reminds us of this: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."
I can lose my grounding so quickly. I get caught up in the whirlwind of noise and circumstances, and I forget "Whose" I am and what I'm here for. I have to be so intentional (and often fail) to sit at the Rabbi's feet and be re-anchored in my purpose and calling: to follow Christ wholeheartedly.
7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
This past week I was in the Smoky Mountains. My mom took this photo the first day, and I made a note in my Bible because this verse reminded me of the glorious sun over the mountain landscape. Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. It's also satisfying for my heart to continually converse with the Son because the world's things grow strangely dim when we do.
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.
I was reading Chuck Smith's sermon notes from Ephesians 2:10 recently. He wrote this sermon later in his life and was passing along wisdom and perspective to others. In those sermon notes, he said this:
"There are many advantages to coming to the stage in life that I have arrived at, where most of the pieces of the puzzle have been put together, and the picture is becoming quite clear. I frankly confess that there were many of the pieces of the puzzle that I complained loudly about as God was preparing me for the work that He had before ordained that He wanted me to accomplish for Him."
I can complain loudly, too. When experiencing certain seasons or circumstances, I get discouraged with recurring chaotic events. Much that comes to us may seem burdensome now, but it is God's work, and He will righteously judge. He has determined His purpose for you. Your identity. Your calling.