YOU PASS THIS WAY ONLY ONCE

Ecclesiastes 9: 10 -12, 11: 1

Have you every thought about, what you would do differently if you had to live your life over. Like it or not, you can’t turn back the hands of time and change the things you didn’t like. You get only one once chance at living that day. No “delete” or “undo”. What do you need to do to make this “one” chance count.

1. FIND SOMETHING GOOD TO DO AND GIVE IT ALL YOU’VE GOT.

Ecclesiastes 9: 10 - Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Fortunately or unfortunately, none of us was born with an expiry date imprinted on our bodies. One thing for sure is that the clock starts ticking from the moment you take your first breath. Since we don’t know what time has been allocated to us here on earth, why then do people spend so much of their time finding fault in others, being unproductive or just being lazy? We are reminded by the writer of Ecclesiastes in chapter 9 verse 10 that “whatever thy hands findeth to do, do it with all thy might” Thank God for each day that he has gifted you and purpose within yourself to be the best you can be each day.

2. SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES

Ecclesiastes 9: 11- I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

You make thousands of decisions each day. For example, you decide when to take a shower, what clothes to wear, which route to take to get to your destinations. Most of these decisions are made without much though but if you were to live most of your live this way, you are sure to miss opportunities that could bring you the joy and happiness you desire. Keep your eyes open for opportunities and seize them when they come your way.

3. DON’T BURN YOUR BRIDGES

Ecclesiastes 11: 1- Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

You are sure to run into difficult people at sometime in your life and you may be tempted to “write them off” once you believe that they can no longer impact your live. Like the teacher who seems to always pick on you or the adult who only seems to notice when you talk in church. Once they no longer have authority over you, you may think that it’s time to give them a “piece of your mind”.

One man who felt he had every right to tell his boss exactly what he thought of him--and did exactly that. Imagine his shock and horror when this former boss was hired by his new company over 4 years later - as his new boss! Needless to say, the man lasted only a few months. Another young woman who told off her boss when leaving the company found herself having to work with her less than a year later on a committee as part of her professional development.

God allows us to go through difficult times to build character and to teach us how to depend on HIM. That person who may appear to be your enemy may in fact be the one who will help you realize your dream. Don’t burn your bridges