1. No one knows what is coming (10:1-20)

As dead flies give perfume a bad odor, so a small mistake can ruin an otherwise honorable man's life. Honest, hard work can come to nothing because of one small accident. Even a good king can fail if he gives high positions to the wrong people. No matter how hard we work or how sincere we are, we can fail because of some small, unforeseen thing. So we need God's help and blessing, and God's forgiveness.

2. Cast your bread upon the waters (11:1-6)

The life of faith is a giving life. So we should learn to give freely, not expecting a reward. God blesses a giving life. Nothing done for God is lost. If we stop and calculate everything, then we will do nothing. If we wait to understand everything before we make a commitment to God our Maker, then we will waste our lives. By God's grace, children are born and crops grow into a bountiful harvest.

Application: Lord, help me to live by your grace, and not by my calculations.
One Word: God is the Maker of all things