Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. (Ecclesiastes 11:4)

When a farmer anticipates a windy day, he puts off planting seeds; otherwise the gusts will blow the seed away before they can penetrate the earth. And when a farmer anticipates rain during the harvest, he puts off cutting wheat or oats; if the grain gets wet it gets ruined. So a farmer needs to exercise a little caution. Exercise too much caution, however, and your seeds will never get planted and your harvest will never come in.

The Living Bible renders this verse: “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.” (Ecclesiastes 11:4 TLB)

If you need to begin a new project or start a new diet or launch a new ministry or make some big changes in your life, don’t wait for the perfect conditions to come along. Instead, seize the perfect moment — this moment — and take the first step in moving forward.

He may not have known it, but he was describing the life of every believer in Jesus Christ. It’s our dual nature, as Paul described in Romans 7:22-23. “I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another law at work in me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.”

Everyday you have to choose: Will you live according to the new nature or the old? Will you soar with the eagles or wallow in the mud? Your decision determines everything — how you greet your day, what you think about, how you talk to (or talk about) your co-workers, how you spend your spare change, and how you spend your spare time.

Every day, and every moment of every day, you have the power to choose your environment: the clear blue sky or the local hippo hangout. You’ve got a key to both places, and access is unrestricted — it just depends on where you prefer to be.

Remember today that God is calling you upward.