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I've been pondering an interesting thought...opportunity!

The other day I had a few hours of travel time in the car alone. I love that because it makes for great God-time! As I was listening to some worship music and thinking, I began to ponder the idea of spiritual growth, maturity, seasons, reasons and opportunities.

I began to wonder if I had missed God-opportunities over the years? Was I pleased with where my life was at the current moment? I decided that I had likely missed some opportunities and had taken the long way to God's will on some occasions!

At the same time, I also determined that in the overall scheme of my life, I had embraced many of the opportunities God had placed before me and at that moment in my car, I actually felt a sense of deep satisfaction with where my life is right now. It was a pleasant surprise to feel such peace. Kind of a deep, surreal moment!

Don't get me wrong, sure there are some things I'd change if I had it to do over again, but when it comes to the main thrust, purpose and life choices I've made so far—I found myself feeling content and most importantly...as if God was pleased. So far, so good.

Has an opportunity passed you by? Here are some things to think about:

Life Can Be So Disappointing, So Unfulfilling, So Hard—Or Not.
What makes one person's life look like a blessed and well-greased machine that operates like supernatural clockwork and another person's life looks like a one-day-late-and-dollar-short, failure after failure? Was it that people lacked speed? Strength? Wisdom? Understanding? Skill? No...it was missed opportunities.

A great verse in Ecclesiastes 9:11 says,
The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all."
What is this telling us? A time and a chance happens to everyone! It's true, in life—everyone gets their time and everyone gets their chance. Whether we accept, embrace or maximize these opportunities is up to us. We all have our time and chance, things called opportunities. Those who choose well enjoy the benefits, those that don't—won't.

It'll Cost You
Taking an opportunity that is presented to you—that is, the time when you get your chance—will cost you. This is where God-opportunities could pass you by, because often the opportunity looks like it will cost too much! Sometimes people don't activate their faith and they aren't willing to pay the price. The bummer is that in the end a missed opportunity ultimately costs them more! What type of opportunities are we talking about?
  • Everyone gets the opportunity to be saved. Our choice, right? It costs your whole life! Some people miss their time and chance to be saved and they go into eternity lost.
  • Everyone gets the opportunity to serve God. Perhaps a calling to pastor a church, an opportunity to go on the mission field, teach the Bible or start an orphanage, an opportunity to be on staff at a church, an opportunity to serve in church or evangelize your neighbors. They're nice opportunities to invest in eternity...but it costs. It might cost you a reduction in pay and benefits. It might cost you some personal time. It might cost you some frustration as you help fulfill another person's vision and not your own. It might cost you your current reputation and claim to fame. It might cost you the comforts of your home.

    What if this is your chance and this is your time, but you aren't willing to pay the price? Your opportunity will pass you by and you'll still have to pay a price—often a higher price. We've seen it. People who said no to God's opportunity, thinking that their way and their wisdom was better, only to discover that their way was disappointing, hard, unfulfilling...and expensive!
  • Everyone gets the opportunity to step out of their comfort zone when...God asks them to give more money to His kingdom than they've ever considered before; God asks them to share the gospel with a group of homeless people and their knees are knocking; God says give more time to serving in your church; God says go on a short-term missions trip; God says stay in your current job; God says humble yourself and go through the steps for leadership in your local church; God asks them to forgive the people that have offended them; when God tells them to position themselves intensely under His Word for a season.
These things cost. The person who lets these opportunities pass them by discovers that life gets empty. They had an opportunity—it was their time and chance to step up to the plate—to show God they really meant business with Him...but they flunked and they are still standing in the starting blocks. It's sobering.

Don't let your opportunity pass you by! When God brings an "opportunity" your way—it may look a lot like "sacrifice," "hard work," "a demotion," "pay cut," "staying," "serving," "studying"...but really, it's your time and chance! By faith, embrace your opportunities! God brings us these opportunities for the purpose of making our life large with His reality, His blessings, His fulfillment, His joy, His goodness, His fruit! Don't let your opportunity pass you by!

"Yeah, but what if I've already let my opportunity go by? What if I've already blown it?" Interesting questions. It's possible that it's not too late. It's possible. The first thing to do is run to God's Throne with a genuine humility, broken and contrite spirit and repent! Thank God for His mercy and then be faithful with what God has put in front of you currently. Pass the current test and be faithful with where you are at. Pray for God to bring you another opportunity—a chance in His time—and then jump on it! Obey! Don't let another opportunity pass you by.

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. (Eccl. 9:11, NKJV)

Beth Jones Ministries Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Author Biography

Beth Jones
Web site: Valley Family Church
 
As a young couple, fresh out of Bible School with Two daughters and a third child on the way, Jeff and Beth Jones felt God's call to pioneer Valley Family Church in 1991 with a vision to make an eternal difference in Southwest Michigan. As a husband and wife team, they have always led together as visionary pastors and have shared the pulpit as Bible teachers. They are passionate about building the local church in greater Kalamazoo and the global church around the world.
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