Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for you know not what a day may bring forth.
1st Samuel 8: 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.
7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.
There are times in life when God opens the door of opportunity to nations or individuals, and what one does in the moment could make a great difference in the person’s or nation’s after history. When God is ready to work on behalf of nations or individuals we must rise to the occasion, because another chance might not be given, no one knows.
Sometimes the golden opportunity slips by, and it’s only afterward, as persons reflect in hindsight, that they realize the door has been closed. And in some instances, there might be genuine remorse for the chance that has passed by, but irreversible damage could have already been done.
One of the dangers of sinning by procrastination is that even though you may catch yourself, and may endeavor to redeem the time the fact is that in most cases, during that interim period, between your procrastination, and redemption, real harm is done.
When the dying thief on the cross saw, and seized his golden opportunity, he did nobly by rising to the occasion, and he would be saved in God’s kingdom. But during the time when he lived on earth, damage was done to many persons, and he found no way to replace the stolen items to individuals.
Similarly, when Saul, who later became Paul, rose to the occasion on the road to Damascus he seized the golden opportunity, and to a very great extent, he was able to redeem the time, and retrace his steps, but during the interim period, Stephen, and many other saints had already been put to death.
When interest rates hovered near zero in the United States, many homeowners seized the opportunity to refinance, and many others saw wisdom in buying a first, or second home, while the Feds kept interest rates abnormally low.
But there were others who procrastinated, thinking that the low rates would be here to stay and so they dilly dallied, and twiddled their thumbs, by putting off for some future day that which could and should have been done while the opportunity still lingered.
And now, many folks look back at those times with longing desire, and some are drooling for the days of yore to return. They may, or may not return, for no one knows what tomorrow will bring. And thus, you might have a situation of here today, but gone tomorrow, that occurs.
Therefore, when God opens up the way before us so that great things could be done, or achieved, it is of critical importance that we be ready, when The Lord is ready, for very often, a mismatch of timing causes persons to defer for another day, that which can and should be accomplished in the moment.
In Eden, God gave us a golden opportunity to live in this world forever, without experiencing death, and all of the negatives we have accrued over the years. But the opportunity was squandered in the moment and even though Christ has died to redeem all from sin, and its consequences, the fact is that damage has already been done.
So yes, we do have hope of eternal life, and yes, we can individually make good choices that would last for eternity, but in the meanwhile, we still have to deal with the natural fallout of the choice that was made, and in many cases, continues to be made.
In other words, on account of squandering that first golden opportunity, the interim period between sin and our final redemption will bring to us the natural fallout of the choices then made. We must deal with inflation, cancers, pandemics, wars, hurricanes, and politicians who make promises they cannot keep.
Being genuinely sorry for squandering your golden opportunity does not always change the raw facts on the ground, and though we encourage everyone to redeem the time, there might still be a lingering, nagging effect that in some instances, may never go away in this life.
With king Saul, God gave him a golden opportunity, not only to rule, but also that his posterity would sit upon the throne of Israel for many years to come. In his choices, and decisions, king Saul could pave the way for success or failure, for God grants to persons the opportunity, success is what we make of it. Let’s read:
[PK. pp 486] True success in any line of work is not the result of chance, or accident, or destiny. It is the outworking of God's providences, the reward of faith, and discretion, of virtue, and perseverance. God gives opportunities; success depends upon the use made of them.
Numerous chances to redeem his past failures were granted, but with every opportunity, Saul insisted on doing things his own way, until it reached a point where The Lord could not work with Saul anymore, and, Saul’s day of opportunity slipped into oblivion, never more to be reversed. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?
6 And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
7 And let it be when these signs are come unto thee that you do as occasion serves you; for God is with you.
But Saul soon developed the habit which so many of us do, of not consulting God for guidance, direction, and wisdom, for he habitually did what he thought was best and right in his own sight.
True humility is not doing what, in our finite minds we deem best; it is being willing to do what God sees best, even when we may not see eye to eye with The Lord.
Thus, on numerous occasions, when Saul could have seized his golden opportunity, he resorted to doing things his own way, and this tendency soon became a habit, to the point where it became set like stone in his character. And after a while, it became a core part of who he was. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 28:6 And when Saul enquired of the Lord the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
Thus, the tenor of the Bible is for persons to make the best and most of today, as our first passage says, for we know not what another day may bring forth. In the work of saving souls, you may have only one opportunity to tell others of Jesus, and that person’s destiny could hang upon what you did, or didn’t do.
When the Lord was just about to pluck me out of the fire as it were, there was one other Seventh Day Adventist in the band who had backslidden just like myself. To him I spoke the words of truth, for a long time one night, but he never came to the point of giving his life over to Christ.
Some time later, the leader of the group gave me an urgent call saying that the former S.D.A was in grave peril in the hospital, and that I should go quickly to visit him, because things were not looking good. We grabbed a couple of religious books, including Steps to Christ, and headed for the hospital.
But when we arrived, he was already staring into outer space, and was unresponsive. Not long after he slipped into eternity, and thus, the next time he will be seen is when Jesus comes, in either the first or second resurrection, for we cannot judge his final end.
There are certain important points that should be considered as it pertains to “Not Squandering Your Golden Opportunity”
[1] Opportunity, especially as it pertains to a soul’s salvation, is not guaranteed to stick around forever, for it can be here today, and gone tomorrow. Let’s read:
Hebrews 3: 7 Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, today, if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness.
[2] Some opportunities may only come around once in your lifetime.
[3] God grants us opportunities, but success is what we make of them.
This one is of critical importance for we can make or break an opportunity by the decisions, and choices that are made. As a general rule, when God opens up an opportunity persons should not only seize the moment, but we should also continuously go back to God to find out how to manage it.
Here is where some fail, for many immediately may seek out finite wisdom, before referring to God for help. Success is not only receiving the blessing, but more so in managing the blessing, for receiving and managing prudently are two peas in one pod.
For instance, after God had promised to open the womb of Hannah, she and her husband did not just run away with the blessing, and forget about God. They went back to Him for wisdom, and instruction as to how they must manage the blessing prudently. Let’s read:
Judges 13: 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold, now, you are barren and bear not: but you shall conceive, and bear a son.
6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name.
8 Then Manoah entreated the Lord, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou did send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.
9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah….
12 And Manoah said, Now, let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?
13 And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.
14 She may not eat of anything that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.
Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord will guide thee continually and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Proverbs 2: 10 When wisdom enters into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.
12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaks froward things.
[4] When opportunity comes there is usually a given time-frame in which you must make your move, or else, the window of opportunity could close.
[5] Very often, you do not know in advance if this is your last opportunity.
The main problem with the Hebrews as far as their opportunity goes is that early up in their experience they endeavored to plan for themselves. The case in point is when God was ready to work in their behalf, to bring then into the land of Canaan, they panicked when they saw, and heard of the giants.
And in this frame of mind, they made themselves a captain to return into Egypt. Then when God agreed with them and said, alright, go ahead and head back to the wilderness, they said no, we aren’t going.
Instead, they decided to go take Canaan on their own. Thus, The Lord could not work with them, for they wouldn’t humble themselves enough to be led by Him, but insisted on planning their own strategy. Let’s read:
Numbers 14:4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
Numbers 14: 40 And they rose up early in the morning, and got them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promised: for we have sinned.
41 And Moses said, wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper.
42 Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord will not be with you.
44 But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: never-the-less the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.
45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
Humility is not what many people think it to be, for it has more to do with one’s attitude than the other external manifestations that are observed, such as the disposition and attire of monks and other clergy.
Being humble, in a nutshell, is the disposition to be willing to be led by God in all things, even if you may be a specialist at what you do, and even when you may not see eye to eye with God. The Lord has not called us primarily to agree with Him, but rather to obey Him.
The tendency to choose the “experts” over the type of wisdom found in the Scriptures, causes many to miss out on God-given opportunity. When experts are sought after, it’s important to do two things:
[1] If you can, find out, whether those experts are God-fearing, or not.
[2] Pass the counsel, and advice they give through the word of God first, meaning The Living word and the written word.
Many experts in our day do not believe in God, and for this reason, the counsel given can, in some cases be contrary to the revealed will of God. The person may be an expert in his or her field, but that is not the most important qualification for the Christian to hang his hat on.
The children of Israel listened to the X-Perts, who were the ten unfaithful spies, for they reasoned and arrived at their conclusions along strictly logical, and finite modes of thought. They considered the size of the giants, in contrast to their own selves, and, in their minds, it was a no-brainer that they could not win.
Be very careful of experts who do not include the God-factor in their reckonings, for they mostly deal in finite limitations, and the counsel they give could cause you to squander your golden opportunities, in some cases.
That was the problem with king Saul, who seemed to have difficulty seeing beyond the finite, to behold the infinite. When faced with danger or difficulty, he would instantly refer to the realm of mortals alone, using only finite calculations to guide his decisions.
For instance, when David offered to smoke out the giant Goliath, Saul, who was an expert in war, didn’t think it possible, and based upon strictly humanistic modes of thought, he made unequivocal statements pertaining to the mission impossible. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 17: 32 And David said to Saul let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
33 And Saul said to David, you are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
Again, when Saul finally caved in to David’s offer, he again resorted to finite modes of thought and action as it seemed the expert thing to do by loading David up with his own spear, and shield. But, the armor of Saul would not only greatly impede David, it could have put him at risk of defeat. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 17: 38 And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also, he armed him with a coat of mail.
39 And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he tried to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
Thus, it was that by taking counsel of God and being willing to be led by God, David was able to maximize his golden opportunity. This is what those ten spies, together with the multitudes had failed to do. They left God entirely out of the picture, and that is how they squandered their golden opportunity.
Joshua and Caleb however tracked a different route, for they incorporated The God of heaven into their assessments and conclusions, and thus, whenever Divinity is united with humanity, individuals as well as nations, in most cases, would not squander their golden opportunity. Let’s read:
Proverbs 3: 4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
The bottom-line result of the Hebrew’s squandered opportunity is that almost none of them entered Canaan. Yes, it is true that many may have repented and many others would be saved in God’s kingdom, but the fact remained, that their golden opportunity had passed, never more to be restored. Let’s read:
Numbers 26: 64 But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
65 For the Lord had said of them, they shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
As the nation turns a new page, there will be a host of golden opportunities given to us to redeem the time. Success will depend largely upon the course of action taken, and the decisions made, for we are the arbiters of our own destiny.
As was clearly stated before, if the God-factor is incorporated into the decision-making processes, The Lord will respond in the affirmative, by guiding us with wisdom and discretion, so that we can avoid serious errors in judgment.
But if we permit the forces of evil to pressure folks into making laws that are antagonistic to truth, and righteousness, then we would have squandered the golden opportunity to redeem the time.
Again, in our own personal experience, God grants windows of opportunity to do good, by advancing the interests of His kingdom, especially now that we see eternity dawning on the horizon.
Let us then be faithful in making full use of the time remaining, given to us to finish up the work of the gospel, for there is no doubt that the windows of opportunity will close sooner than many expect.
We therefore will end with a passage of scripture that should encourage us to do the most and the best whilst we can. Let’s read:
Ephesians 5: 15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
God Bless!