The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
“Opportunities”
Every born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ misses or wastes opportunities to better know and respond to Him.
“And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know” (I Corinthians 8:2).
A world of distraction, deception, and discouragement tempts to divert our gaze from the North Star of our life and being: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Of course, we must attend to matters of this present life. We cannot always think directly about our Lord, nor is it necessary that we do. We might hope the Christian architect who designs a tall building will pray and ponder God as the day begins, and as opportunities arise throughout the day. However, as he makes his plans for a building into which we may enter at some point in the future, we hope he directs his mind fully toward the calculations and plans that result in a safe structure. Our brains presently operate accordingly, requiring focus in order to function.
We therefore seek opportunities to consciously avail ourselves of our Lord’s presence, involvement, and working. “Exercise thyself rather unto godliness” (I Timothy 4:7). Some will be planned, such as regular devotional occasions of Scripture reading, prayer, and fellowship with believers. Others will be spontaneous as we respond to the Holy Spirit’s working in heart, mind, and circumstance along the pathways of God’s providence upon which believers journey. “The path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18). Some will be missed, again, by all believers, from the most dedicated to the most distracted. As Jacob bemoaned at Bethel, “Surely the Lord is in this place. And I knew it not!” (Genesis 28:16).
A week from today, I will commemorate 51 years of knowing our Lord. As I rejoice in God’s abiding faithfulness and merciful graciousness, I also mourn far too many wasted opportunities to acknowledge and respond to His presence and working in my heart and life. Thankfully, “He abideth faithful” even amid - and perhaps especially amid - my too many failures to avail myself of opportunities to respond to His presence and working (II Timothy 2:13). “Ought to know.” The indictment would condemn us all, were it not for the “abideth faithful” pardon and assurance of the God who never misses an opportunity to be and do for us all we require in this life, and forevermore…
“Great is Thy faithfulness.”
(Lamentations 3:23)
“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
(Philippians 1:6)
Weekly Memory Verse
Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
(Romans 8:9)
7894
No comments:
Post a Comment