Missed Opportunities

Verse of the day: Numbers 14:40 “And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, ‘Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!’”

I cannot even begin to imagine how many opportunities many of us have missed in our walk with the Lord. We often read about the Israelites and how they rebelled against God with all their murmurings, and how often they walked in opposition to His will and plan for them. However, when we stop and think about our own relationship with Christ, we need to stop and consider how often we have done the same thing. Our lack of prayer, reading and studying of God’s Word, the method God uses to hear from us and talk to us, often positions us on a path outside of God’s will and plan for us. Other times we know what God wants from us, but our lack of faith causes us to go in the opposite direction, much like Jonah did when God sent him to Nineveh (Jonah 1:3). In Jonah’s case, God not only turned him around, but when he finally obeyed God and went to Nineveh, God was with him (Jonah 3-4). Herein lies the difference between how Jonah’s service to the Lord ended, as opposed to the disastrous attempt by the Israelites to take possession of the Promise Land (v. 45, Deuteronomy 1:44). In Jonah’s case, even though he disobeyed God’s marching orders, a vacation in the belly of a big fish brought him to a place of prayer and repentance (Jonah 1-2). Here, the Israelites went forward to do something that was attempted without true repentance, in opposition to God’s command, and in their own strength. The result was utter failure and missed opportunity with great blessing. As God’s children, we will learn that there are times when He will call us to minister and move in accordance to His timing and in accordance to His methods, which may not make sense to us, and stretch our faith. Isaiah 55:8-9 clearly tells us that His ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts, as His ways are much higher than ours. How we respond to God’s leading in those time will result in either receiving great blessings, or missed opportunities and blessings. If we are to be sensitive to God’s timing in our lives, then we must ensure that our level of intimacy with Him is such that we learn to trust His ways and His timing. When God commanded the Israelites to go and possess the Promise Land, they did not trust Him and brought back report of discouragement that affected them as a whole, except for Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 13-14). God closed the window of opportunity, imposed a death sentence on those who rebelled against His command (v. 26-38), and would not go with them, but they have now insisted on going ahead and attempting to possess the land. Moses’ warning to them was very clear, that they were heading for great defeat without the Lord (v. 42-43). How sad that they refused to go when they had the power and strength of the Lord on their side, but now are willing to attempt the impossible in their own strength. This pictures a more tragic event that is happening around us every day. Today, we have many who are trying to gain salvation, and acceptance, by way of their own works, and religious rituals. Sadly, many of these very people will go into eternity falling short of eternal life because they have rejected the One Person, Jesus Christ, through whom salvation is possible, only to be condemned by their own feeble attempts at being righteous enough to be accepted. So it is for us, the born again believer, when it comes to doing anything that is worthy of heavenly reward, and trying to gain that reward by operating in the flesh. We can either serve God by faith, which is pleasing to Him (Hebrews 11:6), or we can serve God in our own strength, based on our own timing, in our own wisdom, with selfish motives, and lose many great blessings (both here and when we stand before Him). The Israelites missed a great opportunity and the ultimate blessing of resting in God, because they did not believe. They further sinned against God when they decided to try to force the blessing onto themselves by going about it in their own strength, after God had closed the window of opportunity. How many opportunities to lead someone to Christ will we miss? How many opportunities to reap blessings, by being a blessing, will we miss? How often will we walk in opposition to God’s will and plan, and waste precious time, because we refused to serve God His way and on His terms? Ephesians 5:15-16 reminds us, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Let us be careful not to add transgression upon transgression by trying to force a window open that God has already closed, simply because we failed to be obedient and trust Him when He first opened the window of opportunity for us.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).