Title: Seize the Opportunity
Contents
♡♥♡ Take the chance. / Galatians 5:13-15
***Introduction
Did you say that 'a person's lifetime is a series of waiting'? Anyway, people live waiting for something. However, vague waiting results in the loss of the precious opportunity given to you.
There is an old saying, 'Up and down'. This means, ‘Shall we go to the lower temple and get some food? Shall we go to the upper temple and eat it? This is the saying that I miss mealtime, and I can't get food from either the upper temple or the lower temple, and I'm starving.' This is a satire on the fact that a person can't do one thing or do that one thing while slacking around without reason or hesitating without a purpose in mind.
It reminds me of the lyrics of an old Korean pop song. ‘Shall we go? Shall we go there? Would you rather go back?’ That is a very indecisive and ruthless expression. When it comes to seizing the opportunity of 'hesitating', you should resolutely give up.
Once upon a time there was a clown who entertained the king. This clown, who was always favored by the king, made a big mistake one day and was executed. The king recognized his achievements in the past.
“I should be executed right now, but I will give you a chance to make a choice, considering the old feelings. Choose how you want to die until the sand in this hourglass runs out.”
said A period of silence passed. After the sand ran out, the king asked the clown how to die. Then the clown,
“Thank you for giving me a chance. I chose to die of old age.”
The clown escaped the crisis with his chosen method of death.
The clown used the opportunity wisely. We too can make good use of the opportunities given to us and live a successful life, or we can use them wrongly and ruin our lives.
God has given the world a fair chance. Every living thing has a chance. Romans 7:11 says that “sin” also has opportunity. “Sin took an opportunity to deceive me through the commandment, and with it killed me,” he said. Not only that, he exhorts the saints to use that opportunity for good works. Galatians 6:10. “Therefore, whenever we have opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to the families of faith.”
In the text, the apostle Paul exhorts, “Brothers, you were called to freedom, but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” In other words, God has given us Christians an opportunity to be freed from sin through Jesus Christ. So, what should we do with the opportunity we have?
1. Let's prepare for life with the given opportunity.
The Bible records the stories of many people who met Jesus. Their appearance and circumstances when they meet Jesus are different. All of them were given a golden opportunity to meet Jesus, who is the power, life, and savior. However, the result is not the same. Based on the results, they can be broadly divided into three categories. One class is those who hang around Jesus like bridesmaids. The second group is those who have been cured of physical ailments or who have had their problems resolved. The third group is those who have attained eternal life.
Among the bridesmaids were the religious leaders of the time, priests, Pharisees, scribes and lawyers, and many Jews. They met Jesus, but they got nothing from unbelief, pride, and self-interest. Among those who have been cured of physical ailments or have their problems resolved, there are many miraculous experiences, including nine lepers. They obtained physical things at their given opportunity, but not a more precious life. Among those who have received eternal life is a Samaritan leper who returned to give thanks, a Syrobonic woman, a centurion in Capernaum who prayed for a servant's paralysis, and Zacchaeus.
Let's take Zacchaeus as an example. Zacchaeus is a man who has changed his life by making good use of the opportunity given to him. He had heard of Jesus and knew it to some extent. But he heard that Jesus was passing through the village where he lived. He rushed to see his face, but it didn't seem like he would get a chance. As a dwarf, he could not break through the crowds that stood before him like a dense forest. He could have been pessimistic or given up on himself, but his aspirations were too great for that. Avoiding the crowd, Zacchaeus went ahead that much and climbed up the sycamore tree. He has thrown away all his identity and face. But after a while, a miraculous thing happened. As Jesus was walking, he stopped under the tree where he was, and looking at himself, he said, “Zacchaeus, come down. I must stay at your house today.”
Opportunities are found by those who seek, and those who challenge themselves are seized. On that day, Zacchaeus overturned people's imaginations, accepted the Lord, and received eternal life. People treated Zacchaeus a sinner as a tax collector, and he refused to meet or even be with him. However, the desire for Jesus made Zacchaeus seize the opportunity and gain life.
We are the ones who seized this opportunity. But it's not quite done yet. Let's do our best not to miss it until we get the crown of glory and the crown of life.
2. Let's prepare the reward with the given opportunity.
This is what we should strive for. God said in Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Do you also believe that God lives and that He is a rewarder? If so, you should prepare a reward. This is the glory in the kingdom of God.
On Christmas Eve, a rich man had a dream. The dream was that Jesus would visit his house at noon on Christmas Day. He was so happy that he set a large banquet table and waited for Jesus. Indeed, the doorbell rang at noon on Christmas Day. He was so happy that he ran out barefoot. How happy must you have been when Jesus, whom you had dreamed of, came to your home? But when I opened the gate, there was a gentleman standing outside, not Jesus. The rich man asked bluntly.
“Who is it?”/ “Yes, I am a passerby and my car suddenly breaks down and I can’t go. If you know of a car center that you know well, please contact me." The rich man replied nervously, "I don't know of a car center that I know!" and then slammed the door shut.
After a while the doorbell rang again. Now, I ran to the gate, expecting that Jesus had really come. But outside the gate stood a shabby beggar. The rich man got nervous and pushed the beggar away and slammed the door.
After a while, the doorbell rang again. The rich man opened the door just in case. But still there stood a sick old man in ragged clothes. “Excuse me, but give me something to eat,” the old man begged helplessly. However, the rich man said, “If you go to a restaurant across the street to eat, it will be hot and sour! Let’s go there!” he shouted and slammed the door shut so hard that it broke.
Then he came home and poured the well-prepared food into the trash can to break his upper leg. And Jesus was disappointed and complained that he was a liar. That night, Jesus appeared again to the rich man's dream. The rich man harshly questioned Jesus.
"Jesus! Why didn't you tell me you were coming at noon on Christmas Day?" Then Jesus smiled and said, “I have visited your house three times. But you have rejected me each time.”
Let's look at Matthew 25:40. “The king answered and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’” Truly I say to you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'” The very little ones, these are insignificant, marginalized, weak beings unable to protect themselves. He said that hospitality to them is what you do to the Lord.
In today's text, he said, 'Do not waste the opportunity God has given you to fight or quarrel with one another, but to serve one another through love.' “Serve one another” means to serve and serve one another. This is what prepares us for a great reward in our future.
We still have a chance. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are free from sin and have spiritual life. Above them are health, talents, material things, strength, and abilities. Let's use this for eternal life and glory, not for the world that will pass away for a while.
Opportunities are said to be 'if they pass, you can't seize them'. I pray that you will be zealous now when you have the opportunity to prepare for the present and future life and glory.