Right Now Opportunity

He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As though knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good Ecclesiastes 11: 4-6.

There are opportunities all around us. We cannot afford to wait on anything. I’ve heard people say they were waiting for their "ship to come in". There is no ship that is going to come in, and waiting for one only causes us to miss the opportunities we have right now.

It is no accident that we are who we are right now. It is not by chance that we are where we are right now, and that we have what we have right now. We don’t need to be anybody else, we don’t need to live anywhere else, and we don’t need to have any more than we have right now. Who we are and what we have right now is our opportunity to do something absolutely incredible, and to make our life count for something.

Solomon said, "…a live dog is better than a dead lion" Ecclesiastes 9:4. We have a lot more going for us than we think; we just need to get busy.

This life is so brief. My kids are grown and I have grandchildren running all over the place. I’m looking at retiring in the next two years. For a person to sit around and live a meaningless life is a sad tragedy. So many people spend so much time searching for happiness as if it were a dollar bill lying on the ground. Happiness should never be the goal because it is something that we experience as a result of other things that we are doing. I experience happiness as I love God with all my heart, love my neighbor as myself, love my wife as Christ loved the church, and so on.

We all have needs. Some needs, like food, water and air, are basic. In other words, if we should suddenly run out of air to breath, all the other things are irrelevant. Air is a basic survival need.

We need to feel safe. Kids sleep well in the bed with dad and mom; they have no need to worry about the boogey-man. We also have a need to have success and to know that we have accomplished something in life. I want my kids to succeed in life and I will sacrifice to support them in something worthwhile.

The highest need is self significance. Most people make the mistake of assuming that things like success or wealth will bring them self significance, but they discover too late that meaning and relevance are not easy or automatically experienced.

No matter how competent and professional we are, we can still miss the experience of self worth. We may be able to make six figure incomes and buy a house on the hill. But real significance is about character and who we are in Christ; about righteousness and the quality of fruit that is produced only through faith in the Word of God.

David had big time issues, but because he was a man after God’s own heart, his life had great significance and worth. He found joy within himself, and in spite of his failures, he always found comfort and consolation in the grace and mercy of God. He truly loved God and responded sensitively to His Spirit. And when God is an active part of our pursuits, we will always discover meaning and significance.

God placed a hunger deep within us for meaning and purpose. We weren’t created to live a complacent life; to live in the shadows of obscurity. But we were made to be adventurous, to do something great; to take risks and reach higher and higher to achieve incredible goals. When Jesus is our Lord, we can grow in our character and seek and obtain God created opportunities.

This is an imperfect world, and the little while we are here, whatever contribution we are going to make, we have to do it here where the godly are afflicted and unfair circumstances prevail. Just take a look around. There are bad things happening to good people all the time. Every day the bombs of terrorist murder and maim the innocent while abortion clinics perform swift on demand services to thousands without any hint of a statistical measures of quality control. In the midst of all of this, when God swings a door open, we need to be ready.

When I had the opportunity to go to nursing school, I went. When I was asked to take a job doing Cardiology Research, even though I was inexperienced, I took the opportunity. When my boss asked me to move up to a supervisory role, I did it. When I had the opportunity to marry Lindia, I married her. When God called me to preach, I preached. I had an equal opportunity to say no to all of those things. But if I had, I would likely be a much different individual than I am today. I didn’t know whether or not I could be a nurse, or supervise, or be a husband or preacher. But the opportunity may not have come again. I could not afford to wait for a better time, more education, more strength or better conditions. It was a right now opportunity sent to me to help bring meaning and significance to my life. God wanted to make me a better wiser person that He could use to get things done for His kingdom.

Without significance, life is meaningless. Solomon was an expert on everything in life from women to gardening. He concluded that if God isn’t involved, even the best things of the world are worthless. The point is to serve God’s purpose, do it in our generation, and do it the best we can for as long as we can. "Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it’s God’s purpose that prevails Proverbs 19:21.

What prevents you from taking advantage of opportunity? Is it a problem or a lack of resources? Well, problems are everywhere and they will always be. But very few are powerful enough to make us give up on our opportunity.

As long as Goliath was alive, Israel had a problem (see 1 Samuel 17: 1-11). Goliath was nine feet tall, his coat weighed 200 pounds, and the head of his spear was 25 pounds. No one in his right mind would fight him. No one, that is, except David.

You see, David was looking for an opportunity. He had been anointed king, so he was looking for a way to get into the castle. When he heard that whoever killed Goliath would marry the princess, he said, "This is my opportunity". Goliath was a problem, but he was the best thing for David.

David was not the best man for the job of taking out Goliath. He was not old enough to even join the army and he had not been trained to fight. All he knew how to do was watch sheep; a job that required little skill and was meaningless on a resume.

When Samuel came to see Jesse and anoint one of his sons as king, David was not even considered by his father as someone with any kind of potential to be a king. Jesse allowed every son he had to pass before Samuel for consideration for king. When they were all rejected, Samuel asked Jesse did he have any more sons. Jesse was almost apologetic as he related that the only one left was David.

No matter who calls us unfit or labels us a loser, God has a right now opportunity for us. We may feel like a nobody, but God can make somebody out of us. When God called me to preach, I wasn’t a preacher yet. He had to make me a preacher. I had to be proven, and actually, I’m still in the process.

You may not be what you need to be right now, but you still have to take the opportunity. For I know the plans I have for you saith the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you, to give you hope and a future Jeremiah 29: 11,12. Don’t doubt for one moment that God doesn’t have plans for you; He has your entire future waiting for you to step out and walk in it.

While others were running and hiding from Goliath, David was running to him. The other soldiers were thinking, "This giant is going to kill me", while David was thinking, "I’ve got to a giant to kill, a princess to marry and a crown to wear."

When David went to see King Saul, the king basically said, "You’ve got to be kidding me". David told Saul his qualifications, which basically centered on babysitting the dumbest most defenseless animals in the history of the world. David saw Goliath in the same light as the predators he fought with as he protected his dad’s sheep. To David, the principle was the same, "This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them".

David brought up something very important. If we are to grasp a right now opportunity, we must be willing to prepare for it in advance. We don’t start training on the day of the battle. While out there keeping sheep, not only did David learn how to use a sling, but he learned how to fight. Someone without experience cannot just swipe off a head the way David took off Goliath’s.

When David was out there on that battlefield, he fought so valiantly that Saul had to ask who he was. He didn’t look like the same boy he interviewed.

Listen. There are not many opportunities available as it was a generation ago. Are you available, or are you just being average and ordinary? Right where you are is where your opportunity is. Embrace it and do something incredible.

By: Edmund Brown