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God Opens Doors Out of the Blue
What if today, right out of the clear blue sky, or tonight, out under the stars, God placed before you a clear-cut opportunity for an adventure in faith with Him? Are you ready? Ready to lace up your shoes, step through that door, and follow Him?
Why do we shy away from open doors, from the prospect of new adventures in faith? Why do we let opportunity after opportunity pass us by, even though we feel a stirring of desire and a tug on our hearts to respond? What holds us back?
I think many of us are simply too weighed down and tangled up by our past to step into God’s purpose today. How sad. We lose “today” because of “yesterday.” Life flows on by, and age creeps up on us while we remain mired in doubts, fears, and hesitations.
Have you ever met some older person, now physically unable to work or travel, who could only look back on life with regrets? It’s not a happy story. Some older man will say, “Years ago I had the opportunity to serve the Lord overseas—and deep down, I really wanted to go. But I had a good job, and I was climbing the ladder. So I held back. Then the opportunity passed me by—and it never came again.”
Or some older lady saying, “My husband and I couldn’t have children. He wanted to adopt a baby girl from China, but I was afraid, I kept stalling the decision, and we never did. Now my husband’s gone, and here I am with no one in my life. It would be so wonderful to have a daughter.”
Life is too short to live with regrets! Life is too precious to turn away from promising opportunities to serve the King in His kingdom.
The psalmist said,
“I run in the path of your commandments, for you have set my heart free.” (Psalm 119:32 WEB)
That’s what we want. To just run and run and run into His will and the paths of His purpose. With a light heart, a clear eye, and hope rushing bank-high through the channels of our heart.
But we can’t run if we have huge packs on our backs or ropes tangling up our feet that keep us from embracing God Adventures. Be open when God calls, even out of the blue.
Investing
“Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether one or the other will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.” – Ecclesiastes 11:6 NASB
How does a person become a world-class musician? Natural abilities are vital. But many with ability don’t live up to their potential. Over and over, great musicians testify to the impact of the investment of time and making practice a priority.
Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the noted Polish pianist and statesman, once declared that “the very essence of success is practice.” Investing time was not optional for those wanting to be great.
Describing his opportunity to be music director of the Chicago Symphony, Sir Georg Solti recalled how he was challenged by “the height of professionalism” demonstrated by this orchestra. The players always studied and practiced. Their commitment forced him to be prepared.
This commitment to excellence helps separate the extraordinary from the ordinary. The Bible expresses this truth in the principle of seedtime and harvest (Genesis 8:22). This teaches the importance of investing our time and resources to reap a bountiful harvest.
These principles are true in the spiritual realm. The Bible reminds us to sow from the seeds we have been given – our time and talent, our love and concern, our resources. But they also apply in the natural realm.
Do you want to reap the harvest God has prepared for you? Do you want to achieve your full potential? Then don’t be content with the ordinary or good enough. Cultivate a commitment to developing the resources you’ve been given. Invest your time and resources well.
The sin of unbelief
By: Charles Spurgeon
“And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” 2 Kings 7:19
Suggested Further Reading: John 20:24-29
“Thou shalt shall see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” It is so often with God’s own saints. When they are unbelieving, they see the mercy with their eyes, but do not eat it. Now, here is corn in this land of Egypt, but there are some of God’s saints who come here on the Sabbath, and say, “I do not know whether the Lord will be with me or not.” Some of them say, “Well, the gospel is preached, but I do not know whether it will be successful.” They are always doubting and fearing. Listen to them when they get out of the chapel. “Well, did you get a good meal this morning?” “Nothing for me.” Of course not. Ye could see it with your eyes, but did not eat it, because you had no faith. If you had come up with faith, you would have had a morsel. I have found Christians, who have grown so very critical, that if the whole portion of the meat they are to have, in due season, is not cut up exactly into square pieces, and put upon some choice dish of porcelain, they cannot eat it. Then they ought to go without, until they are brought to their appetites. They will have some affliction, which will act like quinine upon them: they will be made to eat by means of bitters in their mouths; they will be put in prison for a day or two until their appetite returns, and then they will be glad to eat the most ordinary food, off the most common platter, or no platter at all. But the real reason why God’s people do not feed under a gospel ministry, is because they have not faith. If you believed, if you heard only one promise, that would be enough.
For meditation: The unbeliever needs to hear in order to believe (Romans 10:14); the believer needs to believe in order to hear.
Streams in the Desert – January 14
- 202214 Jan
He putteth forth his own sheep (John 10:4).
Oh, this is bitter work for Him and us — bitter for us to go, but equally bitter for Him to cause us pain; yet it must be done. It would not be conducive to our true welfare to stay always in one happy and comfortable lot. He therefore puts us forth. The fold is deserted, that the sheep may wander over the bracing mountain slope. The laborers must be thrust out into the harvest, else the golden grain would spoil.
Take heart! it could not be better to stay when He determines otherwise; and if the loving hand of our Lord puts us forth, it must be well. On, in His name, to green pastures and still waters and mountain heights! He goeth before thee. Whatever awaits us is encountered first by Him. Faith’s eye can always discern His majestic presence in front; and when that cannot be seen, it is dangerous to move forward. Bind this comfort to your heart, that the Savior has tried for Himself all the experiences through which He asks you to pass; and He would not ask you to pass through them unless He was sure that they were not too difficult for your feet, or too trying for your strength.
This is the Blessed Life — not anxious to see far in front, nor careful about the next step, not eager to choose the path, nor weighted with the heavy responsibilities of the future, but quietly following behind the Shepherd, one step at a time.