Missed Opportunity

Ever been invited to an event? How did you feel? Depends on the event, right? I have two personal examples, bear with me. A few years ago, we won tickets to Antiques Roadshow that is on PBS. These tickets are expensive, and we knew that if we wanted to go, we’d have to win them. Well, we did! We even got to go somewhere neat, Churchill Downs, Kentucky; and tour the grounds. The actual event for us did not take that long and we weren’t very impressed with the experience, we were glad the tickets were free!  Maybe you’ve been that way, you bought tickets to something, and it wasn’t up to your expectations. Maybe you’ve been to an event that exceeded your expectations, I’ve been blessed to see that at a free concert at St. Louis that had 8 Christian bands and Franklin Graham preached! There were almost a hundred thousand people underneath the arch on a hot, humid July day. It was a great experience, even if we had paid for it, but we did not and we had a group with us that enjoyed it as well! I’m sure you’ve had experiences you can relate too, with or without travelling. You’ve had your hopes up and then you’ve had a great time! The one common thing is that you accepted the invitation to go. I’ve been to a few things I wish I declined an invite (mostly concerts), but some other things in life. There are some things I wish I had accepted the invite for, the invite was given but I declined for one reason, excuse, or another, this will never come back around, and I’ve missed them for good. Sure, it gives me some feelings, but I have resigned myself to learn from my shortcomings and really think about things more.     

Have you ever missed an event in your life that you will never get back? Maybe it was a wedding, a trip, a visit, a concert, a funeral, a job, a proposal?  You wanted to go but something held you back. Maybe you have regrets, maybe you don’t. You may wonder, “What if…” but the opportunity is missed. There is no going back.  The Bible speaks of people missing an event that they were invited to but didn’t attend and it was something that could’ve changed their life. “And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.” This king had invited people to come to the marriage of his son, a splendid event. Kings always put on great feasts and pageantry. There was no other thing needed but their presence. Some just didn’t come. A few didn’t care and just went their way. The rest took the servants that were inviting those to the wedding and treated them horribly and even killing the king’s servants! Like a bad mob mentality here, where it got out of hand quickly. The king was wroth, that means extremely mad, rightly so! The townsfolk killed his trusted servants for no reason! So, the king sent forth his armies and wiped out the murderers and burned up the city. Now remember this was just an invitation to a wedding of the prince and it escalated to murder. So, the king, after doing these things made a royal decision, to invite whosoever, not just inviting a particular few but anyone who would come. Free food, drinks, and an awesome event? Why not! “Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.”  Notice both good and bad people came. I’m sure there were some hushed whispers, “Did you see who was here? I can’t believe they showed up!” The wedding was prepared, and the guests had all arrived. “And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.” This man didn’t have a wedding garment on, but the king called him friend. So, the king was not appalled by this man being there but rather that he was not dressed in the provided wedding garment. The wedding garment according to tradition was provided by the wedding party to ensure everyone as equals no matter their rank, popularity, or riches. How neat! So everyone was provided garments but this one guy was uncovered, kind of noticeable and disrespectful. The king asked a question, “Where is it?” I’m sure if the man had said, “I didn’t get one,” or “one wasn’t provided”, that someone would’ve brought the guy a wedding garment but instead the man was speechless. I wondered if he shrugged his shoulders and continued eating and drinking the awesome wedding food. This man had a missed opportunity to help himself but didn’t! So, the king made another decision, that seemed to escalate quickly in terms of punishment. “Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:1-4.” As far as the parable goes, maybe it meant, “You want the invitation, but you don’t want to accept the help given. You   don’t want the offer, so you must leave.” Jesus spoke this parable concerning the kingdom of Heaven. People want the safety, security, and destination package but they don’t want to accept the ticket, they want the ticket placed in their hand, they don’t want to reach for it. Salvation is the reach, dear friends, and nothing else. Jesus doesn’t want your money, your works, or your words, He wants your soul, then and only then can you enter Heaven with a wedding garment on, one day enjoying the Marriage Supper of the Lamb; without your “ticket” you have a free pass to Hell and it’s dangerous, torturous ways. Not accepting Christ is your missed opportunity of a lifetime! Saul, the one who accepted the opportunity of having Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior, walked into places his feet would’ve never taken him otherwise. You see, once Saul, a.k.a Paul became a Christian he was hated instead of feared, he was loved by the people he persecuted and annoyed by the people he once called friends. Paul was preaching the love of Jesus boldly and confidently to anyone who would listen. Paul was preaching and told not to, he ended up in prison and was brought before the King. Instead of pleading his innocence or for his freedom, he preached Jesus to them! He said, “Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. Acts 26:22-29.” What a sad statement! Almost persuaded! A missed opportunity by King Agrippa, while Paul seized his opportunity, the king passed it on by. “I don’t need it, I’m the king, I’m going to go to a paradise beyond this world!” Sadly, many people think Hell is a place to party and to have a good time with their friends, because they reject the idea of God loving them, maybe they’ve never had true love, or they’ve been hurt by God. Maybe they think the idea of God is a fairy tale like Mother Goose or Brothers Grimm (among others). Yet, a fairy tale was never banned, hated, nor had martyrs—Christianity has. Christianity has won the test of time over and over and over again. When Jesus gave the parable was comparing the kingdom of Heaven to Hell and he said that in hell there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Crying and pain, suffering, anguish, horrific circumstances that even the most seasoned prisoner could not imagine. I’ve read Dante’s Inferno, while it is not based on the Bible, it illustrates that Hell is not a place people would want to go! It paints a picture that is grotesque, barbaric and beyond our imagination of what torture is…beyond the realms of what people have done on this earth to other people! Why would someone want to go there? Willingly? With no hope of getting out? Once you are in hell, you will not return. Look at this passage where Jesus mentioned two people with different earthly reputations and eternal destinations. “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Luke 16:19-31.” It doesn’t say that the rich man rejected God but apparently, he did because he died and wasn’t carried up to Abraham’s bosom (Jesus hadn’t died and rose again yet), so this was paradise. The poor man’s life wasn’t told to us, but his destination was. This proves that we may not know someone’s life choices until we get to Heaven! We may not know that a person was saved in their youth and missed the opportunity to follow God in their life. We may not know that a person attended every church service but did it to be seen, not for salvation. We aren’t God. We aren’t to judge people into Heaven or into Hell. We are to show them God’s love no matter what. So, the rich man died and went to hell. He had eyes that lifted up and could see paradise and saw Abraham and the poor man that begged at his gate for years, looking healthy, whole, and happy! The rich man was hot, in torments and in pain. He yelled, “Father Abraham, have mercy! Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am tormented in the flames!” Notice he wanted Lazarus to come do it. Even in hell, he couldn’t let his status go. He wanted someone else to do the work for him. He didn’t want Abraham to do it. He did just want it to appear. He wanted Lazarus to serve him still! That’s what pride does to people. Abraham told the rich man, “Son, remember you had good things your whole life and Lazarus had a hard life with hard lessons, your choices are made.” Your choices are made because you made it. You make that choice dear friend on whether to follow Jesus. The rich man even begged for Abraham to appear unto his brothers to warn them of the dangers of hell and its torment. Abraham said, if they don’t listen to the word of God and be persuaded, then they won’t believe even if one rose from the dead. Jesus spoke this to a crowd of people, no doubt speaking of Lazarus (the one he raised from the dead) and people didn’t believe him still, and also of his own coming death and resurrection. If we don’t listen to God’s word, what a missed opportunity we must serve God with our life and while we are blessed for it, it is important to remember it may not be earthly blessings we receive. We may not see gains or rewards until we get to Heaven and let us be satisfied with that, that the peace of God is enough on this Earth beyond anything else that the world can provide us with. Jesus was talking to his disciples and said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Many people can speak many words, in fact libraries are full of them but nothing can stir the soul like God’s word. The words of God are pure words that can have far reaching consequences, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12.” The Bible reaches further and touches us deeper than any work of literature ever created because it is our Creator’s words that are good for all time, for all mankind, forever. Yet many people miss that as well, they want others words on the subject rather than going to the source. They’d rather hear secondhand information than from the original author. It’s like reading Shakespeare in today’s language, it loses so much. The Scripture does as well. God knows all the languages and can help mankind understand His word from beginning to end no matter if it’s through pictures, words, or sign language. But again, people will see the opportunity but miss it due to their pride, excuses, and reputation. Jesus continued by saying, “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. John 6:63-69.” Jesus knew who would betray Him when He chose him—and still did it! Why? Because a greater plan was at work. Judas played a part in history because of his vulnerability to be suspectable to pride and greed. Just like Satan, a.k.a Lucifer had a great deal in Heaven but lost it due to his lack of respect by trying to overthrow God Almighty. His fall is recounted in Ezekiel. “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Ezekiel 28:13-17.” Talk about a missed opportunity that had eternal ramifications and change the course of the history of mankind, just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we realize that God gives grace, but He also knows the hearts and whether they are repentant or unrepentant. Just as God’s word tells us, “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:10.” God gives us all the opportunity to trust in Him and the ability, it is up to us to accept the offer. We think we’ll wait until later, when we get everything settled, when we reach a certain age, we’ll accept God’s offer of salvation. Jesus spoke of this as well knowing people’s thoughts. “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Luke 12:16-21.”  It’s alright to have nice things but don’t let them take priority of the priceless things (the soul of yourself and others, and God’s word). It’s easy for us to get caught up in the world and miss many things in life that God wants to offer us. The offer was there for the disciples too, including the followers of Jesus who went away after seeing countless miracles done because they liked the “wow” factor but not the learning factor. When Jesus said He was the Son of God, they walked away. They didn’t want to do the hard stuff. Many of our churches encounter the same struggle, many want the “wow” factor but don’t want the sacrifice of coming every Sunday or reading their Bible daily. Why? Because it’s hard, it takes time out of what we want to do (our flesh) and we miss other opportunities when we go to church or read our Bible. Even if you’ve read the Bible through and through, there’s always something new God can point out to you. Even if you’ve been to church since you were little, there’s always something you can learn. Yet we let things get in our way and then wished we had done more for God…share the gospel in the way God has given us. This man had a great opportunity and is remembered for his answer, “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Luke 18:16-21.”As a good quote says, “Nothing is worse than an opportunity that could’ve changed your life.” We may have had those opportunities slip through our fingers but it is up to us to learn from those times and not let it happen again and to also warn others; but be sure that our eternal destination is settled and firm in God Almighty through the salvation set forth by Jesus Christ. “Most people miss great opportunities, because of their misconception of time. Don’t wait! The time will never be “just right!” -S.C Hogan. Don’t wait, don’t tarry, don’t shuffle your feet when it comes to serving God. You may miss a miracle or two in the process! As Psalms 118:8 says, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

Today is as good as an opportunity was any to get right with God, let Him in your heart and rearrange your priorities and your eternal destiny. May God help us all as we have daily opportunities each day to serve Him if we are willing.