365 days in a year, 7 days in a week, 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute. As a human being we spend every second of our life in time. We manage time, it engulfs our life, with time we grow, we change, and we age. As the earth turns and seasons change opportunities come and go. If only we would see God sometimes like we do opportunities in this world. We spend every waking hour thinking about how we are going to manage our time for the week, day, right down to the minute and second. Sadly we tend to put God in this time schedule. We schedule God like we do everything else in our life. When this happens we unknowingly miss opportunities not of the world but from God.
It was not until this year I become aware of this. It was not something I learned from a minister in a sermon, it was not something a friend brought to my attention. It was one day when my son and I were in a drive thru. Time I got home I got on my laptop and I wrote an article on it. “More Like Mike” it was my encounter with this man in a wheelchair that made me realize I was missing my God Opportunities! I will never forget this young man crossing my path as long as I live. That was my “God Opportunity” and it has made me more receptive of how I spend my time in this world. I embraced it and it has literally changed my life and it has made me more receptive of who crosses my path.
My family and I are in the middle of purchasing a home. It is a “new construction” which means we are having it built from the ground up. We met with the construction manager on a Friday evening last month. To our surprise he is a young man, but very polite and courteous. He asked about us, where we worked. Those that know me, know I do not speak much of the ministry that I work for in Israel. Not that I am ashamed or hiding it. We do work in Middle East in hostile areas so it is imperative that sometimes we just stay below the radar. We speak when we know God needs us to. I did not realize that until I met this young man. When he asked me what I did, I wasted no time in telling him. I am not usually quick to the draw sharing, but it rolled off my tongue without me even thinking. I even told him how many souls God has saved to date through the movement.. I stated to him that “God sometimes will have certain people cross paths for a reason” That statement I did not realize how important it was until later. He then shared with me that he went to mercenary school. He loved Jesus but he just did not want to be a minister. It ended there but it was not until later that I was seeing a “God Opportunity” but it was not mine, so I did not claim it. My mother-in-law works for the state dealing with legal on car titles and bonded titles etc. His situation was presented to us prior in a conversation with the sales manager but it was not until meeting him in person that I realized that God intended for us to cross paths. We were standing out in the middle of our lot. He was discussing his situation I asked him if he had prayed on it and he said “no” he had cursed it more than he had prayed on it. I told him “Here you are this man that says he loves Jesus” but you have not prayed on it? I reiterated the statement I made to him during our meeting. “God sometimes will have certain people cross paths for a reason” He chuckled and I left it as is. My mother-in-law spoke with him on the phone a few days after our meeting but there was no recognition of God. Even though she had the means and ability to solve his problem. Was his faith wavering? Was God speaking to him in a way of saying you need to talk to me more about your problems? I am sure he was, but the opportunity was being missed and he was not the only one missing it.
About a week ago my Mother-in-law came to me feeling as if she was not serving God enough, she had mentioned tithing and a few other things. I did not talk about that evening with her…it was not the right time. But I knew they were both missing their God opportunity. It was a moment in time that they both could have gave glory to God. It was not about her or him, it was not about her job title or what she could do, it was about God. It was an opportunity to show His Glory and to place this man that loved Jesus back on the path of prayer. There was a blessing for them both in that moment in time. I saw it, but I could not interfere it has to come to them in their own time as it did for me. Because what we see and feel cannot be taught in a text book, Bible Study, from a minister, no one knows the future but God does. His timing is perfect and when you sync up with him in that timing the revelations are AMAZING. God is just doing what he has promised. When we are born again it is not us, it is His Spirit that lives in us. We are born again, born of the spirit, not of the flesh. What once was is no more, it is a new “YOU” you are not new because you did something, you are new because of everything that HE did for you.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Cor. 5:17
Tune out this loud world get in tune with Yeshua. Pray every day that everything that your eyes see may it somehow be an opportunity for him, not us but him. The key is knowing you cannot move without God. Do not get me wrong you can move without him but you will spend those 365 days in a year, 7 days in a week, 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute as a Christian wondering what you can do to be fulfilled. Stop scheduling God in your daily life just let him work through every breath you take, every moment and every second be alert and ready when he moves through you. Take those missed “world opportunities” and turn them into “God opportunities” not for your praise and glory but for His!
Amen.
© Shannon Wendler