Opportunities Missed
Poet: Unknown

There was a very cautious man
Who never laughed or played
He never risked, he never tried,
He never sang or prayed.
And when he one day passed away,
His insurance was denied,
For since he never really lived,
They claimed he never really died.

The famous quote: ”If not us, then who? And if not now, then when?”  has been made popular by several political figures such as Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy. Its origins lie in Hillel the Elder, a Jewish leader, who stated, ”If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And being for my own self, what am I? And if not now, when?” This quote has been used over the years in slightly different verbiage by several different people.

Risk and uncertainty shouldn’t stop us from trying something that might otherwise never come our way again. Step out by faith like our father, Abraham.

Hebrews 11:8

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

God will challenge us to walk by faith.

Give it some thought.

Gary

A delightful children’s story tells of a little blue engine that looked at his impossible task of pulling a train up a steep hill and said, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” Filled with determination, the little blue engine huffed and puffed and pulled up the hill. But in an amusing twist to the original story, another author wrote:

“He was almost there, when –CRASH! SMASH! BASH!

He slid down and mashed into engine hash

On the rocks below…which goes to show

If the track is tough and the hill is rough

THINKING you can ain’t enough.

People who’ve adopted the philosophy in which they think they can do anything are only deceiving themselves.

Jesus put it plainly:

 John 15:5

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

This is not referring to brushing your teeth, combing your hair or riding off into the sunset.

Going through trials and tribulations by claiming the victory that is available through the Enabler, the Helper, the Provider, the Friend that sticks closer than a brother will bring reward that will last for eternity.

Give it some thought.

Gary

With eighty hours of trucking behind me, I was empty and headed home. I topped that mountain without realizing the sun had melted the snow on the backside and it was now iced over. As I started my descent, I gazed on a frightful sight. In addition, at the bottom of this long hill was a sharp left-hand turn. I couldn’t brake and I couldn’t steer. I was completely at the mercy of gravity. It seemed like forever but within seconds that rig piled through a high snow bank that entombed the truck.

Moments before, it looked like my workday was almost over. Now, it was going to be a long day with a lot to answer for.

Strange how life is. You never know what lies ahead for you just over the next hill.

James 4:13-14 

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

Slow down, give it some thought and be safe.

Think about it.

Gary

I don’t know about you, but I have done some things in my life I wouldn’t want to answer for. There are some ugly situations that people will remind me of at times. There are others that are only known to God and me. I can’t imagine standing at the Great White Throne Judgment and answering to the God of all the earth for those things.  Some poor folks will have to give account for every evil thought and action, unless they too have confessed to the One who paid it all as the Lamb of God.

After understanding the Book he had in his hand, the main character in Pilgrim’s Progress had that weight of sin taken off his back.  What a relief to know, beyond a doubt, that the Lord Jesus took every sin on Himself at Calvary, and like Christian, we don’t have to carry it.

Psalm 32:1

“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.”

Psalm 103:12

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Give it some thought and go out and tell others.

Gary

What about the name you were given?  There were so many possibilities. Some names wouldn’t be picked because of the low-life individuals who also carried it through life. Others were just too common or old. Of course, there were those which would bring mockery because of their being used in a popular song in days gone by. This one is yours and it is your legal name. People can say it and just the tone used can conjure up love, hate, friendship, indifference or respect.

There is a name above all Names:

Philippians 2:5-11

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Matthew 1:23

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

In the light of eternity, your current handle is not that important. On top of that, God will give you a new one that is a better-fit.

Revelation 2:17

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”

Give it some thought “so-and-so.”

Gary

The song didn’t mean much to me because I was young and inexperienced. More contemporary numbers would satisfy my taste and tickle my soul. Then life has a way of processing, sifting, extracting, and disappointing most everyone. Now it is one of my theme songs. I’ve looked at life from both sides now. Well, here it is:

Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home

When my way grows drear, precious Lord, linger near
When my life is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home

Home sounds good, doesn’t it? Still some things left undone that need to be completed. Have to get busy with that.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Man sees the world through the lens of his own wants. Jesus was just the opposite of that because His life was about others and His goal was the cross. He knew life was very short and had an eternal purpose. How many times did He try to teach that to His disciples? They, in turn, made it clear to us.

Acts 2:23

This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Psalm 144:4

Man is like a breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.

Seeing as we all live on a dead-end road, what should you do?

Give it some thought.

Gary