There is an enviable place in life for you, into which you need to fit yourself. The key however is to make the most of every opportunity God brings your way. If you do not seize your opportunity, you lose it. It is one thing to recognize an opportunity, but another thing to make the most of it. Opportunities not only prepare us for the future, they also expose our readiness or otherwise for the future. Opportunities that appear insignificant may well be the hinges on which the door that leads to greater and more precious ones hang. Great opportunities usually come disguised as problems, which you would naturally want to avoid. Therefore, never despise an opportunity because it does no fit your idea of an important one. How, then, do we make the most of our opportunities?
The first thing is that we need to recognize an opportunity for what it is — a favourable moment for something. It is just as the Bible says: “…being in the right place at the right time” (Eccles 9:11 NLT). The Bible further says, “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” (Gen 8:22). While the earth remains, there will always be a favourable moment for doing something. However, while, probably, most of such moments will be obvious to us, others will not. This is because they will come disguised. Therefore we need to look to the LORD and his strength and seek His face always (Ps 105:4 NIV). Even in cases where opportunities are obvious to us, we still need God’s help to know whether they are from Him. Remember that even “…Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light;” (2Cor 11:14 AMP).
Secondly, we need to develop the right mental attitude towards God’s word to us. To give adequate mental focus to a revelation from God is an unmistakable attitude of a man or woman who will occupy his or her rightful place in God’s programme on earth. We cannot be haphazard in our focus on God’s word to us and expect to be ready for the future which He has in mind for us. To everyone who desires to occupy God’s place for him or her, God’s word remains, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Josh 1:8).
Thirdly, we need to seize the opportunity fully. A half-hearted approach to a God-given opportunity will not yield the best outcome. Do not wait for God to push you through a door He has already opened for you. It is always your responsibility to go through a door God has opened for you. Once David recognised the seclusion of his nomadic life as an opportunity to deepen his intimacy with God, as well as to hone his musical and combatant skills, he invested much effort in it. The result was that his faith in God grew stronger and his precision in the use of the slingshot improved tremendously.
Fourthly, the right application of knowledge gained from previous experience will help us make the most of our opportunities. The Bible says, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (Jn 13:17). It is only when we have diligently and rightly applied our knowledge that we can claim to have learnt something. It is not enough to know something, that knowledge must be used practically, if any meaningful or desirable outcome will follow.
In conclusion, our preparation for the future makes us ready for it when it arrives. The Parable of the ten virgins demonstrates this truth. The only difference between the wise virgins and the foolish ones was their preparation. While the wise virgins made adequate preparation for the future they had hoped for, the foolish ones did not. Therefore, when the future, with its opportunity, arrived, only the wise virgins who were ready could seize it (Matt 25:1-12). Therefore, like the wise virgins, make the most of every opportunity so that you will be ready for the future which God has prepared for you. Shalom.
