Marked Moments? Open Your Eyes, There Everywhere!
Eccl. 9:11 NKJ
11. I returned and saw under the sun that—
The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all.
But time and chance happen to them all.
The thinking of the world nowadays, would have you think differently, that there is not equal footing for all.
And if you really want to know the truth of it, there’s not.
Because with God in your life, you have an advantage over the rest of the world, that they don’t have, if they don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
Before the world began, God looked ahead, and laid out a plan for every ones life.
And we know the kind of plans that God makes, don’t we?
God makes good plans, Praise God!
He says; “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out, plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Jerm.29:11 MSG.
In order for Gods plans to be successful in your life though, 3 things to do, come to mind.
1. Listen to what God says to you
2. Implement what He tells you
3. Never stop doing 1 & 2 your whole life through! Praise God!
You would think, with an easy 3 step program like that, that there would be a line with standing room only, to sign up?
If I could borrow the old cliché, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
You would think with so little hope in the world right now, that people would flock to,
* the God of Love
* the God of Grace
* to the God of Mercy and Forgiveness
* the God of miracles
* the God of possibilities
* to the God, If He be your partner or be for you, who would dare stand against you! Amen?
But, you still have to be willing to choose to be a participant!
If only everyone would realize that they were created with a purpose, for a purpose in mind.
God has given serious thought to every human being, in the history of the world’s life and destiny.
He wants the best for everyone, who will trust Him and believe!
TBS. “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out— plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”
If you are willing to step out in faith, into the life that God has planed for you, He will give you that Life to Live! Praise God!!
And TBS. it gives Him, great pleasure to do so!
He has marked moments, life changing events, already laid out that are going to come across your path when you do.
Things that you will experience, that will grow your faith and bless you!
These moments are not ordinary. They are destiny-altering moments, set up for you to walk into.
They are designed to thrust you years ahead, into the abundant life God has planed for you!
Our text in Ecclesiastes, tells us that time and chance come together for every person.
That means you will have opportunities to meet the right people, opportunities to advance in your career, and opportunities to fulfill your dreams.
God has already prearranged events that are waiting to happen in your life, to increase, promote and to bless you.
God has the ability to not just see who you are right now, but to see and to help you, what you will be in the future.
1st Sam. 16:11-12 NASB
11. And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
12. So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward.
When others see a shepherd boy, God sees a king, Praise God!
David, loved the Lord and the Lord was with him while he took care of his fathers sheep.
For he had already had two events take place in his life, that were faith building and somewhat life altering,
There’s not many a young boy, that can say they came up against a lion and a bear and lived to tell about it
1st Sam 17:34-35 NASB
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
Those were marked moments that God had allowed David to experience, that thrust him many years a head of his youth,
But those were small stepping stones, compared to what was going to happen next.
This would be the one that would put him on the map, the one that would make his name a household word forever.
Vs. 36. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you.”
God does the same with us still today, He will allow us opportunities in our lives to happen,
Opportunities for smaller victories, to build our faith all along the way,
each a stepping stone to greater opportunities in our walk and faith to live the life He has for us!
And like David, we have to be willing to take advantage of those opportunities like he did,
Because if we don’t, they’ll become wasted opportunities.
We need to learn to let go, and trust God to do the impossible in our lives!
Vs. 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.
49. And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.
David was faithful to God and God was faithful to David,
David stepped into God plans to prosper him, to give him a hope and a future that day,
And God did not disappoint him, God went on to make him King over all of Israel and he became known, as a man after Gods own heart.
Was he perfect?, no, none of us are,
but he was more than willing to trust God no matter what happened to him.
The bible is full of examples just like David,
* Joseph, went from the prison and being a slave, to the palace and ruler of a nation, second only to pharaoh.
His life, an amazing story of opportunities and marked moments, that thrust him years ahead into Gods plans that He had for Him!
* Paul’s life was changed forever by one event, when he was blinded by the light and had a life altering experience with our Lord and Saviour Jesus!
He not only lived to tell about it, but wrote it down as well.
And thus by his sharing of his experience in the books that he wrote in the bible, and forever changed all our lives as well!
The next paragraph, or example I share could easily be written about the rest of your life
and how your relationship and walk with the Lord, affected those around you and even future generations.
Some people hear what I just said and think, Ya there goes, (insert your names), the one who Jesus loved
What an amazing life and testimony to Gods faithfulness and how when you step out and trust Him, the impossible becomes possible! Praise God!
And still others would say, who me?, are you talking to me?,
You can’t be talking to me, a wait a minute, I’m in the room, you must be talking to me.
That kind of stuff is not for me, I could never do that, that what your talking about!
TBS.(the bible says) God has imparted a measure of faith in everyone, don’t let the devil constantly steal, what God has started in you
and wants to see grow in you and become great in you!
Matt. 25:14-18 NASB
14. “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.
15. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.
16. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18. But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19. “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them.
20. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’
21. His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
22. “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’
23. His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
24. “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.
25. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
Don’t be like the servant with the one talent mentality,
Take what you have been given and trust God enough to step into, the opportunities that He gives you each and everyday.
Do you think that the other two servants didn’t do that?
No, you know to double what they had been given, they had to step into what opportunities God had for them along the way,
They knew, it wasn’t about what they could do with it, on their own!
But by relying on God, and the opportunities that He brought into their paths, they became successful,
And with each trial, God increased them and in the end said; “You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”
But the one who relied on self and did nothing, God said this;
Matt 25:26-28 NASB
26. “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.
27. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.
28. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
We all have the same opportunity with God. God is fair and just with all, He is not a respecter of persons.
He is a rewarder of all, who diligently seek Him!!
Whatever your need today, diligently seek Him for the answer!
Are you seeking God today and His direction for your life?
Are you on the lookout for those marked moments, God puts in your path all along the way?
Were there others, who could have risen to the occasion,
*like David did,
*like Joseph did,
*like Paul was able to do
I believe they’re were then and still are today, men and women’s stories,
that were never written, because they didn’t rise to the occasion,
they walked right past the opportunities that God had placed before them.
There are still chapters today, waiting to be written about your lives and you get to choose the content!
Will it be, an exciting giant killing adventure, with God leading and blazing the trail for you?
Or will it be, a long and winding road to nowhere?
Eccl. 9:10 NKJ
10. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.
Lets make the most of the life that we have been given, while we are able to do so.
While there are so many of, what we think are opportunities available to us,
Help us recognize the ones the Lord is directing our way,
Help us to lay hold of them and embrace them, as He brings them to fruition in our lives.
And help us, as God blesses us and we begin to prosper, to give back to the kingdom and to help others in need.
Take the time this week and realize that there are people all around us, in our daily lives, who need the Lord.
Share the life changing gospel and the story of Jesus and what He‘s done for you in your life, Amen?
Lets pray.
