Don’t Squander Your Golden Opportunity. Part [14] 11/18/2024 (Morning thought)

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

[Prophets & Kings pp 57&58] Solomon's course brought its sure penalty. His separation from God through communication with idolaters was his ruin. As he cast off his allegiance to God, he lost the mastery of himself. His moral efficiency was gone. His fine sensibilities became blunted, his conscience seared. He who in his early reign had displayed so much wisdom and sympathy in restoring a helpless babe to its unfortunate mother, fell so low as to consent to the erection of an idol to whom living children were offered as sacrifices.

He who in his youth was endowed with discretion and understanding, and who in his strong manhood had been inspired to write, “There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” in later years departed so far from purity as to countenance licentious, revolting rites connected with the worship of Chemosh and Ashtoreth. He who at the dedication of the temple had said to his people, “Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God” (1 Kings 8:61), became himself an offender, in heart and life denying his own words. He mistook license for liberty. He tried—but at what cost!—to unite light with darkness, good with evil, purity with impurity, Christ with Belial.

From being one of the greatest kings that ever wielded a scepter, Solomon became a profligate, the tool and slave of others. His character, once noble and manly, became enervated and effeminate. His faith in the living God was supplanted by atheistic doubts. Unbelief marred his happiness, weakened his principles, and degraded his life. The justice and magnanimity of his early reign were changed to despotism and tyranny. Poor, frail human nature! God can do little for men who lose their sense of dependence upon Him.

Ecclesiastes 12:Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!

Don’t Squander Your Golden Opportunity. Part [13] 11/18/2024 (Evening thought)

Numbers 26: 64 But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said of them, they shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

The bottom-line result of the Hebrew’s squandered opportunity is that almost none of them entered Canaan. Yes, it is true that many may have repented and many others would be saved in God’s kingdom, but the fact remained, that their golden opportunity had passed, never more to be restored. As the nation turns a new page, there will be a host of golden opportunities given to us to redeem the time.

Success will depend largely upon the course of action taken, and the decisions made, for we are the arbiters of our own destiny. As was clearly stated before, if the God-factor is incorporated into the decision-making processes, The Lord will respond in the affirmative, by guiding us with wisdom and discretion, so that we can avoid serious errors in judgment. But if we permit the forces of evil to pressure folks into making laws that are antagonistic to truth, and righteousness, then we would have squandered the golden opportunity to redeem the time.

Again, in our own personal experience, God grants windows of opportunity to do good, by advancing the interests of His kingdom, especially now that we see eternity dawning on the horizon. Let us then be faithful in making full use of the time remaining, given to us to finish up the work of the gospel, for there is no doubt that the windows of opportunity will close sooner than many expect. We therefore will end with a passage of scripture that should encourage us to do the most and the best whilst we can.

Ephesians 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be you not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!