Employing Our Opportunities
by Greg Kline
via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015
“Eat your food. There are kids around the world who are starving.” This may be one of the most clichéd lines a parent can give a child who is resisting their vegetables. Frankly, it is an attempt to shame their child into eating his vegetables, as well as to (hopefully) instill within their child a sense of appreciation for what he has.
Unfortunately, this angle is not entirely bulletproof, considering that the best way to help starving children around the world is actually to send them food, not to eat more of it personally. However, a valid point is made: You have a blessing others do not, so take advantage of it!
In Jeremiah 3:6-7, the prophet wrote in the days of Josiah that Judah had seen Israel commit spiritual adultery against God. God called Israel to return to Him, but as we know, she did not. Jeremiah 3:8 reveals that Israel had committed adultery and that God had put her away with divorce. Note how the verse concludes: “yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.”
Here we see an example of people who had many blessings and failed to capitalize on them. In this context, we see that Judah had a front-row seat to Israel’s turn from the Lord. God’s sending Israel into captivity punctuated that turn, but even that wasn’t the only advantage the people of Judah had been given. Judah also had the priesthood, the temple, and the law! You would think they would turn to God, and yet we know that Judah did not repent.
Perhaps you’ve been amazed at how God’s people turn from Him so often in the Old Testament. Maybe you’ve even thought, “What is wrong with
these people? Don’t they get it? How can they not understand?” What this portion of scripture underscores is the necessity of using our opportunities.
While that sounds all well and good, isn’t it remarkable how often we tend to forget our own blessings altogether, let alone capitalize on them? How often do we forget that we have a greater covenant, with greater promises (Hebrews 8)? We look at the Israelites and think about how they failed, all the while possibly ignoring even greater opportunities today.
We look at Judah and are baffled that they left God. We think about how they had the priesthood, the temple, and the law, yet still left God. We see that despite all God had done for them, they did not truly serve Him.
Tragically, we may be in the same boat. Perhaps even a more tragic one. God has blessed us with His inspired word, and we leave it on the shelf or in the car unread. We have been given the opportunity to approach the Almighty God in prayer, but we often find ourselves too busy, too tired, or maybe even too self-sufficient to pray. In this nation, we enjoy freedom of religion, with which we bury our heads in the sand, feeling too embarrassed, inadequate, or fearful to speak to others about God. Then we have the audacity to look back at Israel and Judah and shake our heads, wondering why they didn’t just obey.
Many of us realize that we are as materially blessed as a people have ever been. But how many of us realize our spiritual blessings rank right up there as well? We have a God who desires that all men be saved and has provided us with countless blessings with which to serve Him. What more must God do to secure our attention, loyalty, love, and service?
In Jeremiah 3:10, Judah was exposed for their vain worship of God. He knew they were serving in pretense, not genuine love. Israel was deemed more righteous than Judah in Jeremiah 3:11. This was the same Israel that was deemed faithless, did not return to God, and was cast into captivity. That is a serious charge against Judah.
One of the remarkable aspects of this story is that God still sought for His people to return to Him. He waited for Israel to return to Him in Jeremiah 3:7, and for Judah to return to Him, which Jeremiah 3:10 reveals they did not. In Jeremiah 3:12, God once again desires for Israel to return to Him. We truly serve a merciful God. God is a merciful, just, and giving Father.
How much greater servants would we be if we counted our blessings and utilized them as God would have us do? How much deeper would our faith run if we filled our souls with the words of life? How many more souls would be added to the kingdom if we actively study the book, pray for opportunities, and spread the good news? Let’s begin by acknowledging and utilizing our blessings and opportunities today!
