The Door of Opportunity
Have you ever felt like you’ve knocked on every door of opportunity and still the right door has not seemed to open? You’ve tried your best, but often failed at all the keys to success the world has thrown your way. Our world sends the message that the doors of opportunity will only open for us when all our ducks are in a row, when we are ambitious enough, when we market nonstop in all the trending veins, and when we grow a large enough platform of continual growing social media numbers. Buzz statements like, “it’s all about who you know”, “you have to network”, “you have to stand out in a crowd”, and “make a great first impression” fly around our minds like a to-do list of success we must conquer or fail. Statements like,“If you don’t get an opportunity soon, it’ll be too late and you will have missed your opportunity”, fill us with fear and a pressure that if we can’t do all the right things and soon than we may never get the right opportunity. If we can’t master all these techniques of success we are left feeling defeated as though we’ve been stamped “not enough”. What if we can’t work hard enough, aren’t smart enough, strong enough, don’t know enough people, and aren’t known by enough people? What if we don’t have enough money, or enough know how? What if we aren’t disciplined or organized enough? Are we doomed to failure, should we throw in the towel and just give up? Is life destined to be a big disappointment of missed opportunity because we could never do or be quite enough?
I don’t think so, not according to God’s word. What seems right, logical and the way it works to man is not always God’s way. “My ways are not your ways.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) Here’s what God says about doors of opportunity, “This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key...What He opens, no one can close; and what He closes, no one can open; ‘I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.” (Rev 3:7-8) The world would tell us the keys of success are held by ambition, discipline, goal-setting, marketing, networking and a tireless drive to stay on top, but God’s word tells us that the keys are held by Jesus and that the doors of opportunity open not because of strength, but because of our obedience and faithfulness. Jesus holds the keys that unlock the right doors of opportunity and locks up the doors of opportunity that are not best for us and will not bring Him the most glory. He understands our weakness, that we don’t always have the strength do to it all. He’s not concerned about that. He’s concerned about our obedience, are we keeping his word and following his teaching? Have we continued to believe Him and trust Him even when we’ve walked through some of life’s toughest battles? These qualities of faithfulness and obedience are the prerequisites God is looking for to open up a door of opportunity that fulfills us and blesses others.
In fact if you look closely at this verse you will find the small phrase, “I know you have little strength.” Jesus was speaking to the church of Philadelphia, a city at the foothills of the Timolus Mountains that repeatedly experienced severe earthquakes that left it weak and impoverished. The Christians in this city were poor and lacked status and power. Jesus shows no disapproval for their weakness, and instead speaks of giving them open doors of opportunity because of their obedience and faith. His words encourage us that when we feel weak and powerless to realize that our true strength is found in Jesus. Having a door of opportunity in God’s kingdom does not happen because of how successful, famous, or ambitious we are but because we keep our hearts ready to respond in obedience and trust.
2018/08/23 at 9:24 pm