Mist Opportunities

For quite some time in his life, Eric battled deep depression. Though he had this struggle in his life, he was passionate about the gospel and seeing people commit their lives to Christ. Eric served for 7 years in Children’s Pastor and Family Pastor positions in various Texas churches. He also served as Assistant Director of Student Life at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio.

This note, that he wrote a few days before he died, was found by his wife after his death:

It has been quite a journey for me these last few years. I have hit the lowest of lows. I have battled cancer, addiction, job loss, worthlessness, deep depression, confusion, anger, and hate. There have been days of complete darkness and hopelessness. But there is one thing I will not do I will not give up.

Yes, I have struggled with what to believe about God. I have had thoughts of “God, you made a mistake on me.” But every time (every time) my thoughts go there I am reminded of this picture.

Although I am not active in my addiction, I will always be active in my recovery. The mistakes and sinful choices of my past will be used by God to impact my future. I am thankful that when God looks at me he sees a forgiven, pure man that He created and loves. And while I sometimes lack in my faith, He holds me up and tells me…

“Pick your head up. You are not alone. Don’t you ever give up. And when you feel like it is all over. Run to me, and we will walk together.”

I am Eric Garland. A person of worth because of what Jesus says, not because of what society labels me…

READ: JAMES 4:13-17

The brevity of life is evident and many, if not all, of us know that far too well. A further examination of James 4:13-17 reveals to us 3-principles we must implement into our lives in order to take advantage of our “Mist Opportunities.”

Don’t Assume Tomorrow (v. 13-14a)

Jesus spoke to this very issue in a parable about a rich man who had a farm that produced a lot of crops, but he did not have enough room to store it. He planned to tear down his barns and build bigger ones, and take it easy. He says:

Luke 12:19-21

“Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?” So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Sometimes, people are diagnosed with a terminal disease by a doctor, and given a short time frame to live their earthly lives. At that point in time, they begin to take seriously how they spend their time.

Why wait for someone else to tell us how long we have to live?

Why should we live our lives so frivolously on a day to day basis?

Instead, let’s ask God to help us number our days rightly, to give us the wisdom on how we are to live knowing that one day we will die.

When we truly pray for God to help us to do this, those things we thought were important [possessions, power, prestige, and pleasures] will decrease in importance, while the things of God, [kingdom of God stuff] will increase in their importance to us.

Therefore, we need to ask God to give us wisdom to live our lives intentionally.

ILLUSTRATION: A lady once asked John Wesley that suppose he were to know that he would die at 12:00 midnight tomorrow, how would he spend the intervening time?

His reply:

“Why madam, just as I intend to spend it now. I would preach this evening at Gloucester, and again at five tomorrow morning; after that I would ride to Tewkesbury, preach in the afternoon, and meet the societies in the evening. I would then go to Rev. Martin’s house, who expects to entertain me, talk and pray with the family as usual, retire to my room at 10 o’clock, commend myself to my heavenly Father, lie down to rest, and wake up in Glory.”

Time Is Limited (v. 14b)

Psalm 102:3

my days are consumed like smoke...

Job 7:7

my life is a breath...

It is reported that Colonel Rall, commander of the British troops in Trenton, New Jersey, was playing cards (or chess) when a courier brought an urgent message stating that General George Washington was crossing the Delaware River. Rall put the letter in his pocket and didn't bother to read it until his card game was finished. Then, realizing the seriousness of the situation, he hurriedly tried to rally his men to meet the coming attack, but it was too late.

His procrastination caused many of his men to be killed, and the rest of the regimen to be captured. "Only a few minutes delay cost him his life, his honor, and the liberty of his soldiers. Earth's history is filled with the wrecks of half-finished plans and unexecuted resolutions. ‘Tomorrow’ is the excuse of the lazy, and the refuge of the incompetent!"

Do The Right Thing (v. 17)

Eric wanted to share about how God healed him of cancer and delivered him from his opioid addiction. However, it wasn’t easy. He was shamed and rejected for his past mistake. He often felt abandoned and hopeless. Though he was clean and in remission, he struggled being accepted by his old world. He was hired by a church where the main pastors (not the church body) also made him feel worthless, asked him to keep his past a secret, bullied him and rejected him.

How these pastors acted toward Eric is nothing less than despicable. Rather than be supportive, encouraging, and loving, they shamed him for his mistakes. They held the view that Eric’s sin would be detrimental to the body of Christ, not encouraging others to come forward with their own struggles.

Our time is short to do the right thing. And you never know how your wrong actions may negatively affect others.

It is also important that we recognize the opportunities presented any given day, and not worry about the opportunities yet to come. Consider this passage of Scripture.

Turn to: Matthew 6:25-34

God’s gifts of mercy are packaged in the “todays” of our lives.

CONCLUSION

D.L. Moody

On Sunday night, October 8, 1871, the well-known evangelist, D. L. Moody, preached to the largest congregation that he had yet addressed in Chicago. His text that evening was, “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?” (taken from Matthew chapter 27 verse 22.), and at the conclusion of his sermon he said, “I wish you would take this text home with you and turn it over in your minds during the week, and next Sabbath we will come to Calvary and the Cross, and we will decide what to do with Jesus of Nazareth.” Then his song leader, Ira D. Sankey, began to lead in singing the hymn, “Today the Savior Calls.” But Sankey never finished the hymn, for while he was singing the rush and roar of fire engines whistled by the church on the street outside, and before morning much of the city of Chicago lay in ashes.

To his dying day, Mr. Moody deeply regretted that he had told that congregation to come next Sabbath and decide what to do with Jesus. “I have never since dared,” he said, “to give an audience a week to think of their salvation. If they were lost they might rise up in judgment against me. I have never seen that congregation since. I will never meet those people until I meet them in another world. But I want to tell you of one lesson that I learned that night which I have never forgotten, and that is, when I preach, to press Christ upon the people then and there and try to bring them to a decision on the spot. I would rather have that right hand cut off than to give an audience a week now to decide what to do with Jesus.”

In many of our churches across our nation, a spirit of indifference has descended upon the pulpit and even in our individual lives. Like Moody before the great Chicago fire, we have allowed ourselves to say, “Tomorrow!” But tragically for most, that day of grace never comes!