机不可失，时不再来

I came across this Chinese idiom today. It reads: “Opportunity knocks but once (机不可失，时不再来.”) I could have sworn I had heard this many, many years ago. I immediately thought of some Bible verses, and because I have an increasing number of Chinese visitors to my blog, I want to go through the verses one-by-one for them and for you.

I also want to dedicate this post to the people of China, because I know in my heart that God loves them. Sometimes we listen to important or famous people who think too highly of themselves, perhaps, and they say bad things about this country or that country. They are quick to forget that as people, we are made in God’s image, and no race is better than any other race. There is wisdom in this proverb, and there is much we can learn from the people of China if we choose to listen.

I understand the sentence to read that if an opportunity presents itself to us, we should think very carefully before we turn it down, because we may never have that opportunity again. God is merciful and very patient with us, and even though this mercy and patience continues century after century, we don’t live that long ourselves. Today might be our last chance to accept what God is offering us. When we hear of an opportunity, we might think of a job promotion, or a chance to travel. Perhaps someone is proposing marriage to us? But eternal life presents us with an opportunity as well. Many opportunities, in this life and the next.

In II Corinthians 6:2, the apostle Paul is quoting the prophet Isaiah where God said to Isaiah “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” So, when was that day of salvation? Paul is emphatic: “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” You don’t need to wait for it. You must not wait for it, because I am assuring you that you can be saved personally in the short time it takes to read this post and ask God into your life.

God is not always easy to be found. It’s not because He hides from us, but rather we overlook or become blind to Him. Or, we lose any desire to search for him. Our sin hardens our heart over time, and we become blinded to God’s goodness as Saul became blinded. Jesus calls to many young children in these times (I’ve heard this from the children, themselves, or from their parents.) But when these children get older, they often no longer hear His voice. That is one missed opportunity that could be nurtured and not missed at all! As Eli did with Samuel. In I Samuel, Chapter 3, we read:

“The boy Samuel continued to serve the Eternal One under the guidance of Eli.
In those days, messages from the Eternal were rare, and sacred dreams or visions were given to very few. Eli, who was very old, had become almost blind. He was lying in his room;
it was late at night but before dawn as the lamp of God still burned. Samuel was resting in the house of the Eternal One, where the covenant chest of the True God was located, and he heard a voice.
Eternal One: ‘Samuel! Samuel!’
Samuel: ‘Here I am! (running to Eli) I heard you calling; here I am!’
Eli: ‘I did not call you, my son. Go back, and lie down.’
So Samuel went back to bed. But the Eternal called him again.
Eternal One: ‘Samuel.’
Samuel (running to Eli): ‘I heard you calling; here I am!’
Eli: ‘No, I did not call you, my son. Go back, and lie down. I need my rest.
Samuel did not recognize the voice of the Eternal One, for the word of the Eternal had not been revealed to Samuel yet. So Samuel went back again to his bed. And the Eternal One called him a third time.
Samuel (running to Eli): ‘I know you called me; I am here!’
Eli (realizing the Lord was calling Samuel): ‘Go back and lie down, my son. If the voice calls you again, I want you to say, ‘Speak, Eternal One. Your servant is listening.’
So Samuel went to his bed in his place and listened. Then the Eternal One came into his presence as before.
Eternal One: ‘Samuel! Samuel.’
Samuel: Speak, Eternal One. ‘Your servant is listening.’
Eternal One: ‘Pay attention! I am about to do something so amazing in Israel that it will sting the ears of everyone who hears it. The day is coming when I will carry out the vow I made to Eli about his family, every word of it. I have told him that I will punish his house forever for the sins of his sons, bringing a curse on themselves that he knew about but did nothing to stop. So I vow that the sins of the house of Eli may never be atoned for by sacrifice or by offering.’
After hearing this message, Samuel lay there until morning and then opened the doors of the Eternal One’s house, but he was afraid to tell Eli what God had said to him.
Eli: ‘Samuel, my son.’
Samuel: ‘Here I am.’
Eli: ‘What was it that He told you? Tell me everything. May the True God carry out His vengeance on you and worse, if you hold anything back from me that He said to you.’
So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing.
Eli: ‘This message is truly from the Eternal One. Let Him do what seems good to Him.'”
Eli helped the boy Samuel recognize that God was offering him an opportunity. Not every is as happy as Samuel was, though.

The man who wanted to put off the opportunity for the time being

Jesus gave invitaions to the crowds that met him. These invitations were to follow him. In Matthew 8:21,22, one man was said to have replied “’Lord, first let me go and bury my father.'” But Jesus said “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” I could never understand that passage. Why did Jesus not give the poor man who lost his father another day for the funeral? The answer is that the man’s father was alive. The man was saying to Jesus “I’ll follow you after my father is dead.” That could be years, decades later. This man missed his opportunity because it came at an inconvenient time for him. There were more important things for him to do.

The man who did not want to part from his money

What about the rich young ruler? Mark writes down what happened in the tenth chapter of his Gospel.

“As [Jesus] was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do so that I may inherit eternal life?”
But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery,
Do not steal, Do not give false testimony, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”
And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth.”
Looking at him, Jesus showed love to him and said to him,
“One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But he was deeply dismayed by these words, and he went away grieving;
for he was one who owned much property.”

This man missed his opportunity because he loved his money too much. More than he loved his Creator. God is wealthier beyond our dreams. He could turn tons of coal into diamonds in an augenblick. But he loves us more than He loves anything else he has ever created.

Again, we hear from Isaiah (55:6): “Seek the Lord when he may be found. (当趁耶和华可寻找的时候寻找他，相近的时候求告他)。

The people who just couldn’t care less

God said in the early days of the Earth (Genesis 6:3) “My spirit shall not always strive with man.” Man was becoming increasingly wicked back then. Finally, God had Noah build an ark. No doubt people asked Noah about what he was building and when her replied it was a boat, they wondered why he was building it on a mountain and not on a beach by the ocean. Had any of them believed Noah, they would have spared from the flood by escaping in the ark, but once the doors of the ark closed and it started to rain, the opportunity was past. It was too late. Some people who are not Christians go to church each Sunday anyway. Their pastor might have an invitation each Sunday after the message for people to come forward to meet the Lord. These nonchristians may feel unfomfortable at first. They feel the Holy Spirit tugging at their heart, but their flesh resists. However, over time, that torment goes away, and they eventually lose any desire to come forward at church. God has apparently ceased striving with them.

机不可失，时不再来. The Bible as a treasure map — *The Bible is your roadmap as you navigate through life. Photo credit Torwaistudio (Shutterstock.)*

Eternal life

The opportunity that God offers us is eternal life. It is compared to a buried treasure.

In Matthew 13:44, Jesus says “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Picture this in your mind. You are walking across a field that has not been cared for. There are tall weeds and junk and smelly stuff–everything your mother warned you to avoid–and you stumble over something. It feels odd, so you dig away the dirt and find part of an old, broken wooden box. Inside that box and scattered around the box are gold coins (or diamonds.) What do you do? Do you yell “Somebody help me look for gold?!” No. Instead, you check on the down-low to see if the lot is for sale, and then you quietly buy it. That way, the treasure belongs to you legally. This becomes very important to you, because you understand the value of gold or jewels. You don’t become careless about it.

The Kingdom of Heaven compared to a pearl — *The Kingdom of Heaven comparedto a pearl. Photo credit: Thinkstock.*

A pearl of great price

In the next verse, Jesus uses a different illustration: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.” This merchant obviously traded in pearls. He knew a real pearl from a fake pearl, and he knew an expensive pearl from a cheap pearl. One precious pearl could be an opportunity that changes his life (your life.) Like the Kingdom of Heaven can change it. And, it’s priceless! And it can be yours.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:21 “Where your treasure is, there is your heart also.” If you understand the amazing gift that God is offering you today, right now, your heart will be in the perfect place now and forever. You’ll have found and fulfilled your destiny.