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Opportunity
May 12, 2012

Some people see a successful person and they will claim in was luck. Others will see the same person and say success came from skill. In some ways both are right as both are talking about different elements of opportunity. As we go through life, we will have opportunities and how we respond to those opportunities will determine whether others see us as successful or not. Those who see all success as a result of luck, have what is called an external locus of control, which is a fancy way of saying they really don't see themselves in charge of their life. When we start off in life as children, it is normal to have an external locus of control as parents control the activities of their children. Those who see success as a result of applied skill have an internal locus of control. And this is another fancy way of saying they see themselves in control of their life. Opportunity is like an intersection of two roads where luck meets skill. The Bible talks about luck and skill, and opportunity is part of the Bible.

Galatians 6:10
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Doing good is something that is expected, and notice how we are to do this as we have opportunity. If there are times when we have opportunity, then there will be times when we will not have opportunity. This means that opportunities are not always available. They come and go as situations change and we need to be aware of when there is an opportunity. Maybe you have heard somebody say that something is not fair. Maybe what they should be saying is somebody else seized an opportunity. Sometimes when an opportunity comes available many people can take advantage of the opportunity, and at other times only one person can take the opportunity. And opportunity doesn't mean cheating, or stealing, or being deceitful. Opportunity islike walking into a store expecting to pay four dollars for a bag of candy and then finding that same bag of candy to be on sale for two dollars. You then have an opportunity to either spend less money or buy more for the same money. Both are great opportunities, and both do not involve cheating, stealing, or being deceitful. Opportunity is something that comes up that may not be expected and if you want to take advantage of the opportunity you can. Sometimes how we take advantage of an opportunity depends upon how ready we are to take the opportunity.

Proverbs 21:31
The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.

There is a lot we can do to prepare ourselves for opportunities that may come our way. If we should ever need to go to war, we should prepare ourselves to go to war. And most important, we should respect the fact that God can determine what happens. We can lock the doors and windows to our house, and that will keep many thieves out of our home, but even this action will not keep out a determined thief. God on the other hand has complete control, and if a thief really wants to break into a house when God does not want him to, that thief will find the house impossible to break into. What we don't know is what God wants. It is arrogant to think that we would know what God wants. While we can ask God for his protection from evil, we have to take reasonable steps to protect ourselves. And like the proverb says, we can prepare against evil and God delivers protection from evil. Even God knows that luck comes into what happens to some people. Winning the lotto is an example of luck. Could God manipulate the lotto so that certain numbers come up? Absolutely! There is nothing to suggest that God always does this or even sometimes does this. Sometimes luck is luck, and sometimes bad luck is just bad luck. I do not know that God really roots for one team or another in the playoffs. God may have more important things to do.

Ecclesiastes 9:11
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Sometimes skill plays a factor into what happens to us, and sometimes it is luck, and at the intersection of skill and luck is opportunity. The smart thing to do is to prepare yourself to take advantage of opportunities and have faith in God knowing that if God wants you to have the opportunity, you will have the opportunity.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
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