*Above Only Devotional* Monday, November 18 *The God of Times and Chances*

*Above Only Devotional*

Monday, November 18

*The God of Times and Chances*

_Ecclesiastes 9:11, 1 Samuel 17:37_
_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. *David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear; he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee._

One of the keys to winning and making progress in life, is making good use of the opportunities that God allows to come our way. God is no respecter of persons, Acts 10:34. He gives the same opportunities to all. Take advantage of every opportunity you have to seek the face of God, draw near to Him and do His will, lsa. 55:6. Yield to that nudging of the Spirit to fellowship with God or to minister or be a blessing to someone. When David was killing the lion and bear in his father's field, he did not know God was preparing him to face and conquer Goliath. If you are faithful with little, God will give you more. The servants of the noble man in Luke 19:12-17, who were faithful with the pound they were given, were later promoted and given authority over cities.

Now, even when we miss certain opportunities, God in His mercy still gives us other chances and opportunities; especially when we genuinely repent and seek God for His mercy. Repentance attracts restoration. God will restore the years the locust and the palmer worm has eaten, Joel 2:25. Peter denied Jesus three times, but God gave him another opportunity to testify about Jesus and many souls were won to God, Acts 2:14&41. Moses got another chance to deliver Israel. Acts 7:35 says, this Moses whom they refused, saying, who made thee a ruler and a judge? the some did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer.... We must however not misuse our opportunities because we know that God will give us other opportunities, because such other opportunities may not be the same as when we first had them.

Prayer Focus:
Thank God for the times and chances He has graciously given you and receive His grace to make good use of them.