Spirit and Life Devotional is a daily publication by Pastor Chinaemerem Ibezim, senior pastor of Able Ministers Chapel, a church based in Calabar, Cross River State.
[pull_quote_center]”Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!'” Mark 10:48[/pull_quote_center]
What Solomon said is true: “I returned and saw under the sun that— The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.” Ecclesiastes 9:11. Time and chance are opportunities; if you want to be a winner in life, you must be ready to grab opportunities that come your way.
I’m always inspired by the story of Bartimaeus: he was blind, and he desperately wanted to see: he had heard about a powerful Healer named Jesus, and he knew that if he ever had the chance to meet Jesus, he would see again. Then one day, it was business as usual; he was by the road begging, and then he began to hear an unusual movement of people: it was a crowd of people passing by, and he wondered what was going on. He asked out of curiosity, and he was told that Jesus was passing by.
Jesus? The One he had heard of? The day he had always dreamed about had finally come. Bartimaeus began to scream, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many passersby warned him to be quiet: to be quiet? Well, Bartimaeus ignored them: it was his time and his chance, and no one would make him miss it. He cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus heard him and called him; and Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Bartimaeus had prepared himself for this great moment: he knew exactly what he wanted: “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Jesus wouldn’t deny such a man his request: He said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” Immediately Bartimaeus received his sight!
Know exactly what you want. Prepare yourself for it. Be quick to recognize opportunities when they come by. Grab them with every ounce of energy you’ve got. All the best.
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