Don't Let This Opportunity Pass You By

By Staff Writer, Matt Osborne

Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals baffled basketball experts and fans alike. After opening up with a dominant win in Game 1, the Denver Nuggets came out of the gate sluggish and uninspired in Game 2, losing the contest and temporarily forfeiting home-court advantage to the Miami Heat. ESPN.com recently posted an article detailing how Nuggets head coach, Mike Malone, utilized a film session after Game 2 to motivate his team to play with more urgency moving forward. He then reiterated that message in his pregame speech before Game 3, telling his team, “Enjoy this moment, enjoy this opportunity, and embrace it! Play with an urgency and a desperation that embodies that.” The speech proved to be quite effective, as Denver responded with an impressive 109-94 victory to take back home-court advantage and go up 2-1 in the series. We have seen time and time again that there are no guarantees in the NBA. We talk about teams having rosters that will allow them to compete for championships for years to come, and then watch those same teams seemingly implode overnight. (The Brooklyn Nets with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving come to mind.) Similarly, a team coming close to winning a championship in one season does not guarantee that the same team will be in a position to contend again moving forward. As such, it's critically important that teams, coaches, and players recognize how fleeting their opportunities might be, and how they need to play with a sense of urgency in the here and now. As followers of Jesus, we, too, wrestle with the fleeting nature of life. We make goals and set future plans, but we often don’t think about the fact that there's no guarantee we'll be around to see those plans come to fruition. James 4:14 (NIV) reminds us, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” The fact of the matter is, we only get one opportunity to live a life that glorifies God here on earth, and we don’t know when that opportunity will come to an end. The Bible even tells us multiple times that it's beneficial for us to consider how fleeting our life is. One such example is found in Psalm 90:12 (NKJV): “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Thinking about the fleeting nature of our lives shouldn't lead us to despair or depression. For those of us who are trusting in Christ alone for salvation, the end of this life brings about the culmination of our greatest hope: to be with Him forever! These thoughts should, however, motivate us to live life with a sense of urgency to do all that we can to make much of God and glorify Him in the present. We can "Enjoy this moment, enjoy this opportunity, and embrace it!" This, of course, requires an understanding that the ultimate goal of our lives is not to acquire wealth, achieve high social status, receive awards or accolades, live in safety and comfort, or any other temporal thing. Instead, we must acknowledge that our primary purpose in life is to, as the Westminster catechism states, “Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” I am currently in the midst of re-reading the book, Don’t Waste Your Life, by John Piper. Piper urges his readers to live a life of significance by dedicating themselves to the wholehearted pursuit of glorifying God and enjoying Him in everything they do. To add more emphasis to his call for urgency, Piper shares a quote that has become one of my personal favorites as I seek to follow Jesus: "Only one life

‘Twill soon be past

Only what’s done for Christ will last." Today, let’s be reminded of the temporary nature of our life here on Earth. By recognizing that our opportunity to make an impact is right now, let’s respond by exerting great effort towards endeavors that will result in praise, glory, and honor for our great God. I’m Matt Osborne and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing me to glorify You during my life on earth. Please help me to realize the fleeting nature of life, and to live with a sense of urgency in the here and now. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR PACKS:

1. What sort of feelings do you have when you think about the fleeting nature of life? 2. What changes are necessary to make the most of your opportunity to glorify God in the present?