Proverbs 12:27 KJV The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
I. THE HUNTER
-Much as the hunter that is described here in the Proverbs, the kill is made but it is never appreciated and therefore no benefit ever comes from it. The sad fact is that weekly there is an accumulation of things that rest directly outside the very door of our soul that are never capitalized on.
A. The American Sportsmen
-In our generation, there are new places of worship that have arisen. They are called Bass Pro Shops. They are huge edifices of hundreds of thousands of square feet and every thing that a fisher or hunter longs for can be in that building.
-The sportsman can spend hours on end searching through these places of worship.
-The hunter can find all sorts of things that will help him to knock down the “big one”:
• There are varied types of decoys like duck calls, deer calls, turkey friction calls, or turkey mouth calls, and all manner of decoys for turkeys, ducks, geese, and so on.
• Different ammunition made by Federal, Remington, and Hornady.
• One can find camping equipment like pack tents, canopy tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, repellants, and first aid kits.
• Cook stoves that are either propane or butane, single burner or dual burner, coffee makers, ready-to-eat meals that only need warming up, among many other things.
-The fisherman can find numerous things that will help him to be a better angler.
• There are spoons, jigs, spinner baits, jerk baits, lizards, grubs, jelly worms, trailers, craws, top-water, and creature baits.
• There are hundreds of rod and reel combinations such as the Walleye Angler Bottom Bouncer, Johnny Morris Signature series, and the Wally Marshall Crappie Thunderbuster.
• There are waders and rainwear and pricey accessories to go with the clothing.
• There are all sorts of trolling motors, outboard motors, propellers, and fuel tanks and accessories.
-So much energy can be spent on all of this, not to mention the money and time that is also required of the hunter or fisher. Then there must be careful planning as to when the hunt will begin.
• How early must he rise to get into the woods?
• How much attention must he spend looking at the weather?
B. The Hunter of Proverbs
-Summed up in this single little proverb is a stunning tale. The message is so compressed that it can be missed. Frankly this parable is not so much about hunting as it is about the tragedy of wasting our opportunities.
-The man is a hunter but he is lazy one. He rises early and climbs into the tree stand. He has planned out everything. He has carefully put on his camouflage clothes and has sprinkled the deer scent on him to cover the human odor. He is sure his gun is clean and that he has all of the ammunition. His scope has been carefully sighted so that there is very little margin of error.
-It is no time before in the pre-dawn mist that he notices a huge trophy buck beginning to drift toward him. His pulse quickens and almost imperceptibly he tenses up in anticipation. Closer and closer, on comes the big buck. He sights him in the scope and watches for 30 seconds and then carefully squeezes the trigger.
-The buck is dropped in his tracks and the hunter scrambles down from the tree stand. He drags the trophy back to his camp and leaves it lying outside his tent. It lies there for days on end. He never takes advantage of the kill. The stench rises from the waste until finally it rots away. It never benefits him or his family.
-If we are not careful our own lives can fall into this same pattern. Great things can come in our direction, the game can fall to the ground, but the good is never gained from it. No advantage comes from the opportunity. What has been taken in the hunt is never roasted for our benefit.
-I would be far less than truthful if I were to tell you that this had never happened in my own life. As the years press on, we begin to look back at all the doors of opportunity that have closed. In fact, one of the marks of maturity is to assess the lost opportunities that have come our way so that we can be attentive to the future ones that are presented to us.
C. Quotes on Wasted Opportunity
1. General
Charles Swindoll -- Time is short. Opportunity is knocking. Please answer it. The age-old aphorism remains true: “Four things come not back: the spoken word; the spent arrow; time past; the neglected opportunity.”
Shakespeare -- There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries; and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.
John B. Gouge -- If you want to succeed in the world you must make your own opportunities as you go on. The man who waits for the seventh wave to toss him on dry land will find that the seventh wave is a long time a coming. You can commit no greater folly than to sit by the roadside until some one comes along and invites you to ride with him to wealth or influence.
2. Biblical
Proverbs 26:15 KJV The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.
Luke 14:16-24 KJV Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: [17] And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. [18] And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. [19] And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. [20] And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. [21] So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. [22] And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. [23] And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. [24] For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
James 4:17 KJV Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
D. Wasted Opportunity
When I was in high school (1980-84), our English teacher would pass out a news journal of sorts that was put out by the Scholastic Reader. It was a slick publication that would highlight high school students around the country and their accomplishments.
One particular student who was on the cover numerous times during that four year period was a baseball player, Daryl Strawberry. He graduated in 1980. I followed his career with a mild curiosity when he was initially drafted by the New York Mets and very quickly rose up through their organization. He made it to the majors in 1983 and was an All-Star in 1984.
His accomplishments on the field were very noteworthy because he was a very gifted athlete. He had much to offer their organization.
• In 1985, despite missing 40 games due to an injury to his right thumb, he hit 29 homers.
• In 1986, he hit 27 homers and had 99 RBI’s and the Mets won the World Series.
• In 1987, he hit 39 home runs, stole 36 bases, joining the exclusive 30-30 club. At the time he was only one of ten players in history to accomplish this feat. In addition, he hit 32 doubles and had 104 RBI’s.
• In 1988, he once again hit 39 home runs and to lead the NL. He had 101 RBI’s and led the league in slugging percentage at .545. He finished a close second to Kirk Gibson who was the MVP. Once again the Mets made the playoffs but lost to the Dodgers.
• In 1989, he had a bit of a down season with only 29 home runs and 77 RBI’s but the Mets were still in the fray for the pennant that year.
• In 1990, Strawberry hit 37 homers and drove in 108 RBI’s and again the Mets were in a pennant race with the Pirates whom they would lose to.
But in 1991, the slide that had started in Strawberry’s career began to pick up steam. He signed a five-year $22.25 million contract. He managed to have a decent season in 1991 with the Dodgers and hit 28 home runs and had 99 RBI’s but soon injuries and personal off-field problems caught up with him. After the 1991 season, at the young age of 29 he had hit 280 home runs and there were sportswriters all over the country who were making comparisons to Hank Aaron. Even though the observers touted him as a possible hitter to break Aaron’s record, the vast majority felt that he was a lazy underachiever. After the 1991 season, his personal problems escalated so much that he would not be able to hit his 300th homer for another six years.
Lying along the path of his rise toward stardom were numerous mistakes that were like rotten garbage that he could not shake free from. Continual struggles with cocaine, domestic abuse, alcohol abuse that led to in and out patterns in rehab centers, legal troubles because of failure to pay taxes, and the list grew.
The question at large in a lot of minds in the baseball world was what could Strawberry have been if he would have kept his focus? What could he have accomplished it he would have not wasted his opportunities?
II. WASTED OPPORTUNITIES
-I have come to understand that there are a few very crucial opportunities that many often fail to see the great value in. Because the opportunities are neglected potential is never achieved and purpose is never gained.
A. Relationships
-Often we find that greatness is all around us and it is never perceived. There is much energy spent looking over the fence or gazing across the miles of the land to some distant place when in actuality the opportunity is beneath our noses.
-It is found in some of the common relationships and friendships that are developed in life.
• Lot never took full advantage of his relationship with Abraham.
• Gehazi lost so much by not allowing Elisha to teach him.
• Demas had grand opportunities in being with Paul, Luke, Epaphras, and others and never capitalized on the opportunity.
-One of the times that the advantage of a relationship that was forever lost comes from one of the Lord’s parables.
Matthew 25:10 KJV And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
-That last phrase of Matthew 25:10 gives much to stimulate thought. The door was shut!
-The five foolish virgins did not see the industriousness and the willingness of the five wise virgins in keeping their lamps in perfect working order. They failed to take the opportunity to learn from their associations.
-There will come a day in life when the door will be shut on every available opportunity to make a champion.
-There have been other times that friendships have been carefully cultivated and fostered and then they were let go. How many friendships have we had that died from neglect?
-It can happen in marriages. It can happen in homes.
-There is a creeping laziness that comes to us in our relationships. Some other translations call the slothful man an “indolent” man. This means one who is habitually lazy and everything that he does is conducive to laziness and his activity even encourages laziness.
-The hunter went at huge costs to gain the trophy and then it was completely and totally neglected.
B. Trials
-Trials can also be wasted. The great turmoil and upheaval in a man’s soul during those moments of duress can be wasted. He is no closer to God, no deeper in his prayer or understanding, and no more powerful in the Word.
-Trials can make us look at life so much differently but when it is all said and done, what of it? Did this trial make me recognize the flaws that I want to improve on? Did this trial really impact me in a way that will cause change for the better?
-What of Thomas? In the darkest trial of his life, when the moment that could have really transformed him came, he was not there.
John 20:24 KJV But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
-Trials that come to our lives can frequently cause to lose great opportunities. Thomas lost his opportunity because he was not there.
• The pain of the loss of the Lord.
• The overwhelming disappointment of unmet expectations.
• The gnawing doubt of what would happen with the future.
• The dilemma of being left by the Lord.
• The stigma of being one of the followers of the Lord.
-All of these things contributed to his absence on that day. This happens to us when we decide to “check out” on life and our obligations. Thomas still had an obligation to the other disciples. Thomas still had a responsibility to follow through with his loyalties. But instead, he chose to lose the opportunity that this trial was offering to him.
-This happens to us when we miss out in spiritual opportunities.
• A sermon we needed to hear is forever gone.
• A time for prayer may have been the one that would have established us.
• A word of encouragement we might have received from another is lost.
• A opportunity for the Lord to really change the direction of our life and thought.
-Just as Thomas missed out on seeing the Lord on that first occasion, we must understand that when opportunities are lost:
• Thomas missed a moment that could never be called back again.
• Thomas missed the sight of the Risen Lord.
• Thomas missed the first words after the Lord came out of the grave.
• Thomas missed the initial commissioning of the disciples.
C. Victories
-Spiritual victories can also be lightly handled.
• The besetting sin that was ardently and valiantly fought against.
• The shameful habit that cost so much to be overcome.
• The time for prayer that was finally cut out of our busyness.
• The victory of overcoming our flesh through times of protracted fasting.
• The spiritual power that prevailed in our lives when we let go of the world long enough for God to really do something within.
-There is nothing like the exhilaration of spiritual victory and yet is can be so wasted and denigrated when we allow our spiritual life to slide back into the rut again. Once again consigned to being inhabitants of the land of wasted opportunities.
-Opportunities that are once gone never are to be retrieved again.
-What of spiritual promises or vows that were made during great times of victory? As time passed on, little progress was made in this area.
A good friend of mine told me some time back that 35 years ago he was a young preacher on the evangelistic field. He had the great opportunity to preach for some of the greatest men and churches in Pentecost at the time. He told me that it was a routine for him to get to be around Tom Barnes, James Kilgore, G. A. Mangun, and a few others. He told of the long hours in the day that he wasted reading Louis L’Amour western novels. He said that it never occurred to him that he ought to be spending the time praying and studying and seeking the advice of these elders. He told me that he did not look back to those years of lost opportunities until he started pastoring a church and facing some of the challenges in his church (a large one now). He laments those days of lost opportunities and he urged me to make the most of times for prayer, study, fasting, discipline, as those things have the capacity to take you through some of the deepest valleys that life often passes through!
D. Evangelism
-One of the most troubling of all the wasted opportunities that surround men is that of the failure to reach those around us who are lost.
• One hundred and thirty-eight thousand (138,000) more lost people ate breakfast this morning than did yesterday morning.
• When we get here next Sunday night, there will have been an increase of about one million more lost people in this world than when we give the altar call last week.
• The year will conclude with 50 million more lost people in this world than there was beginning on January 1.
• By this time tomorrow night, one hundred and forty-six thousand (146,000) will have died without ever having heard of Jesus Christ and the Gospel, most of those who have not heard has been no fault of their own.
• Line up all the lost people in this world in a single line and the line will circle the globe thirty (30) times and the line will grow twenty (20) miles every single day.
• Assume that today, we were to drive down that line of people and the only thing that we did was give them a New Testament, if we drove for fifty (50) miles per hour for ten (10) hours each day it would take four years and forty days for us to reach the place where we started. However the line would have grown thirty-thousand (30,000) miles by the time we ended the trip.
• Suppose that we stopped the clock and noon today and closed the cemeteries and shut down the OB wards, no else dies or is born until we reach every lost person on this earth at the rate that Aall@ evangelical churches are going it would take 320 years to win those of United States alone. To reach the whole world, it would take 4,000 years and that is if no one died or was born.
• Not once, not twice, but five times the Lord commanded His church to AGo ye@ and reach the lost.
-How many more times can we let opportunities slip through our hands to really make a difference in our world?!!!!!!
III. CONCLUSION -- AFTER GREAT DESTRUCTIVE EVENTS
-After great, calamitous events in our nation, there are auditors who will sit down and attempt to calculate what has been lost.
• Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Andrew
• Wars
• Tsunamis
• Floods
-But what is the cost of a lost opportunity or time that has been wasted?
In an illustration that has been perhaps overused in the past, it is said of Alexander the Great that he sat down and wept over the fact that there was nothing else left to conquer. It has been stated that he literally marched off the map. While we are greatly motivated by these sorts of things about great conquerors, when you look into the reason of his death, there is more than meets the eye.
Yet the real tragedy lies in the details of his death. The last few days of his life came after he was involved in a drunken party that catered to all the wares of the flesh. Some historians say he died of poisoning that was placed in his wine. Some medical doctors have analyzed the accounts of his death and think he may have died from pancreatitis from huge consumption of alcohol. Others say that his alcohol binges created an early cirrhosis or esophageal varices which is literally bleeding to death from the esophagus.
The sad fact is that while he could order his armies and have great victories in battle, he could not control himself and it led to his death. Wasted opportunities often were forsaken and while he would rule the world, he couldn’t rule himself.
-One of the greatest tragedies of life is that we are often moved to do something great and we do not do it. We may give in to a certain sense of shyness or awkwardness or even give in to second thoughts.
-It often occurs with the simplest of things—the impulse to send a letter of thanks, the impulse to tell someone how much they really mean to us, or the impulse to give some special gift. . . . . and far too often we give in to the ordinary. . . . and we never take the opportunity to make a difference. . . . .
Philip Harrelson
