Kerry Shook - Your Window is Now
There are millions of dreams that die each and every day because they were never acted upon. There are countless life-changing possibilities that slip silently into the night because they were never seized upon. Why do we miss life-changing opportunities? Why do we miss divine opportunities? Well, sometimes we get paralyzed by the fear of making a wrong decision. You know, we know that decisions determine our destiny, and we know they have these huge ramifications in our lives.
Sometimes we’re so afraid of making a wrong decision that we don’t make a decision. Many times, not making a decision is worse than making a wrong decision. Another reason is that we try to make everything perfect before we make a decision. If you’re waiting for all your circumstances to be perfect before you act, you will never act because it’s never perfect.
Another reason why we put things off and miss life-changing opportunities is that we are deceived by our intentions. We think that our intentions and our actions are the same thing, and nothing could be further from the truth. We think that if we have good intentions, then that counts as much as actions, but good intentions are worthless. Some of you have been intending to join the church, but you haven’t. Some of you have been intending to put your family in the rightful place and get your priorities in line, but you haven’t.
Some of you have been intending to step out in faith and go for the dream that God has placed on your heart, but you haven’t. Some of you have been intending to put God first in your finances and tithe, but you haven’t. Good intentions are worthless and meaningless. Action is all that counts. But I think the biggest reason why we put things off and miss life-altering opportunities is that we forget a very important truth: Our opportunities are limited. You see, we have this window of opportunity that’s before us. We have windows of opportunity, but we don’t think about the fact that our window is closing.
You see, God opens for every one of us when we’re born a window of opportunity, and that window then starts closing. We forget that we only get one window of opportunity here on Earth to do something that will outlast and outlive us, and that window does not stay open for very long. That’s why we’re starting a new series I’m calling Windows of Opportunity, because God has given every one of us this amazing gift: a window of time, and it’s a brief window of time. The secret of life is recognizing that your window is closing and then taking advantage of your window of opportunity because you realize your window is now.
I want us to look at a story that Jesus told that really wakes us up to this fact and shows us what life is all about and really the secret to life. Would you stand in honor of God’s Word? It’s in Matthew 25. It’s a long story, but man, it’s so interesting, and there are so many powerful truths in it. Jesus said, «Similarly, it is like a man going on a trip who called his servants and turned his money over to them. To one man he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, based on their ability. Then he went on his trip.»
The one who received five talents went out at once and invested them and earned five more. In the same way, the one who had two talents earned two more. But the one who received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and buried his master’s money. After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The one who’d received five talents came up and brought five more talents. «Master,» he said, «you gave me five talents. See, I’ve earned five more talents.» His master told him, «Well done, good and trustworthy servant. Since you’ve been trustworthy with a small amount, I’ll put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master’s joy.»
The one with the two talents also came forward and said, «Master, you gave me two talents. See, I’ve earned two more talents.» His master told him, «Well done, good and trustworthy servant. Since you’ve been trustworthy with a small amount, I’ll put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master’s joy.» Then the one who’d received one talent came forward and said, «Master, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you haven’t planted and gathering where you haven’t scattered any seed. Since I was afraid, I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here, take what’s yours.»
His master answered him, «You evil and lazy servant! So you knew that I harvested where I haven’t planted and gathered where I haven’t scattered any seed? Then you should have invested my money with the bankers. When I returned, I would have received my money back with interest.» Then the master said, «Take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the ten talents. Because to everyone who has, something more will be given, and he’ll have more than enough. But from the person who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away from him. Throw this useless servant into the darkness outside. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.»
You can be seated. I mean, that’s a very sobering story, but it has so many life-altering principles in it. Now, the word «talent» in the New Testament was a measure of weight; it was basically 75 pounds, 75 pounds of something. When Jesus was using the word «talent» in this story, he wasn’t just talking about gifts and abilities, though it included gifts and abilities. He wasn’t just talking about money, though it included money. He was talking about something much weightier, much more important.
Talents here represent eternal opportunities. That’s the weightiest thing there is on this Earth: the eternal opportunities that God gives you in your lifetime, your windows of opportunity to do something with your one and only life that will last forever. Now, when the talent was used as money, it was a 75-pound bag of gold. To one guy, he gave five 75-pound bags of gold. To another, he gave two 75-pound bags of gold. And to another, one 75-pound bag of gold. So it was really valuable. But really, what it represents is something much weightier and more valuable than gold. In the story, it’s a symbol of eternal opportunities. And we each have a certain number of opportunities here on this Earth to do something with our one and only life that will last for all eternity.
We have a window of time. Sports teams talk about their window: «This is our window to win the championship.» It’s that limited amount of time to win it all before the stars on the team are past their prime, and the team has to go through this rebuilding process. In life, we all have this small window of time that we need to take advantage of. You were made for eternity, and you’ll live for eternity. But did you know you’re already living in eternity right now? Eternity doesn’t start when you die. No, you’re already living in eternity.
You see, there are two sides of eternity. On one side of the window is the part of eternity on Earth, which lasts maybe 60, 70, 80, or 90 years. None of us are guaranteed anything. But then there’s the other side of eternity, the other side of the window that goes on for trillions and trillions of years, and then it will have just begun. So this side of eternity-the front side of the window-is really short. It’s a flash of light compared to the other side of eternity. But it’s only on this side that we have the window of opportunity, and it closes quickly.
It’s only on this Earth that you get to choose whether or not you receive Christ. You only have that window of opportunity here on Earth, and it determines where you spend your destiny. It determines where you spend all eternity. If you’re a Christ follower, you only have this window of opportunity on Earth to show God how much you love him by obeying him and continually following his path for your life. Because when you get to heaven, you won’t sin. It’s a perfect place, so there’s no sin. So it’s only on this Earth- this side of the window-that you get to show God how much you love him by choosing to obey him. It’s only on Earth you have the chance to share your faith with someone, because in heaven there’s no need, because everyone has received Christ’s salvation.
It’s only here on Earth that you have a window of opportunity to do things that will last for eternity. And what you do for Christ in that very brief window of time determines all your rewards for the rest of eternity. On the other side of the window, we have this very tiny window, and it’s closing. The whole purpose of life on this side of the window is to prepare us for eternity. That’s what God is doing; placing you on Earth to prepare you for eternity. If you don’t understand that, you’re going to be so frustrated in life. You’re going to be so confused in life. Nothing’s going to make sense if you think that this life and the purpose of it is all about your happiness. Then, you’re going to be really disappointed and frustrated. But if you realize life is preparation for eternity, then you’ll begin to discover true joy, true happiness from the Lord as you go through life, and everything will start to make sense. Everything will start to come clear. You’ll have this clarity of life.
Well, I want us to take this passage verse by verse. It’s so important, and there are so many truths in it that we need to get. So let’s go back to verse 14 of chapter 25. Jesus said, «Similarly, it is like a man going on a trip who called his servants and turned his money over to them.» Now, this is the principle of ownership. The master in the story represents God, Jesus. He’s the owner. He entrusted his wealth to his servants. Now, the servants represent us. God has entrusted to you and to me what belongs to him.
Here’s the point: I don’t own anything. You don’t own anything. Everything I have belongs to God. Everything you have belongs to God. You don’t own a single thing. If you don’t understand that, then you’re going to be so stressed out and insecure, trying to protect your stuff, trying to make sure you don’t lose your stuff and no one steals your stuff-trying to ensure your stuff doesn’t get scratched. The more stuff you get, the more you worry. That is, if you believe the lie that you own it, that it’s yours. But we don’t own anything. We’re just stewards of what God has given us. Everything I have comes from God, and I get to use it for a short window of time. You can’t take it with you. The way you enter the world is the way you’ll leave the world-with nothing. I don’t own anything. God owns everything.
When you recognize that truth, it sets you free-that it’s all God’s and I’m just a steward of what is God’s. It sets you free when you realize that you don’t own anything. You know, if my car breaks down, I can just go, «God, you’ve got car trouble. What are you going to do about it?» Because I don’t have a clue! I mean, it just sets you free. It’s like, «God, my house is yours to be used for your glory. Thank you I get to enjoy it, but help me use it for you.» The reason we get so stressed out about everything is because we think we own it, and we’re going to have it forever.
Now, we know the reality is that we’re not, but for some reason, we easily push that out of our minds and act like we’re going to have it forever. No, it’s just borrowed. Everything you have comes from God-your ability to earn money, your talents, your gifts, your health, the time you have here on this Earth-it’s determined only by God. Everything belongs to God, so you don’t own anything. That’s the truth we need to grasp now, because if not now, we will grasp it one second on the other side of the window. One second on the other side of eternity, we will recognize that we didn’t own anything, because one second on the other side of eternity, it’s all worthless.
Well, let’s look at verse 15. Jesus said, «To one man he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, based on their ability. Then he went on his trip.» It says, «To one, the master gave five talents; to another, he gave two talents; and to the last one, he gave one talent.» This is an important principle of life: We’ve all been given a unique number of divine opportunities. I don’t know how many divine opportunities God has given me, and you don’t know how many divine opportunities God has given you. I may have five opportunities; you may have seven opportunities; someone may have three opportunities. We don’t know how many eternal opportunities we have, but we do know they are limited. The window of those opportunities is closing.
For those of you who haven’t received Christ, you haven’t chosen to receive Christ. You need to realize you have a limited number of opportunities to make that eternal decision to follow Christ. You don’t know how many opportunities that is. But we do know that right now is one of those opportunities, and you don’t know if you’ll ever get another window. You don’t know if you’ll ever get another opportunity to receive Christ and make that choice and that divine decision, but you know this is one of those opportunities. If you’re a Christ follower, you have a certain number of opportunities to make an eternal difference. You don’t know how many you’ll have, but we do know those opportunities are limited. Your window is now, and we all have a unique number of opportunities. One guy was given more opportunities than the other guys, but it’s not the amount of opportunities God gives you that matters; it’s what you do with them.
God’s not going to hold me accountable for the opportunities he gave you. He’s going to hold me accountable for the opportunities he gave me. It’s what you do with what God gives you. Now again, a talent in Jesus' story represents eternal opportunities that include our time, our money, our gifts and abilities, and our passions. If you live in America, you’ve been given a lot of opportunities in all these areas compared to the rest of the world. But many times, we’re thinking, «I wish I had the talent that person has. Then I’d really be used by God. I mean, they’re so gifted. I wish I had the ability that person has. I wish I had more time, but I’m just so busy. If I had more time, I would serve God more. I wish I had more wealth; then I’d really give. That would be amazing! If I were really wealthy, like that person, man, it would be so fun to give.»
We’re always looking at opportunities that someone else has instead of taking advantage of the many we have. «I wish I had their window. Then I’d really take advantage of the opportunity.» But you really wouldn’t. If you don’t take advantage of the divine opportunities you have, you wouldn’t take advantage of more. Just look at finances. Each of us has been given a lot of divine opportunities with our money compared to the rest of the world. Did you know over 700 million people in the world today live on $2 a day? 700 million people, $2 a day. Almost half the world lives on less than $7 a day. That’s an annual salary of $ 2,500. Did you realize 85% of the world’s population lives on less than $ 10,000 a year? Did you know if you live on welfare in America, you’re in the top 1% of the world’s wealth? If you live in America, even if you’re on welfare, then you are wealthier than 99% of people in the world today. Did you realize that? See, that’s okay!
Hey, don’t feel guilty about it. We’ve just been given a lot more opportunities than some others, but we better use the great opportunity God has given us to make an eternal difference because to whom much is given, much is required. If you live in America, you’re wealthy compared to the rest of the world. You’re in the top 1%. We believe that with all our hearts at Woodland Church, and that’s why we have given millions of dollars to missions to raise up the poorest of the poor. That’s why we have all of our sustainable and amazing community programs, like our farmers' field schools around the world.
All the ministry we do in Haiti, Kenya, India, and Honduras is pretty amazing. As we give them the good seed, we give them agricultural training, we support them, we give them the resources that they need, and then they plant and they harvest. They work so hard in these farms and they have these amazing, bountiful crops, and then their neighbors look at them and they say, «Where in the world and how in the world did you get those kinds of crops when mine aren’t really doing much?» And then they say, «You need to go down to this church right down the street because they taught me how to do this. They invested in me.» You see, they don’t know about Woodland Church because we don’t care about that.
I mean, that’s ridiculous when a church in America goes over there and makes a big deal about themselves, saying, «We’re doing this,» and «We’re bringing the resources.» That doesn’t help because they can’t come here. So we invest in these small churches all around in these poverty-stricken areas, and by investing in them, they say, «You know what? I’m going to go down to that church because they cared about me.» We send the resources through them, we go over there, on mission trips, and set up everything, but it’s all about training. It’s amazing what God is doing. Now, in Haiti, we can’t even have mission trips there now. Why? Because it’s so dangerous — can’t even get in there! But our ministries and missions are thriving as we keep sending resources, and now there are so many people trained that they train others. The farmers' field schools are growing, raising families out of poverty.
And that’s happening through you all over the world because we realize God’s given us a great opportunity. We keep stretching in faith and stretching in faith. Why? Because one day God is going to hold us accountable. I want us to look at Matthew 25, verse 19, as we continue on. Jesus said, «After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.» So the master returns and he settles accounts. Now, this is a really important principle of life. It’s the principle of accountability. God gives each of us a certain number, a unique number of eternal opportunities. He makes an investment in us, and God entrusts us with opportunities — our finances, our gifts and abilities, our time. And one day, God’s going to expect a return on his investment.
One second into eternity, on the other side of the window, we’re going to experience the principle of accountability because God is going to ask. One second after we go on the other side of the window of eternity and meet God face to face, he is going to ask, «What did you do with what I gave you?» The first question God’s going to ask is, «What did you do with my son Jesus Christ? Did you take advantage of that opportunity I gave you to receive the free gift of forgiveness in heaven that came through my son and his death on the cross? What did you do with my son, Jesus Christ?» The second question is: «What did you do with your one and only life to make an eternal difference? Did you take advantage of the eternal opportunities with your time, with your money, with your gifts and abilities — anything that made an eternal difference in the lives of others? Did you do anything with your one and only life that will outlive you? What did you do with what I gave you?»
Don’t be deceived. The scripture says one day God is going to expect a return on his investment in you, and to whom much is given, much is required. That’s what this parable is saying. What did you do with what I gave you? What did you do with the time that I gave you? Did you spend it mostly on yourself and things that weren’t eternal that just go up in smoke? What did you do with the resources I gave you? Did you spend most of it all on yourself? What did you do with the talents I gave you? What did you do with what I gave you?
Well, the master in the story returns in this parable. He checks on his return, and the guy that he gave five talents to comes back and says, «Master, I invested it! I used it to make a difference. I doubled your investment. I have ten talents of gold now. Here it is!» Then the guy with two talents says, «Hey, I doubled your investment! You gave me two eternal opportunities; I took advantage of both and doubled it for you.»
Then the third guy comes in and he says, «Well, I buried mine. I buried mine because I was afraid, and so I hid it. I didn’t really use it to do anything in anyone’s life. I just kept it for myself. I was afraid of losing it, so I just held on to it with all my might.» And this is a sobering truth: The tighter you hold on to something, the more you assure it will slip through your hands. It’s taught all through scripture. The more you grip something and hold on and think it’s yours, the more it is certain that you will lose it. The more you grip something and hold on, thinking that you own it, the more it consumes you and you realize you’re going to lose it eventually-either here on this Earth, or one second after you go on the other side of the window of eternity, it’s gone for good.
And Jesus said, «If you want to save your life, you’re going to lose it. But if you lose your life for me and my kingdom’s sake, you’ll find your life. You’ll come alive. You’ll find fulfillment.» Well, let’s look at verses 28 and 29, and this is really, really powerful. It’s like cold water in your face. Jesus says, «Then the master said, 'Take the talent from him and give it to the man who has ten talents because to everyone who has, something more will be given, and he’ll have more than enough. But from the person who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away from him.'»
So the master looks at the guy who hid his one talent and he says, «Take it from him and give it to the guy who has ten talents.» I want to say, «What? I mean, God, that doesn’t seem fair! I mean, sure this guy messed up, but you’re going to take the one talent from him and give it to the guy who already has ten? That seems so unfair to me.» But here’s the point of the whole parable: If you don’t use it, you lose it. If you don’t use the opportunities God gives you to make an eternal difference, you lose them completely. If I don’t use the gifts and abilities God gives me to make a difference for his kingdom, I lose them.
If you don’t use the money God has given you to impact the lives of others for all eternity, then you lose it. Because once your window closes, it all goes up in smoke. If you don’t use the time God has given you to do something that will live on in eternity, you lose it. When your window closes, it’s too late. That’s sobering! But I want to move on to some good news. Because here’s what Jesus said to the other two who took advantage of their divine opportunities:
His master replied, «Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.» He says to the two servants who doubled the master’s investment in them, «You’ve been faithful with the opportunities I’ve given you, so now I’m going to give you more and greater opportunities on this Earth and great rewards in heaven because you sent everything on ahead. You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.»
You can lay up treasure in heaven, the scripture says, which is a really wise investment. You know the Bible never says, «Don’t lay up some treasure here on this Earth.» I mean, you know when you invest for 10 years ahead and 50 years ahead, those are great investments with compound interest on this Earth. But you know what? Once you go to the other side of the window, that’s gone forever. That’s a currency you can’t use in heaven. Jesus just says he didn’t say, «Don’t lay up some treasure on Earth,» but he says, «Lay up treasure in heaven where nothing can take it away.»
He’s saying that the wisest investment is not 50 years to invest so that you get a return fifty years from now; it’s invest for a trillion years from now. Invest for a trillion trillion trillion years from now and make a long-term investment that’s going to really matter. He says to these guys, «You’ve been faithful in the small things. Now I’m going to give you much. I’m going to give you greater opportunities in this life on this Earth and then greater rewards in heaven.»
Now, I know a lot of people say, «If I had their gifts, I’d really be used by God. If I had more talent, I would really be used by God. If I had more wealth, man, I would be a great giver.» I want to tell you, no, you wouldn’t be! If you’re not giving now, if you’re not faithful in what God has given you now, then you wouldn’t be. In fact, study after study shows that the wealthier you are, the less percentage of your income you give.
By the way, that’s all God cares about. It’s not the amount, it’s the amount of sacrifice, and that’s so sad to me. We have some people in this church who don’t make a lot but they do what God says and give the first 10% of their income to God-to put God first in their finances. Then we have other people that are wealthy beyond measure, but they don’t give 1%. They think, «What I’m doing is pretty good compared to everyone else.»
Then we have other people who have abundance. You know, they’re wealthy with abundance, and they give 10% back to God and put God first in their finances, and then they give way more than 10% because they realize too much is given, much is required. God blesses you to be a blessing, and they know they’ll be held accountable one day. But I’m telling you, study after study shows the wealthier you are, the harder it is to give.
And we always say, «Man, if I was rich, I would be a great giver. God, if you ever bless me and make me really wealthy, I’m going to be a great giver.» No, you wouldn’t be! Not if you’re not giving with what you have. Really, we’re all wealthy compared to the rest of the world, and God says, «That’s okay.» Scripture says, «That’s great. It just means that I’ve chosen to give you a lot more talents than most people in the world.» God says it’s okay as long as you do two things: Be grateful for what I have given you; be grateful and realize you don’t own anything. It’s all from me. And then give!
Put me first. Give me the first part. Be a giver. Send it on ahead to the other side of the window! Now, in the next verse, the guy that hid his talent gives his excuse, and I think it’s really telling. Look at it in verses 24 and 25. «Then the man who’d received one bag of gold came. 'Master, ' he said, 'I knew that you’re a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So, I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'»
He says, «Master, I was afraid of you because I was afraid of what you’re going to do. I was afraid you’re going to take my talent.» Now, I don’t think he was really afraid of God; I think he was afraid of losing what he had, so he held on to it because he thought it was his. It says the master went away for a long time. It’s like maybe he’ll never come back. He thought it was his, and he was afraid of losing it, so he just used it on himself.
He was afraid to give because he thought if he gave he would lose it. If he invested, he would lose it. If he invested in eternity, then he would lose it because he didn’t trust God. He didn’t fear God; he just didn’t trust God. Because when you fear God, you don’t fear anything else. But when you fail to fear God, you will fear everything else and everyone else. Fearing God, the scripture says, means to put God first in your life. It means that you’re in awe of God and have such respect for God that you put him first in your time, in your finances, in your gifts and abilities, and in your opportunities that God has given you.
When you put God first in your life, you’re saying, «God, I fear you over everyone else. I am in awe of you.» The first step to wisdom, the book of Proverbs says, is the fear of the Lord. If you put your faith in something that can change or be taken away, you’ll always be anxious and fearful. It really comes down to who the king is in your life. Who have you crowned king? Is it you, or is it Christ? Who’s on the throne of your life? Are you on the throne, or is Christ on the throne? Because when Christ is king of my heart, then I’ll have a heart for his kingdom.
A lot of people are trying to build a kingdom on this Earth. They act like the king of their world. They build wealth or build a business. Nothing wrong with those things; those are great. Or they build followers on social media or they build up fame, and they act like it’s going to last forever. But they’re building a kingdom made of sand, and one day the tide of time is going to roll in and wash it all away. One second after they enter the other side of the window, it’ll all be gone. The only thing that lasts is what we do to build the kingdom of God.
Only one life will soon be passed; only what’s done for Christ will last. It’s only what you do to help people get to heaven. It’s only what you do because the only things that are going to last, the scripture says, are the word of God, the truth of God. It says, «The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of God will stand forever.» So when you spend time in God’s word, when you obey God, that’s going to last forever. And the other thing is the souls of men and women-the things you can’t see that are going to last forever.
Anytime you invest in another person to help them get to heaven, to build the kingdom of God rather than your own kingdom, that’s going to last for all eternity. If you’ve never received the king, your window to receive the king is now. Your window to serve the king is now. Your window to give to advance his kingdom is now. Look what it says in Philippians 2:9: Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
One day everyone is going to bow. They’re going to bow down and they’re going to say, «Jesus Christ, you are King of Kings and Lord of Lords.» One day everyone, when they go through the window to the other side of eternity and the judgment day, they’re going to bow down and go, «I see it clearly now! It’s all come clear. Yes! You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and I’m not.» But then it’s too late.
See, God himself came through the window of time. He entered our world so we could have a window of divine opportunity to receive what we could never earn-a doorway to heaven. And the window of opportunity is now to bow before him as king of kings and lord of lords now, which determines where you spend the rest of eternity, and put him first place in your life. You know, there aren’t many kings in modern times. There are still 43 countries, though, that have a king or queen on the throne, but most of those are ceremonial positions.
Of course, in our pop culture and sports and entertainment, we love to crown people with the title of king. We debate who’s the king of this or that. You know, the king of rock and roll is Elvis; the king of pop is Michael Jackson. The king of country, maybe you think it’s Hank Williams or maybe you think it’s George Strait. The king of the NBA today is King James, LeBron James. But who is the king of the NBA for all time? There’s a great debate: Was it Michael Jordan, or is it LeBron James? Well, who cares!
Because the King of Kings is Jesus Christ. He’s the only king that matters: Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the King of the world, the King of all eternity. And you weren’t made to be the king; you were made to worship the King. You weren’t made to wear the crown. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. He’s the one that wears the crown, and trying to be the king of your life is exhausting, and it’s impossible. You weren’t made to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.
There are two contrasting statues close to each other in New York City. On Fifth Avenue at Rockefeller Center is the huge statue of Atlas holding up the world. And you’ve seen this; it’s the statue of the strong, muscle-bound figure who’s straining with all his might to hold up the world on his shoulders. He’s barely able to stand under the great burden. Now, in Greek mythology, Atlas having to hold up the world was a curse. It was a burdensome curse on him, rather than an act of courage.
We think, «Oh, he’s such a strong man,» and yeah, a strong god with a little «g.» No, it was a curse! But just on the other side of Fifth Avenue, across from the statue of Atlas, is another statue just tucked away inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and it’s a small statue of the boy Jesus at maybe eight or nine years of age, and he’s holding the world in one of his little hands. Isn’t that amazing? The world and all it contains is really small compared to the boy Jesus.
And in life, we have a choice. We can carry the weight of the world on our shoulders or we can say, «I give up, Lord,» and «I give you your crown back. You are the king of the world. I give you my world.» You see, I know that on the other side of the window, all the names of every rock star, all the names of every movie star, all the names of every sports star, all the names of every president and king and politician and influencer-all those names will be washed away.
But there’s one name that will remain, and it’s the name that is above every name, the name of which one day everyone will have to bow. It’s the name Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. His name remains, and his church is the only organization that will live past the window to the other side of eternity. That’s what he’s doing right now. He’s building his church family. He’s building his forever family.
He wants everyone to come into his forever family before the window closes. You see, there are a lot of great organizations in this world that do a lot of good, but eventually, they’ll cease on the other side of the window. But there’s one organization that will last forever, and it’s the church-Christ’s Church. Jesus said, «I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.» What he’s saying is that’s what I’m аbout: I’m about building my forever family.
That’s what I’m going to be about-building my forever family, and I want to use you because you’re the body of Christ to bring others into the forever family. That’s what the King is up to. I want us to bow together right now. And Lord, I just pray for each one of us who feels like we’re carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. This week, we forgot that you’re king and we’re not. So many times, I try to take the crown and wear it and try to control everything, Lord, and try to do things my way. It’s exhausting!
So, Lord, we just turn over the crown back to you, and we bow before you. You never created us to be king; you created us to worship you as king. And Lord, as we look to you and we obey you, you’re going to show us those divine opportunities, and we’re going to step out and obey you to do what you call us to do. So help us all just really grasp that truth: that our window is closing, but you have a great window of opportunity for us right now, and you’ve given us so many talents to be used for your glory so that we can make an eternal difference.
Lord, help us to do that. And I pray for those who have never stepped into the divine opportunity of receiving you that you’ve given us. This may be, Lord, their last opportunity. We don’t know how many opportunities they’ll have, but right now, the window is now. Help them pray this prayer. Help them pray this prayer silently to you right now in this window of time. That is their window of opportunity; their window is now. Help them say this in their hearts: «Dear Jesus Christ, I’m sorry that I’ve been trying to wear the crown and be on the throne of my own life.
I ask you to forgive me of my sins, and I ask you to come into my life. I give you back your crown. Be the king and the lord of my life from now on. I accept your free gift of forgiveness in heaven one day. Help me follow you from now on. Give me your strength and your power and help me seize those divine opportunities that are eternal that you’re going to place before me. For it’s in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.»