"Missed Opportunities"

 "So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)" (Hebrews 3:11 KJV)

  "For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them. You have the authority to correct them when necessary, so don't let anyone disregard what you say." (Titus 2:11-15 NLT)

 Not that I have figured anything out, because as soon as I think I have something figured out, it has a tendency to fall apart, and I need to start all over again. This includes those things which cause us to sin, as we think that we have the ability to resist the old temptations, but given the opportunity, we don't. It is not because we don't have the ability to turn away, because we absolutely do; but it is because we like whatever it is that we do, even though it hurts! 

 Besides all of that, we have something different within us to change anything that is wrong in our lives, if we would just make the right choices. As it was for the children of Israel, they had everything they needed, but not everything that they wanted; so they missed out on something special: God's rest! 

 To be perfectly honest, this is not something we take away on our own; it is something that is looked forward to, as if it has already been established. If there is a better way to explain it, I would say that it is a lot like Abraham's trust in God, as the Bible says, 'Abraham looked for a city built by God.' So, in other words, the place of rest was not here on this earth but was a place to look forward to. 

 Therefore, we can't take it away, because it has already been established; but what we can do, is to neglect to enjoy the opportunity to be going there; not to say that it won't ever happen... 

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see." (1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT)