I Corinthians 16:9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
A Problem or an Opportunity?
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Some people are just looking for problems. Do you know anyone like that? The fact of the matter is, you don’t need to go looking for problems because problems will come looking for you. Sometimes we are so intent on waiting for our ship to come in that we don’t see it when it does. We are hoping for a cruise liner, but our ship comes in as a dirty old barge full of boxes of problems. The difference between a royal pain and a golden opportunity is often how you see it.
In I Corinthians 16, Paul is talking about where he was going and what he was going to do. He assesses everything in verse 9 when he says, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” This great and effectual door was opportunity. The adversaries were opposition.
Sometimes, problems are opportunities that find you. Problems and opportunities don’t cancel out one another; they come together. Opportunities cancel out one another. If I have a given situation, I can only take one of a number of opportunities. I can’t do everything. I must choose. This is good because when I have a problem, that does not exclude an opportunity. Sometimes an opportunity is a problem that comes to me, and almost always opportunities come with problems.
Let’s say that someone is given 1,000 acres. They say, “Wow! I have 1,000 acres. How can I serve God with this? I think I will start a camp.” I admire that. I thank God for a person that thinks about what they have been given in light of how they can serve the Lord, but don’t be discouraged if God does not give you 1,000 acres. That doesn’t mean you don’t have opportunity. The fact is that the Ranch is here not because Bill and Cathy Rice were given 1,000 acres. They were given a daughter who became deaf. They were given problems that seemed insurmountable.
Looking back, we can see now that the greatest tragedy of Bill and Cathy Rice’s lives was also God’s greatest opportunity and calling for them. That is why the Bill Rice Ranch is here today.
Use what you have for God, but don’t be discouraged if your golden opportunity looks like a royal pain. When we see problems, God sees potential.