So here’s a question that has been bothering me for a while: If God opens a door (opportunity) and because of anxiety, intentionally leave that God ordained opportunity, what happens? Am I being disobedient to God? Or am I being coward? Or am I closing myself off from new experiences? Perhaps, you may even conclude that in doing so you may never again have an opportunity present itself as momentous as the one that you walked away from. When you think about it carefully, all of the above are true; and concurrently, all of the above are not true. What do I mean by that? Let’s look at 2nd Corinthians 2:12-13 where the Apostle Paul writes, “When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.” To sum up what the Apostle was saying: he was preaching like a madman and people were experiencing and witnessing things that would do any preacher and evangelist proud. But despite this great success, he was uncomfortable and anxious. He did not find himself where he wanted to be even though he knew it was God who brought him there and was doing the work. So he got up and left. The implications for us today are tremendous in light of this passage. Let’s look at what Paul says immediately after in verse 14.
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. (2 Corinthians 2:14)
When Paul writes, “triumphal procession” he is not talking about getting a ticker tape parade in honor of his abandoning the opportunity God gave him because he was filled with anxiety about his friend not meeting him there. In fact, when he is writing that phrase, here’s what our minds and hearts should really understand: that God will use that spectacle of walking away from an opportunity ordained by God to bring people to witness what God can still do despite me. You know as well as I do, that you and I have a number of episodes where we intentionally walked away from God’s calling. Maybe it’s not even walking away and more like disqualifying ourselves from it. Just think about your decision and why you made that decision. All of that is okay because I’m telling you that the decision to walk away or be disqualified may be a reality, but it is not a finality! God will lead you through the “triumphal procession” (embarrassment, spectacle, noise, etc) in Christ. That is, people will hear and know your history but God will still use that to bring them and you to Christ. That is a promise, so don’t regret anymore because God redeems.
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