Now is Your Chance

A Chance to Receive Blessings_Jacob Wrestles With God

After receiving the blessing of the firstborn that was meant for his older brother Esau, Jacob fled from his angry brother and stayed with his uncle Laban. Many years later, God told Jacob to return to his homeland.

On his way home, Jacob heard that Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men. Jacob was terrified, fearing that Esau might still be angry and be coming to attack him. So he earnestly prayed and asked God for His grace.

That night, Jacob was left alone near the Jabbok River, and a man appeared and wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip, wrenching it as they wrestled.

“Let me go.”

“I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Although his hip was injured, Jacob held on to the man and refused to let him go.

“Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel¹ , because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Then the man blessed Jacob. Only after receiving the blessing did Jacob let him go. Later, Esau welcomed Jacob warmly, and Jacob returned safely to his homeland.

1. A Hebrew name meaning “one who struggles with God”

_Genesis 32

A Chance to Give Thanks_The Man Healed of Leprosy

As Jesus was going into a village, He met ten men who had leprosy. Standing at a distance, they called out to Him in a loud voice,

“Master, have pity on us!”

“Go, show yourselves to the priests.”

As they went to the priests as Jesus had told them, they were cleansed. One of them, a Samaritan, returned to Jesus, praising God in a loud voice, and fell at His feet.

“Master, thank You for healing me.”

“Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Jesus then granted the Samaritan the grace of salvation.

“Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

_Luke 17:11—19

A Chance to Work_Gathering Materials for the Tabernacle

Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the second set of stone tablets bearing the Ten Commandments. He then told the Israelites that God wanted them to build a sanctuary where the tablets of the Ten Commandments would be kept. Everyone who was willing and whose heart were moved brought offerings to God of the various materials needed to build the sanctuary. Those who were skilled made everything needed for the tabernacle.

As the people continued to bring offerings day after day, the skilled workers stopped their work and went to Moses.

“The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done.”

So Moses told the Israelites,

“No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.”

The people stopped bringing offerings. Yet the materials they had already gathered were more than enough to complete all the work.

_Exodus 35:4—36:7



There is a time for everything.
Don’t wait until the opportunity has passed and look back with regret, thinking,
“I should have done it then.”
If there’s something you truly want to do, something you know you should do, do it now.
Now is your chance.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1