My new book, The Opportunity of the 11th Hour, will be coming out on Amazon in the next week or so. It's an inspirational book for living our lives in such a way that we are able to make the greatest possible impact for the Kingdom of God. The idea comes from Jesus' parable in Matthew 19 where the owner of the vineyard goes out to call laborers to help him bring in the harvest in the 11th hour. It's full of personal anecdotes as well as considerable analysis of the life of Daniel. I sincerely believe that this book will touch the heart and life of anyone who reads it. I will be posting several pages the next few days.
Chapter 1: The Opportunity of the Closing Moment
“About the eleventh hour he went out and found still
others standing around.” Matthew 20:6
“It pleased Darius to appoint 120 governors to rule the
kingdom with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel” Daniel 6:1-2
The final minute of a close game is
always the most exciting. You
never quite know what is going to happen. Watching the World Cup game between
Ghana and Uruguay in the 2010 first round of elimination was one of these
moments. I was living in Dar Es
Salaam, Tanzania at the time without a television. Ghana had been adopted as the favorite team remaining in the
tournament by just about everyone in Tanzania. Excitement was high.
Normally
the streets are crowded with people, motorcycles, and vehicles. However, that night was different. The streets were practically deserted
as eager eyes sat glued to the closest television. As I drove to a friend’s
house to catch the game a sense of expectation filled the humid coastal
air. Dar Es Salaam anticipated a
Ghanian victory. It would be the first time an African team advanced to the
quarterfinals of the prestigious tournament. Across Africa people cheered for
Ghana.
When
the Ghanians scored their first goal the entire city let out a shout that
reverberated through the night sky. Hundreds of thousands of people were glued
to the television anticipating a victory.
As the game neared a close it was tied. Seconds remained.
Both teams fought hard.
Metaphorically speaking, it was the 11th hour.
Suddenly, everything changed. Ghana took a quick shot that caught the
goalkeeper off his line. It seemed
to be a sure goal as well as the ultimate game winner. Then the unthinkable
happened. The quick hand of a
Uruguayan defender stopped the ball from crossing the line with just seconds
remaining in the game. The
referee awarded a penalty as a continent held its breath. It was the opportunity of a lifetime
for the Ghanians. Unbelievably, the Ghanian forward Asamorah Gyan sent the ball
sailing over the crossbar.
The
game headed into overtime still tied. As the two teams moved into a penalty
shoot-out to determine a winner the Ghanians choked. Uruguay emerged the victors; Africa mourned. Visions of glory were exchanged
for woeful tears of regret. The Ghanians had missed their golden opportunity in
the eleventh hour. The moment had
been wasted.
Ghana’s
experience reminds me of what Jesus says in Matthew 20:6-7. “And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others
standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They said
to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You, go into the
vineyard too”.
Jesus was telling a story. Not just any story—it’s a Kingdom story. This means that the story illustrates
Kingdom truth. Jesus
says that a vineyard owner is looking for workers. He goes to town to recruit anyone willing to go and work for
him. He goes the first hour, the
third hour, the sixth hour, and the ninth hour. Each time he finds more people to work in his
vineyard.
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