OPPORTUNITY
Taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (C) 1978 by the New
York Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
PRO 1:24 But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when
I stretched out my hand,
25 since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity
overtakes you--
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you
like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28 "Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me
but will not find me.
29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD,
30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of
their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency
of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without
fear of harm."
JER 8:20 "The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not
saved."
EZE 3:19 But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his
wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will
have saved yourself.
HOS 5:6 When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, they
will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them.
MAT 10:14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake
the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.
15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah
on the day of judgment than for that town.
11:20 Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his
miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.
21 "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were
performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day
of judgment than for you.
23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go
down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been
performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.
24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of
judgment than for you."
23:34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some
of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues
and pursue from town to town.
35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on
earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of
Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36 I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.
37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent
to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
38 Look, your house is left to you desolate.
25:1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took
their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.
4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.
5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and
fell asleep.
6 "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet
him!'
7 "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps
are going out.'
9 "'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you.
Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
10 "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom
arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding
banquet. And the door was shut.
11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for
us!'
12 "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his
servants and entrusted his property to them.
15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to
another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his
journey.
16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his
money to work and gained five more.
17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.
18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the
ground and hid his master's money.
19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled
accounts with them.
20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five.
'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained
five more.'
21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have
been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master's happiness!'
22 "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you
entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'
23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have
been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master's happiness!'
24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said,
'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and
gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See,
here is what belongs to you.'
26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I
harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?
27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so
that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten
talents.
29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.
Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him,
he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the
people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are
blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you
since the creation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and
you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after
me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry
and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes
and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one
of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are
cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you
did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or
a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one
of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to
eternal life."
LUK 12:47 "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready
or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows.
13:25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will
stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he
will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
26 "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our
streets.'
27 "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from
me, all you evildoers!'
28 "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but
you yourselves thrown out.
14:16 Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and
invited many guests.
17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had
been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just
bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19 "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way
to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20 "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner
of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the
streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the
blind and the lame.'
22 "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is
still room.'
23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country
lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of
my banquet.'"
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