Opportunity Cost: What Will You Give Up So You Can Meet With God Today?

Have you ever seriously considered the opportunity cost of not consistently meeting with God? If not, today is the day.

A formula I can use to calculate opportunity cost could be the ratio of what I am sacrificing to what I am gaining.

​Here are some general examples if you're not familiar with this term, 'opportunity cost':

• You visit the local ice cream shop with your family. You choose between rocky road and chocolate (Mmm...chocolate). When you choose rocky road, the opportunity cost is the enjoyment of the chocolate.
• A player attends soccer training to be a better player instead of taking a vacation to Hawaii. The opportunity cost was the vacation to Hawaii.
• This semester you can only have one elective and you want both ceramics and orchestra. You choose ceramics (why!?) and the opportunity cost is the enjoyment and value you would have received from orchestra (my choice for sure).

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​I went through a typical day/week and came up with a short list of examples where I might miss out on the opportunity to meet with God or experience Him at work in my life. I encourage you to make your own list using the help-sheet below. Keep it handy as a reminder that nothing comes before God. 

Here's my short list:

AM/Weekday - I went to sleep fairly late and had to wake up early for work. I rush to get ready and head out of the house without opening the Bible or spending significant time with God; I say a quick prayer on the way out.

• ​The opportunity cost is experiencing God's presence and receiving Holy-Spirit-power and direction for the day (the real breakfast of champions). 

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PM/Weekday - I see a co-worker that seems a bit down at work. I even over hear that he has some health problems. I'm tied down with a project and also have to prepare for a meeting later. I think to myself, It's justifiable. I ignore him.

• The opportunity cost is helping someone in need, sharing a word of encouragement and connecting beyond just day-to-day 'work'.

Evening - It's been a long day and I just want to unwind a bit after dinner. I hop on Instagram to check what's new and send out a quick update. My boys want me to pretend I'm Moses and they're ready to see how God splits the Red Sea. I decide to stay on the phone.

• The opportunity cost is teaching valuable lessons about faith, which can impact them for the rest of their lives, and sharing beautiful experiences together; Experiences which I'll never get back because they're growing up so fast. 

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Night - Time to sleep. But the kids are a bit restless and still want to play. I let them do their thing and finish up editing the next video for our new Hymns & Stories series on Altarpreneur Music. Daniela's done with her work downstairs and wants to hang out and talk. 
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• The opportunity cost is the connection I could be making with my family to deepen our intimacy with one another and with God.

Weekend - Time to relax. No major plans, just time with family, a big breakfast, some yard work, maybe a farmers market, city stroll or some shopping. Nothing wrong with a little leisure, right?

• The opportunity cost is breaking out of my selfish shell and reaching out to people in my sphere of influence or even strangers in the community. Perhaps even calling that family member I haven't talked to in a while or visiting someone in need of prayer or financial help.

Bottom line:
Today, nothing is more important than meeting with God and creating the opportunity to see Him at work.

Important notes:

• You will not always be deciding between something good and something evil. Sometimes, you will have to sacrifice something good (of temporary value, for example) for something that is better (of eternal value).
• ​As you may have picked up, 'building an altar' can happen anywhere. God wants us to meditate on His Word and talk with Him as we're going about our daily activities.
• You will always 'sacrifice' something (not to use the term too loosely). I sacrificed time I could have spent elsewhere by writing this blog post. Since I cannot be in two places at once and multi-tasking is pretty much a myth, I must always choose between A or B. 
• I cannot expect to 'experience' God if I don't set time aside to experience God. The time creates the opportunity. No time, no opportunity.

PS - Below is a simple sheet you can use to identify activities in your daily schedule that waste time and create more opportunities to meet with God.

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ALTARPRENEUR - Opportunity Cost Indicator
File Size:	98 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Keep the Fire Burning,
Danny