| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Live like it’s real” Our Bible verse for today: “Conduct yourself with wisdom in your interactions with outsiders (non-believers), make the most of each opportunity (treating it as something precious). Colossians 4:5 (Amplified Bible) Our thought for today: “Make the most of your opportunities” We’ve all heard the exhortation to “make the most of your opportunities.” Typically, that is said with respect to some kind of advancement in life such as going to college if you have the chance, or applying for a better position at work that just opened-up, or taking advantage of a smart investment opportunity you just became aware of – and there is wisdom in that approach to life. Success is achieved by those who go for it, not by those who don’t. But that’s not the context within which the Apostle Paul was using the phrase in Colossians 4:5. In this case he was speaking specifically of Christians interacting with unbelievers and taking advantage of the opportunities the Holy Spirit creates for us to share the Good News of the Gospel with them. He says that doing so will require wisdom. In other words, not only will we need to be spiritually sensitive enough to recognize the opportunity, but we will need to be wise enough to know the best way to approach the situation. He then says that such opportunities are precious. If they are precious then it means they are valuable, and perhaps somewhat rare. The opportunity is valuable because the issue at hand is that person’s eternal salvation. It is potentially rare because when it comes to an unbeliever being open to discussing spiritual things, there are windows of opportunity. These are windows of time when circumstances have created an opening in that person’s mind and heart – an opening that might only last for a short time. We must be spiritually sensitive enough to recognize such moments, then wise enough to boldly and decisively move into the moment in the right way. That sounds like hard work, doesn’t it? It sounds like this could be hard and perhaps the potential for failure is high. Yup. It is hard, it is work, and you might not be successful. But … try anyway. Remember, it is a precious moment – valuable and potentially rare. If the Holy Spirit has successfully orchestrated circumstances in that person’s life to create this opening, and He has placed you there to take advantage of that opportunity, then don’t be timid about it and don’t waste the chance to reach the person for Christ. This is part of living like our faith is real. We pay attention to people; we learn to recognize spiritual openings; and then we take advantage of the opportunities the Holy Spirit presents to us. I encourage all of us to pay attention to people today and to take advantage of the opportunities the Holy Spirit gives us to tell them about Jesus. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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