Monday’s opportunities

The young man told me that he felt he had a second chance at life and was resolved to make better choices. Several years ago, after a night of partying, he was in a catastrophic crash. The driver hit utility poles at high speed, flipping the car three times, and Matt was thrown into the roadway. His body was broken, his life hung by a thread. He told me that the medical bills were over a million dollars!  And now, he’s turned around, looking for ways to make his life count.  Perhaps your story is not so dramatic.  As a result, are you are content to drift from day to day, caught up in that common idea that life goes on forever? It doesn’t!  God is preparing opportunities for you, for me. Will we make the choice to step up?

The Word speaks this practical challenge to us. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:9-10, NIV)  What can we take away from this passage?

First, we are urged not to give up. Who has not had a moment when life just seemed too much to carry on?  “I quit!” plays in the corners of our mind.  A standing pastor joke is that most of write our resignations on Monday morning. After a day of preaching, loving, caring, sharing, praying there is a kind of weariness of soul. Sometimes when a Sunday has included disappointments, when the congregation was small, or the sermon did not ‘connect,’ we are tempted to say, “I’m finished!”  It is not just pastors, is it?  You probably have had moments when you wanted to quit your job, walk away from some commitment, call it quits on a ‘friend,’ or even abandon faith.  The Word promises us a harvest “if we do not give up.”   Before you quit, pause. Rest is required and in those pauses, we can find renewal, new perspective, a reason to try again.

Second, we are told to look for the opportunities. Are you waiting for your ‘big break?’  Are you sitting around in the mistaken belief that success will find you while you wait? Stand up, open your eyes, and do what you can do right where you are.  In my life, I have learned one secret of being productive.  I take advantage of the moment. In  between the major responsibilities, I do things that can be done in 15 minutes, in an hour. Instead of waiting for a ‘clear schedule’ I find ways to accomplish the small tasks in between the big ones. So in one day I can get one or two major things done and fit 5 or 6 lesser things in between. But, that demands a constant awareness of ‘what’s next?’

This Monday morning God may present you with an opportunity to encourage someone who is feeling broken, and it might be that your concern will help them make a decision with far-reaching consequence. The Spirit may whisper an invitation to you to listen to His voice while you drive. Will you? Or, will you turn on the radio and drown out His voice?  Your child may come looking for your loving attention, an opportunity. Will you look up from whatever you’re doing to listen and love?  The list goes on and on.  There are opportunities prepared all around us to make a difference in the world, but most are small, seeming almost inconsequential to us, but we cannot know what one simple act can do to change a life.

Meditate on this promise, a word from the Word before you move into your day.
"God can do anything, you know—
far more than you could ever imagine
or guess or request in your wildest dreams!

He does it

not by pushing us around

but by working within us,

his Spirit deeply and gently within us." (Ephesians 3:20, The Message)

Now, go make the most of those opportunities.

___________

I Surrender

(listen to the song at this link)

The riches of this world will fade

The treasures of our God remain

Here I empty myself to owe this world nothing

And find ev'rything in You

I surrender I surrender I surrender all to You

Take my life a sacrifice

In You alone I'm satisfied

Here I empty myself to owe this world nothing

And find ev'rything in You

Oh oh ev'rything in You

Not my will but Yours be done

Not my strength but Yours alone

Nothing else but You O Lord

I find ev'rything in You

David Leonard | Jason Ingram | Leslie Jordan

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