29 Jan Being Deliberate About Your Opportunities

On December 31, 2017, forty-two people from the Peace Christian Church were gathered for prayer to usher in the New Year, which of course was last year. During that evening a word grew within us, that was already a reality before, but became concrete. The year ahead was the beginning of a season of opportunity.

So we labelled 2018 “the year of opportunity.” In reality however, it was the first year of a season of opportunities that were ahead of us all.

Most people when they consider opportunity tend to think in terms of what it can do for them. So they sense it might mean business opportunities, or educational, relational or employment opportunities.

While these things also come along as opportunities too, and the Lord knows how to bless His people with them, and while we should be believing for them, these things are not the entire story.

What about opportunities that bring benefit to others? What about the opportunity we have to serve, to care, to pray, to disciple and to love others. These things are before us as major opportunities to do something for the sake of Christ.

Opportunity then is something that we must be deliberate about. We don’t sit around and wait for a lost soul with the right questions to appear on our doorstep asking how to be saved. That type of opportunity rarely presents itself. Yet opportunity to pray for chances to share the gospel is always present. Opportunity to be a witness for Christ in both life and deed is always there and can be cultivated. The opportunity to study the word of God and pray has not gone away. Just these few examples show how increased richness will come to us and others if we are deliberate about them.

Thomas Edison is the one who said “Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

Even the opportunities which do bring benefit to us personally almost always fit into the overalls category. A good education, a promotion at work, good business deals, a good marriage and writing a best selling book are all things which involve hard work.

And the opportunities we are surrounded by, which bring blessing to Christ and others likewise require us to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

The first place to start is in your prayer closet. Pray for God to open your eyes to see the opportunities that surround you. Pray to understand your contribution and how you can serve. Pray to see the good you are meant to do and pray that God works through you to bring his will to pass.