READY: “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise
but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the
days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what
the Lord’s will is” –Ephesians 5:15-17
SET: In the movie Miracle, Herb Brooks, coach of the USA
Olympic Hockey Team, said, just before they took the ice against
Russia (the number 1 hockey team in the world), “Great moments
are born out of great opportunities.” Ephesians 5:15-17 – is
pretty straightforward, wouldn’t you say? We need to make the
most of every opportunity . . . every divine opportunity and I
think there are at least three divine opportunities available to
everyone of us today.
Accentuate the whole story. There is a very important word in
this passage. It’s in verse 15, and the word is "then." “Be very
careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise . . . ”
What does the "then" refer to? It refers to what God is saying
through Paul in the preceding verses, and in particular, verses
8-10: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the
Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light
consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out
what pleases the Lord.” As Christians, we’re supposed to know
"the whole story." We were once in darkness, but because of
Jesus and what He came to earth to accomplish, we now live in
light. And because of that, there should be a difference in how
we concentrate and go about our day to day living. You must
cultivate every divine opportunity that’s available to you to
get closer to the Lord each day.
Communicate the whole story. Verse 17 says to understand what
the Lord’s will is. Do you know what God’s will is? It’s that
everyone will hear the Good News of Jesus and surrender their
hearts to Him. Are you ready to tell someone what the whole
story is? Every day God puts people across your path who are
hurting and lost. They need to hear that God can and will make a
difference in their lives. The Lord’s not asking you to
articulate theology but simply share, to elaborate on your
experience with an Almighty God, to tell others what Jesus means
to you . . . oh, and it wouldn’t hurt if you threw in John 3:16.
Open your eyes – divine opportunities are all around you.
Demonstrate the whole story. Lip-service doesn’t cut it. All
lip-service does is reinforce the stereotype that Christians are
as shallow as the rest of the world. And that doesn’t please
Jesus at all. Show people that you do more than talk a good
talk. Show by your consistent life in Christ that you “Live the
Difference” in goodness, righteousness, and truth. To “Live the
Difference” means you must separate yourself from the people of
sin, the places of sin and the pleasures of sin. It means you
must illustrate that you are totally sold out to Jesus as your
Lord and Savior. It means that you must dedicate your life daily
to doing God’s will and pleasing Him.
GO: 1.
WORKOUT:
OVERTIME: "Lord,. Amen."
