Colossians 4:5
5Be wise in the way
you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
Something happened to me while I was on the way to church this morning which made me decide to change what I was going to write about this week. I have been feeling rather downhearted this week and really have not been connecting with the Lord as I should. As I walked to church I ran into one of my colleagues who holds a higher position in the workplace than I do. Before I get into the meat of the message I should probably say that it is quite unusual for these higher ranking colleagues to associate themselves with those lower down the pecking order. So I happen to be in the very fortunate position of having this man talk to me on a regular basis at work to begin with. But when I met this man on the way, I greeted him and he greeted back. He could clearly see that I was carrying a bible, so all the pieces were in the right order. I rushed a few quick words at him as I walked by, and began to cross the road saying my goodbyes. The exchange was literally that fast. But as I crossed the road, it occurred to me that he had been walking toward me as though he wanted to have a more in depth conversation. I was not in any particular rush, I did not have any excuse to walk on by with such hesitancy, and yet I found that is exactly what happened.
If I had taken the time to stop and have a brief
conversation with this man, I could have invited him to come with me to church.
As I carried on my journey to church a few hundred yards up the road, the
thought that I had really missed a golden opportunity ran through my mind. By
the time church was over, I really felt quite rotten inside about not being
more open to the situation. I certainly don’t intend to make the same error any
time soon, and I want to encourage you that there are opportunities which
present themselves in all our situations where we can have a chance to invite
people to church or talk to them about Jesus. I missed my opportunity today,
perhaps because I have been feeling further away from the Lord than I should. Let
yourself be open to invite people to come with you, to see the chances when
they present themselves. I wish I had and I encourage you to look for them.
1 Peter 3:15
15But in your hearts
set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But
do this with gentleness and respect,
Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.
Charles Spurgeon
