Your Bible Boost with Pastor Leonard Navarre
It is my prayer that these few moments together will encourage yet challenge each of us.
Today’s Bible Boost is from Colossians 4:5, “make the most of every opportunity”. When I was growing up in Southern Louisiana there was a Discount Department Store named “Gibson’s, which had a motto, “buy for less. Well, one day I drove by and there was a new name on the front, “Wal-Mart”. I thought to myself. What’s a “Wal-Mart”. Is it a place where they sell walls. Someone suggested that I buy stock in the new store. “No way”, I said. “With a name like that, it will never last.” BOY, DID I MISS AN OPPORTUNITY.
Reminds me of man I read about. Dean Rhodes. He met a man named, Dave Thomas who was starting up a new company. Dave wanted him to invest in his new company which would sell “square hamburgers”. Dean declined thinking, square hamburgers would never be popular. We know it today as “Wendy’s”. Boy, did Dean miss an opportunity. On a cruise one year later Dean met a man that encouraged him to invest in his son’s new computer company with a funny name. Dean again declined. That company… “Microsoft”. Again, Dean missed an opportunity. Or did you hear about the man who was talking to an older gentleman that was starting up a company that would be dealing in fried chickens. The old gentleman invited the man to invest in this fried chicken business with a funny name,Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yep, you guessed it…Colonel Sanders was the older gentleman. Another missed opportunity.
Most of us are just like this “Dean Rhodes”. There are opportunities all around us. Hey, I’m not speaking about only financial opportunities. There are God directed opportunities that God has sent our way to make a difference in others lives by showing them the “love of Jesus”. God pleasing opportunities where God wants to do incredible even impossible far reaching ministries through us by touching the lives of others.
But so many times we are not ready to “seize the moment”. I often wonder how many opportunities that God has sent my way that I wasn’t ready or just plain refused to follow His leading. A missed opportunity to say a positive word. A missed opportunity to send a card of encouragement. A missed opportunity to make a phone call. A missed opportunity to say, “I’m sorry”. A missed opportunity to say a good word for my best friend, Jesus Christ. Or avoiding a conversation to not appear to be “fanatical”.
Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
May I take this opportunity to encourage you to seize the opportunities all around each day to make a difference. May we prepare ourselves through prayer to be ready when God leads us to those circumstances that we can make a difference.
Remember, we are His hands, His feet, His voice.
You know, these opportunities start at home. Then, opportunities at the bank, the grocery store, even down at, yes, “WALMART”.
Let us capture the opportunities. Let us seize the day and redeem the time. Colossians 4:5 says, “conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders making the most of every opportunity”.
I praying that each one of us will make the most of every opportunity, as God provides, to show them the love of Jesus.
Love people! Help meet their needs AND show them Jesus.
God bless,
—
Leonard Navarre
