TODAY IS…

the day to grasp every opportunity.

“Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.”  Ephesians 5:16 NLT

It is an indisputable – as well as an unfortunate – fact of life that opportunities abound on a daily basis to give in to temptation of one kind or another and put a smile on the face of the devil by sinning against God.

It was Paul who was instructing the Ephesians in the above referenced Bible verse. One can only imagine what Paul would say about today’s world if he thought that his day was filled with evil. It would probably be safe to venture that he would be stunned at just how decadent, disrespectful, disinterested, and destructive man has become.

But at the same time, it would be interesting to see the look on his face as he realized just how far Christianity has come. He would more than likely be very pleased with the number of people who make it a part of their daily lives to grasp each and every opportunity that passes their way to do good.

It is true that evil walks this earth with boldness and disregard for human life that increases almost daily. But it is also true that there are millions of people who are kind, gentle, and loving who are willing to fight for the souls of their fellow man.

When our singular objective is to look only for the opportunities to do good, we will discover a closeness with God that will amaze us. When we are looking for opportunities to do the right thing, we are following Paul’s instructions for “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10 NASB).

Then we are ready to follow Paul’s admonishment to, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11 NIV).

Focusing on opportunities to do good things keeps our focus on God, where it should be. It is easy to be caught up in the ways of the world, especially in the world of today. Television, the internet, and even our telephones bring us face to face with choices that we must make. The need is great for spiritual strength to resist all that we are tempted with. Our human desire to ‘belong’ is great. Our need to be ‘a part of the action’ can be overwhelming.

However, we must constantly remind ourselves that the only ‘action’ we need to be a part of is to live our lives in a way that makes the sacrifice of Jesus Christ worthwhile. Grasping every opportunity to do good is one way of helping us keep that focus. Look for those opportunities to do good today, and every day.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson