When Opportunity Knocks, Do You Answer?

This week at our Lady's Bible Study our Assoc. Pastor shared something very touching with us. A member of our Church had a male relative/friend (I don't recall the relationship) who was ill. This man had his wife try and set up a meeting between the relative/friend and the Assoc. Pastor. Moving forward, the meeting was set up for Saturday of that week. The day of the meeting everyone was arrived as scheduled. The man on hospice was so excited & wanted to know JESUS. Now he did have an issue with worthiness, as he felt he had done so much in his lifetime that would keep him from the LORD. However, Pastor gave him scripture and encouragement to help him understand that nothing nor anyone was too far from the hands of the LORD if they would just cry out to HIM. Long story short, this man received salvation that very day and boy was he so happy. What was interesting to note was that the man did not know that the doctor's had only given him a short amount of time left for his life here on earth & Monday he passed on the be with the LORD.

Just as Pastor pointed out to us in his testimony, what would have happened if he and the other fellow said, "no let's not go on Saturday...I have golf or something else to do. Let's go Monday or Tuesday instead." GOD had ordered the steps of each individual for this meeting with the LORD. None of them knew that this man would not be here come Monday, so had they waited he would have been a soul lost for the LORD.

How many times do we ourselves have ministry opportunities in front of us that we don't seize? We may be too tired to give that extra 30 minutes to an hour to someone else that just may not have another chance to meet JESUS if we don't yield to the Holy Spirit. The kids have been driving you nuts today and when the phone rings you notice the caller ID says it's your friend who always has "an issue" that she needs to talk about. So you don't answer it and tell yourself, you'll call her in the morning. What you didn't know is that she was calling you because her husband had just walked out on her and she was wanting you to pray with her. But you missed the opportunity. What about the teenager who's friend is contemplating have sexual relations with their boy/girl friend and all it would take would be the encouraging prayer from their godly friend to help them say no. But instead, time is short and the mall is calling their name, so when the dismissal bell rings after school...out the door they go with one thing in mind....shopping! I could go on and on, but you get the point.

We are all guilty of missed ministry opportunities, myself included. We rush around trying to get this and that done before the days end, focusing only on ourselves and what affects us. We often times are too harried and hurried to notice that the LORD has placed someone in our path for us to minister to. So we miss the chance to show the LORD to them. Psalms 37:23 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD:"

Sometimes we think to ourselves, "how can GOD use me...after all I'm not that smart or I'm too shy." Or we question how we will be received by the other person, "what if they think I'm crazy and call me a JESUS freak or laugh at me?" GOD doesn't call the equipped, HE equips the called. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

We all need to be more willing to lay our agendas down and not waste precious Kingdom time. Luke 9:23 "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Time is one of our most treasured possessions, but think about how much more valuable it can be when we offer it to the LORD.