Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5 (NLT)
As a pastor, my dad understood eternity is forever. As a result, he took advantage of every opportunity that passed his way to reach people for God’s Kingdom. For example, I remember him hurrying down a hospital hall when he passed a man in a wheelchair. My dad stopped abruptly, walked over to the man and asked him, “Are you saved?” In about thirty seconds flat, my dad won him to Jesus and prayed the salvation prayer with him. Then he carried on down the hall!
Another time, he walked into a hospital room and asked one fellow in his bed, “Do you know Jesus? Oh, He will change your life!” As he began to engage in conversation with this man, the people in the other beds started to put down their books, shut off their televisions and listen.
Within minutes, my dad had gathered that man’s soul into God’s Kingdom for eternity. As he was about to leave, the other people almost simultaneously said, “Could I speak to you?” He went from bed to bed and won all four people in that room to Christ.
You see, God can orchestrate all kinds of opportunities, but it’s up to us to make the most of them. It might be sharing your story over coffee, planting a seed with the stranger in the bread aisle or chatting in the driveway with a neighbour. It doesn’t matter how or where we do it.
Some peoples’ decisions to accept Christ may be years in the making, and others take just minutes. What matters is taking advantage of big and little opportunities when they present themselves to share Jesus in a gentle, diplomatic way.
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