Making the Most

Paul closes the letter to the church in Colosse with the encouragement to "make the most of every opportunity" -- now, I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty daunting task to me. It's easy to let so many other things distract us from our mission and detract from our message. We remember, however, that there just as there a time to laugh, there is a time to weep (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

So, how do make the most of every opportunity? And what is this opportunity anyway? Well, the opportunity is to share Jesus. Thing is, Jesus went through the trials of life just as we do (Hebrews 4:15) and there were times when Jesus cried, when Jesus was alone, when Jesus needed the quiet time with the Father. Do we not think that Jesus was able to make the most of every opportunity to teach, or lead, or share of the blessings of the Kingdom? I think He did, and we can look to these events in His life as examples.

"Making the most of every opportunity" may not mean what some people it means. Maybe it means we listen to others around us and hear their story and share in their suffering. Maybe it means we are in quiet communion with the Lord. Maybe it means we take a moment to be thankful for everything we have.

Look at the focus of the message in the few verses before this phrase. Paul gives us the keys to unlocking the mystery of how to "make the most of every opportunity": spend more time in prayer and thanking God. When we do this, then we will see God using us in powerful ways as we have opportunity to bring Jesus to others.