Opportunity Seekers

Making A Difference

11/30/03

 

God gives us golden opportunities–it’s our responsibility to seize them!

Eph. 5:15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Col. 4:5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Gal. 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Let me share something very special that our neighbors our doing. Robert “Butch” Quarles is the general manager of Diagraph. He came to me and said that the people who work there wanted to do something different this year for Christmas. Instead of doing something for themselves, they wanted to do something special for someone else. He asked if we had a special ministry they could help. I said the Refuge Home.

Here’s an idea for all of us. Instead of buying gifts at Christmas for our own family members why not do something for someone else? Avoid doing this for your close friends.

On “Good Morning America” this past week there was a segment about a school doing random acts of kindness in memory of a soldier who was killed in Iraq. This man did acts of kindness at their school secretly.

We should do “Random acts of kindness” in the name of Jesus--saying: “The privilege is mine, thank Jesus.”

The Lord gives us opportunities to touch other peoples’ lives and make a difference--do we seize the moment?

People who seize the moment make a difference in someone’s life.

People will forget what you said.

People will forget what you did.

But people will never forget how you made them feel.

Phil 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Heb. 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

1 Pet. 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

What does it take to be a person who seizes opportunities and makes a difference?

1. Acts of kindness can open doors of opportunities.

Today we are going to Jenner School because eleven years ago Dave responded to a newspaper article with an act of kindness.

2. Refuse to be complacent!

Amos 6:1 Woe to you who are complacent in Zion...

Life is not laying around watching TV and being comfortable!

3. Have compassion for people.

Virgil and Jill have a compassion for the people on Pine Ridge Reservation--and they know it!

Compassion opens doors.

4. Look at your life in a bigger picture. Read Es. Chapter 4.

5. Be willing to face a challenge. God does not want us to live in fear about anything.

6. Walk in Godly confidence. There are those who have no confidence. Those with self confidence. And then there are those who have Godly confidence!

1 Sam. 17:45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

7. Be passionate about what God has put in your heart and never loose it.

Read Jos. 14:6-15.

8. Keep yourself useful to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb. 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

2 Tim. 2:20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. ²¹ If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

2 Pet. 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.