Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about Ephesians 5:15-16: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
What would it look like to make the most of every opportunity in this strange new season?
Learn How to Share Your Faith. If you’ve never shared the gospel with someone else, the opportunity is knocking right now. Certainly some people are crazy busy—working in hospitals, grocery stores, and the like. But there are many, many people who are sitting at home, trying to pass time and stave off anxiety. They will read whatever’s on their newsfeed. They will talk to whoever calls. They will listen because times are uncertain.
A simple way to share the gospel is to think in three categories: good news, bad news, good news.
The good news is that God loves us. He created us in His own image to reflect His glory. His plans for us are good because His heart is pure and filled with kindness. (Genesis 1:27, I John 1:5; 4:16)
The bad news is that we are broken. Sin isn’t just outward actions; it’s an inward nature we inherited from Adam. This is why life hurts—why we suffer, struggle, and don’t sense God’s love and goodness. (Genesis 3, Romans 5:12)
The good news is that Jesus died to redeem us. He lived the perfect life we could never live, and died the death we deserve to satisfy God’s holy wrath against sin. In this way, He became sin for us so that we could be reconciled with God. (2 Corinthians 5:21, John 3:16)
Ask God to give you the courage and opportunity to share this message with someone in the coming weeks. Trust Him with the results, believing that when we show up, God shows up.
Leverage Your Weakness. Nothing is more disarming than authenticity. You don’t have to be perfect to tell others about Jesus; in fact, people will always be more drawn to your weakness than your strength. So let them in on your humanity. Talk about how Jesus is meeting you in the midst of real heartache and struggle.
Lean on Jesus Moment by Moment. Recently, I read Finish the Mission by John Piper and David Mathis. One of the most insightful things I gathered from the book is that the primary reason we don’t evangelize is because we’re not present with God. We’re not taking the time to sit with Him. To listen. To love Him. It’s in these quiet moments that God shapes our desires, soothes our souls, and fills us so that we can overflow into others.
With great difficulty comes great opportunity. One day we will look back on this season and see God’s faithfulness. That’s a guarantee. It’s impossible for God to be anything but faithful because He cannot deny His own character (2 Timothy 2:13).
The variable is, will we have been faithful? Six months from now, will we be repenting, saying “God, I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. I’m sorry I failed to make the most of every opportunity.” Or will we be rejoicing, saying, “I knew it, God! I believed You would come through, and I praise You for the opportunities I’ve had to make much of You.”
That part of the story has yet to be written. Let’s write it for His glory.
