Happy Friday everyone. I want to share with you the word of the Lord from Colossians 4:2-6, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”

You know, sometimes we can get overwhelmed in our lives with all kinds of things that are going on, things that we’re hearing, things that we’re seeing. And yet, one of the things that I reflected on in this verse is how important the use of our time really is. And this verse calls to mind that we would treat time as a great opportunity to share the most important thing that we know, and that is that Jesus, His love for us, His death on the cross, His resurrection from the grave, means eternal life.

It means that we can have hope. It means that in a world that is evil and many times upside down, we have a God who cares. A God who is engaged, and a God who one day we will see face to face. And from now until then, our role is to, as it says, to make the most of every opportunity, to seize today, to take the opportunity for the time that God has given us to share with others the good news and the hope that we have in Jesus.

Prayer
Lord, my mind is so divided and distracted lately. The noise of this world’s division, hatred, war, and brokenness continually causes me anxious thoughts and feelings of worry and concern. As a result, my mind races trying to find answers, safety and assurance that everything is going to be okay. You invite me to devote all this energy into having a conversation with You.

From such prayer, I see things differently. I hear and reason differently. I feel differently. Talking with You and listening to Your word refocuses my mind with peace, wisdom, comfort, and strength. And now I see possible in what was impossible. Situations and people who seemed forever lost, are now opportunities for Your power and salvation. And true to Your word, my mind becomes alert and my heart fills with thankfulness and praise.

Lord, may my actions today take hold of every opportunity to speak about Your redeeming work in this world through Jesus Christ, Your Son, my Savior. Amen.