Ephesians 5:11-14: Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
This passage begins with the exhortation from Paul to be very careful, then, how you live. Diligence must be exercised in our spiritual walk, if we are to prosper in God. God has provided every resource necessary for our total, complete victory over Satan. But, we must walk in the light of those resources provided. Satan does have one positive trait that many Christians lack. He is persistent.
I like the translation of verse fifteen found in Young's Literal Translation of the Bible. See, then, how exactly ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise. Certainly, God's grace is available to help cover our many missteps, yet in the wisdom of God, it is important to realize the advantage of learning to walk "exactly" in God. That means living every day according to the Word of God. That means committing yourself every day to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in your life. That means guarding your heart every day from the assault of ungodly thoughts.
Paul goes on to exhort the church at Ephesus to make the most of every opportunity. Opportunities are gifts from God to make an impact for the kingdom of God in the life of another person.
The Greek verb used in this text is a strengthened form of another verb which denotes "to buy out," especially used of purchasing a slave with a view to freedom. Here it is used in the middle voice meaning "to buy up for oneself," or buying up the opportunity. Some translations use the phrase "redeeming the time." It means to make the most of every opportunity, turning each to the best advantage since none can be recalled if missed. (From W.E. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words)
Here is the message is clear. Make the most of every opportunity because "none can be recalled if missed."
Everyone has squandered opportunities. We are imperfect people living in an imperfect world. There will be other opportunities squandered in the future. We should never allow the enemy to condemn us over lost opportunities.
However, we should take seriously the exhortation of Paul to make the most of every opportunity. Every day is a gift from God. Every day is an opportunity to share the life of Jesus Christ with others around us. As we become increasingly sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we will clearly see opportunities to minister to others. These opportunities must not be squandered, because they cannot be recalled if missed.
About three years ago the dad of a friend of my daughter had surgery for cancer. At first the doctors did not think they succeeded in removing all the cancer. Later, the tests showed no cancerous cells in his body. However, the doctors chose to treat this man with chemotherapy as a precaution.
God had given me an unusually strong burden of prayer for this man. Our family knew his daughter quite well, because she had stayed in our home on numerous occasions. I knew that he did not attend church, and I knew that there was no real outward evidence of a relationship with Jesus Christ. It was in my heart to visit him and to show forth the love of God to him.
I decided that I would wait until he completed his six week series of chemotherapy treatments before I went to see him. During these treatments this gentleman experienced an allergic reaction to the chemotherapy and suddenly died. The cancer did not kill him, but the treatment did.
I realized that I had squandered an opportunity. I squandered an opportunity to talk to him about Jesus. I squandered an opportunity to pray for him in person. The power of prayer knows no distance, yet it is possible, that prayer for him in person could have made the difference between him living and dying.
I am not condemned that I squandered that opportunity, but I will always regret not being more aggressive in ministry to that man. That opportunity was missed, and it can no longer be recalled. I choose to use this missed opportunity as a lesson and as a motivation to make the most of every opportunity presented to me.
Heaven will be far more wonderful than our minds can conceive. However, in this world we have unique opportunities that we will not have when we move to that heavenly city. Here, we have the opportunity to be an instrument of God to help move a person from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. Here, we have the opportunity to pray for those who are sick, discouraged and oppressed by the evil one.
These are truly great days in the kingdom of God. He has entrusted each of us with opportunities to make an eternal difference in the lives of others.
Make the most of every opportunity!
Wayne L. Williams
wayne@fotwm.org