Opportunity!

Opportunity!

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10 KJV

We come from different backgrounds, with a lot of baggage attached to our family life, education, possession and connections. No two people have the same experience, but for all of us, there is a common end that God has planned for us, and it is the salvation of our souls and eternity with him. While we wait for the full manifestation of his plan, there are a few things we will need to sort out down here on earth, including relationships with other people who also have their own baggage. No man is an island, and no man can survive as one. 

Life in the early church in Acts makes this very clear. All the believers were together and had all things in common. No one had too much and no one had too little. Those who had more than enough brought the excess and laid all at the feet of the apostles for distribution to those who had needs. It is not a wonder then that the church at that time grew exponentially, and even when a couple like Ananias and Sapphira tried to game the system for personal gain, they paid for it with their lives. God sets so much store by the things that he requires from those who bear allegiance to him. I cannot live as I please or act as I choose; there are rules of engagement for all who claim that they are owned by God. 

The standard is that I do good to ALL men first of all, not because the men do good to me first but because good is all my life can produce. When a sponge is soaked, and then squeezed, it will only let out that with which it has been soaked. No matter how hard you try, if a sponge is soaked in ordinary water, it cannot produce ice cream. When life comes at you at the speed of a frieght train and you are confused, what comes out of you when you are squeezed? When pressure tries to take a shot at me, what does my life produce? Whatever it is that comes out of me under pressure is a revelation of whatever it is I have spent time storing up. If I will be able to do good, I must have learnt good and then stored it up, so that when a demand is made for it, my life can produce good. 

It is for all men, no matter what they have done to me. It is hard, but then, if it was not hard, then there will not be any point to Christianity. I do not wait to get anything good first of all, but I give out of all that is in me, so that all of God in me can be made known. There is an emphasis on those who belong to the household of faith, because it is from home that a man's character is formed. I can pretend to people outside but not to those with whom my private life is laid bare. Too many times we focus on making the right impression on people outside, neglecting those who really matter. When the home is at peace, its message will be loud and clear to outsiders. 

I must take advantage of every opportunity given to me to make an impact on the lives of all that God brings my way. I am not to be concerned first about their faith but first about their humanity. Jesus died for all men too, and if I will truly follow him, I cannot live less than that standard. The whole world awaits the manifestation of the sons of God, and how else will the world know except it sees the examples of God in the lives of ordinary men like you and I. His time of favour is here.