November 8th~A World of Opportunity

Acts 3:1-5:42

Peter, John, and the other disciples capitalized on the momentum that was created by the coming of the Holy Spirit, the preaching of the Gospel in various languages, and the thousands of people who were coming to Christ. The early Church was growing quickly and “each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

In the midst of all that God did in our passage today, one word particularly caught my attention — opportunity. Webster defined opportunity as “a fit or convenient time, a time favorable for the purpose” (1828 Dictionary). In regards to glorifying God or shining a light on the Gospel, the God of providence is constantly arranging opportunities, “fit and convenient times, favorable for His purposes.” However, we are not always alert to their presence, nor do we take advantage of them. Consider what God did with Peter and John today.

First, they met a man in need on the way to the Temple (3:1-11). Rather than ignore him, they took advantage of the opportunity and stopped to help him. By God’s power, they were even able to heal him. As a result of the miracle, “They were absolutely astounded! They rushed out to where he was, holding tightly to Peter and John. Everyone stood there in awe of the wonderful thing that had happened.”

Notice what happened next. “Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd” (v.12). Because they had stopped to help the lame man, God had afforded them the opportunity to share the Gospel with a great crowd of people. Because they walked through one door, it led to another. It gets even better.

When the religious leaders heard what was going on, they arrested Peter and John and threw them in jail (4:1-22). While this may seem like a terrible situation, in truth it was just another opportunity. The next morning, Peter and John found themselves with a private audience of the chief priests. Once again, Peter was alert to the opportunity and shared the Gospel with them. “There is salvation in no one else,” he told them. “There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them” (v.12).

Daily Reflection

You live in a world of opportunities. They are all around you. Every day, the Lord provides open doors for you to walk through, opportunities for you to glorify Him in some way or even to share the good news of Jesus Christ. The question is this — are you seeing them? What are some reasons why you may miss seeing opportunities that God has provided for you?

Even though you may see opportunities does not mean that you will take advantage of them. Why not?

When “all of the believers were united and lifting their voices in prayer” (4:24), one of the things they prayed for was boldness (v.29-31). It is one thing to see opportunities, but it is another thing to use them. That requires boldness. The enemy wants you to remain silent, to ignore open doors, to squelch the Spirit’s prompting, or to wait for another time. Be faithful to see and take advantage of opportunities!

BiAY.org | Day 312 — 53 Days to Go