Looking For Opportunities
Noticing the People God Places in Our Path
Colossians 4:5 — “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.”
Opening Reflection
We know how to look for an opportunity. We watch for a sale before making a purchase, browse the stores for just the right gift, or keep our eyes open for a promising job. We notice these openings because they matter to us. But in the middle of our ordinary days, how often do we look for an opportunity to love someone in Jesus’ name, especially someone who does not yet know Him?
Taking a Devotional View
Long before we ever looked for Him, Jesus sought us and loved us. He stopped beneath a sycamore tree and called Zacchaeus by name (Luke 19:5), and He sat beside a well to speak with a Samaritan woman whom others would have avoided (John 4:7–10). Having been noticed and loved by Christ, we are called to notice others. Paul urged believers to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time” (Colossians 4:5). The word Paul uses for time speaks of an opportune moment, and making the best use is marketplace language, the picture of buying up a good opportunity before it passes. A neighbor who has never set foot in a church, a coworker with honest questions about faith, or a cashier having a hard day may be just such an opportunity. Showing Christ’s love can begin with a patient conversation, a practical kindness, or a sincere offer to pray.
These opportunities begin in prayer. Just before this verse, Paul asked the Colossians to pray that God would “open to us a door for the word” (Colossians 4:3). When the door opens, love makes room for truth: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6). We can speak plainly about the hope we have in Jesus (His mercy, His death and resurrection, and His invitation to trust Him) while listening with humility. We cannot manufacture someone’s response, but we can be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15) and leave the outcome with God. Today, as you go about your errands, ask Him to open your eyes to the people He has placed along the way.
Key Thoughts & Takeaways
Key Thoughts
- Jesus noticed and pursued us before we ever looked for Him, and He calls us to notice others (Luke 19:10).
- Everyday encounters with those outside the faith are opportunities we should be ready to “buy up” before they pass (Colossians 4:5).
- Open doors for the gospel begin with prayer (Colossians 4:3).
- Gracious, wise speech helps us know how to answer each person (Colossians 4:6).
- Our part is to be ready; the outcome belongs to God (1 Peter 3:15).
Ask Yourself
- Who in my daily routine does not yet know Jesus, and have I been too busy to notice them?
- Am I asking God to open doors for the gospel in my everyday life?
- What practical kindness could show Christ’s love to that person?
- Am I prepared to explain the hope I have in Jesus if the conversation opens?
Lord Jesus, thank You for noticing me and seeking me when I was not looking for You. Open my eyes to the people around me, especially those who do not yet know You. Open doors for Your word, and make me ready to walk through them. Give me a heart that listens, hands ready to serve, and speech that is gracious and seasoned with salt. Help me make the best use of the opportunities You give me today, and teach me to trust You with the outcome. Amen.