Unexpected Opportunities
"But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me." Luke 21:13
The late Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, was well-known for encouraging Christians to make the most of unexpected opportunities to share Christ with others.
This morning, as our family was leaving church, we were met with just such an unexpected opportunity. There, at the back entrance of the church building, a family was standing, holding a sign which read, "Lost job and in need of food and clothing." As I read the sign and dug through my purse for a few dollars, I felt great compassion for them. I handed the wife a few dollars and continued on with my family to the car as I heard another church member say, "Now, you come back tomorrow and go to the church offices, and they will help you." I saw almost everyone else in the church simply walking past them, as though they were invisible.
It broke my heart.
Proverbs 3:28 says, "If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”
What also broke my heart once I arrived at our car was the fact that I did not share Christ with them. God had provided the perfect opportunity, even bringing them to the church door, and I did not share Him. I should have asked my husband to turn the car around so that I could go back and share Christ with them, instead of only handing them a few dollars, but I didn't.
2 Timothy 4:2 says, "Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching."
May God have mercy, and may we take advantage of every opportunity to share Christ.
The late Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, was well-known for encouraging Christians to make the most of unexpected opportunities to share Christ with others.
This morning, as our family was leaving church, we were met with just such an unexpected opportunity. There, at the back entrance of the church building, a family was standing, holding a sign which read, "Lost job and in need of food and clothing." As I read the sign and dug through my purse for a few dollars, I felt great compassion for them. I handed the wife a few dollars and continued on with my family to the car as I heard another church member say, "Now, you come back tomorrow and go to the church offices, and they will help you." I saw almost everyone else in the church simply walking past them, as though they were invisible.
It broke my heart.
Proverbs 3:28 says, "If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”
What also broke my heart once I arrived at our car was the fact that I did not share Christ with them. God had provided the perfect opportunity, even bringing them to the church door, and I did not share Him. I should have asked my husband to turn the car around so that I could go back and share Christ with them, instead of only handing them a few dollars, but I didn't.
2 Timothy 4:2 says, "Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching."
May God have mercy, and may we take advantage of every opportunity to share Christ.
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