Seize the Year

Its a new year full of new possibilities and fresh starts. If we were to honestly ask ourselves I think we would all agree that we want 2009 to be memorable and life changing, as oppose to just another year that we float through without any real purpose, goals or reasons.

In a letter to the church of Ephesus Paul was writing an encouragement for the church not to sit back waiting for things to happen or even just to passively expect God to transform lives.

Ephesians 5:15-17
“So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

The Greek word used in the phrase making the most of every opportunity is a commercial word used in the marketplace that represents buying things up quickly or snatching them up. We can see that Paul is saying, don't sit back and expect the goodness of God to be shown around the world. You've got to take action. He's calling for Christ followers who would no longer be spectators with their faith, but now doers and people of action. We carry a responsibility of showing God's love to mankind through practical means. The problem is that we tend to only do this when its convenient and planned. Paul is reminding us to make every moment an opportunity to do good. He's saying we need to seize the day, seize the moment, seize the now. No longer can we sit back waiting for the future to happen, saying to ourselves, "I can't wait until..."

We've got to be a church body that looks at their present moment and says to themselves, "how can I do good right now?" This could be a wide variety of moments that we would ordinarily ignore or forget about, but now we want to make these once "disposable" moments into unforgettable and life changing moments.

So the next time you're stuck in traffic, waiting in line at a store, walking to your next class, doing the dishes or you've got 10 minutes to kill - ask yourself, "How can I make this an opportunity to do good?"