The Daily Devotional of The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Missed Opportunity" for Saturday, March 4, 2017 with Scripture Colossians 4:2-6

The Daily Devotional of The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Missed Opportunity" for Saturday, March 4, 2017 with Scripture Colossians 4:2 Keep persisting in prayer, staying alert in it and being thankful. 3 Include prayer for us, too, that God may open a door for us to proclaim the message about the secret of the Messiah — for that is why I am in prison. 4 And pray that I may speak, as I should, in a way that makes the message clear.
5 Behave wisely toward outsiders, making full use of every opportunity — 6 let your conversation always be gracious and interesting, so that you will know how to respond to any particular individual.
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Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity[Colossians 4:5 (NIV)
I’ve become accustomed to television coverage of sporting events using instant replay. But real life has no instant replay. If we miss the moment, it’s gone. I realized this a few years ago while watching our grandson play cricket. My late husband and I didn’t love cricket, but we loved our grandson so we went to his match.
I took along some books to pass some time; the game started at 9:00 AM and was due to finish around 4:30 PM. I made the mistake of thinking that not much was happening because Brendan wasn’t bowling or batting. But I heard a cheer and discovered I was wrong. Brendan had made a spectacular catch, and I’d missed it. There was no replay. I would never have the opportunity to see that particular catch.
How often do we miss opportunities? We sometimes forget to pray for someone, to phone a friend at a crucial time, to visit someone who needs our help, or to smile at or speak to a stranger. We often miss the chance to share our faith. The Holy Spirit prompts us, but if we’re not paying attention and obeying, we may miss an opportunity that will never return When we listen and pay attention, God gives us many opportunities to serve by sharing our faith and serving and supporting one another.
Read more from the author, here.

"More from Lenore Warton"

When God gives me the words for a meditation they're always something I need to learn at that time. For awhile I'm conscious of the lesson, and after that it can be easy to slip into old habits. I love that when a meditation is published I receive another reminder.
I did miss an opportunity recently at the shops. I was purchasing lots of exercise books and some other items for Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child. I shared with the assistant the destination of my goods. I paid for them, and as I left I realized that I could have told her the stories of God's wonderful miracles as children received just the very thing they needed. She'd called the next customer and I missed another opportunity. I'm still very much a work in progress.[Lenore Warton]

See a picture of Lenore with her husband, here.
The Author: Lenore Warton (New South Wales, Australia)
Thought for the Day: When we pay attention, we see many opportunities to serve God.
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, help us to listen for your Holy Spirit’s promptings, ready to obey so that we may take every opportunity to serve you. Amen.
Prayer focus: Grandparents and grandchildren
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