Friday, June 1, 2018
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Over the years, my wife missed some memorable photographs because of me. Well, frankly because I was in too much of a hurry to stop. I'll tell you what, what a gift as a photographer this lady had! What an eye for what was going to turn out to be a memorable picture. So, we'd be speeding along. She'd see one of those potential pictures and ask me to stop. Okay, here comes my all-too-frequent answer: "We'll stop later." OK, I'm a guy. Well, somehow the same picture isn't there a few minutes later. I remember this one scene; we saw this cabin in a field and it was haloed with this beautiful rainbow. That scene just wasn't there a few minutes later. It's amazing how there's this brief window during which you can capture the scene and, well, then it's gone.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Grabbing The Golden Moment."
Now in our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus is actually describing a window of opportunity that's easy to miss. It's an exciting scene, but you have to capture it when the moment's there. It's in John 9:4. Jesus says this. "As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent Me. Night is coming when no one can work." He's describing what I'll call the "work of God window"--this brief spiritual opening during which you can accomplish an important spiritual objective. Then, just like those photo opportunities we've missed, the golden moment is gone.
There is a special timing in God's work, and we need to be able to see what time it is in our lives and in the lives of other people, and then we have to respond quickly and accordingly. When the window opens, when God's moving, it's time to drop everything and work like mad and follow Him in the direction He's going.
This "work of God window" might be, for example, a teachable moment that suddenly arises in the life of a friend of yours or maybe a family member, maybe one of your children, your grandchildren. Now we usually want to teach when we feel like teaching, but no, it doesn't work that way. We have to seize the natural opening when it arises. It might be that someone who has been closed to spiritual things is suddenly feeling the need for what you have to share. Would you drop your scheduled agenda and seize the moment!
These ministry windows, they come in the lives of individuals, they come in the life of a church, they come in the life of a Christian ministry...in the life of a family. It's this unexpected, unscheduled season of opportunity. Ready or not, grab it while it's day. If you're rigid, if you're inflexible, if you just stick to your original plan, if you're just too busy, you'll miss this moment. You might find that your circle of friends is, for just a short time, suddenly open to hearing
God's perspective on something. Or maybe it's the people you live with or work with, or maybe your family. God might be moving you toward a place of greater usefulness for Him. That's exciting! You weren't expecting this, but take this opportunity. God may open up a natural opportunity today for you to speak to someone about the love of Jesus Christ that has changed your life. An "interruption" may actually be a God-given chance to really minister to someone's life in a moment of deep need. When God opens that door, opens that window, says "Go", go.
See, our mission is to wake up in the morning and begin looking for the ministry window that that day may hold. "This is the day the Lord has made." When God opens up a spiritual opportunity, don't be all rigid and just keep speeding along, unwilling to change. Respond, even if it means changing your plans. And work hard till it's dark, because this picture may never look like this again--and it won't look like this for long. So, man, grab this golden moment!