SCRIPTURE
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise, but as wise, making
the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Ephesians
5:15–16)
TEACHING
A famous saying tells us, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a
man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” Giving a fish and giving a fishing
lesson are both small and simple acts of generosity but with vastly
different outcomes. Development organizations have long recognized
the strategic relevance of this concept. A spirit of generosity is wonderful,
but it can become something truly transformational when we get
strategic! In Ephesians, Paul tells us to “be very careful” how we live.
The phrase implies the ideas of observation, thoughtfulness, and focus
beyond the normal. “Making the most of every opportunity” extends
this concept further. Not just recognizing an opportunity, not just making
something of it, but squeezing the absolute maximum out of it! And
not just occasionally—every opportunity!
Early in my ministry, I applied for a grant from a foundation that I knew
supported the concept of what we were doing. I was hopeful of receiving
$10,000 or maybe even a bit more. Their considered response: “We’ll
give you $10,000 now, and if you can raise another $10,000 from other
sources, we’ll match that with another $10,000.”
First, I was blessed by their generosity. We had a vision, and they were
glad to respond. But I was doubly blessed (triply, in fact!) because of
their strategic generosity. We were able to use their gesture to challenge
other people to respond to our need, and we ended up with $30,000.
But guess what? We weren’t the only ones who were blessed. The other
donors were excited that their gift had been strategically doubled, and
the original donor was encouraged to see additional support emerge for
us. And our mission was significantly advanced.
This is a simple and common example of strategic generosity. At the
other end of the complexity scale, smart and generous people are
doing amazing things by blending investment, generosity, and entrepreneurialism.
Just pause and ponder, for a moment, the opportunities
presented by things like low-interest housing loans, or leveraging the
trillions of dollars that are sitting in the retirement funds of Christians
around the world, or micro-enterprise support in the developing world.
Strategic generosity is nothing new, but we still haven’t begun to tap
the potential that exists when we prayerfully seek to make the most of
every opportunity.
Paul’s instruction applies to all of us regardless of our wealth, our sophistication,
or our circumstances. Maybe you are already living a careful
life as a Christian, and that’s great. But it may still be worth taking a
moment to consider if we can be even more strategic.
Before we can make the most of an opportunity, we need to recognize
it. It is not uncommon for us, busily engaged in all sorts of tasks and
duties, to pass by an opportunity completely without even realizing it.
Imagine, for a moment, that we were to have a debrief with God at the
end of each day, when He could alert us to opportunities that we failed
to recognize and thus failed to act on in the course of our day. If we had
to give a daily account of missed opportunities, we might begin to be
more alert to them when we encounter them.
Right now, stop for a couple of minutes and think back over the last
week. Looking through the lens of “opportunities to be generous,” can
you recall anything that, in hindsight, may have presented an opportunity
that you missed? (I just did this exercise myself, and yes, I missed
a great opportunity six hours ago. By God’s grace, I may be able to fix it
before it’s too late.)
If you, like me, discover that you have failed to even recognize opportunities,
don’t be discouraged. Act if you think you need to, but use
this knowledge to inform your prayers in the days ahead. Developing a
habit of recognizing opportunities to be generous is a necessary starting
point. Of course, we don’t need to wait for opportunities to drop out of
the sky—we can also create opportunities whenever we like.
Identifying an opportunity, however, is just the first step. The exciting
part comes next: What are we going to do about it? We have some
options. We can deliberately ignore an opportunity. We can respond
intuitively. Or we can respond strategically.
CHALLENGE FOR DAY FIVE
By way of challenge, I will suggest three simple disciplines that we can
build into our daily life that can assist us to embody what Paul was
talking about.
Here is your challenge:
• Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-12.
• Pray that God will reveal to you a new opportunity to give of your
time, talents, and treasures to serve His kingdom. Pray daily that
God will open your eyes to the opportunities He sends your way.
When you recognize a specific opportunity, thank God for it, and then
pause to ask for wisdom about how to respond. Sometimes a simple
and spontaneous response is entirely sufficient, but sometimes, something
more strategic may emerge upon consideration. Be sure to have
periods during the year when you take extra time away to be with
God, to seek His guidance, and to listen purposefully for His voice.
During these times, think and pray specifically about how you can
make the most of the opportunities that God gives you. This is where
you get to be a proactive steward, not just a reactive one!
• Respond by immediately acting on the new opportunity, not delaying
it, practicing generosity as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
Find a friend or a small group that you can talk with about these
issues.
Next time you are presented with a clear opportunity for generosity,
carefully assess whether this is a “fish” opportunity or a “fishing lesson”
opportunity. Don’t just make something of the opportunity—make the
most of it! For the sake of the Kingdom.
Today I will look for one new opportunity to live generously, and I will
act on it as God leads