STANDING BEFORE GOD’S OPEN DOOR

By Dr. Brett Snowden

But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who

oppose me. 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 NIV

As we begin a new year, every person who believes in God should be excited about the possibilities set before them. To be active and alive is a clear message that we are still a part of God’s plan and He is not through with us just yet. Hence, there are endless hopes, expectations and possibilities for this new year God has blessed us with. In this text Paul uses the term “great door” meaning an opportunity, a favorable time to participate in something or to achieve something. My friends, opportunities are not static—they come and they go! We wake up each day of our lives with new opportunities in every arena in life. It is up to each individual to take advantage of these opportunities. If we recognize, accept and manage these opportunities properly, we will be blessed by God. God has a personal plan for every individual and that plan involves the opportunity to grow in wisdom and stature. God is at work in our lives!

We all see the disintegration in leadership, family values, moral and ethical living, and the loss of drawing and staying power of the Church. God has opened the door of opportunity for each of us to take an active role in His redemptive plan. The Church has never had the opportunity to impact the world like she does today. Believers in God are obligated to share the truth that transforms lives, to share the truth that brings people from darkness to light. Every society is only one generation from paganism. If each generation does not propagate the truth, instruct their children, and their children’s children, it will only take one generation for a nation to be pagan. It is not so much the lack of teaching of God’s Word, but the failure on our part to seriously apply His Word daily that causes us to be where we are in history.

Friends, God has opened the door of opportunity and optimism. It is imperative that we spend more time praying about how we’re going to reach non-believers and the un-churched. We can no longer look for reasons of why we can’t; we need to look for reasons of why we can! What will you do with the opportunity to show and share the love of God? n