Ephesians 5:16 “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.”
The Roman poet Horace used the phrase “Carpe Diem” to convey the concept that we ought to make the most of our lives while we still have the opportunity to do so. One of the most prevalent translations of this phrase is “Seize the Day.” In what way are you seizing the day today?
People who are successful, demonstrate a number of characteristics, one of which is that they do not waste time. No matter what the circumstances are, they make the most of any chance that comes their way. How do they do that?
The Apostle Paul is perhaps my greatest heroes in the Bible. In terms of understanding the Gospel and living the faith, he was an absolute giant! When he wrote to the believers at Ephesus and encouraged them to make the most of every opportunity in these wicked days, he gave an example for them to follow by demonstrating how he lived his own life.
In the time that he was writing these words, he was serving time in prison for spreading the gospel to other people. In spite of the fact that he was chained to Roman guards and had very little or no freedom, he recognised an opportunity that was presented to him and made the most of it.
Because he was no longer able to travel on his missionary journeys to plant new churches, he utilised the time he was incarcerated to write letters to those churches, which eventually comprised almost half the New Testament!
I find it fascinating that when Paul asked for prayer, he never asked them to pray that he would be released from prison or that his chains would be removed; rather, he begged them to pray that he would continue to speak courageously about Jesus in spite of his circumstances.
Afterwards, in another letter that Paul wrote from prison to the church in Philippi, his pages radiated with joy! How could he remain so joyful and continue to ‘seize the day’ in such difficult and restricting circumstances? Being unfairly imprisoned would cause most of us to give up or become bitter, but Paul saw it as one more opportunity to share the Good News of Christ but in a different way! When you compare the two letters that Paul writes from prison, you find the answer. The Life Application Bible shares this insight:
“Paul realized that his current circumstances weren’t as important as what he did with them. … God can use us in any circumstance to do His will. Even as we pray for a change in our circumstances, we should also pray that God will accomplish His plan through us right where we are.”
If you want to make the most of every opportunity even in these evil days, consider that your current circumstances are not as important as what you do with them.
Seize the day! Look for where God is at work and your joy will overflow!