Leonard Ravenhill, a famous 20th century, English author and Christian Evangelist, once said “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized within the lifetime of the opportunity”. This powerful quote has always impacted me. In other words, practically everything we do in life, or attempt to do, has an expiration date.
I recently had a revelation of my own, that when it comes to some of our spiritual disciplines (prayer most notably), we tend to view it as an obligation, rather than an opportunity! Needless to say, I was personally convicted of the way I sometimes approached prayer. Rather than viewing it as an awesome opportunity to spend time with the Creator of the universe, I viewed it as an obligation, something I HAD to do in order to be a good Christian.
Just prior to the birth of Christ, a Latin poet, Quintus Horatius Flaccus, otherwise known as Horace, penned the words carpe diem (translated as: seize the day). This term, has become somewhat modernized and popularized with YOLO (You Only Live Once). While I wouldn’t suggest cliff jumping, swimming with great white sharks, or even lying in a bathtub full of poisonous snakes, to seize the day, I would recommend seizing opportunities that might come your way! Especially if they are discovered through prayer, or other spiritual endeavors.
Make sure that today, your opportunities don’t expire.