“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10 CSB)
Devotional
There’s always going to be a reason to wait until you have more time, more energy, or more margin before you help someone. The truth is that margin rarely shows up on its own. Most of the good we do happens in the middle of an already full week, not after we’ve cleared enough space to do it comfortably.
Paul writes, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.” Notice he doesn’t say wait for the perfect opportunity. He says as we have it, meaning the ordinary, inconvenient, right-in-front-of-you kind of opportunity that shows up on a Tuesday when you’re already tired.
I think about the times someone needed a ride, a meal, or just someone to sit with them, and I talked myself out of it because I told myself I’d do more later when things settled down. Things rarely settle down. The opportunity Paul is talking about isn’t the one that arrives when life is calm. It’s the one sitting right in front of you right now.
What I love about this verse is the order Paul gives it in: good for everyone, and especially for the people closest to you in faith. It’s not either-or. Your neighbour who doesn’t share your beliefs still matters. And so does the person in your small group who’s been quietly struggling and hasn’t said much about it. God’s heart is wide enough for both, and he’s not asking you to rank who deserves your compassion, just to notice who’s in front of you.
Reflection
I keep telling myself I’ll be more generous with my time once things calm down, but I know that’s mostly an excuse to avoid the inconvenient opportunity right in front of me today. I want to start treating today’s small chances to help as the real ones, not the placeholder before some better moment.
Prayer
Father, thank you for putting people in front of us who need something we can actually give. Forgive us for waiting on a more convenient moment that rarely comes. Open our eyes to the opportunity that’s already here, today, and give us the willingness to act on it instead of postponing it again.