"Opportunity:  Don't Lose It"

At this time of year the minds of so many people who think of themselves as Christians turn to thoughts of both the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus. So at this time of the year, there are many opportunities to talk to others about Jesus and our personal relationship with Him.

When we think of the Passion of Jesus, we often remember Peter and his denial of Jesus. This has a prominent spot in the Gospels. Less prominent are the two verses in Mark 14: 51-52 given to the account of the young man who we usually assume was John, the Apostle whom Jesus loved. “A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.” While it doesn’t mention a verbal denial on John’s part, wasn’t he still fleeing from involvement with and acknowledgement of his personal relationship with Jesus?

When we see an opportunity to speak with someone about our Lord and Savior and His sacrifice for them, do we deny knowing Him like Peter did, probably not. Or do we simply run away quietly saying nothing like John did? Either way, we’re still fleeing from our relationship with Jesus.

Whenever we fail to act upon an opportunity to tell someone of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for him or her, we make His sacrifice be in vain or for nothing for that person. We can be like either Peter or John was on that night. We can deny that we know Jesus or simply run away saying nothing. Or, we can take our opportunities to mention our Lord to our friends, family, and our co-workers.

We need to remember the great sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, and the many souls who need to know about His love and sacrifice for them that we encounter every day. We need to make those who need Him aware of the opportunity to know Him and of His love for them.

-Randy Smith

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