One of the saddest moments in the Bible is when the “rich young ruler” refused the invitation to leave everything behind and become one of Jesus’ disciples. I have often thought of this man and how he might have become one of Jesus’ Apostles had he simply seized the opportunity when it was presented to him.

That is the thing about opportunities, they seldom come at convenient moments and when they do come, they are usually not long before us. This is why we sometimes have to act quickly if we are to take advantage of the few genuine opportunities in life that come our way.

Such is the case in the coming week. The Monk Boulevard merchants association is having its end of summer sidewalk “celebration” from Wednesday to Saturday. There will be hundreds of people participating in the activities at the park across the street and literally thousands of shoppers walking right past our front door for three days. I see a great opportunity to greet people, hand out brochures (we have 5000 ready to go), and make contact with those who might be interested in Bible study or a future visit with us at worship.

We are looking for those who are willing to seize this opportunity – even if it does come on short notice. Just sign up for the time you will be available, offer a prayer to ask God to bless your efforts, and be ready to share your faith with a new set of people.

Who knows? Maybe your presence in front of the building handing out information will be the opportunity someone will seize that saves their soul.