What is bigger, opportunity or opposition?
1 Corinthians 16:5-12
5 After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be going through Macedonia. 6 Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
10 When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11 No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.
12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.
I love that in verse 9 that, ‘the great door of effective work’ carries more weight than the MANY who oppose Paul. That says it’s not just an irate few. To withstand such opposition, here is a man living on a mission.
Applying that situation to our lives, how often do we see the problems more significant than the opportunity? It’s almost our default position, right? We tend to shrink back from opposition; potential problems often overshadow the good that may come out of any opportunity.
Now, I admit that not every opportunity is God’s will for us; some are distractions, and some are not a good fit for us. However, when God is in something, nothing can stand in the way, and Paul understood that with the gospel opportunities that were presented to him throughout his life.
So, we must not be like those who only see the problems; we need to keep our lives aligned with this truth that if we step into an opportunity that he’s presented us God will work all things for good, despite whatever hardships we may encounter.
Written by Nick Molteno