By Greg Sanders

Step 4: Remember that someone is watching your response.

I walked into a store the other day and there was a sign that said, “Smile, you’re being recorded.” It let me know that someone was watching the choices I made while in that store. There are so many security cameras, traffic cameras, and phone cameras around today that most people are recorded a few times a day without even thinking about it. However, the most important viewers to consider when facing an opportunity are those who are closest to us. Long after people forget what you say, they will remember what you did. That becomes especially true if you choose to honor God’s desires above your own.

In 1 Samuel 24:7, we see where David chose to honor God’s desire above his own desire and the desire of those with him. The Bible says, “So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul.”

This verse lets us know that when David refused to kill Saul someone else volunteered. Someone may have said, “Well if you are not going to do it then I will.” David did not settle for just doing the right thing himself but made sure those with Him also honored God. He realized it was an opportunity to do the right thing and lead others to do the right thing as well. We have a responsibility to lead those around us in the way they should go. Let me challenge parents and leaders today. It may seem like your kids or followers pay absolutely no attention at all to what you say. However, they will always remember how you responded when the pressure was on.

You persuade others not with what you preach most often but with how you respond to your opportunities. The legacy you leave most with other people is how you responded in critical opportunities. Opportunities don’t really make you or break you; they reveal what is in you. I pray that your response to the opportunities in your life will speak of your faith and trust in Jesus to those around you.

Today’s challenge: When faced with an opportunity, remember that people are watching. Those who are closest to you are the ones watching you with the most intensity. They are watching your faithfulness, your commitment, and your response. Let your response to opportunities reveal what you value most.

Today’s devotion is an excerpt from a recent message at CFA. If you would like to listen to the message in its entirety go to http://www.pastorgregsanders.com