Mark 2:1-2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.

Jesus made the most of every opportunity. He was alert and single-minded. In this case, he didn’t allow the opportunity to slip away, but instead took charge and preached to them. Perhaps these people were gathered around him to see another miracle like the ones he had performed on his previous visit. Perhaps they just wanted to see what all the commotion was about concerning this wandering prophet. Whatever their motivation, Jesus had their attention and he preached the Word of God.

Jesus was always ready to make the most of an opportunity because he was always eager to be productive. He longed for fruitful labor; he didn’t dread his work and he didn’t procrastinate. In fact, he seemed to make no distinction between time spent working and the rest of his life. His ‘‘work switch’’ was always in the ‘‘on’’ position because he was not content to merely exist. To Jesus, life itself was an opportunity, so every event in life was a ‘‘once in a lifetime opportunity.’’ Most of us fail to realize how fleeting and how unique the episodes of our lives are until after the majority of these episodes have passed. Perhaps it was because Jesus knew he only had a few months to live that he milked the most out of each hour. If today were your last day, would you be pleased with how you lived it? The challenge from Jesus’ example is to live life to the full, every hour of every day, with no regrets. Let us make ‘‘carpe diem’’ our motto, making the most of every opportunity!