“After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” — Acts 1:3
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Professional athletes understand the value of making the most of their windows of opportunity. The goal is to make it to the majors, an NBA court, the NFL or other major professional leagues. There has been hard work training for many years through exercise, a proper diet and the development of the skills of the game.
When the call-up comes and their names are added to the roster, the window is relatively short to prove they belong. Time is of the essence to display talent, demeanor and the impact they could have on the game and their teams. Those who make the most of their opportunity are usually successful.
Our Lord Jesus had a window of opportunity between His resurrection and His ascension to Heaven. The window was 40 days in which Jesus offered convincing proofs that He was indeed the Savior who had risen from the dead. Scripture does not record all of Jesus’ activities during these 40 days, but it does reveal certain undeniable proofs.
He walked along with Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32). Jesus showed Himself to His disciples and even ate with them (Luke 24:36-43, John 21:1-14). He was seen by more than 500 people at once (1 Corinthians 15:6). His earthly mission was complete, having come into the world to sacrifice His life, paying the ransom for our sin and rising from the dead. He worked to the end, informing and encouraging those who will proclaim the message of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God.
Every Christian has their own window of opportunity to live and present the Gospel of Jesus. It is also a window which is only known by our Creator as to its length of time. So with every Christian, time is of the essence, for we do not know the day the window will close. As athletes striving to make the most of their opportunity to stay with the team, Christians also need to be striving to make the most of the opportunity set before them, for none of us know the end of our own 40-day window.
— Loring Schultz
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