Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Acts 13:31, “And for many days He appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses to the people.”
Background
It’s news to no one when I say that all time is not equal. The past two days my daughters had at the lake with friends will look and feel very different from the next two days back at home in the usual routine of school and work. When you get to go away for a week’s vacation, those seven days are nothing like the week someone may spend in intensive care. Even the three hours spent by two people sitting next to each other at an opera may seem to one to fly by and bring a sense of heavenly bliss, while the other feels as if time has stopped and may wish he were rather jumping out of a plane without a parachute.
So when you hear a phrase like many days, as in the time that some followers of Jesus got to spend with Him following His resurrection, your mind might picture something totally different from another who reads this. And frankly, depending on several things, many days may seem woefully inadequate, much too long, or just about right. If you knew something drastic was going to happen to you soon, how would the many days sound to you? If there’s hardly enough time in your days already to get done what you want, how does many days affect your schedule?
Application
Three years walking among His disciples, and many days leading up to His ascension into heaven, that’s all Jesus offered to change the world. In my 20,376 days, time has flown by, and it has crawled. I’ve wasted it and made the most of it. Looking back, I’m shocked by how little of it I actually remember. Even with all the memories I have, they are but a drop in the bucket when compared to the 489,000 hours I have been alive.
And who knows how many more are left, for me, for you, and for the guy who doesn’t know where he’ll spend eternity? It doesn’t take us very long to learn the value of a dollar. It’s too bad the same isn’t true about the value of a day. So if you have to work today, make it worth the while. If you must clean, shop, or rest, do it well. If there’s someone you can bless, today is a good day for it. If you feel like complaining, leave that for those who don’t know any better. And for many days may He appear to you.
Charge
As we seek Him today, consider your allotment of days when you think about your conversations, the television, and any other ways you might spend them.
