.....opportunity

In 1967, the Green Bay Packers were playing the Dallas Cowboys in Green Bay for the right to represent the National Football League in only the second Super Bowl to be played. The weather conditions through the game were so severe that the game has come to be known as "The Ice Bowl." When the game began, it was 15 below with a minus-49 wind chill. The teams battled back and forth, somehow managing to push each other up and down the field. As the game was nearing the end, the temperature had dropped to 17 below and a minus-57 wind chill.

But that game became famous not just because of the cold. The Green Bay Packers' right guard, Jerry Kramer, had been studying films of the Dallas Cowboys games, and he had noticed that the man he would be facing on the other side of the ball tended to be off-balance when he first rose up from his position.

With only sixteen seconds left in the game, Dallas was leading 17-14, but the Packers were threatening to score. Now was the opportunity for Kramer to use what he knew about the opposing lineman. When the play was called, Kramer pushed that opponent aside, wedging an opening for Bart Starr to sneak into the end zone for a touchdown. Jerry Kramer took advantage of his opportunity, and Bart Starr took advantage of his opportunity, and the Green Bay Packers won 21-17.

How many times through our lives does the opportunity open up in front of us like that? And they are so much more important than a football game!  How many times in a single day do you and I have the opportunity for doing something good, to encourage someone, to represent Christ, to speak to others of their eternal destiny?

 

The idea behind these words is that every time we can do something good, we should. But recognizing the opportunities with godly wisdom requires that we look for them. They are not always going to just fall into our laps. If we are going to wisely use the time we have remaining, we should be looking for opportunities to serve God and serve others. 

Our churches should see every occasion as a perfect opportunity to serve His Kingdom. We as individual believers should be looking for opportunities. And it's not just so we can take advantage of them. It is primarily so we can be obedient to Scripture, and to present our lives as living sacrifices to the Lord Jesus Christ.

-rocky henriques