And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12, NIV)
Do you have the confidence needed to sink that four-foot putt every time? I have been struggling with my putter over the past six months. It’s called the yips. I can make them when I practice with no pressure, no problem. Then when there is something on the line, I start to get nervous. Doubt sets in. As I bring the putter back, the voice in my head says: “You are going to MISS!” Sure enough, my hands get in the way and I either push or pull the putt. Oh, how I leave the green discouraged!
I realize golf is like life when we try to do it ourselves without God. When we try to depend on ourselves, we set ourselves up for failure.
Today’s verse is dear to my heart and has helped me get through when people challenge my faith in Jesus Christ or when things don’t go my way in this world. I was discipled and mentored by my men’s pastor, and more than 20 years ago he asked if I wanted to grow in my walk with Jesus. It was a challenge, but I’m so thankful I agreed. The book he took me though was Growing Strong in God’s Family, and the keys to these studies were memorizing scripture verses, marking our Bible as we read daily, and creating our testimony to share with others.
I recently started a Links Fellowship with a few young golfers who want to grow in their walk with Christ, like I did those 20-plus years ago. As we went through the first lesson, the first verse to memorize was today’s verse, 1 John 5: 11-12. When they initially thought of having to memorize scripture, they figured it was going to be very difficult; they soon realized it was much easier than they first thought. As they memorized the verse, repeating it out loud over and over, and then breaking down its meaning, it all started to make sense. God has offered us all eternal life! And this eternal life is given to us when believing his Son, Jesus Christ; conversely, if you don’t believe in him, you will not gain eternal life. Memorizing a verse this powerful is like tattooing God’s word on your heart!
Now back to my yips. When we struggle with our confidence on the golf course, there is no sure place to turn. We just hope to “turn the corner,” start making some putts, and regain our confidence. But when we have doubts in life, if we know Jesus, we always have our assurance of our salvation. Remembering this truth restores our confidence, for it reminds us that God loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son to die for us. In him, we will have eternal life. And that simple, amazing reminder brings us back to life even now. In fact, just thinking on this wonder now really gets my blood pumping! How ’bout you?
—
Dereck Wong
March 12, 2012
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday through Friday at www.linksplayers.com.