He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20, NIV)
I recently played in a senior golf tournament with some old friends. Can you imagine that? In the context of senior golf, “old friends” translates as old friends. Friends that have some mileage behind them and yet still have gas in the tank. I love the conversation around the locker room and on the practice tee. I heard two great quotes from these friends that real golfers can relate to, especially senior golfers.
The first one said, “I love playing golf with everyone but myself.” Someone reminded him that you can play golf for as long as you like if you don’t care what you shoot.
The second quote sparked my thinking for today: “The closer I get to the green, the worse I get.”
Think of our spiritual life in light of this quip. It’s the opposite of what we want, which is to look more like Jesus as we get closer to Home? The longer we walk with Jesus, the more our lives should reflect his. We can endure any hardship knowing that the prize at the end and our eternal Home will be worth more than we can ever imagine. The longer I abide in Jesus, the more eagerly I await that glorious reunion.
This beautiful story is from my dear friend Ken Gire in his book The Weathering Grace of God. It describes the arduous journey we are all taking in this life as we prepare for Home.
Vincent Van Gogh talked about the joys and sorrows of the journey in life, then used a painting of an autumn landscape to illustrate his point. The peaks splayed the setting sun whose rays touched the underbellies of clouds, turning common sliver to gold and gold to royal purple. The leaves were yellow like the late September leaves of Colorado aspen. Crowning the mountain was a city, glowing in the sunset.
On the road was a weary traveler, staff in hand, who encountered an angel that had been there to encourage those on their way to the eternal city. Then van Gogh gave the words that he imagined might have passed between them.
The traveler asked: “Does the road go uphill all the way?”
The angel answered: “Yes, to the very end.”
And he asked again: “And will the journey take all day long?”
The angel said: “From morn till night, my friend.”
The traveler journeyed on, sorrowful yet rejoicing. Sorrowful because the road was so steep and long. Rejoicing because he was closer to the destination that was home to his deepest longings. As he continued the climb, a quiet prayer rose from his lips: “Then I shall be more and more tired…but also closer and closer to Thee.”
I pray that we all get better and better as we get closer and closer. In the end, it is so worth it. We may be tired, but we will have an eternity to rejoice!
—
Randy Wolff
May 6, 2014
Copyright 2014 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.