They took a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul. (2 Chronicles 15:12, NIV)
How many kinds of golf partners would you say you play the game with?
You have those who are much better than you and whose games challenge you but also make you a wee bit jealous. There are the young guns who hit it past every spot of architectural trouble, then make trouble for themselves with a misfired wedge and an aggressive putter. The oh-gee-missed-another-one types present no challenge to your ego, and as long as they keep moving they can be quite fun to play with. You may even have friends who are new to the game or who are working hard at getting better; you root for them just as you are rooting for yourself.
There’s a sort of compact among golfers. We all know how hard the game can be some days, so we back off the ribbing when a friend is hitting it truly bad and we talk humbly even when we play our best, because tomorrow it might be our turn to fall apart.
In the days of Asa the king of Judah, the king himself “did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD.” Azariah the prophet affirmed Asa, and the king was moved to gather the people for a demonstration of commitment to God, who had given them victory in battle and brought security to the region.
Together, they stood before God and agreed to seek him, heart and soul. They “took an oath to the LORD with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns.” Then they rejoiced. Why? Because they had sworn their oath “wholeheartedly.”
Amazing! Here was a group of people excited together that they were seeking the LORD together. Yes, that’s two togethers. It is so significant for us to see the pursuit of God undertaken in community.
You may be a faithful reader of the Links Daily Devotional. You may study your Bible regularly and take intentional time out for prayer. You may go to church services and lift your voice in worship. These are all efforts of excellence on your own. But when there is a compact among a group that together they will commit to these God-directed pursuits, the resolution takes on another level of life. It causes us to rejoice.
The heartbeat of what we do at Links Players is not this Daily Devotional. It is not our annual magazine. It is not our topical articles online. It is not our Facebook page, or our outreaches, or our videos. The heartbeat of Links Players are the regular—often weekly—gatherings of men and women in fellowship where they play golf, resolving together to seek and serve Jesus. From Asa’s Judah to each of these fellowships, the beat goes on. It’s the drumbeat of rejoicing when we walk as one with our Savior.
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Jeff Hopper
June 2, 2014
Copyright 2014 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.