Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)
There are reasons why I like Scottish things. Golf, of course, is high on that list. With Scotland widely regarded as the place where golf originated, and St. Andrews being “the home of golf,” I am naturally drawn to the place. To add to that, my nephew has traced our family line back to the King of Scotland, though there is that question of why McGregor was changed, through a few variations, to Greer. Something about eluding the authorities, I suspect.
I have not been to Scotland, birthplace of my family and golfing ancestors, nor have I been to Israel, birthplace of my Lord, and I confess to you that if I were offered a trip to one or the other….
It is not just because he is Scottish that I like the teaching of Alistair Begg. He is thoughtful, consistent, and humble. He loves God’s word, teaches it clearly, and he often has interesting insights. One of those came in his TruthLines newsletter of April 2, 2015, where he wrote, “We live at a time when it’s acceptable to let people know that we’re seeking God, but it’s not acceptable to let anyone know that we’ve found Him! Or worse yet, that He has found us!” Links Daily Devotional editor Jeff Hopper passed this line along, noting that this “a perfect capture of what we often face in ministry today.”
Why should that be? What is wrong with us shouting out, as Archimedes did when he discovered the great truth of displacement, “Eureka!” (which means “I have found it!”). We have no problem telling others we have found extraordinary things—like a golf course everyone must play—and having those accepted. Why can we not say we have found the way to a relationship with God that is now and forever?
If it is because of the need for being politically correct, or for tolerance, I will say that I am intolerant of much tolerance, and that being politically correct for its own sake is patently incorrect. Should we be people of grace? Absolutely. Should we be people of love? Without question. But we must also be people of life, people of truth, and people of the way (see Acts 9:2).
Whether or not it is “acceptable” for a Christian to tell others that he or she has sought God and found him is not the question. The woman Jesus encountered at the well (John 4) was already socially stigmatized, but when she met Christ she went into the city and said, “Come, see a man….” How that message is delivered (with grace and love) may be important in helping others hear it, but the message itself must not be forced into a corner. These are the words of life, and life is for sharing.
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Lewis Greer
May 20, 2015
Copyright 2015 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.