Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:5, NIV)
Like all engaged golfers, I’m constantly tinkering. I’m not looking for something new; I’m looking for what’s right.
When it comes to making changes in life—whether we ask for them or are told they must occur—our default question is often why? We don’t do this only with men, but also with God.Now, right in golf can be somewhat relative. My body is not your body. The way my arms fall and my back bends, the strength in my arms and legs, the rotation in my spine and my hips, the length of my fingers and the cup in my wrist—these are not the same in me as they are in you. So we cannot approach the elements of the swing in exactly the same way. But there are common things we should both be trying to accomplish.
What are these things? A consistent tempo. Balance. Straight lines.
Toward the latter, I recently asked a trusted friend who is a good player to check my alignment as I set up to short putts. I felt that I had been rolling the ball well but missing all the same. Was I subconsciously correcting something that was never right in the first place?
He told me that, indeed, I had the putter aimed left. A perfect stroke would miss the hole. So I started working to reset that alignment. Like I said, it was a friend I trusted who was telling me I need to adjust.
When it comes to making changes in life—whether we ask for them or are told they must occur—our default question is often why? We don’t do this only with men, but also with God. Especially when our flesh is not excited about what the Lord is directing in his Word, we turn philosophical. I hear what you’re saying, Lord, but I wonder if maybe there is a better idea. Let me suggest…
Imagine that! We’re telling the God of the universe that we have a better idea.
Maybe what we need is a little Peter in our spirit. In the fifth chapter of Luke, Peter had put his boat out into the water a bit, so Jesus could teach the people. When Jesus had finished, he said to Peter, “Time to go fishing again, my man. You’ll catch a bunch this time.”
Peter was reluctant, and he gave his reason why. But he did not ask the Lord to defend his instruction. Rather, Peter let the who outshine the why: “Because you say so…”
Trusted friends are allowed such authority in our lives. We give them opportunity to speak into our hearts and minds, even telling us what we should do. And because of who they are to us, we do it.
Who is Jesus to you? Is he the Lord, proven to you by his love on the cross and his power in the resurrection? If that is a truth you affirm, you do not need to ask God why. You just need to remember who he is.
—
Jeff Hopper
November 10, 2015
Copyright 2015 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.