But prove yourselves to be doers of the Word and not merely hearers… (James 1:22, NASB)
In 1986 and 1987, I had the good fortune of attending Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Each year, three events created a good deal of excitement. The first event was Founder’s Week, a tribute to D.L. Moody featuring several well-known speakers. The second event was Missions Emphasis Week, during which every U.S. mission organization would come to recruit future missionaries. The third event was Spiritual Enrichment Week, a three-day series of speakers during our regular chapel hours.
The only way to be “tournament ready” is to include rounds of golf in your practice routine.One particular day during the last of these weeks, we settled in to hear Dr. Leonard Rascher deliver an encouraging message, one that he had known about for some time. I am sure that Spiritual Enrichment Week was mandatory for students and faculty, so attendance was in the neighborhood of 1,500 people.
Dr. Rascher began with a common understanding that all of us at Moody were being taught biblical Christian education on a daily basis. Several classes a day, five days a week, plus daily chapels added up to a lot of information coming our way. He felt that one more message wasn’t going to make a difference, and so the best advice he could give us was to “go do it.” Go live it out—with our fellow students, our families, with the people of Chicago. We all knew plenty about the Bible, so it was time to go put it into action. That was his message! We were dismissed, and the normal 50-minute chapel lasted no more than five minutes. Lucky us!
Funny thing, I still remember that message.
Golfers who take the game seriously are notorious for acquiring knowledge: taking lessons, reading books, watching The Golf Fix, buying the latest and greatest teaching aid. All of those are helpful, but at some point you have to go play. Nothing can take the place of experience learned on the golf course. So many variables cannot be created on the practice tee. You encounter bad lies, different wind conditions, tree-lined fairways, tall rough, and those dreaded four-footers to save par.
I realize there are some people who always play and never hit a practice ball, but there are those who hit a lot of balls and never go play. The only way to be “tournament ready” is to include rounds of golf in your practice routine. To simulate the pressures of a tournament, you might even put something on the line, like a hot dog at the turn or lunch after play. Playing for food always makes me bear down. Our semi-annual Links staff meetings include a round of golf—losers buy the yogurt, with all the toppings you want!
Dr. Rascher’s message to Moody students and faculty applies to all of us in the Christian community. We need to “go do it.” You know your life and schedule, so you know what you need to do. Getting it done may be your best 2018 New Year’s resolution.
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Bill Euler
December 18, 2017
Copyright 2017 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.