In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7, NASB)
Taking lessons and going through a swing change (upgrade?) can be a painful process, and it doesn’t always work out well. Just ask Padraig Harrington. Harrington was at the top of his game back in 2007 when he won the British Open (The Open Championship to you purists) and then in 2008 he won it again, as well as the PGA Championship. Three major championships within 13 months. Pretty impressive. Then he started working with his coach to change his swing and all but disappeared off the golfing map, falling as low as being ranked 385th in the world in December 2014. He has won a few tournaments since those years, but he has never returned to the dominant play he exhibited then.
Those of us who are not at that level but are also not satisfied with our game have only two choices: We can continue on with the swing we have (with pretty much the same results), or we can take some lessons in an effort to improve.
God allows difficult times so our innermost thinking and value system rises to the top and gets exposed.Therein lies the difficulty. Depending on the size of the swing change, there could be a period of time when our game will suffer due to the changes taking place. Even if we start to incorporate the swing change while on the driving range and we feel like we are making progress, that doesn’t automatically transfer to the course: There are no sand traps on the driving range waiting to devour our ball, no sidehill lies to calculate, no water, no OB calling out to us. You get the picture. We will be placed in situations on the course where our old “muscle memory” will be at war with our new muscle memory and the results (for a while) may not be very pretty. But if we persevere and continue working through the trials, we can hope that the results will improve and our new swing will become our default swing. There are, however, as Harrington’s history shows, no guarantees.
In our verse today, Peter wrote that following God will involve trials and that God allows them to purify our faith. He likened the purifying of our faith to the purifying of gold: Heat it up, remove all the impurities off the top, let it cool down, the gold is purer. So it is with our faith. God allows difficult times so our innermost thinking and value system rises to the top and gets exposed. At that point we are much like the golfer whose ball is in the rough. We can decide whether to trust the new swing or go with the old one. We can decide to continue to live by our old value system or we can surrender to God’s plan of living by faith in his promises.
Here is the really good news. The big difference between going through a swing change (no guarantees) and learning to live by faith are God’s promises. They simply do not fail and can be relied on completely. Here is a selection to start your day:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31)
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
If you have a favorite promise you would like to share with me, please email it to me by clicking on my link below. Whatever you are facing today, big or small, trust God to see you through it. He promises to do so.
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Bob Kuecker
Email Bob
June 26, 2018
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.