Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22, NIV)
When people ask me how I am playing, I always respond if I am putting well, I am playing well. Maybe for you, it’s another part of the game.
I was struggling with my putting recently, and I started trying putters from my garage. This gave me many options, because I have eight or ten different putters that I have used over the years. Sound familiar?
Eventually, I changed the grip on an old putter that I remembered fit my eyes. Guess what? I putted best with this 10-year-old putter!
What are people finding out about Jesus when they read my life?As I reflected on our short passage today, I realized that so many of us think we need to go and buy the newest putter out there to regain our lost magic. I once won a Scotty Cameron putter in a tournament, then not long after was invited by a friend to play a round that would include Scotty himself! I brought the putter for him to sign, but of course I couldn’t use it that day. I used the putter in my bag. Each time I missed a putt with that putter, my partners would joke, “If only you had a Scotty.” But even the best putter you can buy is worthless if you don’t make any putts with it. It’s like having the words of God right in front of you and never putting them into action.
In his letter, James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote to Jewish believers. It was a message about practical Christian living that reflects a genuine faith that transforms lives. In chapter 1, James challenged believers to test their faith and be doers of God’s Word. Would they put their faith into action and to be servants of Jesus Christ?
I am blessed to participate in a Links Fellowship nearly every day, and when I am with Links Players, I want to be an encourager to them. I tell them, “Your golf friends might not read the Bible. You might be the only Bible they ever read.” People are looking at us to see whether this faith in action really counts for anything.
A pastor-mentor of mine once told me that in the Bible you’ll find The Gospel According to Matthew and to Mark and to Luke and to John. But there is a fifth Gospel: The Gospel According to Dereck. What are people finding out about Jesus when they read my life? That stuck with me!
As Links Players, we all have an opportunity to do what the Scriptures say and be witnesses for Jesus in our golf clubs and to our friends and family. James went on to write that we don’t want to be “like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” That’s the problem with reading the Bible or hearing a sermon and never doing anything with it. It’s forgotten. When something lives only in our mind, no one can see it. But when we act on it, not only are we more likely to remember it ourselves, but others “may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
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Dereck Wong
August 7, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.