The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. (Psalms 19:7, NIV)
My golf course is in the process of updating all of its members on the new USGA rule changes that have gone into effect this month. It seems as though we barely get one set of rules straight before another change to the rules comes along.
I wonder why these changes occur so often, because the game itself does not change. It still rewards the person with the lowest score at the end of the round. With an infinite number of things that can happen on the golf course, there is no way to account for every possibility. Despite the very best efforts of rules officials everywhere, there will always be disputes around nuances and special situations. When enough disputes occur, something usually gets changed. Eventually, we receive updated rules to make it easier to understand how not to make mistakes on the course.
It’s not hard to imagine how beautiful the world would be if everyone followed God’s law.As I was thinking about golf’s rules, it occurred to me that God’s law and rules have always been perfect. When God declares something to be true, it stays true forever. His rules are trustworthy; no matter how many ways we try to dispute them they will remain the same. We cannot change God’s mind about his law because we misunderstand or disagree with it. If we follow him, we can trust that what he tells us to do in any given situation will be the perfect application of his law to that situation. There is real comfort in knowing that there is an actual standard that can be applied to how we live. It does not change with our mood or circumstance.
Many people bristle at the thought that there is an innate standard for how we should live, but God’s law and statutes point us in the right direction. We were made in his image and his law and statutes are guidelines that will help us achieve the true potential we were designed to have. The law is a reflection of our place in the kingdom of God and what that will and does look like. It’s not hard to imagine how beautiful the world would be if everyone followed God’s law and we all loved him with all our heart, mind, and soul and loved our neighbor in the same way. We would look after one another and receive the love and purpose we so long for in the life we live now.
We cannot, in our own strength, live up to the law of God. He empowers us through the presence of the Holy Spirit who enables us to both understand and obey. It is in this process where we find the freedom our soul needs to become the person we were meant to be. We can choose to disobey God’s law, but we do so at our own peril. Instead of living in freedom, we become enslaved to whatever our disobedience brings. The outcome of disobedience always ends up costing us the very thing we seek—our freedom to become what we were designed to be. To be truly free we must learn to trust and obey the law of God. It is perfect and unchanging, as is God our Father. Nothing in life could be more stable or bring us more peace.
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Linda Ballard
January 10, 2019
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.