Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will act. (Psalm 37:5, ESV)
A few years ago, I was fortunate to be coaching at a university where Jeff Troesch was the mental performance coach. Jeff has worked with various athletes on top teams at the junior, collegiate, and professional levels. One of my favorite themes Jeff emphasized was the importance of hitting committed, courageous golf shots.
I still have my team keep track of the number of shots each round that they were fully committed to through impact. It means they made a decision and stuck with it all the way through the swing—no doubt or last-minute thoughts of, Is this really the right club or shot? Such commitments are 100 percent within their control and assessing their resolve helps address whether the issue after the round was technical or mental. Committed, courageous golf shots are always of value but all the more when a course is visually daunting or the weather conditions are challenging. The player chooses to be committed and chooses to have 10 seconds of courage over fear, much like we saw from Rory McIlroy on his final tee shot to secure The Players on Sunday.
The more you daily commit to living for God first and foremost, the more readily you will know him and see him at work in your life.Committed and courageous are also two markers that we as followers of Christ ought to have. God does not call us to live wishy-washy, fearful lives. Quite the contrary, we are to love and serve him and others wholeheartedly. The writers of Scripture constantly remind us not to fear, as God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).
Now, what seems obvious is not easy. Just as it is obvious that consistently committing to your golf shot will bring good results, it is also obvious that committing to serve God makes the best sense. Yet fear creeps in and doubts hold us back.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can live committed, courageous lives and not fear the outcome. In golf, you can be fully committed and the results not turn out how you want; but in life, full commitment to the Lord is something we can have absolute confidence in. This does not mean you always win or that life goes as you planned, but it does mean that God is working all things together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). We can place our confidence in him and not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul (Matthew 10:28). God wins!
Brother and sister, there is nothing ahead or behind you that God can’t handle or redeem. I urge you to commit to him in all that you do. There is no better investment. The more you daily commit to living for God first and foremost, the more readily you will know him and see him at work in your life.
—
Aimee Neff
March 21, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.