Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6, ESV)
Golf buddies! I thank God for mine! Tour players and amateurs alike have them.
On my first day of what would become my call to full-time ministry more than 15 years ago, I found myself in Dayton, Ohio, to do the Bible Study for the Nationwide Tour (now freshly rechristened the Korn Ferry Tour). The regular leader of that study was Ralph Howe. Ralph knew all the players, caddies, and tour officials. He was a very good Bible teacher and, as the 1988 US Amateur Public Links champion, a very good player. Quite frankly, I had no golf pedigree compared to them, had taught very few Bible studies, and did not have any idea what to expect.
The first thing I noticed at the range on that Tuesday morning was that many of the players seemed to have close friends they liked to practice and talk with between sessions. Some, I came to find out, even traveled together. There seemed to be a sense of casual familiarity between these players, a sort of special bond, that not everyone had. I saw the same thing on other mini-tours where I also led studies for a few years. You see it on the PGA and LPGA Tours, too.
Now try to get your mind around how wonderful our fellowship with our Lord will be. And it will last forever!The same can be said for the men and women where you play golf. We all have like-minded people in our circles. Folks we do life with and are most comfortable being around. Special friends! They could be in your Saturday morning group or certain people in your men’s or women’s league. They are the traveling buddies or girlfriends you really enjoy.
Here on earth, we find sweet fellowship with these people. Perhaps you, like me, are finding it in your Links Fellowship. However, it doesn’t always have to be around golf. Maybe it’s folks at your church or in a small group Bible study. It could be someone you enjoy walking with or spending a few quiet moments with to talk about the day.
OK, imagine the best of those times. Times of sweet fellowship with a good friend. Now try to get your mind around how wonderful our fellowship with our Lord will be. And it will last forever! Sweet fellowship forever and ever! As I read Psalm 23 early one morning recently, I was reminded that as followers of Jesus Christ, we are assured of this and we would do well to remind ourselves of it often. Jesus said in John 14 that he himself is preparing a place for you and that he himself will come and get you when everything is ready.
Do you long for that fellowship? Do you have that assurance only found in Christ Jesus? If you don’t, please contact us so we can help. If you do, my prayer today is that you would look for someone close to you who might need the promise of eternal fellowship with Jesus and share the Good News with them.
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Marty Jacobus
June 26, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.