But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. (Psalm 49:15, NIV)
When it comes to golf stories, we’ve all heard the “but” variety. It goes like this:
I had this crazy good round going. I was hitting the driver long and straight, and it didn’t matter if I missed the green, because I made a mile of putts. So, so good. But then I got to the third tee…
OK, usually it takes longer than that to reach the turn toward tragedy. Still, you’ve heard the tale plenty of times. And yes, there are other versions: “It was nothing but ugly, but I kept hanging in there…” Thank goodness, stories don’t always turn toward the worse.
Other “but” stories don’t involve a shift, but a dichotomy. Jesus spoke of two builders. One built on sand, but the other built on rock. And of two men praying. One prayed proudly, but the other in humility.
Think again. It is the redeemed, not the rich, who go to heaven.In Psalm 49, the sons of Korah wrote of two lives, establishing one of those dichotomies. There were those who lived in privilege then died without hope. And there were those who had no wealth of the earthly kind; their greatest possession was their spiritual character—and the promise of redemption.
What is important to recognize is that the life without hope does not need to remain there. That person’s condition is not fixed. His or hers is a story that can turn on a “but.” He lived a life headed for eternal death, but he turned to God for redemption and will enter eternal life.
What story is being written about your life? Have you turned the “but corner”? The sons of Korah recognized the good life many people live on earth, according to earth’s standards. They did not even speak ill of such folks, only warning that they would “perish like the beasts.” Jesus took up this refrain in his Parable of the Sower, when he spoke of those whose sprout of faith was choked out by “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth.” A successful person may be completely well-meaning. No Bible writer ever said it, but the sons of Korah may have come closest: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
If you’ve been living off intentions, figuring you can have a yard sale of your goodies in the end to buy your ticket to heaven, let today be a place of arrest for you. Stop. Think again. It is the redeemed, not the rich, who go to heaven. Ask God to change the worthlessness of your life for the wonder of his. He truly wants to take you to himself.
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Jeff Hopper
March 2, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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