“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NASB)
If you have played golf for any period of time, you have probably come to see your game a journey. A series of individual rounds, scrambles, two-man best balls, and some days hitting balls on the range. Some days you hit it well and score poorly. Other days you hit it all over the place, make a few putts, and shoot a good score.
At one time or another, we have all wished we could hit it like tour players: Rory’s tee shots, Phil’s short game, Tiger’s iron game, and Jack’s putting. I can’t speak for you, but while I might like to have those abilities, I’m happy with the journey I have been given in golf. Just like you, I can recall a few special shots, some at really important times. Isn’t that what the game is all about, seeing what you can do with what you’ve been given?
Life is certainly the same way. We’ve each been given a path to walk, and it is our special journey. Just like snowflakes, no two lives are alike. We might look at friends and family and admire or envy something they have. Hopefully, we realize how blessed we have been in many areas. Our memories are short, and we forget how we got to where we are in life. Your road will be more difficult or pleasant than others, but God gives us special and personal grace to live out our journey.
Open yourself up to brothers or sisters in Christ, and you will find special friends who can relate to your circumstances. Paul wrote, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Paul knew that he did things differently than others, even other apostles. But this did not make him better, for it was God’s grace that allowed him to do anything at all. On our strong days, this should be our perspective—that we can do what we do only because of God’s grace.
But God is there for us in our weakness, too. In these times, it helps to know that God sees every step we take. David wrote this of the Lord: “You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book” (Psalm 56:8, MSG).
God will lead you and walk with you down a different path than mine. But if we are to receive the promise he offered his people in Jeremiah 29, we must first believe that it is true. God’s ultimate plan for us is a good one, where our hope in him is fulfilled.
Finally, while your path may not be the same as others, you can walk with others. Some of you have a very strong family, and your journey includes your parents, brothers and sisters, spouse, and your children. For others, your Links Fellowship or another small group might be a strong support. Open yourself up to brothers or sisters in Christ, and you will find special friends who can relate to your circumstances—in health, family, work, and yes, even golf. They can join you in pray and in action, living out life as God’s people.
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Bill Euler
March 30, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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