Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
Has something stolen your April? For me, April has long been the month I most look forward to every year. Why? Can you say, “Final Four,” “The Masters,” “RBC Heritage Classic,” and (often) “Easter Sunrise Service”? It’s just doesn’t seem like April without them!
Yes, all those familiar things in all those familiar places were missing this year. But the most disappointing thing about April in all of this was not being able to worship together with friends on Easter morning. Our yesterdays certainly are not the same as our todays.
I don’t mean to equate the struggles many are experiencing now with my own minor inconveniences. COVID-19 has impacted us all and hit some very hard. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world are sick and some have died. Beyond this, several friends are struggling with cancer. Others are living with relentless chronic pain. My 92-year-old father-in-law went home to be with the Lord this month, and we could not attend his funeral service in person. Many people are out of work, struggling to pay bills and feed their families. Many are alone, some are depressed and others are just very tired of the isolation. Tens of thousands are literally risking their lives daily to provide essential services, as are two of our six children.
But none of this surprises our God. He knew about the present pandemic before he created the world. He has a purpose. And if he does, I think we should, too.
I seem to be able to read in a more leisurely/intimate way right now. I am seeing many things in a whole new way.How about if we use this time of uncertainty to push the reset button and begin to build a “new normal” into our lives, adding or extending good practices that can continue after we emerge from the shutdown? I have noticed something recently about my own time in God’s Word. I am now spending a great deal more time reading the Bible for my own personal growth and it’s wonderful!
Being in full-time ministry for many years with FCA Golf and now Links Players, I have spent hours reading and studying Scripture. But I was usually strategizing in my mind as to how I could share the context, meaning and application of what I was reading with others. I am still plenty busy doing Zoom meetings with several Links Fellowships, counseling folks on FaceTime, and keeping up with friends and family via texts, emails, and phone calls. However, I seem to be able to read in a more leisurely/intimate way right now. I am seeing many things in a whole new way. I sometimes say to my wife, “I just had a yummy time in the Word”! I have most certainly come to a better understanding of the mercy and grace of God, which has led me to deeper personal repentance.
In a weird sort of way, this time for many of us is a little like what the disciples experienced on that first Easter morning. They were on “lockdown” and afraid. They must have been worrying about what was coming. But when Jesus appeared to them, their eyes were opened to the truth of the Scriptures and his teachings. I have had many very good Bible teachers in my life, but even the best of those teachers are no match for what Jesus imparts to us when we spend extended time with him in his Word.
As the author of Hebrews states, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Even as things might soon return to a more normal way of life where you live, will you join me in spending more time with our unchanging Savior during these coming days, weeks, and months? If we do, we will be enriched by a closer relationship with our God and thus be better prepared to witness when we return to the game of golf and the game of life.
—
Marty Jacobus
April 22, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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