Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12, NASB)
We all have our favorite golfing memories. Some are ones we watch on TV or in person, others we have actually lived out.
My first two-man tournament at my new club is one of those memories. I was paired with a man I had just met. Each match was 18 holes and we had made it to the semi-finals. My partner and I were down four with four to play—not the position golfers prefer! It would have been easy to concede and go grab a drink. Or, we could do what we were supposed to do: Play the next hole one shot at a time. We played on. I won’t bore you with the hole-by-hole details, but the black cloud we had been playing under slowly began to be replaced by confidence and energy. We could feel the momentum swing as we watched our opponents suddenly become unable to hit a single decent shot as the weight of their collapse grew. The drama of winning the last four holes and eventually winning on the 20th hole—well, that is a memory I have replayed many times since. It has been a constant reminder to me to never give up, to “play on.”
Certainly, the life circumstances we find ourselves in today have changed. None of us would have imagined we would be in the condition we are in now. I admit to, at times, wanting to “hole up” and only look after my family until the pandemic has passed. But that would be conceding my calling as one of God’s ambassadors, just when those around me are at their most vulnerable. God hasn’t changed; his word and promises have not changed, and our calling has not changed.
I admit to, at times, wanting to “hole up” and only look after my family until the pandemic has passed.Recently I was encouraged by these verses from 2 Thessalonians:
To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)
Several weeks back Jeff Hopper made this observation: “It has been about four weeks now since the shutdown, and people are saying they are doing OK. It will be a different story in another two to four weeks. People will be hurting.” That time is now.
Today, make a decision to “play on.” Reach out to a friend, a relative, or someone you barely know with a word of encouragement; trust that God is with you.
—
Bob Kuecker
April 30, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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