One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God, and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.” (Psalm 62:11-12, NIV)
“Drive for show and putt for dough.” We all heard it a thousand times before the data masters began to show us that those who drive it farthest and straightest on tour are also the ones who win the most money. They simply put themselves in better position to attack the flag more often. And yet, no one can win with wretched putting. Bad putters will find that no matter how close they hit it, if they continue to miss putts inside 15 feet, they will not collect the check they were hoping for. In fact, many tour careers have faded via such disappointment.
So golf continues to be the balance that we have always known it to be. The best players will be good off the tee, good from the fairway, good from trouble, good from around the greens, and good with the putter in their hands.
We have certainly explored more than once the idea that the men and women of God should also be well-rounded people, balanced in their circumspection and as quick to show mercy and care as they are to point out what needs to be corrected in the lives of others.
For every “good deed” we have done, can we say we have faith that puts the entirety of our past, present, and future in the saving hands of Jesus?But what of God himself? We find a wondrous pair of verses at the end of Psalm 62 that show us how God occupies the entire spectrum in his character, and because of this we have access to one who is holy in more ways than we can begin to count.
Psalm 62 takes up two of these traits: strength and love. It does so in the context of God’s judgment, and we should take a little time to make sure we fully understand what it means that God will judge us according to what we have done.
It is possible to dismiss the second verse in today’s passage as something belonging to the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, when God’s people lived under his law. We could say that as New Testament Christians, we live by grace and such judgment will not come for us. Some theologians lean strongly in this direction. However, Jesus’ Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, as well as James’ caution that our faith is revealed by our deeds, remind us that while we are saved by grace, our lives should demonstrate that stunning gift. Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness; in the same way, we will be judged by our faith. For every “good deed” we have done, can we say we have faith that puts the entirety of our past, present, and future in the saving hands of Jesus? This is where the Old Covenant (what we do) meets the New (what he has done).
Perhaps what David most wanted to convey here is that God can be trusted in all things, even in dealing with us and the lives we have lived. He has the power to put us in our place—both now and for eternity. But he has the enduring, willing love to rescue us if we turn to him in faith. This love was written permanently on the cross. It is ours to lay hold of.
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Jeff Hopper
May 6, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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