For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10, ESV)
As the adage goes, “You are only as good as your last round.” Good news if you had a great last round, horrible news if you didn’t.
That being said, say I just come in from shooting a personal best 70, and one of my playing partners is sulking about their own round and poor play. I am flying high, as this is my latest round, which equates to me being a good golfer.
My playing partner on the other hand has the unfortunate disposition of not being a good golfer based on their latest performance. In their saddened state, they refuse to say “good round” and instead say I was lucky.
Yet on the very next day, they fire a personal best 70 and I do not come anywhere close to that score. How quickly the tables have turned, and I am faced with a decision: Do I remember the snide remark from the day prior? Do I minimize another’s success to soothe my own ego? Or do I graciously congratulate them?
This is small example in the golf world, but maybe you have your own experience of a similar incident with a family member or a co-worker. Amazingly small and trivial comments unnerve us, and our sinful hearts quickly jump to defend against the slight.
Amazingly small and trivial comments unnerve us, and our sinful hearts quickly jump to defend against the slight.Being human means we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Praise be to God that the gospel has the power to bring hope to any situation. God thankfully never tells us that we are only as good as our last round or last meeting, or day or year! Because our heavenly Father is good, we are loved and cared for unconditionally, not based on anything we do or say.
Jesus, our perfect example, faced innumerable slights. He did not respond by reviling or getting even. No, he went “beyond even” when he died an unjust death and rose again from the dead three days later.
You and I can forgive one another because we have been forgiven. Our significance and worth come from being made in the image of God. On top of that, we remember the grace and forgiveness we are shown each day, because without it we would not have true eternal life and true peace. With it, we have everything we need because we have him.
Forget “I’m only as good as my last round” and remember “I’m only in good standing because I have a Savior who has freed me from any label this world can put on me. I can rest in Christ’s finished work and enjoy relationship with him forever. I am free to share this joy, kindness and grace with all those I come in contact with and especially those who know which buttons to press.” The gospel is the good news we all need to hear about and experience.
—
Aimee Neff
November 19, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
Photo by Jason Hogan on Unsplash