Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. (2 Timothy 2:8-9, NIV)
Some rounds of golf are hard to shake. You don’t even have to be competitive for this to be the case; you just have to hit an especially ugly shot at the moment when it hurts most. Like many arenas in life, a whole lot of good can come crashing down in a moment or two.
Is it better or worse for players on tour? Surely their playing privileges from one season to the next can come down to a shot or two. Oh, the pain when they find themselves on the lipped-out side looking in! But week in and week out, tour players fight to manage their minds, not letting the bad eat away at the spirit too quickly. After all, if there’s not another round tomorrow, there’s one next week. They must learn to excel at getting back out there in the right frame of mind.
How easy it would have been for Paul to get caught up in his worries and woes. Instead, he remembered Jesus.Significant holiday seasons, like relaxing vacations and completed projects, have a way of producing letdowns in us if we’re not careful when we emerge from them. More than this, their pleasures can be swept away almost immediately when we dive back into the routines and demands of our work and home environments. This is no good in any case, but as those whose hearts are given to Jesus, the last thing we want to do is walk away from the reflections of the Easter weekend as if it never happened.
The theme of remembrance is woven through the Old Testament. God did great things for his people, and they were encouraged to remember each one.
With this in mind, when we consider that there is no greater thing Christ has done for us than purchase our redemption on the cross and conquer death by resurrection, we too must remember. We can’t simply move on from Easter.
Paul wrote to his beloved protégé, Timothy, that the memory was simple: Remember Jesus. As a descendant of David, and as one who died and rose, Jesus was the promised Messiah. This was a memory that would serve Timothy (and us) well not only in a quiet times of reflection, but in the grittiest of all nitty-gritties. Even in suffering and chains. How easy it would have been for Paul to get caught up in his worries and woes. Instead, he remembered Jesus. It’s this memory that can carry us forward.
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Jeff Hopper
April 2, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.