God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. (1 Peter 4:10, NLT)
When it comes to golf, I’m like most players. I want to do the best I can. I’m not a long hitter and I don’t make a lot of birdies, but put me in a competition and I’m going to try hard and celebrate when my team wins.
I should tell you that “my team” is really what it’s all about for me. I love team play competitions, best ball tournaments, and the couples events I play with my wife. I’m what they call a people person, so when we’re talking about golf, that means I love competing together with others.
I hope I also show those I compete against that I like spending the day with them, too. A lot of the competitions I play involve players from other clubs and courses, so I get a lot of chances to tell people about my involvement at my home club, but also my activity as a Links Players region director. In other words, I get to tell them about local Links Fellowships and how they can get one started where they play.
Have you figured out yet that I am evangelist? At the highest level, this means that I love telling people about Jesus. But even before that—maybe thanks to my many years in sales—I get excited about the things that are important to me. One of those is Links Fellowships, because I have seen so many lives change as men and women have become involved in these groups at their clubs.
Look for needs. You’ll find these in individuals, in marriages, in families, in foursomes, and in Fellowships.
Evangelism is one of the spiritual gifts we find in the letters of Peter and Paul. An evangelist is someone who (literally when it comes to the original Greek) shares good news. I have good news that Links Fellowships are available, better news that Links Fellowships can really make a difference in your life, and the best news that Jesus is the one who makes that difference in a way no one and nothing else can.
But evangelism is only one of the gifts that God gives. Peter said there is a “great variety” of gifts available. For instance, we know that the best Fellowships (like small groups in other places) also benefit from the presence of encouragers and teachers and mercy-givers and helpers, all of which are gifts we see in Scripture. These days, it probably wouldn’t be hard to convince you that people with email and Zoom skills are blessed, too!
So what is your spiritual gift? The best place to start is by reading passages like Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, praying that God would make it clear to you what your gift or gifts are. (Other passages of Scripture point to gifts God gives in areas of missions, music, and craftsmanship. And like I said, tech knowledge may now be a gift.)
But here is a more important question: How can you use your God-given gift to help others? Peter wrote that we are to use our gifts to serve others. So look for needs. You’ll find these in individuals, in marriages, in families, in foursomes, and in Fellowships. Then ask God and these other people how you can help them, especially when it comes to using a gift you know God has given you.
—
Dereck Wong
April 12, 2021
Copyright 2021 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
Photo by Samantha Garrote from Pexels