For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, NIV)
One thing we know for sure about golf is that there is a beginning and an end to every round. It is an 18-hole adventure, with twists and turns we don’t see coming and an outcome that is generally a surprise. We start with high hopes and we plan to finish well, but it all depends on how we react to the surprises that await us. Will we be patient and persevere or will we give up and trudge our way to the end in despair? That decision depends upon what we see as the endpoint of our effort. What was our goal when we started—was it to win at any cost, or was it to play with every ounce of our skill and integrity and to rejoice at the ultimate outcome? How we answer that question determines whether we will play with abandon and joy or whether it will be a chore to finish what we started.
That is precisely the same choice we make about living our life here on earth. There is a beginning and an end to our life. How we handle the twists and turns depends on our ultimate goal. Will we end up the winner because we have the most toys and the appearance of success? Will we live in despair because we just don’t understand why all these bad things have happened to us? Will we find a meaning for our life that goes beyond whether we win or lose? Will that meaning give us the hope that allows us to live with joy and peace? Will it give us the freedom to fail but still have the hope of a better future?
Those who are playing to win at any cost without God’s presence in their life may find themselves left out.
Jesus came to earth to give us that very thing. A hope for the future and the power to live a life with meaning and purpose, regardless of our circumstances. We are given a life to live and he has come to give it meaning and to tell us how it will all turn out in the end. When troubles come, when we lose those we love to death, when heartache threatens to destroy us, we can live on knowing that there is a glorious end to this life for those who place their trust in what Jesus has done for us.
There will come a day, probably much sooner than we think, when the choice we make about what Jesus has made available to us will become our reality. He’s coming back to get those who have trusted in him. Those who are playing to win at any cost without God’s presence in their life may find themselves left out. A winner in this life but a loser for eternity. That’s a sobering thought, but the One who has made us is going to bring those who trust in him home to be with him forever. That’s the truth.
Choose life and enter into the hope and joy that only God can give you. Do it soon. Tomorrow may be your eighteenth hole.
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Linda Ballard
July 8, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.