For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6, NASB)
You may have seen the Golf Galaxy TV ad. It shows a businessman in his office practicing his golf swing while on a conference call. There is a lady golfer practicing her swing in the reflection of the window on the commuter train. We golfers are obsessed with getting better.
I play a lot of golf with my good friend Gene. I have heard his lament literally hundreds of times as we complete a round and shake hands, “I can play better that this. I just never do.” Well, last week he shot a 67, and he is 64 years old. He just smiled after he completed his round. He knew there was a better golfer inside, and it emerged that day.
Don’t you feel this way also about your relationship with Jesus? Inside every true follower of Jesus, there is a better one trying to emerge and evolve. We may know God has started something good in us, and we should also know that only he can perfect it. It starts with our desire to get better and live this abundant life that is promised. When our heart is changed, our life will reflect our actions and words and service. Don’t we all just want to get a little better?
Here is what I have learned about golf and life: It takes more than just wanting to get better to get better. That is a good start, but we must do something about this desire. In golf, it may be a series of lessons, a lot of practice implementing the lessons learned, and then, most of all, it involves competition to gain experience to apply these skills, which become repeatable. The end result is that our golf game gets better.
I am still amazed at the wisdom of real seekers who have made their faith journey a priority.
But golf is only a small matter. Our relationship with Jesus across all of life is so much more valuable now and later. So where do we begin? We start with a heart that realizes our need, and we desire to make some changes. The result is that we get convicted of our sin and know there must be a better way. Our faith journey then becomes our real life and we keep on walking with Jesus.
You know the time, work, and effort it takes to become better at a sport like golf. What if you desire to do this with your spiritual formation? It takes time and patience. It involves consistent and faithful study of God’s word. This is best done with a group at your church or with groups of men and women, like Links Fellowships that meet on a regular basis to learn truth and share life with each other. I am still amazed at the wisdom of real seekers who have made their faith journey a priority. Our faith in Jesus then becomes relevant and important when we apply this wisdom in our struggles as well as our victories.
Years ago, I asked a friend who had become a Christian a few months earlier, “Well, how is this new life going for you?” He smiled and said, “It is going well, but it has sure taken all the joy out of sinning.” His definition of joy had changed. Joy was now Jesus, Others, and Yourself—JOY. He knew there was a better man inside that just had to be released.
—
Randy Wolff
August 3, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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