Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16:3, NASB)
Have you ever taken your stance and felt some doubt about your club selection? Maybe it’s that 185-yard par three over water, and the wind suddenly hits the side of your face.
You were “pretty sure” that the club selection was right, but now doubt causes you to step away, a little less confident and certainly less committed to what you were planning.
After resetting, the likely result is a blocked shot, topped shot, or yank to the left. Because you didn’t commit, the execution of your shot was weak.
This was my experience when I played the Par 3 14th at Pine Valley. It’s a 180-yard shot downhill, all carry, and both days I double bogeyed it because I was not committed to the swing and shot. I under-rotated, didn’t get off my back foot or didn’t fully finish on my left side. Whatever the excuse, I chalk it up to a lack of commitment.
PGA tour players suffer from the same lack of commitment. Commentators often say, “He just wasn’t committed to the shot.”
Another way to look at this scenario is that you were “involved” in the shot selection process but were not “committed.”
What’s the difference between being involved and being committed? Well, think of your breakfast of eggs and ham; as the saying goes, “the chicken was involved, but the pig was committed!”
The opening verse in Proverbs 16:3 is clear about commitment related to everything we do, and a promise about our plans follows. Solomon’s wise words on the subject continue in Proverbs 37:5, “Commit your way to the Lord, also trust in Him, and He will do it.”
As LINKS players participating in fellowships, we can either be involved or committed. Growing fully in Christ requires commitment. Showing up without watching the video, reading the scripture verses, and filling in the questions is merely involvement. You will find the conversations much more enriching after just 15 minutes of preparation. That is commitment!
Being involved in fellowship is a start, but to find God’s calling in your life, we must commit. Jesus states the following about our work, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. (Colossians 3:23-24)
Jesus committed to fulfilling his calling by suffering a torturous death on the cross. He is, as in everything, our great exemplar! Let’s take this to heart and commit to our golf shots and, infinitely more importantly, to the King of the universe who gave his life so that we can live ours for his glory and our neighbor’s good.
Prayer: Father, help us to be committed, disciplined, and intentional as we pursue you and your calling.