For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10, NASB)
So, there you have it—we are God’s workmanship? Maybe the real question is, who are we becoming? We are all becoming who we will ultimately be, so the real answer lies in becoming who God originally created us to be. Who you are now is not as important as who you will become.
An example is Bernhard Langer. His testimony reflects his first win at the Masters in 1985. He was brash and confident and used the Lord’s name in vain in his interview in Butler Cabin. He won again in 1993, but he was a different person then.
A life change occurred when he accepted Jesus as His Savior and Lord. The remembrance of who he was in 1985 still pains him, but he is no longer that man. He is now a passionate man of God who boldly talks about Jesus.
John Mark became a better man than the person who defected in his mission with Paul and Barnabas on Paul’s first missionary journey. This failure made Mark a different and better man; he later wrote the Gospel of Mark. Imagine that transformation!
I was called to this golf ministry in 2005. I had just completed eight years of ministry at a Christian dude and guest ranch in Colorado and thought all was well. However, I was still in the process of becoming who I am.
During these past 17 years with Links Players, I have been chiseled, strengthened, brought to my knees, challenged, and moved to question my failures as I stumbled again and again.
I have also rejoiced in numerous victories for which there is no explanation other than God’s grace and miraculous work. I now know I am a needy child of God whom He loves very much. Knowing this love has given me a great desire to be more like Jesus. It is a process, but I am headed in his direction. Oswald Chambers said, “We have to be continuously converted all the days of our life.” We are all in a continuous conversion into becoming who we will ultimately be.
What about you? Who are you becoming? This is not just a new year’s resolution; it is a lifetime of daily transformation, becoming what we think about, whom we associate with, what our priorities are, and what we do about it.
I am not now, who I will ultimately be, but by God’s grace, I am not what I once was. I am a child of God who desires to be better and more like Jesus. One of our greatest struggles in life is going from who we are now to whom we should become. I am guessing that I am a lot like you.
Closing prayer – As we spend more time with you, Lord Jesus, may we become more and more like you.