Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8, ESV)
I recently played golf with Marty Jacobus, our Links Players Director, in Coachella Valley, California. Marty and I joined the Links staff at about the same time and have been good friends since we met.
He was in Arizona to visit family, and fortunately, we were able to play 18 holes at Pinnacle Peak Country Club, which has a solid track and is a great club.
Marty, having never seen the course, played it like he had designed it. Without the one shot he missed, he might well have broken par.
I, having played the course four or five times, played it as though I wasn’t quite sure what golf was all about. I’ll spare you the details and just say it was my worst round of the summer.
You’ll be happy to know I never threw a club, yelled, cussed, or quit. And I did hit a good shot here and there.
On 17, I hit a near-shank, and Marty said, “It looks like you might be standing too close to the ball.”
I said, “You mean after I hit it?” He should have said yes.
But my real problem wasn’t standing too close to the ball. I was standing too far from golf.
I wasn’t there to score but to visit with my friend. James Sieckman calls that “distracted” golf, and he’s right. But sometimes I think that’s OK.
What is not OK is to stand too far from God. I don’t ever want to be so friendly with the world, for instance, that I forget to draw near to God. James even says, “…whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” That is just a few sentences before our primary verse, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
In context, we can see it as a clear choice. Shall I stand near to God or near to the world?
Honestly, I can be kind of friendly and still play a little. The day before my bad round, I shot two over, playing with three Links Players whom I get to see often.
But give me the choice between standing close to a friend and standing close to golf, and golf loses. So does the world because I want to always draw near to God.
Prayer: Father, may we draw near to you. The world pretends to be desirable and important, but it is you alone that we need.
In Jesus’ beautiful name, Amen