For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:21, ESV)
Depending on where you are in the country, your golf season is either winding down due to the arrival of winter or continuing due to the mild climate where you reside.
Either way, it’s the time of year when you can reflect on your highs & lows and what aspects of your game need to be refined.
But with the highs and lows, more reflection may be needed. Yes, there were good rounds. Maybe even some great rounds were recorded to GHIN. There probably were some slumps mixed in. And maybe, and not to your liking, you were unable to play due to health issues or the unkindness of time.
As you think about the past year or the years you’ve enjoyed the game, do you feel grateful for it? Even during bad rounds of golf, are you thankful that you can still enjoy a game that has given you so much? Do you realize what a gift it is to have the clubs you use? Or the course you’re a member of? Or the dear friends you’ve made?
Take it a step further.
Are we grateful for the life we have been given? And to the One who has given us this life? Maybe life has been overwhelmingly hard for you. To even hint at gratitude causes you to pause because of the difficult days you’ve lived through.
Thankfully, the Bible teaches us to be grateful in both joys and sorrows (Psalm 9:1-2, Isaiah 12:4-6, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, James 1:2-3). However, self-reflection often reveals that most of us need to work on our gratitude.
RC Sproul explains why most of us struggle with gratitude: “A failure to be grateful is grounded in the conviction that we are due better than what we have been given.”
In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church in Rome, whom he had never visited. His writing was intended to encourage them in their shared faith (v.12), remind them of the gospel they had received through the grace of the one true God (v.4-6), and to convey the gift of His righteousness (v.17).
His audience was within the Roman world, which was consumed with hundreds of gods (polytheism). Paul stresses that the same righteous God who redeems also pours out His righteous wrath on condemned humanity (v. 18). Even these foolish pagan polytheists knew the Almighty, yet they still did not honor Him or give thanks to Him (vss. 19-21).
If we are in Christ, our honor and gratitude (v.21) to the gracious God should never be diminished by an attitude that we are due more, or that He owes us. To honor Him is to glorify Him.
It is to acknowledge that He is holy, righteous, and exalted. David calls us to ascribe to God the glory that He is due (Psalm 29:1-2). When we give Him the gratitude He deserves, we actively reject the pride that so often plagues us. So, how’s your gratitude?
Prayer: Father, forgive me for believing I’m due more than what you have graciously provided. I seek to honor you, and I confess now that I’m grateful to you for everything I’ve been given. Amen