If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23, ESV)
If you’re like me and you enjoy playing competitive golf, you’ve no doubt ended up on the winning side of things. But you’ve probably also found yourself on the losing side.
Golf is a game where you lose far more often than you win. And if you’re not mentally tough, it can beat you up. Winning golf requires consistency, discipline, and a strong mental game.
Bob Rotella, as I’m sure you’re aware, has written several books focused on the mental side of golf. One of the greatest things I’ve read from Dr. Rotella comes from the introduction to his book Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect. He writes:
“The challenge lies not in the understanding the concepts I teach, for, as I’ve said, they’re simple and make common sense. The challenge lies in thinking this way every day on every shot.”
I once heard another great golf mentor, Jack Burke Jr., say, “In order to be good at golf, you have to be thinking about it all the time.”
There is a consistency in those two quotes. Being good at anything takes constant work, constant attention, and constant focus.
I’m constantly reading and taking in information about playing golf, competing in golf, and simply enjoying golf. It’s what I love to do.
I believe our spiritual growth carries a similar lesson. One of my foundational Scripture passages is Romans 12:12, which says:
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Not occasional in prayer. Not prayer only when things are difficult. Not prayer only when we need something.
Constant in prayer.
That reminds me of the golf lesson above. If we want something to shape us, we must return to it repeatedly.
Recently, we introduced a devotional video clip that I believe is powerful in teaching us about the Gospel and the foundation of our salvation.
Hopefully, you took the time to watch the video of Alistair Begg speaking about the thief on the cross and how he got to Heaven.
The powerful words he shared were these:
“The Man on the middle cross said I can come.”
That is a truly powerful delivery of the salvation message. But what he says right after that is just as important. He continues:
“If I don’t preach the Gospel to myself all day and every day, then I will find myself beginning to trust myself, trust my experience, which is part of my fallenness as a man. We will quickly revert to faith plus works as the ground of our salvation.”
Preach the Gospel to myself constantly.
Again, if you want to be good at something, you must think about it all the time. So, if you want to grow in your ability to share the Gospel, preach it to yourself all day, every day.
Remind yourself that your salvation is not based on your performance, your goodness, your experience, or your effort. It is based on Christ alone.
Then, when the time comes to share the Gospel with someone else — perhaps even a stranger — it will not feel forced. It will not be something you have to manufacture in the moment.
It will simply be part of who you are.
And by God’s grace, it will flow out of you naturally.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be constant in my pursuit of you, and my desire to share the Gospel with others. Amen.
GIVE ‘EM HEAVEN TODAY LINKS PLAYERS