So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NLT)

Summertime is upon us and the weather around the country is sunny and warm. Good weather and longs days make it a great time of year to tee it up. You might play a summer league or some special tournaments in your area. Maybe you have a golf trip planned with buddies or a vacation with your family. The game gives us so many opportunities right now.

Another thing that gets me excited are the US Opens. The Women’s Open at Shoal Creek was a dramatic event and this week’s men’s championship at Shinnecock Hills sets up to give us another great tournament. With so many powerful and competitive players who can win these days, it’s hard to guess what we’ll see.

span class=”devopullquote”>The caddie says stuff that the mental coach and the player have agreed is helpful to hear throughout the round.

One of my favorite things to look for on the tours right now is the relationship between the player and the caddie. Maybe you have heard it said that a good caddie is like having a 15th club in your bag. But when you read about the great work of experienced professional caddies like Ted Scott and Paul Tesori, I think it may be closer to having a 15th, 16th, and 17th club!

In the modern game, one of the things caddies are asked to do as part of a player’s team is to affirm the player according to the verbiage and tone supplied by a sport psychologist or mental coach. The caddie says stuff that the mental coach and the player have agreed is helpful to hear throughout the round.

Ariya Jutanugarn looked invincible for the first half of the final round at the US Women’s Open, but once she made a triple bogey at the tenth, she turned to her caddie, Les Luark, and told him on the eleventh tee, “I don’t know how to hit this one.” It was a crisis of confidence. But Luark knew what to do. He challenged her: “Come on, do you want to win?” When she told him yes, he said, “OK. Then we have to do it.”

But encouragement is hardly just for caddies. In today’s passage, the apostle Paul was writing to the church in Thessalonica, reminding the people how important it is to be encouraging and to build each other up. They were doing it already, but he wasn’t going to let them back off. He was encouraging them to be encouraging. I like that!

As believers, one of the best ways we can encourage each other is to echo the words of God to our friends. It’s one thing to build someone up for a golf shot, but how about building them up in their faith? How about encouraging them to be a godly husband or wife, to be a supportive child or church member, to be faithful in prayer and study of the Scripture, to be generous and kind in every regard? These are encouragements that help a brother or sister invest in eternity. In that economy, we can all be “financial advisors.”

Have fun this summer, but more than that let your words to others make a lasting difference!

—

Dereck Wong
June 11, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.