…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6, NIV)
Do you have confidence in your golf swing, putting stroke, or driving the ball to every spot on the fairway?
If you watched Kevin Na’s recent win at the Greenbrier, he said that during a rain delay in the tournament, he worked on his putting and found something that clicked for him. His confidence in his putting stroke that week was incredible. He would see the line and boom!, he was making amazing putts.
When you have confidence that the Holy Spirit living in you is your partner in ministry, you know you have the promise and provision you need.Have you ever felt that way? Even if only for a little but, the confidence you feel is amazing. A PGA Tour player who played against Tiger Woods once told me that Tiger was such a confident player and this confidence made him seem invincible, both to Tiger himself and to his competitors.
In today’s passage, Paul was writing to the Philippians, who were willing to be used by God. They were actively spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, “defending and confirming the gospel” in partnership with Paul. But Paul was not with them physically at this time, and he wanted to be sure they were encouraged in this work.
My desire for you today is the same.
At Links Players, we hope that you are engaged with us in changing the conversation where you play golf. By now, you should be familiar with this idea: Where we interact with golfers, we look to move from the small talk of the game to the things that matter in life and eternity (namely, the gospel).
But just because you are familiar with something does not mean you are confident in doing it. You may not even be comfortable! You may be asking, “How do we do that? What do I say?” You may be saying, “I am not qualified!”
That’s where today’s scripture drops into place for us even now. We may need encouragement that brings confidence.
God will help you grow in grace until he completes his work in your life. When you have confidence that the Holy Spirit living in you is your partner in ministry, you know you have the promise and provision you need. And when you layer in Bible reading and prayer and fellowship with like-minded, ministry-committed believers, you keep that confidence in place.
The evidence of Kevin Na’s confidence boost was amazing. But when we are transformed by Christ and brought into the completing work of the Holy Spirit, we’ll receive more than amazement; we’ll be infused with joy—the very joy of the Lord that is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). And whether in golf or in our spiritual life, confidence and strength are wonderful partners.
—
Dereck Wong
July 16, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.