But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. (James 1:22, NASB)
Golf has a language like no other. I asked a friend recently, “So what is your handicap?” He said, “I am a 3 but trending to a 4 or 5.” I get his drift. He is a 3 but wants more strokes because he thinks he will play bad today and really wants to win the bet.
A personal note here. I keep all my 18 scores in a spreadsheet and track not only the score but also the fairways and greens hit in regulation, the birdies, and the total putts. I know this may seem sick to some of you, but I have done it all my life. I am also aware of my trend here. Slightly higher scores, fewer greens in regulation, and less fairways hit. And just a few less birdies. Can you see where this is going?
What about our spiritual lives? How do we judge that? That seems a little more subjective. I often use an expression that I learned years ago at a Christian camp: “Make moving your stake closer to God a goal.” It doesn’t matter where that stake is now, but it is important the direction and progress we are making. Even Billy Graham and Mother Teresa had stake-moving to do.
I hope God looks at my trend now and says, “That’s my boy. He is an 18 now, but he is trending to a 0.”I now realize another truth. Who are we to judge our stakes being moved? I believe now that spiritual growth is a gift, not an accomplishment. God is the judge on this one because he knows our heart. I pray that my trend is toward God. There is always a battle to get out of our comfort zone. We usually talk more than we actually serve.
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” This verse, Philippians 1:6, is one I rely on a lot. In fact, this has become my life verse: Christ began the stake moving, and he will continue until we are perfected. He knows where we are now along this spectrum of stake-moving, and he also has a desire that we move closer to him. He wants this daily, yet we have a choice. I hope he looks at my trend now and says, “That’s my boy. He is an 18 now, but he is trending to a 0.”
So where are you now? If I had to answer that question, I would begin by telling you of the great gift of spiritual growth I have experienced in the last dozen years. It has come through stories and experiences involving Links Players, and the fellowship opportunities it provides. I have witnessed stories of life change. I have noticed the growth in others around me. As I see lives being changed by God, this has changed me. Life change begins when you tell your story and hear stories from others. We are all in this together.
I think I am getting better because I have had a whiff of my own depravity. As a result, I am getting better because I love others more. God can evaluate my stake-moving and the trending. I am just following him. I believe that is a good trend.
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Randy Wolff
February 4, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.