Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. (Ephesians 4:15, ESV)
When someone from the press asks a tour player, “Do you have a number [that you want to shoot] in mind?,” I know the answer is yes, even if they won’t say it.
Not me. I’m more than willing to say what I want to shoot. I have three numbers in mind every time I play 18. In order they are: shoot my age, shoot anything under par, shoot par.
I’ve never done the first, I haven’t done the second in about six years, and I haven’t done the third since I found out, a little over three years ago, that I had cancer. Turns out that, generally speaking, cancer treatments do not help your golf scores.
Today I’m cancer-free. I give God both the credit and the glory for that, and I am thankful. What I dealt with was a challenge, though it doesn’t hold a candle to what many of you have dealt with or are dealing with. But it was enough for me.
My greatest level of spiritual maturity, my deepest love for God and others, and my most complete dependence on God are all before me.From the beginning I knew I was going to work hard and I knew I would get better. This is where I could see a definite correlation between my illness, my golf game, and my spiritual well-being. So I turned everything into “a number.”
You know my golf numbers, and they’re good, but none of them are as good as I have shot in the past. In other words, my best golf has probably already been played.
My wellness number is like my golf numbers, something a little better than par. It seems unlikely that I’ll ever be as fit or vigorous as I once was. That too is behind me.
But my spiritual well-being number can keep getting better and better. My greatest level of spiritual maturity, my deepest love for God and others, and my most complete dependence on God are all before me. I love that.
Make your number something you have to strive for, because your goal today and every day, regardless of where you are now, is to grow spiritually. If you three-putted a chance for forgiveness today, be brave tomorrow. If you hid the light of Jesus in the trees, get back in the fairway. If your love for God is in the bunker, splash it out.
Just remember that neither golf nor spiritual maturity are about perfection, they are both about continually growing. Keep up the good work.
—
Lewis Greer
May 15, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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