Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20, NASB)
With the US Open behind us, the golfing world looks forward to the next major tournament, the British Open—or as the Brits call it, The Open, golf’s oldest championship. I had the pleasure of attending The Open in 2013, the year Phil Mickelson won. He started the final round five strokes back but shot a 66 to win by three strokes. We were sitting in the fourth row overlooking the eighteenth green as his final approach shot landed softly on the green, just missing a greenside bunker. We then held our breath as he one-putted for a birdie to seal the win.
It is a memory that will stick with me for a long time, as is the memory of stopping off at a pub in Edinburgh on the way back to our hotel. We still had our ticket lanyards around our necks as we stepped into the place and were immediately accosted by the friendliest, most excitable people we had met that week, a group of golf-loving Scots. Since Phil had just won, they wanted to talk golf with Americans and we were in the right spot at the right time. Apparently, Americans are easy to spot overseas, and we were, at that moment, America’s ambassadors.
A read through the apostles’ experiences Book of Acts makes it clear that the reaction to the gospel was not like the positive reception we had in that pub. Some welcomed the news of Jesus as though they had been looking for it their entire lives and received it for the life-changing, life-saving Good News it is. Others, not so much.
We often carry the image of Paul and the others as fearless evangelists, but Paul admitted he had his fears and discouragements. He wrote to the Corinthians: “…we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us…” (2 Corinthians 7:5, NIV).
There are thousands of us in the golfing world answering God’s call to be his ambassadors through the game of golf to the unsaved world.While I don’t expect to get flogged or stoned, I have my own fears that are both legitimate and irrational. I fear being rejected. I also worry about offending people and not saying the right things and alienating them. I also fear being labeled a religious nut (the bad kind).
Despite my fears, there are two things driving me to fulfill my calling as Christ’s ambassador. Foremost is God’s reputation. He is totally misunderstood and maligned daily, but as we read in Psalm 92:15: “The Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no wickedness in him” (NIV). Second, there are people who, for a variety of reasons, just like in the Book of Acts, have never really heard the Good News and when they do, will respond positively to it. This possibility excites me!
Ambassadors move to a foreign country and live and work and play among the people there. They represent the interests of their home country. While that means they will sometimes find themselves in uncomfortable situations, it also affords them the opportunity to do significant work on behalf of their homeland. In our case, the stakes could not be higher. God wants to make an appeal to people through us, so that they can be reconciled to him, a reconciliation without which they will not experience the abundant life Jesus promises here on earth nor will they live eternally.
Take comfort today in knowing that you are not alone in your mission. There are thousands of us in the golfing world answering God’s call to be his ambassadors through the game of golf to the unsaved world. And there is God himself: “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
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Bob Kuecker
June 24, 2019
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.