And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47, NIV)
What excites you? If you are reading these words, you are likely a golfer, so I would imagine birdies and eagles make your list. Long putts, chip-ins, drives that reach farther than you’ve ever hit it on a hole—these, too, are fun ways to set your adrenaline racing while on the course.
Life away from golf offers us an array of excitements. Roller coasters thrill us in one way, while new babies snatch our hearts in another. You may hold tickets to a special concert or soon will receive the keys to a new house or car. It’s great even to be excited for others, as when your recently graduated child lands the job she’s been dreaming of or a new contract secures some nice benefits for your employees. No, life isn’t a thrill a minute, but it can bring some rousing moments for sure.
I have to believe that when Luke penned the words that we now find at the end of Acts 2, he was still pretty excited about the records he was keeping. This was the chapter that opened with the alighting of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and progressed to Peter’s empowered sermon that day. But all of that was leading to an especially wonderful outcome: salvation.
This was no holy huddle serving only itself, for every day more people were being added to the number of those saved.After Peter’s sermon, the people were eager to know, “What shall we do?” Peter gave them the simplest formula: “Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins.” Luke wrote that about 3,000 people were baptized that day. Exciting!
From there, these many new followers of Christ went on to devote themselves to learning and doing. They gained from the apostles’ teaching, supported one another in practical and spiritual senses, and praised God together. But this was no holy huddle serving only itself, for every day more people were being added to the number of those saved. Exciting!
As we reach out to the people we know through golf, we speak of changing the conversation among them. What if we were to ask them today’s opening question: “Tell me, what excites you about golf?” Then turning the conversation to life can open a door for a broader list of answers, including your own, which may sound like this: “I have to say that what excites me greatly is the salvation I have in Jesus and, as much as that, when I see others discover that salvation, too.” Here is a way to make connections for eternity.
—
Jeff Hopper
June 28, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
MORE DEVOTIONS IN THIS SERIES
On Location 1: Gathering Together
On Location 2: Then and Now
On Location 3: New Ventures
On Location 4: Partners in Ministry
On Location 6: The Round Ahead
On Location 7: Helping Others
On Location 8: Stepping Out
On Location 9: Lifelong Learning
On Location 10: Tough Stuff
On Location 11: Learning Together
On Location 12: A Good Solid Why
On Location 13: Room for Reflection