What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9, ESV)
Back about a hundred years ago, before I was in high school, I apparently forgot something my friend Darrell had expected me to remember. He said, “You’re like a goose—you wake up in a new world every day.”
He meant it to sting, but mostly it made me wonder… Is that really true about geese?
If so, there are about a dozen smart ones that find their way back to our golf course every year. I recognize some of them, and even a couple of the kids. I see them when I’m out there on number nine, trying to remember why I played well a few days earlier.
Having played golf as long as I’ve known Darrell, who is still a good friend, there isn’t much about how to swing a club that I don’t “know” on some level. So why is it that I forget to check my grip before a drive, or neglect to turn my chest through on a chip shot?
It’s not that I wake up in a new world every day, it’s just that I don’t practice enough.
We need to practice what we have learned and what we have seen in those who emulate Christ.Knowledge of the game is very helpful, but there is no quiz at the end of the round about swing theory; there is just a little math exercise where numbers get added together.
Likewise, I don’t imagine there is any kind of “Bible Bowl” being held just outside The Pearly Gates. (Level 1: Name the books of the New Testament. Lose 25 points if you add an “s” to the end of Revelation.)
Knowledge of Scripture is very helpful in life. We’re just a little more than a week into the new year, so if you haven’t started already, commit to reading through the Bible this year. Don’t read it to study it, read it to get the word of God in you. You’ll love it.
But more than learning what the Bible says, do what the Bible teaches. Paul instructed the Philippians to follow his example. “Practice these things.” In the lines immediately preceding this verse he told them what to think about, and now he tells them what to do.
I looked up the thing about geese, and they aren’t really so forgetful. Sometimes we are though. To counteract that, we need to practice what we have learned and what we have seen in those who emulate Christ.
Then one day we will wake up in a new world, and that will be heaven.
—
Lewis Greer
January 11, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.