And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
(1 John 5:11-12, NASB)
Close only counts in horseshoes. Or so they say, whoever they are. In golf, close is not good enough. It must be in the hole to count.
In my old age and with my weird sense of humor, I have developed a new line I use on the golf course that I have never used in the past. When I hit a putt that envelops the hole and comes so close to going in that it just hangs on the lip of the cup, I look at my playing partners and exclaim, “I am counting that one!” They laugh but write down the correct score.
Here is a truth that I have learned over the past 34 years: We must have a desire to be fully in with Jesus. Just knowing about Jesus does not compare with really knowing Jesus. Going to church and attending a Links Fellowship is good, but not as good as the real thing of being the church. We become fully engaged and sold out for Jesus. We then live it out from our soul. It becomes the priority, not just a priority.
I have seen such a change in priorities happen many times.
One friend remarked, “This Fellowship is not just changing the conversation at my club, it is changing the conversation in my life.”
There are no partial rewards or partial salvations or coming close. Fully in or fully out.Another friend has come consistently to our Fellowship, and God has changed him. He thought he was a follower of Jesus but admits now it was just a game which enhanced his social acceptability. He now says, “I did not know I was lost until I was found.”
Being found in Christ is holing out. Our salvation and joy have arrived. We then work out our faith to complete the process. It is ongoing until the day we go Home. That is when we have holed out on the final hole and turned in our card, which Jesus tallies with his grace, the perfect score. That is not close but all in.
The Bible is full of either/or statements. Isaiah said quite emphatically, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword” (Isaiah 1:19-20). John said it well: “The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:12). There are no partial rewards or partial salvations or coming close. Fully in or fully out. Complete or incomplete. Jesus made this abundantly clear during his time here.
So, how do you get there? You say, “OK, Lord Jesus. I am a sinner. I need a Savior. Please come into my life and make me complete. I accept your offer of grace and forgiveness. I desire to make this real and authentic in my life as you help me make you the priority. Amen.” God responds to this prayer, making you complete.
The one who has the Son has life. I am literally counting on that one way. Faith alone in Jesus alone by grace alone. Now we get the abundant life in being found. That not only changes the conversation, it changes us forever. It is the ultimate finish. You can count on that One.
—
Randy Wolff
February 3, 2021
Copyright 2021 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.