But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect… (1 Peter 3:15, NIV)
Watching last week’s PGA Championship, I was reminded of John Daly’s out-of-nowhere victory at Crooked Stick in 1991. His win was impressive but what stood out for me was the fact that he was the ninth alternate, the last player in the field, and had never played the course.
While not a major by any means, we did recently host a Links Play Day at my club in Dallas. The field was comprised of 27 players representing 11 Links Fellowships, including South Texas area director Boo Arnold, who had driven up from San Antonio with his brother Bobby to spend time with many of our North Texas Links Players.
It was one of those days. Wonderful weather. Fantastic fellowship. Great golf. Everything went right.
Until it went wrong. Oh, so wrong.
If you watched the recent Walker Cup, you probably heard about the stomach bug that affected both rosters. Something like it hit the Hammy household as well. Hard.
You never know when the opportunity will present itself or whose life could be influenced by your message.
I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say I spent that Thursday night in the bathroom. As the hours passed, I realized the devotion I had planned for the following morning was going down the toilet.
At some point in the night, I texted Boo with some encouragement and hope that he had a hip pocket Bible lesson he could employ in my absence at Friday’s breakfast.
I obviously wasn’t there, but from the feedback I received from those who were, he stepped up and knocked it out of the park.
Links Players president Jeffrey Cranford likes to say, “You can’t give out what you don’t possess.” But what do we possess? The apostle Paul stated in an epistle, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). When we know the word of God, we possess it.
Why bring that up? I’m hoping to inspire you to not only memorize Scripture (possess), but also prepare a devotion or testimony (give out) that you’re always ready to share on a moment’s notice. You never know when the opportunity will present itself or whose life could be influenced by your message.
While I lost a lot of weight that ugly Thursday night, I didn’t lose sleep knowing Boo had my back like a good scramble partner.
John Daly was prepared for his moment and has a major to show for it. Will you be ready for yours? You may not win a Wannamaker Trophy, but you just may impact someone’s eternal destination and thereby store up treasure in heaven.
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Drew Hamilton
May 24, 2021
Copyright 2021 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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