So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13, NASB)
The tongue of golf is what I mean! Read on and you will understand.
The Christian message coming from our life should look like this: a) love God, b) obey God, and c) tell others to love and obey God in the tongue that God has given us. Working out our salvation with fear and trembling includes each of us understanding our platform and the tongue with which we have been gifted.
Our pastor’s sermon a few Sundays ago was titled, “Witness by Your Work.” His three-point message followed a simple outline: who, where, and how.
The who is you. God made you for a special purpose.
The where is the place he has planted you.
The how is the way God has gifted you.
For me and for many reading this today, our tongue is golf. For most of my life, I have experienced golf and life with others who are golfers. We speak golf and understand golf and golfers. Too often those who do not know Jesus don’t run to the church to find out more. But we can, if we are willing, approach them on the golf course. Our platform is golf, where we all speak the same language.
We become believable when we speak the same language and understand each other.Here is an example our pastor used to illustrate this point. His first pastorate was in a small town in West Texas. There were many cowboys there who dropped off family for church but would not attend because of a fear of the unknown. These cowboys dubbed the pastor “Joe Double-Knit,” because of the awful leisure suits he wore. You must remember, this was the early 1970s when this was a fashion statement (I loved my lime green one!). Well, one cowboy did attend church and got the message of the Good News of Jesus. No matter how hard Joe Double-Knit tried, he could not communicate effectively with the rest of these cowboys. But when this lone cowboy who knew Jesus would speak, the others listened. He had a platform because he could speak “cowboy.”
In the same way, we golfers know how to speak “golf” in communicating with other golfers. We become believable when we speak the same language and understand each other. People always want to know how much you care more than how much you know. We need to live the grace-filled Gospel and also speak it to the audience that God has placed before us with the platform and tongue and life he has provided.
In 2011, it is going to be up to us. The who is you. The where is exactly where God has placed you. The how is precisely how God has gifted you. The time is now! It is time to tell others in our own language the Good News of the baby in the manger, the miracle worker in Israel, the sacrificed Lamb on Calvary, the resurrected Savior among the disciples, and the enthroned, interceding King at the right hand of God!
—
Randy Wolff
Originally published January 5, 2011
Copyright 2011 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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