Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! (Psalm 96:9).
Christians know that God speaks through the Old and New Testaments. We also know that when the pastor preaches faithfully from God’s word, we hear the Lord. And, of course, the Holy Spirit is never divorced from these activities. The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and communicates it to the people of God because of the death and resurrection of the Son of God.
As you might imagine, the only appropriate response to this reality is worship. God makes himself known to our hearts through his Spirit-inspired word. Our hearts and minds, then, become amazed at his grace, overwhelmed by his love, and awe-struck by the “splendor of his holiness.” When that happens, we find ourselves worshipping in spirit and truth (see John 4).
What we might not remember is that Scripture also tells us that God speaks to us through his creation (see Psalm 19; Romans 1; Acts 14). Therefore, worship is not reserved for Sunday morning behind stained glass. Worship can be 24/7 in every sphere of life, especially as we walk the fairways of our magnificent golf courses.
Of course, when God speaks to us through his creation, he doesn’t use words like he uses in Scripture. Nevertheless, he is communicating through creation, what one great Reformer called “God’s theater.”
There are biblical stipulations, though. The most important of which is this—to rightly discern God’s voice in creation, a person must be “born again.” Furthermore, to grow in our abilities to hear him calling to us through creation, we must have our minds renewed by Scripture. Short of these two conditions, humanity always goes wrong. For those not yet born again, their idea of God is nothing more than something conjured up in their imaginations (see Acts 17).
The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and communicates it to the people of God because of the death and resurrection of the Son of God.Every human being knows that God is calling to them externally through creation and internally through their conscience, but until they respond in repentance and trust, they will remain outside true knowledge and saving grace.
Not only is Scripture clear about these two modes of revelation (Creation and Scripture), but it is also clear that all unbelievers “suppress this truth in unrighteousness.” Which is to say, those who are not yet in love with Jesus will always know and not know. What? How can that be? Isn’t that a contradiction? It sure looks like one, but it’s not. Let me explain.
All humanity knows deep down that God is, God is all-powerful, God is angry at sin, and God is divine (see Romans 1:18-20). This knowledge, however, is not the kind that saves. The knowledge that saves is the kind of knowing that results in a confession of sin, humility of heart, and trusting obedience (see John 17:3).
To clarify, many have used the distinction between “knowing about” and “knowing personally.” For example, I know about Jack Nicklaus, but I’ve never met him on a personal level.
In short, there are different kinds of knowledge taught in Scripture: first, there is the “knowing” that every creature, in every epoch, in every nation possesses (see Psalm 19). This way of knowing does not save. Second, there is the kind of “knowing” that results in forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and white-hot worship of our Creator through “knowing Christ.”
Now, you might ask, what has this to do with golf? Well, if you are born again with a mind renewed by Scripture (see Romans 12), the next time you are walking down the fairway, remember to listen to his voice and respond in worship.
—
Dennis Darville
December 16, 2021
Copyright 2021 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at Links Players
Photo by kasmasov from iStock