…for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. (1 Corinthians 16: 9, NASB)
Jack Bantock, the CNN sportswriter, provided some great insights into the 2023 US Open winner Wyndham Clark’s motivation to pursue a professional career in golf.
As most now know, Wyndham lost his mother in 2013 to breast cancer while he was playing golf at Oklahoma State. He was only 19 and became “rudderless” without the “rock in his life” to the extent that he almost gave up golf.
However, during her illness, she encouraged him and said, “Hey, play big. Play for something bigger than yourself. You have a platform to either witness or help or be a role model for so many people.”
Lise Clark, Wyndham’s mother, left an indelible impression on her son that we should all embrace. We all have a platform or opportunity to communicate ideas or information to a larger audience.
Today’s verse is part of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. He has been describing his travel plans, including his plan to come and spend some time with them within the year before winter sets in.
And then he explains why:
“A wide door for effective work has opened to [Paul]” in Ephesus. He often uses the analogy of a door when describing the openness of a region to hearing the gospel and trusting in Christ. These are some reference verses:
2 Corinthians 2:12 “Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord…”
Colossians 4:3 “…praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned.”
Acts 14:27 “When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”
Paul is encouraged that his platform for Jesus is growing and many doors are opening, yet many enemies oppose the gospel. This opposition flared up in response to the great interest in the gospel, which placed him in more and more danger as the number of people who came to Christ kept growing.
Paul is not discouraged, and we should not be discouraged as we try to “do something big” for Jesus. Paul believes that opposition to the gospel is part of the evidence that it is effective. His instinct is not to run but to double down on his ministry when things begin to get heated.
Be encouraged today as we use the platform of golf to do something bigger than ourselves for Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, you have provided a unique platform to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Help us to be encouraged through the struggles and stay focused on the goal to witness, help and be role models for you.