Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. (Colossians 3:23-24, NASB).
Links players generally love golf, but we love Jesus and His Good News more. I recently attended our annual Links Players Board retreat, and the stories told about God saving people out of the fire and changing lives revealed how much we all loved Jesus.
I love being around men and women who radiate Jesus and tell good stories. If you want a child to know the truth, you tell them. If you want them to fall in love with the truth, tell them a story.
I personally have fallen in love with Jesus more because of this golf ministry. It makes me come alive. A wise mentor once told me, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive because what the world needs are men and women who have come alive.” When this happens, it changes us. A skeptic may ask, “How do you know your life has been changed?” My answer is, “Because I was there!”
In this recent Board retreat, I listened to stories with width and depth of this ministry flourishing because of committed men and women who have come alive. I cried tears of gratitude.
When I returned to Texas, I emotionally told the story of how our time together impacted me. One man came up to me and said, “I remember 18 years ago when you told us about this golf ministry, and I had my doubts. I believe God moved you in that meeting and gave you a hug because of your faithfulness.” I was faithful to start, but now the good news is that the baton has been passed to others who are running so much faster, better, and stronger.
The why is more than just to win souls, establish fellowships, or have revivals. If we love Him, our ambition is to please Him, and God will win souls, establish fellowships, and start revivals. Our why becomes our calling.
Winning souls, sweeping floors, washing dishes, writing a letter to a prisoner, or just a few kind words may have eternal significance if done for the glory of God. It’s not merely what you do but why you do it.
A story of why: My wife and I served at a family Christian guest ranch in Colorado, and young adults would serve as staff to clean cabins, wash dishes, and get the horses ready for trail rides.
I was taking a couple around the ranch one day, hoping they would return and bring their family. We went through the dining hall into the loud bustle of the hot kitchen, where one young lady was busy bringing in dirty dishes to be washed.
The couple asked this beautiful young lady, “Well, what do you do here at the ranch?” She stopped, smiled, and proclaimed, “I wash dishes for the glory of Almighty God!” God hugged me right there. The couple signed up to come the next year and bring their family.
So, why do I do this golf ministry? I hope I do it for the right reasons. It has changed me, and I have also seen God’s amazing fruit in the lives of others. He calls us all to do something. When we do it to please Almighty God, it pleases Him. He may smile and give us a hug. That’s why.
Prayer: Lord, whatever we do, we want to do it for your glory alone.