Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10, NASB)
Webb Simpson stood on the 15th green at the TPC-Louisiana in the last round of the 2011 Zurich Classic, leading by a stroke. As he addressed the one-foot putt he had left for par, the wind moved the ball.
No one saw it—you couldn’t see it on television—but Simpson saw it. He notified his playing partner and took a one-stroke penalty.
I knew Simpson was a Christian. So, when he called the penalty on himself, I wanted him to win even more. I wanted to believe God would reward Simpson’s integrity. I wanted virtue to be vindicated by victory. As it turned out, Simpson ended up in a playoff where he lost.
There was no mistaking what had happened; Simpson’s faith had cost him the tournament, and it was a high cost. At the time, Simpson had never won on the PGA Tour. Winning would have meant $1,152,000 in prize money, an invitation to the Masters, and a 2-year exemption on the Tour.
In a free market, the value of anything is demonstrated by what someone is willing to pay for it. Simpson paid a high price for his obedience to Jesus on the 15th green at the TPC Louisiana, but in so doing, he demonstrated the value of the kingdom of God to a watching world. It was a message louder than a hundred Christian bumper stickers or a John 3:16 sign at the Super Bowl.
Excellence matters, but no one needs to be reminded of the value of winning. The first-place money on the PGA Tour and the adulation accompanying it makes that obvious. People need to be reminded that the King of kings rules a kingdom, and nothing is more important than allegiance to Him.
Prayer: Lord, help me remember that when I pay the price of obedience, I demonstrate to the world the value of the kingdom of God.