Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, NIV)
As golf fans, we greatly admire the sheer determination and fearlessness of PGA Tour professionals who face tremendous pressure and yet remain confident in their game. To come through in the clutch is one of the greatest feelings as an athlete. Whether it is a game-winning basketball shot or a birdie putt on the eighteenth to win the match, we revel in the thrill of victory when all is on the line.
Francis S. Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, Director of the National Institutes of Health and author of the book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, references confidence in the face of danger as playing an integral part in his conversion to Christianity. While he was serving as a medical doctor in North Carolina, his mind could not fathom how his patients on their deathbeds could face the end of their life with such peace and confidence. His patients’ faith in Christ intrigued him so much that he eventually investigated the claims of the Bible and came to a personal belief in Jesus.
Recently, I found out that a double homicide had occurred in my neighborhood that very week. A Chinese mother and her sister were killed by her husband. A couple weeks before, I had seen the Chinese mother and her sister at the park as my children played with theirs. This lady loved Jesus, and we had a sweet time talking about Christianity and her church.
On a national scale, not so long after Newtown, we have had to endure the tragedies of the Boston Marathon bombings and the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. Over and over, pain and suffering test the confidence of our hope.
The assurance that Paul offered the church in Thessalonica provides the only real hope that we will ever have here on earth. As today’s passage says, that hope is this: “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
The confidence we celebrate on the golf course as we cheer for our favorite player or come through in the clutch ourselves is sweet. Yet this confidence provides only a drop of joy compared to the indescribable delight of one day seeing Jesus welcome us to eternal life with open arms. With so much trouble in the world, may we walk in that confidence today!
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Korky Kemp
April 29, 2013
Copyright 2013 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.