For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. (Luke 19:10)
I’ve quoted Ben Hogan before in my devotionals, and today will be no exception. Ben Hogan is quoted as saying, “There is not enough daylight in a day to allow you to practice all of the shots that you need to practice to be great.”
That might not be his exact words, but it’s close, and hopefully, you understand the point he’s making. Golf demands a lot of time and practice to master. That is the reality of golf.
Lately, I’ve faced a similar challenge in my walk with Jesus. There aren’t enough hours in the day to pray for everyone and every situation I care about, and that’s just for those close to me.
I recently spoke at a LINKS fellowship with a man who told me about a couple of guys he plays golf with. One plays regularly, and the other less often. Stories of addiction and behavior at their club and on the golf course were heartbreaking for me to hear. These men are lost.
Do you know people like this at your club? Perhaps you play golf with them! The question we were trying to answer that day was: What is our responsibility to these people as followers of Jesus?
Answer: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)
Loving your neighbor won’t always be easy. It can be difficult at times. The same people who celebrated Jesus for giving a man his sight back were also grumbling because Jesus had chosen to be the guest of a man who was a sinner and no friend to the people in Zacchaeus, a tax collector.
No doubt we will be treated the same way by this world. The people who thank us for what we are doing one minute will be swearing at us and ridiculing us the next minute. It’s truly a battle every day, but it’s one that we must be prepared for, because it’s a matter of eternal life or eternal death.
I am grateful to the people in my life who fought for me, and I want to encourage all of you to love your neighbors. It is up to us to fight for them in the name of Jesus. Pray constantly for them.
We might not always convince them with our words, but we can definitely show them the love of Jesus and trust God to do what only He can do. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and He is calling us to do the same.
Prayer: Lord, give me the strength to love your people and to help them find their way to you. Amen.