“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:40, NIV)
Golf has a long game and a short game. Still, many golfers think that if they could just hit the ball longer and straighter, their problems would be over. Most experienced golfers know that the opposite is true. The short game is the most essential thing in scoring well, and without work to improve it most people will never achieve their full potential as golfers.
As Christians we often wonder if God has called us to a great ministry, but in reality we find that our life is quite ordinary. We wait to hear his directions and they seem vague or nonexistent. Are we being prepared for a great work, and if we are why does it seem so slow to appear?
God calls most of us to the short game of the gospel. We probably won’t be the next Billy Graham or C.S. Lewis. We are called just the same. We have skin in the game and God has a plan for each of us.
Our verse today speaks loudly about what God sees as obedience to him. We are all called to look around in the life we have been given and see God in our surroundings. Who will we be able to help in some small way? This is the short game of the gospel—the up-close-and-personal interchanges with people we deal with every day. A cup of water given in Jesus’ name holds as much weight in God’s economy as a giant church ministry.
We may be called to a large ministry, but the path to that place is dotted with many opportunities on the way to be God’s hands and feet. Those we minister to without thought of anything in return will be the very people who are “God in disguise” in our life. If we are aware of this simple fact, we will never think twice about blessing another person in any way we can. We are promised a great reward, an inheritance in the Kingdom of God, because every one of these acts of obedience is taken as being done to Jesus himself.
Everyone who ministers to others is listening to the heart of Jesus and gains eternal treasure in heaven. We don’t have to hit a long ball with our life and have a huge ministry to be successful in God’s eyes. We just need to be steady and manage our short game opportunities well—ministering to others as the opportunities present themselves to us every day.
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Linda Ballard
January 7, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.