And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:14c, NIV)
Last week, we enjoyed our yearly Profile of Champions dessert during the Toshiba Classic here in Newport Beach, California. Larry Moody, the chaplain of the PGA Tour Champions and our emcee, has been a long-time mentor to the guests we had on stage: major champions Scott Simpson and Larry Mize, and broadcaster Dave Marr III. Prompted by Larry Moody’s questions, they each shared how God was made known to them.
What would you tell others about the way God caught your attention and captured your heart?Even though all three have lived a lifetime of golf experiences, their journeys to Christ were different. Still, each searched to know God and now they are making him known.
This reminded me of a great story that one of our Links Players shared with me. He started out by saying, “Eight words can change your life!” He then proceeded to tell me the story.
Our Links Player was in Las Vegas for a business convention. While having a drink at a bar, he sat next to a 20-year-old boy on leave from Iraq.
The young man said to my friend, “I may be just a punk kid, but I know the meaning of life.”
My friend, who was much older, said, “Lay it on me, kid!”
“To know God and to make God known.”
At the time, my friend didn’t really know how to respond. He hugged the young man and wished him well. But these words haunted my friend for years, and he reflected daily on how profound they were. Not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!
Sometimes the best jewels come in the smallest thoughts, even impacting a person for eternity. Lay these jewels in front of the right someone and you may find they “have ears to hear”—that is, they are eager for the fullness of the Gospel’s good news.
So maybe it’s time to rehearse your own story. How did you come to know God? What would you tell others about the way he caught your attention and captured your heart? And what do you do now to know him even more?
Preparing to tell your story in this way builds the bridge from knowing God to making him known. Telling your story lands you on the other side!
When Dave Marr was exploring many religions, he started to go to the Tour’s fellowship. He said the thing that brought him to faith was that the words spoken stuck with him. After hearing his friends and researching their words, he gave his life to Jesus.
Others will have ears to hear. Now is the time to prepare your voice to speak.
—
Dereck Wong
October 11, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.