“Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” (Matthew 25:44-45, ESV)
Tom is a Links Player. I count it a privilege to be one of his friends. He is a man who does minister to the sick.
Sometimes the poor are the poor-powerful. Sometimes the poor are the poor-poor.Five years ago, Tom called me about making the trek to the Payne Stewart Cup in St. Andrews, Scotland, one of the things on his lifetime bucket list.
Tom’s speech was slow, as he told me his friend Brett, an avid golfer, was in the fourth stage of cancer.
“Why don’t we invite Brett to St. Andrews?” I said, without thinking.
“That would take a miracle,” he said.
That miracle happened.
Tom and Brett showed up together in St. Andrews. The first night all of us present heard of Brett’s amazing recovery. Tom fulfilled his dream. But more important he did it with Brett.
We think of Links Players as a ministry to influential, often powerful people who gather at golf clubs throughout the world. That’s part of the story. But it’s also a ministry to the poor.
Sometimes the poor are the poor-powerful. Sometimes the poor are the poor-poor.
Sometimes the poor find themselves destitute of their health, as Brett was. And we, followers of Jesus are to visit them.
Jesus resides with the least of these.
The neediest.
Brett lived five more years. This past summer, about the same time the Payne Stewart Cup took place at Royal County Down, he died. It was a sad loss for Tom and many of us, but we rejoice that Brett received his ultimate healing.
Links Players “train themselves in godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7, NIV). They kindle compassion of Jesus Christ within them, as Tom did.
Would you join me in this prayer: “Father, is there someone in need that I need to reach out to today?”
—
Jim Hiskey
November 21, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.