“And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, NIV)
Beginning Sunday, more than 300 PGA professionals will tee off near Monterey, California, in the PGA Professional National Championship. This is the event that qualifies 20 club pros for the PGA Championship in August. Among those making an attempt at that prestigious honor, which he has accomplished once before, is Links Players president Jeffrey Cranford.
Among other things, this caliber of competition—not to mention the successful play it took for him to get here out of the challenging Southern California PGA section—makes Jeff an insider. When it comes to golf, he really gets it.
At Links Players, we talk frequently about our insider status and the work of missionaries—those who engage a culture for the sake of the gospel.
This is something we should all be doing, actually. We should be finding avenues of conversation with those around us. But we normally do this best when we look to bring the light of life, who is Jesus, to those we understand most.
The apostle Paul famously wrote that he became “all things to all men,” identifying with those he spent time with in a way that affirmed their cultural preferences. This did not mean, of course, that he followed others outside the lines of Christ-governed living. But by functioning as an insider, he was able to gain people’s respect and attention.
When Esther’s cousin Mordecai got wind of a horrifying plot—that the Jewish people were slated for complete slaughter—he implored his niece to use her insider status as a member of the royal family. Yes, it would require a risk on her part, but she alone was in position to consult with the king about the genocidal plan.
Somewhere, God has given you insider status. He has dropped you into a time and place where you can act in his name and for his sake. This may be in your golf course environment or some other recreational milieu; it can arise among your business contacts or in your neighborhood. Wherever it is, work diligently “as unto the Lord,” and watch him work wonders where you are!
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Jeff Hopper
June 22, 2012
Copyright © 2012 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday through Friday at www.linksplayers.com.