< Daily Devotions

A Visit with Blayne Barber, Part 2

September 4, 2014

Today’s devotion features the second part of a theologically rich interview between College Golf Fellowship’s Rosson Anderson and Web.com/PGA Tour player Blayne Barber.

What are some things you have learned or are growing in while being a Christian on the Web.com tour?
I am daily surrounded by people who don’t know the Lord. It is such a great mission field. I certainly don’t take advantage of the opportunities as often as I would like, but I would say God is truly opening my eyes to realize I don’t have to travel outside my normal pace of life to find people who need to know about Jesus.

How do you use your faith in Christ in your everyday life?
To rephrase the question slightly, I think my walk with Christ allows me to see the game of golf through the proper lens. It’s not my identity. People around me, the media, and even my own expectations all scream lies at me everyday and it takes diligent effort to remind yourself of truth. I dwell on 2 Corinthians 5:21 a lot: “For our sake he made him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.” That’s a good truth, which is all that matters in the end.

We are called to glorify God in all that we do.  What does this mean to you and what does it look like on a day-to-day basis?
If you boil that down, I think glorifying God is being completely satisfied with God himself and what he has freely given us in Christ. Not being satisfied with God’s stuff, but God himself. There are a lot of ways we can give God glory, but as I walk through each day, resting in his truths and trusting God who created the universe has my best interests in mind is a great way to give him the glory he is due.

In our everyday life (and golf is a great example), we live in a performance driven, do good-things-and-you’ll-be-rewarded kind of society.  However, Christianity is quite the opposite.  God calls us to be his children due to his love, mercy, and grace through his Son and there is nothing we can do for him to love us any more or any less.  How does this play out in your life and the ways in which you remind yourself of the Gospel?
Like I said in a previous question, it’s so easy to try and measure up in everything we do. But the beauty of the Gospel is that we will never ever measure up. Jesus Christ did what I could never do. He bore the full and complete wrath of God on my behalf. And his sacrificial death is offered to us for free. How crazy is that? That truth allows me to rest soundly that the perceptions and expectations of others mean nothing. I don’t have to live for the approval of man. That’s something I struggle with. I want people to think I’m a great golfer. I want people to like me and want to be around me. Those aren’t necessarily great desires though in and of themselves. I have the approval of God! There is a simple line that I read in a book recently, “Your presence and approval are all I need for everlasting joy.” Amen.

Rosson Anderson
September 4, 2014
Copyright 2014 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.

Links Players
Pub Date: September 4, 2014

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