Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. (Psalm 66:16, NIV)
Murdo McDonald was a prisoner of war in Germany in 1944 who related the story of how he learned of the Normandy invasion. Early in the morning of D-Day, Murdo was awakened and told that a Scotsman wanted to see him. The Scot, who was in touch with the BBC by underground radio, often had given updates on the war to McDonald in Gaelic, which the two men understood but the German guards did not.
God has given us all a ministry. Share the Good News with everyone you meet.As they met early that morning of June 6, the Scotsman spoke a brief sentence in Gaelic that would ultimately change their lives and the lives of so many of us today. He simply said, “They have come!” And everyone knew the Allies had landed in Normandy. Men jumped and shouted and hugged one another. They were still captives but they were certain of their deliverance. All because of these three words: “They have come.”
Over 2,000 years ago, we were captives and prisoners of sin. And Jesus came for us. For you and for me. Jesus has come and eternal liberation and freedom are ours. He not only freed us from the bondage of sin, he has adopted us into his family and given us an inheritance that is out of this world. That has always been the plan. He came for us.
I believe that the Good News is also the most important news. We share this with everyone we come in contact with around our sphere of influence at the golf course, in the marketplace, and in our homes. We simply change the conversation when we talk about eternal, important things. As we do, God sets us in a place where life transformation can happen in a moment with the inclusion of three simple words, “He has come.” We just use the words of Jesus to explain why he has come. As Jesus answered Pilate hours before his crucifixion, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this reason I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice” (John 18:37, NASB).
I continue to love our golf ministry, where we share this Good News with everyone. A few weeks ago, I was ordering lunch in a small, out of the way restaurant in the hill country of west Texas. The man beside me noticed my Links Players golf shirt. He asked, “What is Links Players?” My simple response usually is, “It is a golf ministry. Can you believe there is such a thing?” He excitedly exclaimed, “Oh, yes. I know of it. One of the founders of your ministry, Jim Hiskey, led me to the Lord Jesus while in college. Thanks you for continuing the good work.”
In Normandy, the Allies came to bring freedom from oppression and an evil dictator. In Jerusalem, Jesus came to give us the final victory. I remain grateful for both. God has given us all a ministry. Share this Good News with everyone you meet.
—
Randy Wolff
May 9, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.