Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV)
Golf is by no means a fast-paced game, but in a split second, it can change directions for better or worse.
We need to be in the Word, taking it up and wielding it like the sword it is.I remember standing on the eighteenth hole in Syracuse, New York, while playing on the Symetra Tour, waiting to tee off. Less than two minutes later, I was reeling because of one swing that took less than two seconds to complete!
This was my 36th hole of the tournament and I had been well inside the cut line. I could make a triple bogey and still make it, yet I made a quadruple bogey to miss the cut and miss playing for a paycheck by one stroke.
I wish I could say that only happened once, but it happened more than once. One swing that got quick, compounded by another mental error, and my hopes of playing on Sunday were dashed.
Studies show that adults make an average of nearly 35,000 decisions a day. Thirty-five thousand! In one day! And any one of these decisions can change the direction we are heading or want to go. I say this as an ever-present reminder that we need God every moment, every decision.
Let me explain the importance of this dependence. Every day I would practice my swing and my routine; still, I made mistakes on the course. Similarly, every day we can spend time with the Lord and yet we still sin, we still fall short. This is because we as humans are fallible. We “lose track” of Jesus, as it were, and attempt to make our own best decisions. Sure, we desire to be perfect, but there is only One who is. Only one person ever lived the perfect life. Jesus.
We need him, brothers and sisters. We need to be in the Word, taking it up and wielding it like the sword it is. The armor of God is designed to be worn as our defense against the enemy, but in thinking like Jesus, according to Scripture, we also move offensively—that is, with purpose and confidence. This is the laying aside of every weight and the abandonment of sin in order to run!
All it takes is a split second for us to change our gaze. But we don’t have to fail in this way. As the old hymn says, let us “turn [our] eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”
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Aimee Neff
June 23, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.