…but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. (1 Peter 3:15, ESV)
Open the trunk of my car and you’ll see one thing: golf.
There are two pairs of golf shoes (one black, one white); two golf bags (a stand bag filled with clubs and a pure carry bag that is empty); an extra pair of golf socks; some golf caps; a shag bag filled with about 50 used Titleist balls; a box with a couple of golf shirts in it; a plastic bag filled with tees, ball markers, and divot tools; and my four remaining 2017 Links Players magazines.
I live where golf is played all year, and if a game happens to pop up, I’m prepared. Some days that makes me a “trunk slammer.” Grab the clubs, slam the trunk, go straight to the first tee.
Of course, it helps that I’ve been around the game for decades and have hit countless golf shots, but even with all that history I can tell you that if you want to play well you should transition more thoughtfully. Change your shoes in the locker room, get your mind into the game, stretch a little, warm up (warm up, do not practice!) in the short-game area and on the range, hit some putts, and then go to the first tee.
The same is true with being “prepared to make a defense” of your faith. Too many times I’m a trunk slammer. It’s as if I carry Jesus around in my trunk and can pull him out at a moment’s notice. Yes, it helps that I have a formal Bible education and that I have a long history with Jesus. But I think Peter is suggesting something more.
If I want to play golf well, I really need to be ready. I’m playing today, and I’ve already thought about some mistakes from my last round that I want to avoid this afternoon and some good things I did that I want to repeat.
If I want to defend my faith well, I really need to be ready. I need to think ahead of time about questions that could be asked, about answers that have been effective and answers that have failed. And before I go out, I need to cover any possible conversations with prayer.
There may be days when you have to be a trunk slammer, in golf or in defending your beliefs. But don’t make a habit of it. Neither the temporal consequences of a bad golf score, nor the potentially eternal consequences of failing to defend your faith are worth it. Prepare well to play well, and prepare even better for questions about your faith. You’ll be glad you did.
—
Lewis Greer
January 10, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.