THE OVERCOMER

"'I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.'" (John 16:33, NIV)

I know you can't believe everything you read in a golf magazine. But I had to laugh especially heartily—about like I do at supermarket tabloids—when Golf Digest declared on the cover of its January 2008 issue: Never three-putt again.

I had at least been living the illusion that these magazines were more serious than the gadgets in their classifieds sections, but come on! Never three-putt again? How small are the greens they're talking about? And just how flat? I mean, I lag well. But never again? Never?

Somehow, I bet your guess is that I am still laughing.

I am.

And what I am laughing about is that some people who dig right into an article like this, hoping they've finally found the answer to every last putting defect, are the same people who suggest that religion is a fantasy, a crutch for the weak. They say that our dependence on God is little more than superstition, and that if we really believe this stuff, we must be loony.

You see, you can pick your foundation. You can choose a golf great like Ernie Els, who will tell you how he sends long putts toward the hole (but who, by the way, never promises that you won't three-putt again—that was a headline writer's teaser). In similar fashion, you can go to any collection of popular experts to help move you past this difficulty or that. And most of these folks, experts in their respective fields, will offer practical solutions that undo your trouble.

But here are two things they generally cannot do. They cannot end your troubles. And they cannot relieve your pain or frustration when the trouble returns.

Yesterday, we considered God, the One who cares, as the Lord of our worries. If we give our cares to Him, He will willingly bear them for us.

Today, we are reminded of how this is possible. It is possible because in Christ Jesus, God came and experienced our troubles for Himself. He lived through what we live through—and so much more. He saw what we encounter and He saw how we respond to it all. And then, out of His love for us, He offered Himself.

"The world will continue to pound you," He said in essence. "Don't let that concern you. I have overcome the world. My life's witness, My death's purpose, My resurrection's triumph—these things will carry you through the times you once called tough."

In our own time, a creative preacher, Dick Bernal, has said, "If you catch hell, don't hold it! If you're going through hell, don't stop!" This man of God is obviously well aware of Christ's declaration of victory over the world. We should be just as sharp and just as full of faith in our Savior.

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Jeff Hopper

January 8, 2008

Copyright 2008 Links Players International

The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.