CHANGING THE COURSE

"I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put it into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." (Luke 6:47-49, NIV)

Golf as we now know it is changing daily all around us. Equipment technology has brought in a need to lengthen many older courses, or to narrow the fairways while growing the rough. Adding severity to slopes on the greens and smoother, shorter cuts also serve to increase speed and difficulty.

The past several weeks I have been on the road traveling with and caddying for a few friends on the Duramed Futures Tour, deemed "The Road to the LPGA." These players are also working through changes. With each new city and state, they must learn a new course and deal with the logistics of travel and housing arrangements—which is especially tough for first timers And because this tour represents players from dozens of countries around the world, language barriers rise up as well. What a trying time of change this all can be!

As Christians we can expect the same. The Holy Spirit working in our lives alone will bring about much of the change. Believing in and living our lives for Christ will always require change.

One friend went as far as saying her golf swing and game were "totally under construction."

That stuck with me as we walked the final few holes together. I feel not only are we finding change in our own lives, but I can say that "totally under construction" better describes our new life in Christ.

As Jesus pointed out in Luke 6, in Him we each have been given a foundation on which to build. Through our lives, the construction process has begun. By the practice of living to bring glory to Him and adhering to His Word, we will build houses that stand strong in the storms of life.

Let us enter each day of construction in obedience to God's blueprint in building us on a safe rock. Listen to the good work being done in us, taking hope in the reality of God's plan and eternal life with Him!

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Brian Viers

June 28, 2007

Copyright 2007 Links Players International

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