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MARCH 1, 2011
NO SMALL POTATOES
She said, “Oh sir, such grace, such kindness—I don’t deserve it. You’ve touched my heart, treated me like one
of your own. And I don’t even belong here!” (Ruth 2:13, The Message)
Luke Donald, the last man standing.
When the brackets were completed on Sunday afternoon in Tucson, it was Donald—all 5 feet, 9 inches and 160 pounds
of him—who saw his name written in as champion of the World Golf Championships Accenture Match Play.
Normally, when we say that champion athletes come in all shapes and sizes, we’re talking about gymnasts, ice
skaters, and heavyweight weight lifters. Donald plays among athletes who have given increasing attention to physical form in recent years. The Englishman may be slight of build, but Sunday he was a
conqueror among professionals.
I find deep truth in Eugene Peterson’s survey of the small Old Testament book of Ruth, an underdog story not far
from Luke Donald’s. After several hundred pages of histories that emphasized patriarchs and heroes—Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Deborah, Gideon, Samson—Peterson notes that we are reminded in
Ruth’s story that God makes big room for the little people.
Ruth. Foreigner. Widow. Farm worker.
Not exactly titles synonymous with victors and heroes.
Yet God reached into the life of this woman whose key trait was faithfulness and honored her for her commitment.
If you have read Ruth’s full story, you know that her benefactor and eventual husband, Boaz, was called her
kinsman-redeemer. He is a pre-shadow of Jesus, our Messiah, who—though we did not deserve it, though we really do not even belong in His presence—has shown us grace and kindness. Us. Small
potatoes. Unnoticeable ones among the bearers of talent and savvy.
Amazingly, God deals with us this way. Because He knows us individually, He builds avenues to us that slice their way
right through the crowds of popularity and success. He finds us in the tiniest villages and the humblest circumstances. Indeed, our Lord was born in such a place. He knows the conditions that surround us
as well as He knows our person.
What a big God! And nothing is bigger than His heart for those who are small!
--
Jeff Hopper
March 1, 2011
Copyright 2011 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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