|
AUGUST 2, 2011
NEAR ONES
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35, NIV)
Yes, it was nice to hear Greenbrier Classic champion Scott Stallings tell Peter Kostis in his brief post-round TV
interview that he had been encouraged all day by the words of Philippians 3:12-14. He had pressed on toward “the goal,” and now he stood here ready to hoist a victor’s trophy.
And yes, in order to win, Stallings did have to “forget what was behind,” dismissing the bogey at the
seventeenth that temporarily dropped him from the lead. With Josh Graham, his caddie, pulling him back into the moment, Stallings threw a dart of a 9-iron at the pin at eighteen, rolled in his birdie
putt to reach the playoff with Bill Haas and Bob Estes, then produced the same shot and putt in the playoff for the win.
His shots, his results, his words—all there for the world to see.
But we cannot overlook a few minutes of camaraderie that took place on the tee at seventeen, minutes before Stallings
would lose his drive into a hazard. A backup had occurred at the par-5, as players in the fairway waited to go for the green. When Stallings and his playing partner Anthony Kim arrived at the
seventeenth, the group ahead was still waiting to play. It was the twosome that included fellow Links Player Webb Simpson, whose own push for victory had run aground with two short misses.
In those minutes of waiting, the cameras captured Stallings and Simpson sharing smiles and words that seemed to convey
more than pleasantries between competitors. These were friends, men who knew each other and had reason to encourage one another at the things they do best. And their basis is deeper than golf, sharing a
committed faith in Jesus.
It is easy to focus our eyes on the expanse of the world. “Wouldn’t it be great,” some have
postulated, “if we could do one giant broadcast and let Billy Graham bring the gospel invitation to every person in every place on earth at the same time?”
I’m not so sure. Jesus never set out to evangelize the world. He cozied up to those who were nearest to Him and
gave them everything He had. He forged relationships among those He came to call His “brothers and sisters.” Then He entrusted them to spread the word—or the Word, in this case.
At its core, missions is the local application of a universal message in a million geographical places. We are all
meant to be image-bearers of Jesus right where we are. We are meant to love our near ones and provide light where darkness prevails. You may have to go somewhere new—like a “missionary”
does—before God settles you in to the spot He has for you. But once you get there, the idea isn’t so much to “preach it to the world” as to “show it to the village.”
You don’t need a camera or microphone for that. You need the ever-spreading love of Jesus.
--
Jeff Hopper
August 2, 2011
Copyright © 2011 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
|
