My dad loved to golf. One of the saddest parts of the diabetes was when it robbed him of his ability to see that little white ball fly through the air.

One of my favorite memories, though, was of him teaching me to swing a club in just the perfect way to send the ball flying straight and true to the intended goal.  The lesson was fairly short and sweet....once we got through that stupid very important grip.

Here is what I know...You have to commit to the swing.  Giving it your all.  Suppose you check the swing midway?  You are going to pull the ball to the right or the left.  Think you can get away with hitting the ball and then stopping the club?  Nope.  This is going to cause you problems as well.  Somehow the science requires the beginning, ball hit, and end of the swing to be as committed and fluid as they can be.

And so it is with our daily walk.  How does it work for you to be "half in" to your commitment to Christ?  It just isn't good.  Bad things happen.  There are so many things vying for our attention and not all of them are good.

As Believers we know the beginning, the day to day living and the end.  It is vital that we are committed to the entire journey as each part has impact.

I am not talking about a list of things that we must do.  I'm talking about our heart attitude.  One that earnestly follows after Him.  A constant dedication to finishing strong. One that knows that it must keep the end goal in sight to reach it.

Swing hard, my Christian friends.  Allow your testimony to fly straight and long.  Finish well at the spot of your goal.

Never give up.  If you end up in the sand trap of life....get busy and chip out of that thing.  Don't stay there or despair.  Grab a wedge...it is designed to lift that ball up and out.  Have a few "wedge" scriptures and friends handy.    :-)

Stuck in the trees/woods?  This is tricky....but you can carefully come out with prayer and support of those who love you.

Constantly seek the advice of your Caddie....The Holy Spirit.  It is even better than having someone walk beside you with encouragement and advice....This gift is in you with all the advice and tools you need to succeed.  Be practiced at hearing and obeying that voice.

So, while this may seem a silly exercise in comparisons I hope it comes back to you from time to time when you are tempted to care a bit less than you should.  Be committed....to the end.

Becky-Good Neighbors Candle Co.

PrayerNotes

A Perfect Peace

After hearing a relative talking about her family heritage and a father who had taught her what it meant to be a Christian I could tell that she was leaning hard on her own efforts for salvation.  This was not a surprise to me, given the background of our family's spiritual roots.  Even so, when it was said in the way that it was said it struck me to the core that this dear woman may not have the assurance of salvation that is so readily available to those who believe.  That breaks my heart.

The gift of salvation is a just that...a gift.  Not something we earn or strive to accomplish.  The work of salvation was done on a rugged cross about two thousand years ago by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  It was finished when having defeated Satan and Death He rose again declaring permanent victory and the elimination of sin's curse to all who believe in Him.  Our belief that on the day of judgement we will not get to heaven by declaring that we were a good person, that we did more good than evil or that we tried as hard as we could.  Our only acceptable answer on that day will be that we are hiding in Christ.  He paid the price for our salvation.  In Him our sins were dealt with and we are clean.  That is it.  There is no more.

But lets talk about the works that are so often confused for salvation, shall we?  These works are also gifts.  Given to us through the Holy Spirit as our hearts are changed.  We are told that we will bear fruit that will show ourselves and others that we are changed.  We are His.  I love that God grants us a visible turning from death to life.  That He molds our hearts to do His will.  The process of being sanctified is not always easy but it is so good for us.  In that process we become able to share with others and help them along the way.


And yet...it is granted to those who believe...those He calls...those He justifies...those he glorifies.   We find this in Romans 8:30.  What an awesome chain of events.  It is ALL Him.  Not of us ....no cause for pride or boasting in ourselves.