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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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And Yet... Prior to last Sunday’s Master’s Championship, Phil Mickelson carried the heavy burden of being dubbed the "greatest golfer to never win a major." Phil is and has been a great talent in the world of golf. In the past 12 years, this husband and father of three has won 22 PGA tournaments and yet, his name could not be mentioned without bringing up the fact that he had never won a major. Phil has earned over $27 million dollars since turning pro in 1992, and yet he could not escape the questions about never winning a major. Phil is ranked as the sixth best golfer in the world, and yet when interviewed, the thing people wanted to know about is his having never won a major. However, all that changed on April 11, 2004. Phil finally won his major in dramatic, nail-biting fashion. Finally, the questions for him will stop. The feeling of relief must rival the level of joy and excitement that he is feeling right now. The stigma of being the "best golfer to never win a major" has been removed. In a sense, the 2004 Master’s tournament was not just a win, but it was freedom for this golfer. But now, there’s application to be made from this storyline! You see there are a good many people just like Phil Mickelson who just haven’t yet arrived. It’s not that they’re not good people, they are. It’s not that they haven’t proven themselves to be trustworthy, honorable, and notable, because they are. The problem is that they just haven’t yet surrendered their lives to Christ. There are people who are trustworthy, and yet, they aren’t Christians. There are people who have high moral standards, and yet, they aren’t Christians. There are people who are active in fighting for community values, and yet they aren’t Christians. There are people who are compassionate and benevolent toward those who are less fortunate, and yet, they aren’t Christians! No matter how "good" a person is; no matter how highly they are thought of, if that person is not a Christian, he hasn’t yet done enough to remove the stigma of "sinner." No matter one’s accomplishments in life, if he hasn’t surrendered his life in obedience to Jesus, it's NOT ENOUGH! He’ll never escape the nagging stigma of being "a good person, and yet, STILL A SINNER." Jesus died on the cross so that you and I don’t have to suffer the stigma AND the penalty of SIN (Romans 6:23). To be set free from sin, one must: place his/her trust in God (Hebrews 11:6), repent of sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), confess Jesus as Lord of your life (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:38). Then as one continues to walk in the light of God’s Word, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse him/her of sin (1 John 1:7). “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). Apparently, as the world sees it, there’s a WORLD of difference between a good golfer and a golfer who has won a major. And as God sees it, there’s an ETERNITY'S difference between a "good person" and a Christian! Won’t
YOU become a Christian
today? -- Steve Higginbotham / David A. Sargent Church of Christ at Creekwood Steve is the author of MercEmail, A Weekly Devotional from the South Green church of Christ, Glasgow, KY. See http://www.glasgow-coc.org To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org
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