Par for the Course

Last weekend, Brian Davis was in a play-off with Jim Furyk for the championship of the Verizon Heritage Professional Golf Association tournament in Hilton Head, South Carolina .

This was Davis ’ first opportunity to win a golf tournament, but as he was aiming for the 18^th green, he hit the ball into a hazard.  Instead of taking a penalty drop that would likely cause him to lose the play-off, he chose to play the shot out of the hazard.

After much deliberation with his caddie, Davis took the shot and landed the ball about 30 feet from the hole, keeping his hopes alive.

But something didn’t feel right, and he immediately called over a PGA official to tell him why.  Davis informed the official that out of the corner of his eye, he saw his club almost imperceptibly graze a reed in the hazard.  The rules say a player or his club can’t touch a loose impediment; it is a two-stroke penalty.

The PGA official reviewed the tape in slow motion, confirming Davis ’ suspicion.  So Davis essentially gave himself a two-stroke penalty and lost the championship.  By reporting the rules violation on himself, he also let more then $400,000 slip through his fingers. *

In one way, what Brian Davis did was “par for the course,” in that we ALL make mistakes.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

But in another way, what Brian Davis did was NOT “par for the course.”  
If he would have taken the easy way out – as many in the world today would – then his error may have gone undetected and he would have won his first PGA championship and a lot more money, too.

But he didn’t...

He did the COURAGEOUS thing, the RIGHT thing: he admitted his mistake and accepted responsibility even though it meant losing the game.

And that’s what WE must do, if we want to have God’s blessing and the forgiveness of our sins.  We must not try to ignore or hide our sins, but acknowledge them and turn to God for forgiveness.

God loves us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross so that we might have forgiveness for our “penalties” (our sins) and be spared the penalty for sin: death (Romans 6:23).

God has promised that IF WE WILL acknowledge our sins, place our faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38), THEN HE WILL forgive us of our “penalties.”  And, if we CONTINUE to follow Him faithfully, He will also make us heirs to an eternal reward that is FAR GREATER than anything this world may offer.

Won’t YOU do that which is NOT par for the course?  

Have the courage to admit your mistakes and submit to the Savior so that you can be saved.

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

* Information gleaned from Tim Dahlberg of the Associated Press and 
Steve Higginbotham in “Par for the Course,” in an edition of MercEmail.  
See preachinghelp.org

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