par for the course

 

I was watching the U.S. Open Golf championship last weekend and the scoring system stood out to me.  The way you win a golf tournament is by having fewer strokes than anyone else.  So, I thought, why don't they just show a running total of how many strokes everybody has instead of how many shots they're over par or under par (just about nobody was under par)!  After all, in a basketball game they just show you the running score and at the end whoever has more wins.  Then I realized that all the players were at different stages, on different holes, and the total scores didn't really tell you anything.  By using the Par system you could compare how players were doing even though they were on different holes.  Life is like golf.  I suppose at the end of our lives there is some kind of cumulative score.  But we need to know how we're doing now.  We don't want to wait until the final hole of our life for a final score...we need indicators along the way.  Of course, as people who have trusted in the work of Jesus on the cross for our personal salvation, we know that our salvation has been established by our Lord and we cannot lose it, because we will not play a perfect game while we live in the flesh.  But we do need indications of our spiritual health and effectiveness.  During the game of life there is much the Lord would like to do through us.  That's why I'm glad we play by the Paraclete system.  Paraclete is another name for the Holy Spirit.  One of His roles, in our lives, is to convict us when we're playing below par (when we sin) and to clarify truth and show us the way forward (hand us the right club and get our body positioned right for the next shot).  He's like a "live-in caddy" who is there to help us along the way.

 

John 16:7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

 8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

 13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

blessings,

Rob Smith

http://2daysthought.blogspot.com/