Dave’s Monday Blast – May 2, 2022

I know that there are a few ardent Golfers out there. If you are a fan of professional golf you likely watched the Masters a couple weeks ago. Twenty five year old Scottie Scheffler won arguably the most famous tournament by three strokes. He was asked at the post event press conference how he balances his fierce desire to compete without letting it define who he is as a person. He replied: “The reason why I play golf is I’m trying to glorify God and all that He’s done in my life. So for me, my identity isn’t a golf score.”

Then he added: “Like Meredith (his wife) told me this morning (just before the final round), ‘If you win this golf tournament today, if you lose this golf tournament by ten shots, if you never win another golf tournament again, I’m still going to love you, you’re still going to be the same person, Jesus loves you and nothing changes.'” As a result, he said, “All I’m trying to do is to glorify God and that’s why I’m here and that’s why I’m in this position.”

In To Change the World, sociologist James Davison Hunter demonstrated conclusively that we change culture by achieving our highest place of influence and living there faithfully. INTENTIONAL men of God know that they have a sphere of influence that is unique to them. Scottie Scheffler is an example of this truth. He was as fully devoted to Jesus before he began winning PGA tournaments as he is now that he is the world’s No. 1 Golfer. But his excellence on the golf course has empowered his witness and platform off it.

Pastor James Denison comments: “You and I can follow the same culture-changing approach: work hard to be and do your best to the glory of God in daily submission to the omniscience and wisdom of the Spirit. He will ‘guide you into all the truth’ (John 16:13) if you are willing to be led. And He will use your excellence for His glory and our good.”

Thomas Aquinas observed, “The test of the artist does not lie in the will with which he goes to work, but in the excellence of the work he produces.” So it begs the question: “What kind of work will you produce today?”