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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 18th 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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