Great Plains Daily Devotional for 10/23/2020

Romans 2:6-7

God will reward each of us for what we have done. ⁷ He will give eternal life to everyone who has patiently done what is good in the hope of receiving glory, honor, and life that lasts forever. 

During the months when I’ve stayed very close to home during the COVID pandemic, I have developed a habit that allows me to see something of the community beyond my yard and the few blocks I walk for exercise in my neighborhood. Once or twice a week I indulge in a fast-food drive-thru breakfast and then take my meal and myself for a drive through the park at the south end of town. This encompasses the public golf course.

I have never understood the thrill of chasing a little ball around a pasture and beating it to death with an iron club. However, I admire golfers for their persistence in the game. They spend years patiently (or sometimes, it appears, not so patiently) perfecting their game performance. And, judging from the number of vehicles I see in the clubhouse parking lot, they are willing to crawl out of bed and head to the golf course much earlier than I am willing to rise each day. I am usually driving around the golf course by 7:30 or so, when I make these drives, and there are nearly always people well into their games by that time. I know most are there for the enjoyment of the game, but I also suspect that those who are serious about their golf are there for the glory of lowering their scores.

We read in Romans 2 that God rewards us for what we have done and the patience with which we approach the Christian life. Some translations use the word “persistence” where the Common English Bible uses “patiently.” Either word reflects the idea of working diligently for what we find important in life. Just as golfers work diligently to improve their performance, Christians are called to work diligently for the good that reflects God’s love for all of God’s children.

Maybe you don’t play golf, but I suspect that each of us has something that is so important to us that we will work diligently to improve our skills. The question is, are we willing to work just as diligently for God’s kingdom?

 --Rev. Robbie Fall, retired Elder   
Hutchinson KS

Prayer for Reflection

Exodus 33:12-23
Psalm 99
1 Thesselonians 1:1-10
Matthew 22:15-22