Tuesday, 22 November 2011

The Next Shot Is The Big One

Read : Philippians 3:12-16
Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward..., I press toward the goal. - Philippians 3:13-14

I don't play enough to perfect my swing or to master all the shots. In every round, I make mistakes. A drive goes astray. An iron shot splashes into the creek. A putt breaks left when I was sure it would break right.

So I like these words from The Tumult and the Shouting by Grantland Rice: "Because golf expresses the flaws of the human swing - a basically simple maneuver - it causes more self-torture than any game short of Russian roulette. The quicker the average golfer can forget the shot he has dubbed or knocked off line - and concentrate on the next shot - the sooner he begins to improve and enjoy golf. Little good comes from brooding about the mistakes we've made." Rice then wrote, "The next shot, in golf or in life, is the big one."

In Philippians 3, the apostle Paul gave essentially the same advice. He said that the key to forward movement in the Christian life is to set our eyes on the goal and keep looking ahead. When we look back to our past sins or shortcomings, we open the door to discouragement.

When past sin gets us down, or when we get discouraged because of some failure, we can confess it to God, claim His forgiveness, and put it behind us for good. In the Christian life, as in golf, the next shot is the big one. - Dave Egner

When I have failed, I need You, Lord,
To teach this lesson clear :
If I but learn and try again,
Success is always near.  - Branon


We must never let defeat rob us of success.


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