Luke 10: 28-36

Matt Deaville

I don't know masses about Golf but I do know from my limited playing experience there's 3 areas you have to get right to do well - have a good tee shot, a good fairway shot and be good at putting, sounds simple enough. More than all that for most people is keeping your composure - maintaining a good attitude and trying to enjoy it. A pastor once told me that golf is, "a good walk spoiled.."

However there's 2 puts you'll need to make in life that are far more significant than those you'll have to do well at on a golf course. They involve sacrifice of self and in the words of Jesus, "do this and you will live"

1) Put your life into anothers hands

Just the sound of putting your life into anothers hands is frightening because most of us like to be in control. But there's one thing I discovered when I joined a gym last year - I wasn't growing like I should have by myself as I trained. It took a few weeks of running on the treadmill and doing some lightweights without any targets when I realised there wasn't much change. Then I decided to have a session with a personal instructor. One hour felt like a lifetime as he pushed me beyond what I thought I could achieve. He stretched me, set me some great targets for the future and as I ran on that treadmill it hurt but all the time he was right beside me urging me on, encouraging me, "Go on keep going, you're doing well." With that kind of support I far exceeded what I could have done by myself. This made me realise - if this is the same in the physical, its the same in the spiritual (only the spiritual is far more important).

I'm blessed in life to have some relationships that stretch me in the same way that personal instructor did. Mentors/coaches who can say you're doing well here but you need to work on this area of your life. Here's the thing:- there's a couple of levels of relationship that I believe we all should have to grow as human beings.

a) Mentors/coaches (call them what you will) - someone who can speak instruction into your life
b) good friends where there is mutual input (you bless them, they bless you)
c) where the first 2 may fail, there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18: 24), who loves at all times, never leaves you, is always thinking good thoughts about you, good plans, desiring the best - who would love you to get closer to Him, His name is Jesus, put yourself into a position to receive from Him - have mentors, good friends but get into the Bible, let worship and thanks be part of every day life, get to the right meetings - do what you can to get to Jesus.

2) Put yourself into anothers world
Jesus said to live you'd got to love God and love your neighbour as yourself. He then follows that statement with a great illustration of the parable of the good Samaritan. In Luke 10: 33 this Samaritan was on a journey, he was busy going somewhere, doing something and stopped his plan and put himself into another mans world. This other man was a different race & culture but his compassion and love exceeded such barriers.

Who is your neighbour, who is the person you're called to look out for, to look after, to help and to love.
Who are you in the story, are you the other 2 guys that passed by, not wanting to get involved or too busy. One even had a look but decided not to intervene.
Or will you be the Samaritan who stops his plan and goes way beyond what could be expected.

Take some time to consider the implications of all the above, to you.

Put yourself into anothers world and put yourself into anothers hands