PGA Chaplain Bible Studies
Study 2 –January 21st to 27th 2008.
Reading – John Chapter Ch12: verses 34 to 43
What is it that you trust in?
“Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light
just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness
overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is
going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you can
become sons of the light.” John Chapter 12: verses 35 to 36. (New
International Version)
Trusting your golf swing is such an important part in playing well.
Trust hopefully is built upon hard work and practice, but when you are
playing golf, you need to trust your swing that you take onto the course.
If you do not have a good swing, then no amount of trust will help. The
results we attain in golf will be similar to the quality of our swing.
But when you are playing well and you get into the final holes especially
in match play, trusting your swing under pressure and not trying to do
anything different helps.
The value of trust or faith is not so much in faith or trust itself,
but in the object of our faith. If our swing is good, trusting it has
value.
Jesus speaks a lot about trust and faith. What is it that we trust in
life? What do we believe is the meaning to Jesus’ life? What value
is there to trusting in Jesus?
There is a tendency today to avoid or dismiss this question as hopeless
or meaningless. Our rationalists or humanists wish us to simply take
life as it is, and to not think much more than what is obvious to our
senses and what we can make sense of with our mind.
Jesus tells us to put our trust in the light and a little later on talks
about himself as the light, (verse 46). When he says that his followers
will only have the light with them for a short time, he is also referring
to himself.
We should never trust in anything lightly, but carefully consider the
merits of what we trust in.
While we will never get to the place where we can prove the value of
Jesus to a doubting person, what I always encourage people is to read
the life of Christ in the bible and to allow the words of Jesus to challenge
what we believe about life. I did this when I was 19 years of age and
it changed my life forever. Letting the teaching of Jesus into our hearts
is like letting a shaft of light into the darkness.
I truly believe that he alone has the words of eternal life and gives
the whole of life meaning.
I have taken a lot of time in recent years
to familiarise myself with other religions and views of life and honestly
they do not measure up to the light that Jesus brings to life.
Jesus’ words, actions and life offer us a comprehensive view to
the purpose of our life. Put simply it is to become sons of God through
Jesus, who shows us the true light that God is. Anything less than this
is to walk in darkness, not knowing where we are going.
Just like a good swing that you can trust in the heat of competition,
you can trust Jesus to lead us into the presence of God. Jesus calls
those who trust in him Sons of light.
I encourage you today to think about what it is you trust in when it
comes to life and to trust your life over to Jesus.
Prayer.
Lord God, thank you that Jesus leads us to light that lightens up our
life. Amen. |