To those of you who play golf, you must have been captivated by the results of the PGA championship played yesterday.
Dustin Johnson was leading the prestigious tournament by one stroke coming into the last hole of the event. The course was littered with more than 1,000 sand traps. On the 18th hole, he grounded his club (touched his club to the ground before swinging) in a questionable sand trap. But, alas, according to the rules, he was penalized two strokes and, rather than winning, he finished tied for fifth.
The point is, in spite of the disappointment, Johnson violated a rule of golf. It was not legalism, but it was a mistake in judgment that caused his failure.
In our roles as pastors-to-pastors, our team is constantly dealing with clergy persons who break the rules of effective ministry. Their misadventures are not played out before a national television audience, but, in time, will most likely be revealed. The Apostle Paul admonished, "In the sight of God...keep his commandments without spot or blame" (1 Tim. 6: 13, 14).
Man, did I ever feel for Dustin Johnson! But, in the end, he did ground his club in a sand trap and lost his chance to win a major golf tournament. You just can't blame it on legalism---in the end, he broke the rules.
As God's called-out men and women, we must play between the lines. When we venture outside, it will usually cost us. Paul says, "Watch your life closely" ( Tim. 4:16). The camera may not be watching, but the One on the throne who calls us is---and He wrote the "rule book."
Congratulations to the PGA winner Martin Kaymer from Germany.
H. B. London, Jr.
Vice President
Pastoral Ministries
Focus on the Family
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