Daily Devotionals

Devotional: August 17th

Wealth has its advantages. Just ask the players of the Professional Golfers Association. The guys whose names are synonymous with the PGA have a distinct advantage over those who are less well known but just as traveled. Money can play an important part in the ability for a tour pro to concentrate on his game and devote himself to playing the best he possibly can. How can money help a golfer concentrate? Let me explain.

The players who are wealthy outside the PGA tour are those who have parlayed their golf abilities into fame in commercial endeavors. Before Tiger Woods ever stepped onto the course as a professional he had a fat contract with Nike in his back pocket. Ernie Els is the walking billboard for SAP while Phil Mickelson has a very lucrative contract with Ford Automotive Company. A lot of other players, however, don't have the endorsement money to pad their accounts. So, how does that help a golfer concentrate?

Tiger, Ernie and Phil all charter planes for their trips to tournaments. Matter of fact, Greg Norman and a few others have their own Lear jets that they fly. The rest of the field has to go commercial, often coach, because not everybody has the bucks for air fares. Advantage: wealthy. Tour veteran, Kelly Gibson, said, "It's absolutely draining spending hour after hour trying to get the best deal and still find time to perform at a competitive level."

The rich don't have to worry about their travel plans. Or do they? Jesus met a very rich young man one day. The young man's riches had him blinded to what he could do with the power he had. When Jesus told him that heaven would be his if he surrendered his riches he left Jesus in great sorrow. Up until that time the disciples of Jesus were wrapped up in the old school thought that riches were a symbol of God's blessings for the faithful. Jesus, ever the teacher, decided it was time for a warning about being rich.

"He said, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' " Luke 18:24, 25 Ah yes, travel plans for the rich. Heaven is not bought nor is it earned. Passage into eternity is secured through family ties. When Christ becomes our Savior then God becomes our Father. Our Father will make sure we get home.

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